The pier was always a beautiful place to be. Whether in rain or snow, summer, spring, winter or fall, the place seemed to thrive with a bustle of people.

There was no true "ocean beach" where Athena lived, but the lake sufficed for the town. The short, sandy shores were quaint and always filled with families and friends when the weather was warm. Now, since it was just the start of fall, those who roamed the beach wore coats and boots, and there were a few fishermen loitering along the waves, hoping to catch a few bites before the weather no longer permitted it.

Athena and Felix walk along the pier after getting their ice cream (vanilla and strawberry for Athena and chocolate for Felix). It's silent for the most part as the two eat their ice cream and watch small waves crash against one another underneath them.

"It's pretty," Felix suddenly says.

"I told you you'd love it," Athena proclaims.

"You said I'd love the ice cream, not the pier."

"It's supposed to be implied that you'll love both."

Felix chuckles and then sighs, turning to lean his back against the railing.

"It reminds me of back home."

"In Australia?" Athena asks with a tilt of her head.

The boy nods, seemingly in deep thought. "I used to go to the beach a lot."

"Well, that's given. Aren't there like, beaches everywhere?"

"I guess," Felix says with a shrug. 

"I'm sure you'll like the beaches here just as much," Athena tells him. "We should go when the weather warms up again."

Felix scrunches his nose. "We could've just gone before school started then, you know, when it was summer."

"But that would be no fun! Now we have something to look forward to into the new year," Athena giggles out.

Felix just smiles and watches as Athena bites into her ice cream cone. She looked so innocent, so content with life. It was an image of the girl he rarely saw and he wondered if, before the incident, she had always been this way; smiling and laughing. Felix thoughts flicker to Hyunjin and he wonders if he'll ever be able to ask the girl about him. Even though Chan and Somi had told him the majority of the story, he knew there was more to it that Athena wasn't telling anyone. He wanted to know but Athena was still pushing him away, never letting him in on her emotions.

Athena interrupts his thoughts as she asks, "do you miss it? Living in Australia?"

"Yeah, I do," the boy let out slowly. "I mean, the move was kind of sudden, and my mom was worrying about how to sell the house we were living in as well as trying to get one here. I tried to help her as best as I could, but, you know, I don't know much about housing and using money in the adult world."

Athena laughs in agreement, causing another wide grin to stretch across Felix's face. 

"I didn't really have time to think about missing my life in Australia much. My mom's parents were really helpful, since they know a lot of people who live here, but other than that it was just me and my mom dealing with it all." 

"You really seem to care about your mom," Athena comments.

"Yeah, she's done so much for me and I just always want to be there to support her in the same way."

Felix lets out a sigh, staring out at the water. Athena notices how the boy had never brought up his father. After awhile, she assumed her hadn't moved with Felix and his mom but with the way he didn't even try to talk about him made Athena want to ask. Though, she remembers how Felix responded the last time she asked; cold and distant. Instead, Athena simply nods and stares back out at the lake with him.

"I didn't even think about missing my friends," he muttered softly.

Athena's heart clenches as she thinks about his whole situation. If she had to move to a whole new country, she wasn't sure she'd be able to think about anything but what she'd be missing. Though the boy stumbled on a few words here and there during his first week, it felt as though he had been living here his whole life. That was probably why sometimes Athena forgot he had moved. Now, the thought of Felix helping her through all her emotional breakdowns while he was still readjusting to new people and a new country made her feel guilty. He deserved better, and Athena hoped she could show him all the care he needed to fill the void of missing home.

Athena faces the boy and grins mischievously. "As your honorary, first friend of Korea, I shall be of assistance to you and I promise to help you ease your way into the life here."

"And how will you be doing that?" Felix asks, an eyebrow quirked upward.

The girl looks to the sky, thinking dramatically. When she finally gets her answer, her eyes widen and she lets out a sweet smile. 

"Let's go play in the water!"

"What? No, no, that doesn't sound like a good ide-"

But Athena was already dragging the boy down the pier and onto the lakeshore. Once arriving, Athena "accidentally" pushes the boy straight into the lake. The weather itself wasn't extremely cold but the water was and Felix shivered feverishly as he rose from under the water.

"You're gonna pay for that sweetheart," Felix says with a grin.

Athena stops laughing and starts to walk backwards. "Oh no! No, Felix!"

She starts to run as Felix chases her along the coastline. They laugh and giggle, and once Athena finally loses her breath, Felix catches her and dunks her under the water. Athena doesn't let herself struggle alone, as she pulls the boy down with her, erupting into an unstoppable fit of laughter.

As Felix laughs along with the girl, he starts to realize why he doesn't miss his old life as much as he thought he would.

It's because Athena, in all her beauty and emotional roller coasters, made him feel more at home than he had ever felt in his life.