Warm sunlight spilled over her shoulder, dancing on the mostly blank composition sheet in front of her, and Sunyoung sighed. Thoughts tumbled around in her mind all day, but when she sat down to make magic happen, nothing came to her. She glanced down at her thin wristwatch and frowned at the time. It was one of her days off but three twenty five was later than she thought and it already felt like she’d lost more of the day than she should have. “Why is this so hard some days?” she groaned aloud, toying with a lock of long, brunette hair. Her mocha eyes narrowed in frustrated concentration and she tapped the pencil eraser against the page in agitation.

                “Boo!” Hands hit her shoulders and someone spoke into her ear.

                “Yah!” Sunyoung screamed, literally falling off the old stump she was sitting on as she tossed everything else away. Heart pounding madly against her ribs and completely disoriented, familiar laughter clued her in to what had happened. She didn’t know whether to be more scared still or angry or amused. Maybe all three. “Amber!” she scowled, turning to find the thoroughly amused young woman laughing at her.

                Short blonde hair just managed to hide her laughing face as she tried to stay standing, her hands resting on her knees. “Oh man,” she gasped in amusement, peeking up from under her bangs to grin at her friend, the expression strangely disarming. Especially because her coffee colored eyes practically sparkled in her joy.

                “You scared me,” Sunyoung chided, slowly getting back up as she looked around for her tossed items.

                “Sorry,” Amber chuckled, wiping at her eyes before she stood upright, revealing her customary plain t-shirt and ripped jeans attire. “I had to try.”

                “I noticed,” her companion laughed once, finally starting to calm down. Sunyoung brushed at her jean skirt and then bent down to retrieve her pencil before searching out the rest.

                “Here you go,” Amber offered, extending the composition book in a sign of truce.

                “Thanks,” Sunyoung smiled, shaking her head while she glanced up at her taller friend. “You’re terrible.”

                “Only sometimes,” she responded, an easy smile quirking the corners of up.

                Sunyoung bent down to pick up her purse beside the tree stump and slung it over her shoulder, biting her lip thoughtfully as she turned to regard Amber again. “What are you doing here anyway?” Her gesture took in the rest of the slowly filling park. School was just getting out so the kiddies were coming to play.

                “Looking for you, actually,” Amber winked, stuffing her hands in her pockets and shrugging her shoulders. “Didn’t find you at your place and you weren’t answering your phone,” she nodded towards the peach purse, “so figured I’d check your usual haunts.”

                “You know me so well,” Sunyoung snorted, finally back to her normal self. “So. What did you want?” she asked with a grin, stepping close with her hands and supplies behind her back.

                “Figured I’d ask if you wanted to get a bite to eat,” was the quick answer. “I know it’s not really food time but I’m hungry. You game?” she asked, extending her arm in a mute invitation.

                She wasn’t really hungry, but obviously she wasn’t getting much done and, if nothing else, she always enjoyed the company. “Sure,” she shrugged in acquiescence, taking Amber’s arm in hers. “What did you have in mind?”

                “I kind of wanted to try that new burger joint downtown,” she grinned, looking down to see how her friend would react. “I also kind of invited some of the guys too, so…”

                Sunyoung rolled her eyes and laughed once. “So we should probably go there anyway.”

                “Yes!” Amber yipped, raising her other hand in a victorious fist.

                “Hopeless.”

                “You know you love me,” she teased, wrinkling her nose and pointing her finger at Sunyoung’s cheek before she poked it playfully.

                “Don’t ask me why,” the shorter woman shook her head, an unavoidable grin appearing as she gave her companion a sidelong look.

                “Why?”

                “Woman!” she snapped in amusement, slapping at Amber’s arm.

                “Okay, okay. I’ll be good,” Amber promised, tightening her hold on Sunyoung’s arm as she guided them towards the street. Sunyoung had walked to the park and Amber didn’t have a car so mostly they made do with taxis or buses. Looked like Amber wanted to take a taxi today. One hand rose to catch a yellow cab’s attention before she wolf whistled for added effect.

                “How are you so good at that?” she asked, looking at the taller woman in miffed awe. She could barely manage a regular whistle, much less something as sharp and loud as that.

                “Lots of practice,” Amber nodded, opening the door for her companion before sliding in to join her.

                “That’s it?” she asked in disbelieving response.

                “That’s it.” Sympathetically, Amber pat Sunyoung’s knee and then left her hand there for the duration of the relatively short cab ride. “So… how’s composing going?” she asked, glancing down at the composition book.

                “It’s not,” Sunyoung sighed, playing with the edges of the book in frustrated misery. “It’s just, whenever I sit down to write, nothing happens.”

                Amber’s face turned thoughtful and she nodded. “Maybe you’re just having a hard time finding out where to start. You could try just jumping into the middle of it. Do the first thing that comes to mind,” she threw out there, glancing at the rear view mirror once and smiling at the cabbie before shifting her attention back to Sunyoung.

                “Maybe,” she admitted, opening and closing the cover just a bit. Really, if she couldn’t get something done today, she’d probably just have to set it aside for the week. Work was going to be crazy busy with it being the end of the second quarter. “I’ll let you know,” she added with a nod, placing her hand atop Amber’s with a gentle squeeze.

                “Good,” Amber grinned, glancing up to confirm they’d almost arrived. She checked the cost and then dug her wallet out of her back pocket to pay. “I’ve got it.”

                “I can help,” Sunyoung offered, already reaching for her purse.

                Amber just waved it off and handed the cash to the cabbie. Like before, after she got her change, she rushed around to finish opening the door for Sunyoung and bowed theatrically. “My lady,” she laughed, her expression cheeky.

                “Thank you,” she giggled, hopping out and then racing for the door to the restaurant so Amber couldn’t beat her. “My turn!” she called, dragging the barrier open with a mirror of Amber’s previous expression. “After you,” she bowed, earning a delighted laugh in response.

                “Don’t mind if I do,” she responded, ducking in quickly as her fingertips brushed against Sunyoung’s side lightly.

                Sunyoung’s stomach jolted at the sensation and she pursed her lips, letting the door close behind her. Brushing away her musings, she stepped into the atmosphere of obvious American pop music and random paraphernalia, and glanced around. The restaurant was a bit on the quiet side, with only a handful of people, so Amber was easy enough to find. Well, her and the boys – young men really – she’d already invited. As was usual, Amber, Aron, Wonshik, Jackson, and Ren were all sitting in one of the corner booths with no windows, comfortably squeezed together and already laughing. She really fit in with them so easily…

                As if she realized she was being scrutinized, Amber looked up and waved. “Sunyoung!”

                “Hey!” came an immediate chorus of greetings as the four young men noticed her at the same time.

                “Welcome, welcome!” That from Jackson immediately, his mouth grinning broadly while dark eyes gleamed under short dyed blonde hair.

                “Scoot over,” Aron chided, forcefully shoving Jackson – and Wonshik – to shift so there would be more room for their last addition.

                “You can sit next to me, Sunyoung,” Wonshik waved, wagging his eyebrow as he gestured towards the tiny sliver of seat remaining next to him.

                “Aish,” Amber snorted, reaching over to lightly smack Wonshik on the top of his orange colored head. “Stop that,” she laughed, looking over once more to wave Sunyoung to her side. “She’ll sit next to me, thank you,” she stated, her tone playful but firm.

                “But you always hog her when she’s around,” Ren teased as he sat next to Amber. He glanced to his other side for confirmation from the other three, who all nodded simultaneously.

                “Then next time, I’ll sit in the middle,” Sunyoung offered, flushing when all eyes turned to her with excited cheers around.

                “Don’t encourage them,” Amber laughed, grabbing Sunyoung’s hand and pulling her down next to her, their hands lingering just longer than necessary. “Although…” she trailed off for a moment, looking at the group and then looking at Ren beside her. “Maybe we should shake things up a bit. Wonshik! Switch!” she called, pointing at the orange haired man first before she ushered Sunyoung out so Ren could shift and shuffle to the other side of the table.

                “Why?” Wonshik whined, clearly happy with where he was.

                “Because I like the outside and this way, you can sit next to Sunyoung,” Ren promised with a wink from under his black fringe.

                “Oh. Yes!” Wonshik grinned, hopping up like an excited kid so he could skip around the table – making faces at Aron and Jackson in the process, before he threw himself into the booth and waited for Sunyoung to join him. “Hey there,” he tried to charm her as she sat down, the smile just a touch too close to a leer.

                “Hi,” Sunyoung laughed nervously, looking at Amber for help.

                “I swear,” Amber scowled, reaching over to smack him on the head again.

                “Ow!” he yelped, partially hiding behind Aron as he retreated. “Abuse!”

                “Wuss,” Aron teased with an amused smirk.

                Sunyoung couldn’t help but laugh at their exchanges. Generally, they had too much energy for her, but some days it was quite entertaining. Especially because this was how they acted most of the time, girl or no girl. A bunch of fools. Except for maybe Ren. She wasn’t sure about him yet, not the least of which was because he was strangely difficult to read. Much like Amber had been when they’d first met a little over a year ago. She knew Ren was a man but put him in a dress and makeup and he could pass for a stunningly beautiful woman too. Kind of like Amber could very easily pass for a man if she really wanted to…

                They were briefly interrupted by a waitress who asked them for their drinks and orders. Really, she just wanted to steal some of Amber’s fries and said as much, so her friend upsized her side to a large. Not surprisingly, the boys all got massive burgers and large fries too, but only for themselves. And then they went back to their usual antics. They had a habit of topic jumping, going from sports, to games, to anime, to music, to news as often as they teased each other.

                When the food arrived, completely filling the table, it didn’t stop them much either. They continued their conversation, tossing questions her way when she was quiet for too long. But mostly they let her join in at her own pace and kept their ribbing to each other. They really were all interesting. Wonshik and Jackson were in college, so their afternoons were usually mostly free. Aron worked a third shift job at a factory or something, if she remembered correctly. And Amber and Ren… didn’t have jobs as far as Sunyoung could tell. She sort of envied them. It would be nice not having to work for a while. Especially at a job she didn’t really care for.

                For a moment, she turned her attention to Ren and noticed that while he was listening to the conversation, he also seemed to be looking around. But she didn’t know what he was looking at. It wasn’t the people nearby. Or the decorations on the walls exactly. Before she could figure it out, he noticed her attention and flashed her a smile that could have melted ice in a freezer. Her stomach did that traitorous jolt again and she gave him a nervous smile in return.

                “And what about you, Sunyoung? Plans for the weekend?” he asked, honing in on the last part of the conversation the other guys were carrying.

                When everyone fell silent to hear her answer, all eyes once again returning to her, she wanted to just hide behind Amber. Instead, she took a breath and laughed once, threading a strand of hair behind her ear and eating another fry to buy her time. “Work, probably,” she shrugged, chewing on her bottom lip uncertainly. “The end of the quarters are always busy.”

                Pained groans followed her statement. “You have got to find another job,” Jackson pointed at her before searching his plate for an errant fry.

                “Seriously,” Aron echoed. “You’re wasted in an office secretary position.”

                Sunyoung wasn’t sure what he meant by it and Amber stepped in to rescue him. “He means they don’t deserve you and you should be trying to do what you love.”

                “Right!” Wonshik chirped beside her. “How’s the music writing going? Can I see?”

                “No,” she answered immediately, grabbing her composition book and holding it close. When he looked surprised bordering on mildly alarmed, she forced a laugh and shook her head. “I’m not finished and it’s… not really that good.”

                “She’s lying,” Amber betrayed her with a knowing look at her companion. “Well, about the not good part. She isn’t finished, but you’re brilliant,” she assured her younger companion with a completely serious look.

                “Oh! I wanna hear,” Ren grinned, leaning forward as he looked between Amber and Sunyoung expectantly.

                “Eh…” Sunyoung trailed off, glancing around the expectant faces nervously. “Maybe next time.” She cringed at the expected chorus of “Aws” that followed.

                “She just wants it to be perfect for you guys,” Amber reassured them with a dismissive wave, though her other hand reached down to pat Sunyoung’s thigh comfortingly.

                “Do you need any help?” Jackson wondered, leaning forward again. “I’ve dabbled in song writing too, you know?”

                “Oh! Me too!” Wonshik and Aron raised their hands at the same time, glaring at each other mildly competitively.

                “I’ll let you know,” she explained quietly, thumbing at her composition book with nervous fingers in the meantime.

                That seemed to satisfy them enough, thankfully. She was pretty sure they genuinely just liked to and/or be helpful in equal measure. After all, they were all single – for now – and they were all friends. She just wasn’t as good at the teasing back as they seemed to be, and try as she might, her reactions always made them try harder. It was cute and funny, in an aggravating kind of way. At least there was Amber… and time. Frowning at her watch, she made a small disappointed noise in the back of .

                “What’s wrong?” Amber asked, obviously hearing her.

                With a groan, Sunyoung looked up and announced, “I should probably be going soon.”

                Disappointed sounds met that announcement, but then Aron cringed. “Yeah. Me too. I’ve got a test tomorrow I have not studied for,” he laughed, running long fingers through his dark hair.

                “Ugh… me too actually,” Wonshik added, looking at the man beside him before he slung an arm over his shoulder. “Wanna be study buddies tonight?”

                “Eh, sure,” Aron shrugged, raising his hand to try and flag down the waitress so they could get the check.

                “I guess a nap before work wouldn’t hurt,” Jackson laughed, pretending to yawn.

                “Knowing you, you’ll nap at work,” Ren snorted beside him.

                “Hey!” he scowled in mock outrage. “You’re probably right though,” he added after a moment, making everyone laugh.

                “I’ve got you,” Amber waved off Sunyoung’s attempt to give her money for the fries at least.

                “But…”

                “You only ate a couple,” she laughed, pushing Sunyoung’s hand away and then bopping her on the nose with her finger. “We ready?” she called out, looking around the table.

                “Yep!” they answered almost in unison.

                As a group, the crowd shuffled towards the front where they could pay separately easier. Sunyoung stayed close to Amber, but listened to the young men around her. Just like any other day. She felt a bit bad for not actually paying anything but it was hard to argue with Amber about that. It was strange though. She didn’t know where she got the money. As far as Sunyoung was aware, Amber didn’t have a job and she never gave her a straight answer about it either… Ah well. She glanced around, eyeing the paraphernalia again and then saw her reflection on the counter. It was faint and distorted and she felt like it was a representation of her song writing at the moment, but then she noticed something else. Amber was standing right next to her, waiting to pay for her food, but… she didn’t see her in the reflection on the surface.

                “Huh…?” she hummed in confusion, reaching a hand to test the surface. But then someone or something bumped her from behind and she hit the counter and Amber at the same time.

                “Watch it!” Ren yelped, his hands reaching to steady Sunyoung while he half-heartedly glared at the three next to him.

                “What?” they murmured in near unison, a bit confused.

                “Sorry,” Ren flushed, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Felt like someone pushed me.” Aron, Wonshik, and Jackson looked confused but Sunyoung noticed Ren look at Amber immediately after, his expression not so embarrassed.

                Amber made eye contact with Sunyoung then and beamed, “Hey. You okay?”

                “Yeah,” Sunyoung murmured uncertainly, glancing back at the counter that didn’t show any of them anymore, since they’d stepped away a bit. Well, Wonshik was moving up to pay but they were otherwise away from the semi-reflective surface. “I’m good,” she nodded, holding the composition book tight. “I think I just need a break or need to focus on something else,” she promised, trying to reassure herself as much as anyone else that nothing was wrong.

                “Alright. I’ll walk you home,” Amber encouraged, giving her a nudge towards the door. “Gotta pay first,” she laughed, retrieving her wallet to step back to the counter.

                “Okay. See you outside,” she smiled, turning the expression to Ren when he held the door open for her. “Thanks.”

                “My pleasure,” he smiled back, offering a half bow in response.

                So very like Amber in that regard. She wondered where they met. Not surprisingly, Amber had made friends with the other guys pretty quickly, after her of course, but Ren was a fairly recent addition. It almost felt like they had known each other before though. “So. Any plans for the evening?” she asked, trying to be polite.

                Ren shook his head. “Nothing special. Probably just hanging out or relaxing,” he promised with a fluid shrug.

                “Must be nice,” she laughed, glancing down at the composition book as she worried about work on the morrow.

                “Most days,” he conceded easily enough.

                “Okay! Ready to go?” Amber interrupted them, coming through the doors energetically and promptly guiding Sunyoung away.

                “Later, Amber,” Ren waved as he started walking off.

                “See ya, Ren,” she called back.

                “Bye!” Sunyoung threw in, a little surprised by their speed of departure. “Is there a fire somewhere?” she asked, looking up at the taller woman.

                “Nah. Just gotta make sure the other guys don’t catch up. They will talk your ear off,” she chuckled, moving to flag down another taxi.

                “We can just walk,” Sunyoung offered, pulling Amber’s hand down. “It’s not that far. And it wouldn’t hurt you to walk off some of that burger,” she teased, looking at the slightly obvious food baby hiding under her shirt.

                “Yeah…” her companion agreed in amusement, stifling a laugh. Side by side, they started meandering back, shoulders and arms nearly brushing but not quite. “So. Work tomorrow?”

                “Yeah. You?”

                “Eh. The usual.”

                “Which is…?” Sunyoung pried just a bit, still curious.

                “Errands and chores and probably a nap,” she grinned back playfully.

                It was a deflection again. She never did give a straight answer about that. Normally, it was fine, but every now and then, Sunyoung got curious. More so than usual. Like now. But pressing the issue didn’t work either. “One of these days, I’m just gonna have to follow you to find out,” she taunted, sticking her tongue out at the taller woman.

                “You’re welcome to try,” Amber promised with a shrug and apparently nothing to hide.

                “Hopeless,” Sunyoung rolled her eyes, glancing ahead to where she could see her apartment complex.

                “Only sometimes.”

                “Yeah well. This is me so… I’ll see you soon?” she asked, pausing in front of the complex.

                “Of course. You couldn’t keep me away,” Amber winked, reaching out to pet Sunyoung’s head once. “Get some sleep, alright?”

                “You too,” she replied, keeping her hands clasped in front of her. Part of her wanted to reach out and touch Amber but the other didn’t know how to make that happen without it being weird so she just… didn’t. “Okay. Good night!” she chirped, waving energetically before she turned around to hurry into her building. In the safety of her enclosed space, she sighed. “One of these days, you’re gonna have to do better than ‘you too,’” she reminded herself with an eye roll. “One of these days.”

(a/n: Nothing crazy yet and we've got a couple dynamic individuals to play with, but we have started! I don't anticipate this being super long but we never know. It shouldn't be with what I have planned, but at least we've got a hint of something being not quite right and a pretty good idea of Amber and Luna's relationship. Or lack thereof. haha So far. But thank you for reading and I hope you are looking forward to the next update!)