Krystal rode the high of their first date for days. She'd end up daydreaming about it off and on throughout classes, business dinners with her dad, family dinners. She'd sit there with her eyes in the clouds as she wondered what if Embo had done this or that. If they had kissed longer. If Embo had dared to stray beneath her clothes. 

She tried to keep those thoughts for when she was alone in her bedroom though, late at night, lingerie on that she imagined Embo would lose his mind if he saw her in. She would her hands over her body like she would imagine Embo wanted to. She'd woken up from many a dream with a sheen of sweat on her skin and a dampness between her legs. 

"I feel like I'm going crazy," Krystal sighed to Sulli after another date with Embo the night before. They'd found out Embo had gotten the job at Antennae music and had gone to celebrate after Embo had signed the contract with them. "He's so sweet and funny and cute" 

"I knew this was going to happen," Sulli said resignedly. She'd invited Krystal over to talk after she'd learned her friend had been dating the bookstore clerk. "He batted those pretty eyelashes at you and now you've completely lost your mind. Wake up!" she snapped. "Where do you think this is going?" 

Krystal rolled her eyes. "I don't care where it's going as long as before the month is over, even the week! He ends up in my bedroom!" 

Sulli gaped at her. "When did you become crazy?!"

"Since I found out Embo kisses like," she blushed. "Well let's just say that if he can do to the rest of my body what he does to my mouth you might not see me again for a few days." 

Sulli couldn't help but exhale a shocked laugh. "Wow. Okay, now I kind of want to try him out." She flinched when Krystal shot eye daggers at her. "I'm kidding, geez, lighten up. I've had my share of poor guys. Just make sure you wear protection. You don't want to end up pregnant before you can fulfill your career goals." 

Krystal nodded seriously. She wasn't ready for children and she knew that Embo didn't want them. He seemed entirely focused on making his new career path a successful one and having that leading to him becoming a singer/songwriter someday. She occasionally wondered if he liked her as much as she liked him, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from getting the fun out of the relationship that she was having. Not everything had to be so serious, that much she could take from all of Sulli's lecturing. She was too young to think about marriage or babies, but as long as she was having fun and really liked the person, she was going to keep going. She'd never had something like this before, so she wanted to hold on to it. 

"Embo still mostly focuses on tutoring me in math when we manage to find time alone together or when he calls me. He wants me to be successful too." 

"That's good, I guess," Sulli said grudgingly. "As long as you're happy and careful I shouldn't say anything more about it. I should be teaching you how to limber up so you can go ahead and try everything." 

"Oh my god!" Krystal laughed, smashing her with a pillow. 

Amber, on her way home from a long day of shuffling calls and schedules for her new boss, sneezed. She glanced around, wondering if someone were talking about her. 

"Hey, babycakes." 

Amber froze. Due to her appearance, she wasn't used to being catcalled on the streets. Relief washed over her when the figure on black resolved into a semi-familiar shape in the darkness. 

"Idiot," she murmured.

Henry, her old friend, laughed and rushed toward her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her full on the mouth. 

"Look at you," he said, tilting her chin up and studying her face. "As beautiful as ever." 

She laid her hands against his chest and shook her head a little. Surprised to see him but unsurprised to see he hadn't changed. "Thank you. You look like an old dog turd that sat out in the sun too long." 

"Hey..." he whined, pretending to be emotionally wounded. "Is that how you talk to an old friend?" 

"Yes," she said indifferently. "That's exactly how I talk to an old friend." 

He laughed, ruffled her hair, then kissed her again, but she pulled back. "What's up?" he asked. 

"You've got to stop doing that," she said, looking at his chin. "I...I'm dating someone now." 

He looked shocked for a minute, then picked her up and pulled her into a spinning bearhug. "WAh!! My little Amber is finally dating. Can you imagine that? Does he treat you good? Is he taller than me? More handsome? Rich?"

She laughed breathlessly when he sat her back on her feet. "She." 

"She what?" he asked innocently. 

Amber scoffed. "She, as in, She. I'm dating a girl." 

His mouth dropped open. "Was I that bad in bed?!" 

She cringed remembering their attempt at having , how awkward and embarrassing and plain awful it was. "I was just a lesbian, I guess," she chuckled. "And yes, you were really bad in bed." When he looked crestfallen, she took both his cheeks in her palms. "We both were," she said squishing them. "We just don't mesh that way." 

She raised herself up on her toes and hugged him close. "I'm glad you're back, you idiot. And I have a phone now, so when you disappear again, you can call me, alright?" 

"Alright," he sighed. "I'll never forgive you for moving on from me though. We had the best of times, we had the worst of times-"

She slapped him hard in the stomach before he could continue. 

"Do you still have my guitar?" 

She nodded. "I'm playing again. I didn't really play after you left." 

"Because you were so heartbroken?" 

She had been heartbroken. She'd loved the idiot, just not in the way she'd thought. "I missed you and you just disappeared..."

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Henry rested a hand on top of her head and said earnestly. "I'm sorry. You were just one girl in the long list of groupies I left behind." 

Amber glared up at him and jerked away from his touch. She both loved and hated that he never took anything seriously. It was one of the reasons she'd liked being with him when her mom's cancer had come back. He'd been a bright, shining light in a tunnel of darkness. But he'd also hurt her with his carelessness. 

"Listen, I have to get home. I have work early tomorrow morning." 

"Still working your life away, babycakes?" 

She wanted to tell him that she was actually working toward something other than just keeping the roof over her and her mom's head and the medical treatments, but she also didn't feel like being laughed at right now, so she just shrugged. "I guess so." 

"Well, when you feel like escaping all that, I'll be around, back home for a bit." 

"Okay..."

He pinched her cheek. "Aww, don't look like that, babycakes. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone again, so you should appreciate me while I'm here." He tilted up her face and kissed her again despite what she'd said earlier. "I'll see ya." 

She watched him walk off into the darkness, unsure of what she was feeling seeing her old friend again. She shoved her hands into her pockets and finished walking home.