And like the dream she had last summer, they were all living their best life. No, trying their best to cover up everything they had to go through. While being their brightest self at school. School was their hide out. All eight of them. People came and went past them. None of them mattered as much as they did for each other.

 

Aera was starting to experience something new in her life. A little spice to her bland teacup. Even though, taeyong stopped contacting her without even a last word, even though the void was still there, she was starting to forget about its existence. Luging herself into happiness with her dorks. She was having it all.

 

She liked to write and sketch. That's how she rested her stress off. Her favorite hiding spot at school, she sat down and wrote their memories in her diary under the oakwood at the far end of the school, behind the nearby church... Sitting on a bed of leaves, she scrapped a withered leafling onto her sketchbook. It's half green but rough texture spread on the pages. It reminded her of chenle. 'how cute' she smiled to herself.

"Aaarh... Wth-" someone pushed her from the back and she screamed.

"What are you doing here again? Alone??" Nana walked in. He pushed back a lump of leaves to make his own red carpet. And sat down. Took his phone out and called the others. He seemed a bit off.

"Did something happen?" Aera asked, slpwly tucking his blue bangs back in place.

"What's there to happen!" laughing it off, he reached for her sketchbook. "Draw me" He ordered suddenly.

"No"

"Why?"

"I don't want to."

"Mean"

"I know. Thank you"

"Go rot in hell" He proceeded to leave but someone sat him down again. There was a huge line of 7 boys.

"Why did you call us here ?" Chenle asked pushing him down on the ground.

"Ah, it hurts er. I called you cos she was sitting here all alone. I felt bad. But not anymore. She's mean as ."

Aera couldn't help but laugh.

They all sat together under the oakwood, slowly the chatters slipped down to a new sunset.

 

At home,

Aera was excited to open her phone at last. And the first thing she saw, couldn't anything make her more happy.

' Hey, reached home? ' - Jeno.

A text from Jeno. It's not new. They text each other every single day till night. Aera's inbox was a constant rush between jaemin's and Jeno's texts. She didn't complain. Instead it was her happy haven.

'Yep. You?'

And the texts went on. Like they dint see each other for years. When they literally have been together all day.

The conversation usually gets deeper. They pretended to be lovers sometimes, married couples sometimes. Each other's secret keepers? More like soulmates. He knew everything about her without even asking. Atleast that's what she thought.

A year passed as that.

Mark stopped coming to school for a while. His dad took him somewhere. It was a pretty hard time for them. All that kept Hyuck going was the thought of Mark being there beside him. Five feet away, atleast they could see each other. That was his only happiness. But not anymore. Nobody even knows when he's coming back.

Hyuck's smile started fading. The brightest smile in the universe as Aera would say, it ain't as bright as before. His head bowed down every now and then someone mentioned Mark. Struggling with his tears. All of them missed him. His unexpected raps and creepy sounds he let out to cheer them up. They missed him.

Aera would accompany Hyuck to bus every day. All of them would stop at the bus stop, buy snack from the nearby shops, spending their good times there.

Hyuck barely smiled. He forced them out. Aera felt uneasier than ever. She stood close to him. Fed him like the mother she is.

"You don't have to do all this. I'm okay. Just not in the right mind. I'll be okay. This time will pass too as you always say" Haechan said every time she pulled him closer in her embrace.

"I know" she kept him warm. Like a mother bird to her baby. She was a hideout where he could cry his pain out and he knew it. But he held everything in. He was sure this wasn't a relationship that's gonna work. The universe is against it. Hyuck pretended to be strong all while. Aera would just smile and keep him close. She could read him like an open book.

1 more month till Jaemin's birthday. It was their second birthday together.  Aera started her prepping way ago.

A black scrapbook. Completely handmade. Covers tied together with a 3 cm wide red silky ribbon. "Our story" the title read.

She did enough and more preps inside and wrapped it as pretty as she could.

 

It was weekend when she got a call. A call that made her so happy that she pinched herself to recheck.

"Hey.... I missed you idiot" the person screamed from the other side.

"So did I.... When did you come back? Come meet me asap. Run over here."

Aera was screaming as well.

Guess who?

Sean. She was here for semester breaks.

"you came at the right time. Tomorrow is nana's birthday. You know him right. I want to introduce you to all my dreamies."

Of course sean knew all of them. Aera had nobody to hide from her. She even added her in their group chat hoping they get along. They did too. Tomorrow will be the first time theu meet each other. She invited sean to meet up at nana's birthday party. It was their first party together and mark wasn't there. So she thought may be Sean can help to light the mood up.

 

Sean bought a huge cake, as promised. Aera picked up her nicely wrapped surprise present and went to nana's.

He was still sleeping. It took one hour for him to get up and get ready as well as others to reach home. In mean time Aera and Sean set up the tables. It was just 8 of them.

All of them sat around the table. And yes as expected the situation was kind of awkward. Confused, Aera broke the Ice. Cupping jaemin's face and sang louder : "HAPPYYY BIRTHDAYYYYY TOOOO YOOUUU" everyone burst into laughter and proceeded to cut the cake. After a parade of running around the house with cake and cream, they sat down again.

Aera took out her pastel green wrap and placed it on the table.

"Happened to pick it up. See if you like it"

She shrugged.

Jaemin's eyes, which was originally fixed on something else all this while, turned 45° left on to the table. He took it in his hands and started ripping.

"Our story" he smiled at the title. Everyone was curious enough to take a look. He loosened the ribbon. Opening the book, there were pictures of them. Small polaroids cut and paste with cute lil stickers all around and prettily handwritten notes. As each page passed by, she had attached stories and memories ever since the day they met. And then he pulled out a frame within a page. A nicely drawn portrait of just the two of them. He smiled. And the last page was kind of upsetting for him. But cute. It was solely for Haru. Wishing all the best for their relationship, reminding him to take better care of her. He immediately closed the book. Geld it closer and started fake crying.

"Omygod I'm so touched. I can't stop crying. *sniff sniff*" Aera was pissed but she let it slide, it's his birthday anyways. Every one els gave him their presents as well. And Renjun waited till last. Handing him over a cute little jute box, renjun tried his best not to blush. Aera caught him but just kept silent.

"Ooooh...... What's this now." Jaemin's curiosity loosened the silky white rope from it. It was a small sculpture, out of glass. Glass knittings. A miniature version of Carol Milne's knits. Aera knew right away why he chose that and what the aftermath gonna be.

" What the-" jaemin was so confused he looked all the corners and reached out for others' reactions. Everyone else were equally confused.

"It's so pretty....... Ya, get me one too." Aera raised her voice like an excited puppy before jaemin could blurt out anything stupid. Renjun smiled. Jaemin, in a clear confusion put the knit back in the box and shrugged at others.

 

All of them proceeded to have some food. They were hungry after all. Watermelons. Sean started slicing watermelon into a plate.

The room was just getting darker than it's already is. Hyuck just smiled dint even touch a slice. The rest of them were having a hard time too. They missed mark. How he would've galloped the whole watermelon down by now.

"So, Sean, how's your life in states going? Is ut fun there?" Jaemin finally hit his shot. The thing he had his eyes on from the very beginning was no one else but Sean. Remember, she was pretty as hell. He had only seen her in photos before. The first encounter sure had an impact. He wasn't even aware of Haru's existence at the moment. All he could see was Sean.

Yes. Things are getting darker and deeper. And the pandora's box is yet to be opened.