Henry just smiles whenever he looks at Amber. When people notice, he will just give an excuse of Amber being his best friend, and he just so fond of her. But they all know it is just a silly excuse of staring at her.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Sulli stated the obvious. Henry only looked at her, and looked again at Amber, and looked back at Sulli. “See! It is way too obvious, Oppa” Sulli spoke again. “When the both of you are too engrossed with your conversations, like no one’s around. Both of you are that obvious, especially the way you look at her, just now. You are that obvious.” Sulli continued.

“Maybe I just miss her, since it had been a long time since I talked to her and what not.” Henry reasoned. Amber sat beside Sulli, having no idea of what Sulli and Henry were talking about. “Say that to yourself, Oppa” Sulli teased. Henry just laughed.

“What's so funny?” Amber noticed. “Nothing” Sulli replied. “Henry misses you, his best friend.” The youngest among the three of them teased again, placing her arms on both Amber and Henry’s shoulders, while looking at Henry. Amber and Henry just laughed at her comment, like they always do to avoid awkward situations like this.

“Silly foreigners” Sulli, rolling her eyes at them. “Just confess already” she shouted. “Sulli!” Victoria spoke, pulling her away, “Stop teasing them. Sorry, Henry, she is a bit short-tempered lately.” Victoria explained. Henry just smiled. “We will leave you two alone. Come with me, Sulli” “But Vic-umma, I am only telling the truth.” Sulli insisted; both of them walking away.

“How is being an actor lately?” Amber casually sat closer to Henry. “Tiring, but fun” Henry replied. “How are you lately? I heard you left your show.” Henry asked. “Adding Japanese to my lists of languages that would be confusing for me, and yeah, I left that show because I might be busy for our Japanese debut.” Amber replied.

“Be back here at 8 AM. Sharp.” Their choreographer shouted from a far. Everybody bowed at him when he exited the room. “Yes, we finish early!” Krystal, Luna, and Sulli cheered, passing by at Amber and Henry who were again too engrossed with their small talks.

“Aren't they coming with us?” Krystal asked Vic, looking at Amber and Henry. “Let them hang out for a while” Vic insisted.

Before exiting the practice room, “Henry, remember what we talked about?” Vic said, looking at Henry. Henry just nodded. “Good. Amber should be back at our dorms by 10 pm.” “Yes, Noona” Vic left them alone.

“What was that about?” Amber asked, “You asked permission from Vic, just to hang out with me?” “Never mind that” Henry playfully pushed Amber by her shoulders outside the building. “Where are we going?” “Somewhere” 

While Amber was busy eating, Henry was just looking at her. “Why aren't you eating?” Amber asked.

“You brought me here and you are the one who aren't eating.” Amber joked, wiping with the sleeve of her shirt. “You and food should not be alone together, or else the world must be starving by now.” Henry teased, wiping a smudge off of Amber’s cheek. “There you go.” Henry spoke, smiling at her, looking straight at Amber.

“What is up with you lately?” Amber asked awkwardly, easing the tension she was feeling just by him looking at her. “Nothing, like I said earlier, I just miss hanging with you.” Henry smiled again. “Okay” Amber calmly replied, pretending she does not feel any awkwardness between them at all anymore. “Come on, let’s go.” Henry stood up and left the money at the table, again dragging Amber by the hand. “What now?” Amber asked. 

“What are we doing here?” Amber questioned. “We are just here a while ago. Did you forget something?” “No.” Henry replied. “Why did you drag…?” Amber was now wide-eyed, “What… What are you doing?”

“What? This” Henry comfortably lied there on the ground of the dance studio, with his arms folded up on the back of his head. “But the floor is dirty, and you’ll ruin your one of kind Flash shirt.” Amber reasoned. Henry just chuckled. “No can really beat your fondness of superheroes. Green Lantern this, Flash that; then, here.” Henry removed his shirt, revealing his wife beater, and gave Amber his shirt. “Happy now?” Henry asked, again looking straight at Amber.

They made eye contact again. Again, Amber’s heart suddenly was beating faster than usual. “Again, you’re acting weird.” Amber shouted, walking away. “Wait!” Henry grabbed Amber by the hand. “I just really miss our small banters. I just miss lying on the floor when we got tired of practicing.” Henry reasoned, gesturing Amber to lie on the ground with him.

“Okay, just stop acting all weird, and start being Henry that I know.” Amber reasoned, lying there beside him. Amber stretched up a bit, yawning. At that, Henry noticed Amber’s tattoo. Amber noticed Henry’s expression changed. “Oh, you can look at it if you want.” Amber said as she showed Henry her tattoo.

“This is actually your first time seeing it up close.” Amber just realized. Henry just kept silent, kept on staring at it. “You have grown so much since the day that I first met you.” Henry spoke. “And this tattoo proves it.” Henry paused, and sighed. “I am afraid I will eventually lose my best friend. I am afraid of when that time comes, that time finally caught up with us.” Henry explained.

Amber kept silent, and sighed. “This tattoo does not change what’s between us. I am still the Amber that you first met a few years ago. I am still you’re best friend.” Amber spoke.  “That is what I am scared of.” Henry reasoned out. “That I don’t want you to be my best friend anymore…” Henry trailed off, sighing again, “and you’re still going to insist that we are.”

Amber kept silent as she realized what Henry was saying, and she did not know what to respond to him. “That is what I am talking about, for the longest time, that Vic-noona, Hae-hyung, everyone else kept saying that I should tell you what I feel, but you saying nothing right now, tells everything that I wanted to know.”

Silence filled the room. They weren’t even looking at each other, as Henry turned his back to Amber, seemed disappointed not at Amber, he was pissed off towards himself by ruining his friendship with her, and that was the last thing he would ever need in his life.

When suddenly, Amber hugged him, “I am sorry that I didn’t say anything a while ago because I really don’t know how to respond to that. People see that there is no awkwardness between us; that our relationship is more of a brother and a sister because we felt too comfortable around each other.” Amber explained. “But for the longest time, I always feel awkward when I am with you since the day that I met you; that we do lie, as we keep secrets from each other, that what we have right now, isn’t a brother-sister relationship, and to be honest with you, I don’t know what it is, all I know that it is more than what we are right now.” Amber trailed-off, as Henry felt something wet at his back. “I am sorry Henry if I hurt you. But I really miss you. I really do.”

Henry faced Amber, as Amber immediately wiped her tears, but Henry was fast enough to hug Amber, at that Amber cried even harder. “I am sorry, Amber for what I have said.” as Henry hugged her even tighter.      

“Henry Oppa?” A girl’s voice asked, as she noticed he was staring at Amber for quite some time. “Henry Oppa?” The girl asked again, patting his arm. “Hey?” The girl said, as she sat down beside Henry. Henry snapped of out of it. “Huh? Hey, Sulli” Henry spoke. “Henry-oppa, are you finished staring at Amber?” Sulli teased. “You’re being more and more obvious. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just confess already!” Sulli teased again. “Sulli! Stop shouting at Henry, come back here and practice with us!” Victoria shouted from the other side of the room, and at that, Sulli left him alone.

Amber sat beside Henry. “Sulli will never get tired of teasing us, doesn't she?” She asked Henry. “I guess so.” Henry chuckled. “Just wait for a while. We’re going to finish soon. We could finally hang out.” Amber smiled at him. “I miss hanging out with you.” Amber remarked, and walked towards her other members.

Henry just smiled as he watched Amber practice, and thought, “I kept on going back to the day that I realized that you weren't my best friend anymore.  In my eyes, you weren't like a little sister to me. From that moment on, I felt afraid of you knowing what I feel. Afraid of sudden change of treatment, scared of you ignoring me or even hiding from me. But at the back on my mind, I also hope for that day to come, that day that you won’t see me like your big brother, that day that you do not want me to be your best friend anymore. But what we have right now is special and I won't risk losing it.”

-x-