“Xian Hua” Zhou Mi spoke outside Henry’s door. Henry didn’t respond so Zhou Mi knocked again, and decided opened the door.

“Xian Hua, wake up, Song Qian, Luna, and Krystal are looking for you.” Zhou Mi narrated, tapping Henry shoulder.

“Why?” Henry groggily asked, head under one of his pillows.

“We want to ask you a favor.” Luna appeared behind Zhou Mi.

“What is it about?” Henry asked, as he scratched his right eye and yawned.

“We want you to fetch Amber at the airport.” Victoria replied.

“Sure” Henry, still sleepy yet immediately answered upon hearing that the favor was about Amber. “What is the time of her arrival then?”

“Two hours from now. So you really need to go there ASAP.” Luna pointed out.

“Okay, I’ll just brush my teeth, clean up, and get dressed. And I’ll be ready to go. Just give me… ten minutes, I guess.” Henry estimated.

“I advise you to clean up well. Take a shower, no, scratch that, take a bath but don’t take too long or else you’ll be late.” Krystal insisted.

Victoria and Luna eyed Krystal. “What?” Krystal whispered to them. “Soojung, we talked about this.”

All Henry could here were murmurs and just looked at the three girls who were somewhat quarrelling about something. And he didn’t want to be involved in that kind of situation this early in the morning. No can do.

“O…kay” Henry spoke. “I think it is okay for Amber if I just look like this. This is how I usually look when we meet up. I look decent enough to go out. ”

“Still, Henry. Please. Wear something nicer. Or else,” Krystal mentioned and watched out if Henry noticed what is going on. “See. I didn’t ruin it.” Krystal whispered to Victoria.

“What is important is be there on time, okay?” Luna stated.

“Bye, Henry.” The two other girls waved goodbye and left the room.

“Or else” Krystal reminded Amber’s best friend once more.

-x-

“Yes, I still have fifteen minutes to spare.” Henry cheered as he waited for Amber’s arrival.

“Where are they?” Amber’s eyes roomed around the arrival area. “Is that…” She looked directly at him. “Henry?” She spoke with a smile, almost chuckling at the site of Henry drinking from a juice box. “Cute” She whispered to herself.

“Amber” Henry approached her, smiling at her. “Surprised seeing me here, huh?”

“Where are the others?” She asked. She looked around.

“They asked me a favor to fetch you. And of course, I can’t say no. How could I say no in seeing you?” He sweet-talked and gently lifted Amber.

Her laughter echoed around the vicinity. “Put me down.” She insisted.

“Where is your bag?” Henry noticed, as he put Amber down.

“It’s with my…” She paused. “! Why didn’t I see this coming?”

“See what coming?” Henry questioned, trying to calm her down as she paced back and forth, obviously freaking out about something that he was so clueless about.

“! ! !” She repeatedly spoke, on the lookout for someone.

“Are we waiting for someone? A friend?” Henry mentioned.

“Actually I’m with my…” She replied.

“Amber, sorry I took so long back there.” A man spoke from behind.

“My Dad” She nervously spoke, pointing at the older man standing beside her, carrying their bags.

“Amber, are you okay?” Her father asked.

“Yes, Dad” She smiled at him, and then eyed Henry.

Amber stood nervously between her father and Henry. Mr. Liu saw Amber and Henry exchanging glances, and his youngest daughter slightly nudging Henry to greet him.

“Hello, Mr. Liu.” Henry greeted the older gentleman. He needed to.

“Hello, Henry right? Henry Lau.” Mr. Liu greeted back.

“My dad is smiling. That’s a good sign.” Amber thought.

“Nice to finally meet you, Sir” Henry formally spoke.

Amber carefully watched Henry and her dad converse and readied herself if ever Henry messes up, or by any chance Henry would be in such situation.

“Nice to finally meet you, Jackie told me about you, everything that I needed to know, actually.” Mr. Liu narrated.

“She did what now?” Amber spoke, almost shouting.

“She told me few things. Don’t worry too much, you know, I don’t pry.” Mr. Liu tried to calm Amber down.

“Let me carry your things to the car and head home. The two of you must be so tired.” Henry suggested.

Amber just smiled at Henry.

-x-

It was a silent drive back to Amber’s dorm. Henry didn’t dare to talk to Amber’s father and even to Amber. He was that scared.

Amber never let her father see that she was too damn nervous sitting in the front seat beside Henry. Henry and Amber just kept on eyeing each other.

All of a sudden, her father decided to start the conversation, “So Henry, you’re from Canada, right? And you’re Taiwanese too.”

“Yes, Sir, I was born and raised in Canada, that’s why I could speak in English fluently. Like Amber here, I also couldn’t speak in Korean and in Mandarin that well when I got accepted in SM.” Henry explained.

“You do have a similar background with my daughter. I guess it really isn’t impossible for you two to get close since both of you are considered foreigners in SM.” Mr. Liu analyzed.

“Do you go back to Canada for vacation?” He casually asked.

“Yes. If I have the time, I make sure I visit my family back home.” Henry answered looking at Amber’s father through the rear view mirror.

“Amber, please do find the time to visit us in LA, okay? Be more like Henry here.” He told Amber.

“Now, you have turned my father against me, Henry.” Amber stated, unconsciously putting her hand on his shoulder. Upon realizing what just happened, Amber decided to retract her hand from his shoulder.

“Sure, Dad, if I am not busy anymore.” Amber replied to her father, turning her head, smiling at him.

“But you have the time hanging out with Henry.” Mr. Liu pointed out. “Like I said, Jackie’s updating us about what you usually do here.”

“And it seems that you’ve been taking care of my Amber quite well, Henry” He spoke, ruffling Amber’s hair, and then laughed as he remembered something.

“Don’t get all possessive again, Henry. Don’t let the ‘she’s mine’ incident happen again simply because I called Amber, ‘my Amber’ just now.” He joked.

“You seemed to be too aware, Mr. Liu.” Henry mentioned, joking back.

“Don’t get me started with the Christmas duet.” He laughed.

“You know that too.” Amber spoke, wide-eyed.

“Yes.” Her father replied, humming the song. “That’s the tune of it, right?”

“I know now, why you are so great in teasing, Amber” Henry kid.   

“You haven’t seen Jackie when she teases her little sister.” Mr. Liu commented.

“I guess I will see that happen someday.”  Henry spoke.

“You and Amber can visit us in LA” Mr. Liu suggested.  “You’re practically family, Liu Xian Hua”

Amber just looked at her father, surprised.

“Sure, Sir” Henry replied, smiling at Amber.

-x-

Later that night, Henry answered the door. He didn’t accept to see Mr. Liu starting right at him.

“Sir, what brings you here? Is Amber with you?” Henry greeted.

“I asked Victoria where you live. I came to speak you about my daughter, alone.” Mr. Liu replied.

“Come in, Sir.” Henry let the man in.

“Can we talk somewhere private?” Amber’s father insisted upon seeing Zhou Mi that was bowing at him.

“We can talk there.”  Henry pointed at the direction of the said place.

Mr. Liu nodded and walked towards the empty balcony.

“I know you like my daughter.” Mr. Liu spoke. “You won’t wake up that early in the morning on a Monday. Just to fetch a close friend who is a girl if you don’t like her that much.” Mr. Liu pointed out.

“And that was the first time seeing Amber that nervous around me, simply because I just met a friend of hers who was a boy that was fetching her at the airport at 9 o’clock in the morning.” He added.

“I came here to personally thank you.”     

“For what, Sir?” Henry asked.

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter, for simply being there for her, for making her happy. Thank you, Henry. Thank you, Son,” Mr. Liu mentioned.

“I am confident enough that she’s in good hands, that you won’t break her heart.”

“I promise,” Henry guaranteed. “I won’t break Amber’s heart.”

Mr. Liu patted Henry’s back like a father would act towards his son, smiling at the boy that his daughter is madly in love with.