The quartet slumped around the living room, relaxing before the first day of the Fall semester started tomorrow.

"Ah!"

Kierra rose up from her lying down position upon remembering something. The other three stared at her weirdly, curious.

"I forgot I have a lunch date with Jay later today!"

She groaned while falling back down on the rug, helplessly.

"What am I supposed to wear?"

She groaned once more while the other three giggled.

"Maybe something cute and pretty." Linna suggested.

"What? No."

"Or something a little sosphisicated, yeah?" Melanie chimed in, causing Kierra to shake her head vigoriously.

"We're not going anywhere that fancy."

"Then go looking as a bum." Serena joked, knowing how Kierra would react.

"Then he wouldn't think I care enough about the date."

"I thought you didn't care what he thought though?"

Kierra scowled, but shrugged it off.

"I guess I do since Jay isn't really all that bad, okay."

"Ooh." The others cooed as Serena wanted to confess.

"That night of the barbecue, Heeseung and I almost kissed again."

"What?"

The focus shifted to Serena now as she hid her face in her hands before looking at them again.

"Luckily Ni-Ki interrupted us before anything could happen though."

"Is that why you let Ni-Ki dragged you around all over the place that night?" Melanie inquired with a laugh as Serena nodded, tiredly.

"Yes."

"No wonder you were ignoring Heeseung throughout that whole night."

"I had to!"

The group laughed as Linna also confessed.

"I have a date with Sunghoon, too."

"Ooh." The trio cooed as Linna brushed off their teasing.

"He hasn't said when or where, but I haven't directly answered his confession though."

"Girl, just say yes." Kierra said with a pointed look.

"You like him, he likes you, and now y'all are going on an actual date with no pretending."

"Okay, true, yes."

"But what?" Melanie probed as Linna shrugged.

"I dunno, it's different."

Melanie nodded, understandingly.

"I feel you."

Serena eyed her sister.

"Okay, then, what's your situation with Jake."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, c'mon. I saw you holding hands with him throughout the whole night." Linna commented with a knowing look.

"Y'all only let go when the other had to get up, but other than that, y'all would go back to holding hands."

"Okay, first of all, Jake initiated it. Second, Jake wouldn't let go no matter what. So, thirdly, I had no choice."

Melanie tried to remain aloof about the whole thing, but the other three just ooh and ahh her.

"Whatever. I just can't believe that our relationship with them advanced to where it is now despite all that happened last semester."

"Technically, Kierra's situation has been in the works since high school." Serena clarified.

"The same with Linna, but in her case it just manifested in university."

Serena looked at her sister while pointing between the two of them.

"As for you and I, it just sprung up out of no where to be honest."

"Basically." The other three agreed before Kierra gave them a look.

"Um, anyway, I need y'all to come on this date with me."

"Why?" Linna questioned as Melanie chimed in.

"Yeah, why?"

"Haven't you gone on indirect dates with him before? Why is this one different?"

"Because it's an actual date, I'm pretty sure I will bail and ghost him if given the chance."

"True." The trio agreed as Kierra nodded.

"Yeah, exactly."

"I guess Jay brought them for moral support, too."

"You really don't mind having our date here?" Jay asked once more as Kierra nodded.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I mean we're already here."

She flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Besides, you should try the Earl Grey Grapefruit Tea or the Oatvienna. It's quite delicious."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Welcome. Oh, yeah."

Kierra remembered the two bags she had brought with her to work.

"Um, here's y'all suit jackets from Seori and Becky's party along with a book for Jake from Chaewon."

Kierra slid the two bag over to Jay as he accepted.

"Ah, yes. I totally forgot about these. Thank you."

"You're welcome and thank you."

Jay placed them to the side in the empty chair next to him. His eyes focused on Kierra afterwards.

"So, what would you like to order? Again, my treat. So get whatever you want."

As much as she wanted to take him up on his offer, but she needed to remind herself not to order so much because of it. Kierra was hungry and since Jay was treating, she didn't want him to pay so much for their meal because of her. She cast him a polite smile.

"What are you going to order?"

Kierra was gonna gauge based on Jay's order and would go from there. Kierra intently listened in on what Jay had to say and ordered her meal.

"How much you wanna bet she's gonna order based on what he orders?"

Linna wriggled her brows at her cousins with a playful look.

"Because I know she's hungry since this morning."

"Isn't it because Jay is also paying for the meal?" Serena mentioned with Melanie nodding.

"Yup. She don't wanna make him pay that much. So, I guess we could buy extra stuff to take home for her, too."

After hearing Jay's order, Kierra matched it. While waiting, the two made small talk.

"So, um, no more Simplistic, huh?"

"Ah, no. That business is done and over with."

"Oh, really? How come?"

"Well, the owner and her cousin are going overseas to assist in her husband's business instead."

"Oh, nice. Nice."

"Yeah, um..."

For some reason, the two just sat there awkwardly after each topic died down. Before, conversation wasn't so bad during school or hanging out with the others, but they weren't sure why they had nothing to say to one another as of now.

"I'll be right back." Kierra informed Jay as she needed to use the restroom.

As Kierra went to do just that, Jay felt some napkins being thrown at him by Sunghoon, Jake, and Heeseung to which Linna, Melanie, and Serena noticed. The male trio pointed at the items for Jay to pick up and read while the female trio figured out what it could be. Jay gathered up the napkins to read through them while Kierra was stopped by her sister and cousins.

"What's up?"

"You're making him nervous." Melanie commented as Kierra frowned.

"How?"

"It's your aura. Be nice to him." Linna suggestd as Kierra rolled her eyes.

"I am being nice to him and I can't control my aura that easily."

"Just relax. Don't treat it as a date." Serena reasoned.

"Just think of it as a hangout. Or just asked him about his summer or about school starting in a couple of weeks."

"Boo."

Kierra made a face, but got the idea of what they were saying before returning to Jay. As for Jay, he hurried and crumpled up the napkins again where his friends suggested for him to keep it cool and not to kill the mood so easily like he does with them. Surprisingly, after the small pep-talk, the dinner date went well with both Jay and Kierra conversing without bickering too much. Of course, the male trio discreetly checked in on the female trio, but they were in their own world, not even paying attention to them. Yet, all six were enjoying themselves as long as the other two were having fun. By the time CARNIVAL neared closing did Jay and Kierra call it a night with each party going their separate ways.

"What's got your attention, Heeseung?"

The question brought Heeseung's attention towards Jay as he caught his friend's teasing eyes.

"You've been distracted for a while now."

He, Jay, Sunghoon, and Jake were out having a meal when he spotted someone that looked like Serena and company.

"I thought I saw Chaejin just now. If you and Jake turn around, do you see Yiyeon and Chaewon with her, too?"

He then turned to the left of him to speak to Sunghoon a second later.

"Sunghoon, do you see Yiseul with them over at that large table, too?"

"Huh?"

Sunghoon's eyes left the grill briefly to glance at Heeseung.

"Wha