She had a strange, dream the night before. Suzy woke up, feeling flushed and embarrassed. Hongbin was still asleep, his hair so messy that she was tempted to brush it back and tie it with bows. He was such a silent sleeper, not a snoring monster like Jongin. She wondered if she should tell him about her dream, but he might be just as embarrassed as her. Besides, it was not like they were at that stage...yet. He let her explore their romance as slow as she wanted, and she hypothesized that there was a fairytale quality to their union in his own head. Sometimes, she felt like he placed her on a pedestal, and worshipped the ground she walked.

    She did not want that.

In any case, it was past morning, and she had to get up to prepare for the lunch party they decided to have. They were inviting a lot of his friends in Boston and neighbouring cities. Jongin also agreed to return, with Laura by his side. Suzy yawned and sat up. She scratched her chin and swallowed the bitter morning breath. needed some toothpaste treatment before she could kiss Hongbin again.

    A message on her phone caused her to scream in delight. Hongbin stirred and groaned next to her.

    “I'm trying to sleep,” he muttered.

She shook his shoulder vigorously. “Wake up sleeping beauty! Come on. We’ve a party to get ready for.”

    “Go away,” was his mesmerized reply. He rolled to his side, his pillow pressed over his face. She wondered why men liked to sleep so much. Was it that hard to wake up?

Suzy huffed through her nostrils. She gave his arm a sharp whack. He yelled, sitting up quickly and giving her a petulant glare that reminded her of a baby deer.

“A good friend of mine is here in Boston! She wants to meet up. I'd like to invite her to the lunch party today. What do you say?”

    He rubbed the back of his neck, yawning. “Sure. I'm cool with it.”

“Great! Right I better get Hakyeon, and the we need to think of a menu.”

She realized the gleam in his eyes. He leaned in for a kiss, but she moved and he fell flat on his face.

    She was not about to kiss him with morning breath.

Taekwoon had prepared food from all over the world. Suzy helped a bit -- she did make some sandwiches while Hongbin did his exercises with Hakyeon. Ken pranced around with a swag that told everyone he tried too hard to be American. Then came Jongin -- with Laura by his side. He and Hongbin acted like nothing happened. Suzy was often amazed that men rarely held any grudges against one another. There must have been some secretive brotherhood code that she did not understand. No sooner did the guests start arriving, a mix of people from every background imaginable. It amazed her at how diverse Hongbin’s circle was.

    Then again, she remembered those times in the past, where Hongbin would be the spotlight in all of her birthday parties. His sunny personality was too infectious. She watched from the corner of the room, at how he laughed like old times again. It warmed her heart to hear him laugh and see the twinkle of summer in his eyes once again. Hongbin caught her stare, and the rest of the room faded into a blur. He returned her smile, beckoning her to join him.

    With a hearty grin, she ambled to him, and he caught her in a deep embrace.

“Whoa!” cried Ken. “Like, are the two of you dating?”

    Hongbin cleared his throat. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“What!?” Jongin pushed between a black-American guy called Dane, and Chinese-Canadian guy called Kris. The latter gave him a cold, hard stare that Jongin obviously did not notice while Dane shook his head with an amused expression. “Are the two of you serious?”

    Suzy bit her bottom lip. She had not expected Hongbin to be so open about their relationship. Besides, no one from Korea knew about them. Yet. She had intended to tell her mother. But not now.

    Jongin’s features contorted with shock. His lips trembled, unable to form any words. He sounded like snorting pig.

    “It’s true, Jongin,” she said, and to solidify her claims, she leaned forward and kissed Hongbin’s cheek. “We’re together now.”

Jongin staggered back. He leaned against the wall. Then, after what seemed like eternity, he threw his head back and laughed. “And all this time, I thought you were gay, Suzy.”

    She scrunched her nose at him. “Are you serious?”

He gave her a mischievous grin, which she wanted to swipe him for. She aimed to jab his shoulder, but he moved to the side. “Easy! I was just messing.”

    Hongbin raised one of his crutches, and it came crashing lightly over Jongin’s head. The room erupted into laughter.

    It was then that the doorbell rang, and Suzy squealed in excitement. Her friend from college had arrive. It was none other than Sunyoung, who was dressed in a long pale cream skirt, and a matching blouse with sequins. Her long brown hair curled over her waist, causing a small twinge in Suzy’s heart. She combed her fingers through her short hair, imagining that they were once the same length as Sunyoung’s. In any case, she greeted her friend with a generous hug, and sought to introduce her to everyone in the room.

    While people warmed up to Sunyoung, others came to congratulate the new couple. Soon, Jongin and Suzy spoke with Hongbin. Jongin was still flustered over the truth, his face as red as a tomato.

    “I had no idea you liked one another for so long,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Bean, why didn’t you ever tel