I was still awake even when Hoon left, but Eli and AJ didn’t know.

            “Crazy how he’s fallen head-over-heels for her.”  Eli said.

            “Seems you have, too, bro.”

            Eli…falling for me?  Whatever AJ.

            “Yeah, I guess I did…”  Eli’s voice dropped somewhat.

            “FANGIRL MOMENT ENGAGED…”  I thought when I heard him say that.  I squeezed my wolf lightly and acted like I was asleep again.

            Eli went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then came back in the bedroom.

            I heard the bed make a noise when he laid down; it made a noise when he got out of bed, too.

            Eli walked over to where I laid.  “How can anyone hurt someone so pretty and innocent?”  He said softly before he leaned down and kissed my cheek.  “I’ll watch over you, Li, even if Hoon says he’ll protect you.”

            I felt my heart rate pick up at hearing Eli’s words.  I wanted to look at him, but I didn’t.  I kept playing like I was still asleep until I heard him lie back down.  I opened my eyes and smiled.  “I fell for you a long time ago, Eli Oppa,” I thought.  “That was only in a fangirl way, but I think I’m falling for you even more now in the serious way.”

            Soft bursts of breath came from the other side of the room, and I turned so I faced towards Eli.  I smiled, seeing his long lashes down over his cheekbones.  While he was sleeping, he looked so cute, but handsome, too.

            I cursed softly when my phone went off.  I sat up and rubbed my eyes.  I picked up the lit device and looked at the name.  I rolled my eyes and answered it.  “What do you want?  I told you already.”

            “Are you sure you didn’t cheat on me?  Did you with that Asian dude from earlier?”

            “ you,” I whispered.  “I have only cheated in one relationship in my life, and that guy was a cheater even the first time we were together.  I wasn’t lying.  I never cheated on you, Ricky.”

            “You’re just a , you know that?  You wouldn’t let me explain myself at all.”

            “What the hell is there to explain when I saw exactly who kissed who and who started what happened.  It doesn’t ing matter because you could’ve stopped it in time.  You didn’t even care.”

            “Baby, I did care…”

            “You know what?  You broke my trust and made me lose any feelings and respect for you at all.  You brought problems up that should’ve been dealt with privately instead of ing everyone.  But, you know what?  I don’t give a anymore.  I’m through, now and forever.  I have two other guys who care for me that deserve a chance, one of which I like sincerely.  So, you know what?  off.”  I ended the call, deleted my ex’s number, and then blocked it so he couldn’t call me or text me anymore.  I set the phone down and buried my face in my hands, having felt the tears before I even ended the call.

            I composed myself and got out of bed, walking to Eli.  “Oppa?”  I poked his side.

            “Hmm?”  He sounded half asleep.

            “Can I sleep with you?”

            He scooted over and held his blanket up so I could slide in.  Eli wrapped his arms around me.  “What happened?”

            I leaned my head on his shoulder.  “Don’t worry about it.”

            “Are you alright?”

            “I will be…eventually.”

            His arms tightened, pressing my body closer to his.  “I feel like I should kill him,” he muttered.

            I smiled and kissed Eli’s cheek.  “Thank you Eli.”

            “For what?”  He turned his head so he would look straight in my eyes.  We were nose-to-nose.

            “Being a great friend to me when you hardly know me.”

            “I know enough.  Besides, I don’t like it when people get hurt.  It’s not right.”

            “It’s not, but it happens.”  I idly twirled a strand of his hair around my finger.

            He smiled and kissed my forehead.  “Get to sleep now, baby.”  Eli pulled the blanket up over us both and rested his head against mine.

            I felt him smile even more widely right before I drifted off.

            I woke up, still lying against Eli.  I looked over at his alarm clock, shining seven twenty-two.  I gently tried to slip out of his arms, but Eli held me tight.

            “Where do you think you’re going?”  He murmured.

            “Eli, I have to get my phone.”

            “Why?”

            “Because I have to text someone.”

            “Don’t leave me.”

            “I just need to get the phone.  I promise.”

            “Fine…”  He released me from his grasp.

            I sat up and leaned over to get my phone.

            Over there, it’s the evening while it’s morning for me here.  Stay safe bro.  I love you.  P.S. Korea is freaking AMAZING.

            I set my phone down on the corner of the nightstand and laid back in Eli’s arms.  “Oppa, I love you,” I said like a little girl.

            He chuckled and rubbed my back.  “I love you, too.”

            I reached behind me and grabbed my phone when it went off with Mr. Children’s Summer Dream.  I checked the reply I got.

            You stay safe, too, sis.  I don’t want to get a phone call saying you’re missing…or worse…  Love you Liz.

            I rolled my eyes.  “Aish…my brother…”

            “What’d he say?”

            “He told me he doesn’t want to get a phone call saying I’m missing or anything.  I can trust you, right?”

            “No, I’m a convicted and serial killer,” he said sarcastically.

            I smacked his shoulder.  “Don’t say that Eli.  I’ll go sleep with Hoon instead.”

            “No you won’t.”

            I looked into his eyes, smirking.  “Wanna bet?”

            “Yeah I do.  If you can get out of my arms, you can go sleep with Hoon.”

            I acted like I gave up and took advantage when Eli loosened his arms to swipe under and stand up.  I stuck my tongue out.  “Got away.”

            Eli frowned.  “Go sleep with Hoon then.”  He his side, his back facing me.

            I laid behind him and wrapped my arms around him.   “Oppa…”

            “Go away.”

            “Eli…”  I pouted when he didn’t budge.  “He makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, with just one touch…”

            “Not going to work.”

            I sat up and crossed my arms.  “Fine then, be that way.”  I got up to go to the other bed, and Eli grabbed my wrist.

            “Even though you got out of my arms, you still didn’t go to Hoonmin.”  He was grinning.

            “So what?”

            He sat up.  “You like me, right?”

            “So?”

            Eli scratched the back of his head.  “Well, I…”  He sighed.  “Never mind.”

            “Oppa,” I sat down beside him.  “What is it?”

            “Nothing.”

            I moved to the other bed, looking at my phone and pretending I was doing something.  “Nobody knows who I really am, I never felt this empty before. And if I ever need someone to come along, Who’s gonna comfort me and keep me strong?  We are all rowing the boat of fate, The waves keep on coming and we can’t escape.  But if we ever get lost on our way, The waves would guide you through another day…” I sang softly.

            Eli moved and sat beside me.  He took the phone from me and pressed his lips to mine softly for a few seconds.  “I think I’ve fallen for you,” he whispered.

            “Eli?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Can you pinch me?”

            He grinned.  “Think you’re dreaming?”

            “Uh-huh…”

            He pressed our lips together again.  “You’re not dreaming.”

            “Whoa…” I said softly, feeling my heart pounding.  I set my hand over my chest.  “It’s flying.”

            Eli took my free hand and set it over his heart.  His heart was beating as crazily as mine was.  They were both in sync with their beats, too.

            I laid down on the bed, looking up at Eli sitting beside me still.  “Why are you staring at me?  Oppa, stop it.”  I noticed my phone still in his hand and took it.  “My phone,” I stuck my tongue out at him and looked at the screen.

            Be mine forever.

            I looked at Eli.  “Oppa?”

            “Will you?”

            I looked back at the words.  “I can’t be sure about forever, but I will be yours.”

            He smiled and laid beside me, kissing my cheek.  “I swear, if Hoon does something I don’t like, I’m killing him.”

            “Oh Eli…”  I rolled my eyes.  “Jealous boyfriend.”  I set my phone on the nightstand.

            He grinned.  “Damn right.”

            “This is so unreal.”

            “Why’s that?”

            “You’re my boyfriend, Eli.  The chance of me even meeting you face-to-face was very slim.  Look at us now,” I laid my head on the pillow.

            “Is there anything wrong with it?  I don’t see it.”  He wrapped his arms around me.

            I laid my head on his shoulder.  “Never said there was, Eli.”  I yawned.

            “Baby, are you tired?”

            “I’m always tired.”  I groaned when my phone rang.  I sat up and answered the call.  “Hello?”

            “Why are you so loud?”

            “That’s the first thing you think of to say to me?  Really?”

            “Uhm, I don’t know.  Hi.”

            I grinned.  “Hi crazy Asian.”

            “I’m not a crazy Asian.  You are!”

            “Whatever.  Shouldn’t you be working?”

            “I’m off today, and it’s raining.”

            “It’s like five thirty there.”

            “What do you mean there?  It’s five thirty where you are, too.”

            “No it’s not.  I’m fourteen hours ahead of you.  It’s tomorrow here.”

            “What the hell?  Where are you at?”

            I clasped my fingers with Eli’s when he took my hand.  “I’m in Korea with my boyfriend.  Do you have a problem with that?”

            “Boyfriend?  What boyfriend?”

            “My boyfriend.  What don’t you understand?  I don’t know how to say it in Chinese.  Mi novio,” I said, recalling my two years of Spanish in high school.

            “I got it.  Since when do you have a boyfriend, though?”

            “None of your business ahjussi.”  I squeezed Eli’s hand softly.  “I miss you.”

            “I miss you, too.”

            “I need to sleep.  Can I call you back in a couple hours?”

            “How many?”

            “The normal time we usually talk.”

            “Ok.  I’ll be awake.  You can still text me.”

            “I know.  I will before I call.  Love you.”

            “Nyah.  I love you, too.”

            “Bye CA.”  I put my phone on the bedside table after putting it on silent and laid back down.  “I wanna sleep.”

            “Who was that?”

            “My friend, Oppa.  He lives in Illinois.”  I sat up and went to my bag.  I got my contact case out and set it beside my phone.  I took out the lens in each eye and closed the case after taking my contacts out.  “Oww,” I closed my eyes.

            “You ok baby?”

            I laid down.  “I have really bad eyes, so it hurts to look at anything after taking my contacts out.”

            “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s alright.”  I opened my eyes, seeing Eli laying beside me.  I smiled and took his hand.  “Oppa I love you.”

            He smiled and moved closer, lying his head on the same pillow as me.  “I love you, too, honey.  Go to sleep now.”

            “Oppa, I can’t just go to sleep like that.”

            “I know, but try and sleep.  I don’t want my girlfriend being sleepy.  We have a big day later.”

            “Big day?  What is it?”

            “Sleep,” he covered me up with the blanket.

            “Fine.”  I took my iPod and put my earbuds in, playing If It Means a Lot to You by A Day To Remember.  I felt Eli leave the bed once I had relaxed and had almost fallen asleep.  I groaned softly and felt a hand touch my hair softly.

            “Baby, sleep.”

            “Mmkay,” I said, half asleep.  I let myself fall asleep in the bed, Savage Garden’s Truly Madly Deeply playing in my ears.

            I smiled as I saw Lizzie fall asleep.  She was so peaceful while she slept.  I left to go take a shower.

            I went into the hall afterwards and shut the door softly behind me so I wouldn’t wake my girlfriend.  I spotted Kevin coming out of his and Dongho’s room, scratching his head.

            “Rough night sleeping?”  I walked with him to the kitchen.

            “You’ve no idea.  What about you?”

            “It was pretty good.”

            “How’s our special guest?”

            “She’s sleeping like a baby in the bed.  She woke up for a little bit, but I told her to go back to sleep.”

            “So how’s she look after she wakes up?”  He got a drink out of the fridge.

            I sat down and stretched.  “Would depend on who sees her.  I think she looks very nice.  Then again, she woke me up not long after I fell asleep asking if she could sleep in my bed with me.”

            Kevin grinned.  “You go hyung.”

            “YAH HOON!!! STOP!”

            I smacked my forehead with my palm.

            Kevin laughed.  “Calm down hyung.  She’s fine.”

            “She’s my girlfriend,” I muttered.  I washed my hands and picked up a towel after I’d turned the water off, drying both hands.

            A pair of arms wrapped around me from behind.  “Oppa, save me.”

            I turned and wrapped my arms around my girlfriend, kissing her forehead.  “It’s ok.  Oppa’s here.”

            Kevin grinned and walked out of the kitchen.  He was humming to MBLAQ’s Mona Lisa.

            Lizzie looked up at me pouting.  “He’s mean.”

            “Who Kevin?  He’s just got great intuitions.”

            “I bet he just knows someone a lot better than I do.”

            “So, how’d you escape from Hoon?”

            “It wasn’t easy.  I just got away from him and shut the door after I ran out.  I couldn’t really get back to sleep for long.  I woke right back up.”

            “I’m sorry baby.”

            “It’s ok.  I slept enough.”

            “You sure?”

            She nodded.  “I’m fine Oppa.”

            “Promise?”

            She wrapped her pinky around mine and touched our thumbs.

            “I’m taking you shopping later.”

            “Why?”

            “Because I want you to get the full perk of visiting Korea and having a well off boyfriend.”

            “Fine.  I won’t like it, though.”

            “That’s only because you’ll love shopping with me.”

            “Oh I’m so worried now.”  My girlfriend got out of my arms, walking towards the door.  “I need to go back to bed now.”

            “Baby,” I followed her.

            “Stop following me stalker.”

            “I don’t have to.  You’re not older than me.”

            “I don’t care.  Stop following me.”  Lizzie walked into the bedroom.

            I went in and shut the door.  I sat on the side of the spare bed, poking my girlfriend’s side.  “Baby…baby…”

            She had her headphones on instead of her earbuds in.  Her lips moved to silent words.

            I pouted and laid my head on her lap.  “Talk to me...”  I tapped her leg.

            “I can’t hear y, Free, and Single over you.  Hush.”

            I took the iPod from her and an SM the Ballad song.

            She smiled.  “Hey, I wanna talk about this. Yeah, the story about love of men.  Yeah, my baby, baby…”

            I touched her nose.  “Silly.”

            “I love the song Oppa.”

            “Come on, time to go get ready.”

            “Oppa, I don’t wanna.”

            “Please?”

            She huffed.  “Fine, I’ll go.”  Lizzie went into the bathroom to take a shower.

            I went to my bed and got my laptop, lying down with it on the other side of me.  I found Li’s twitter account and followed it.  It wasn’t too easy to do, but I remembered she had just tweeted my account a few weeks before.  I glared at a picture Hoon posted on his with him and Lizzie.

            “Hoon’s new girlfriend, my ,” I grumbled.

            “What’s wrong honey?”  Lizzie sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me.

            “Nothing…”  I wrapped my arms around her and buried my face into the sweet softness that was her hair.  “Mm, my baby,” I breathed.

            “Oppa, are you ok?”

            “I’m fine.”

            “You go get ready now.”

            “I did when I got up.”

            “Should we go so no one will bother us then?”

            “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”  I got up and put on my cap, sunglasses, and watch.  “We’ll go in my car.  It’s the easiest way.”

            Lizzie stood up.  “Ok.”  She grabbed her purse and slipped on a pair of sunglasses.  “How do I look Oppa?”

            I smiled and pecked her lips.  “Very adorable baby,” I said.

            She slid out a pack of gum and put a piece in , chewing and blowing a small bubble before popping it.  “Ok, I’m ready now.”

            I picked up my phone and slipped it into my pocket.  “Do you have your phone?”

            “Oh yeah…”  Li pulled hers from the drawer on the nightstand.  “How the hell do I still have full battery?”  She slipped it into her purse.

            I took her hand and pulled her out, easily leaving the dorm since I heard everyone else in the kitchen and living room.

            “Oppa, where are we going?”

            “Just trust me.”  I opened the passenger side of my car for her.  “Just get in.”

            “Fine.”  She sat in the seat.

            I smiled and went to the other side, getting into my car.  I buckled up.

            “Is this the car that got keyed?”

            “It is actually.  I was so sad when that happened.”

            “Rather the car than you Oppa.”  Li leaned her seat back a little.

            “That’s true.”

            She took my hand and clasped our fingers.

            “Are you hungry babe?”

            “Kinda sorta.  Are you hungry?”

            “I always eat three meals a day.  Soohyun likes us to, especially when we’re practicing.”

            “I see.”

            I smiled and rubbed her thumb with the pad of mine.  “So, if you had to meet any idol closer to your age, who would it be?”

            “How much older can they be?”

            “They can’t be born in 1991.”

            “I think it’d be either Tao from EXO-M or Chunji from Teen Top.  Ooh, no, I would want to meet L from Infinite.”

            “Why him?”  I glanced at her after I stopped the car.

            “Uhm…” she looked away.  “No reason!”

            I got out and opened her door, shutting it and trapping her against the side of my car.  “Tell me baby.”

            She shook her head.

            “Why not?”  I skimmed my lips against her neck softly.  “Is there a problem?”

            “No Oppa,” she breathed.

            “Tell me Li.”

            “Later…”

            “Promise?”

            My girlfriend nodded.

            I stepped back and took her hand.  “Oh alright.”

            She blew out a long stream of air.  “Don’t do that ever again.  I thought I was gonna die.”

            I chuckled and kissed her cheek.  “You’re so cute.”

            Li rubbed my face, pouting.  “Oppa!  You’re so embarrassing.”

            “Oh come here,” I pulled her into my side so we could walk hip-to-hip.

            “Such an embarrassing boyfriend,” she muttered, walking into the western café I’d led her to.

            I grinned and pulled her into a booth, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

            “You really like skinship, huh, Oppa?”

            “With you I do.  It’s fun seeing your reactions.”

            She pouted and crossed her arms.

            “Aww baby, don’t be mad at me.”

            “Why shouldn’t I be?”

            I turned my cap so I could easily kiss her.  “Because you love me.”

            Lizzie blushed like crazy and hid her face from me behind her hair, looking at her phone to mess with it.

            “You do, don’t you?”  I set my chin on her shoulder.  “Baby, don’t you love me?”

            “Of course I do.  Now hush Eli Oppa.”

            I ordered my usual breakfast of pancakes with coffee, bacon, and sausage while Li got blueberry waffles with sausage and orange juice.

            I looked at my girlfriend as she chewed her last bite, staring down at the plate.

            “Was it good baby?”  I wiped the corner of with a napkin.

            “Mm-hmm.”  She made ‘mm’ noises when I kept wiping little spots of .

            “You’re messy.”

            “I am not.”  She brushed my hand away and looked into her purse.  Li pulled a moist towelette out and wiped her face.

            I chuckled.  “I was only kidding baby.”  I pecked her cheek.

            “Yah Oppa, you are so embarrassing.”

            “Only for you,” I squeezed her gently.

            Lizzie rolled her eyes and got up.  “What a loon,” she muttered.

            “Hey!  I take that offensively!”

            She giggled and kissed my cheek.  “I love you, Eli.”

            “I love you, too, baby.”  I took her hand and paid the bill, then dragged my girlfriend out.  “What do you want to go shopping for first?”

            “I don’t know.  I don’t go shopping that often.”

            “Fine, I’ll just take you somewhere.”  I opened the passenger side for her and shut the car door after my girlfriend.  I smiled at her and took her hand back once I got in the car.

            “U-Kiss we’re on fire, U-Kiss we’re on fire, U-Kiss we’re on fire, U-Kiss we’re on fire, yeah.  Fire, today I’m on fire, today oh.  Fire, today I’m on fire, today oh…”

            Lizzie got her phone out and put it up to her ear.  “Hello?

            “I already read them all.

            “There were only three books to read, .

            “No, I can’t just lend them to you.  What happened the last time I lent you something?  You never gave it back!

            “No, I actually can’t even if I wanted to right now.  I’m not even in the States right now.

            “I’m with my boyfriend in Korea.  Do you have a problem with that?

            “You !”  Li hung up the phone.  “If you’re going to be like that, then go ahead.  Freaking punk…”

            I squeezed her hand.  “Baby, you ok?”

            “Mm…”

            “Aww baby.”  I rubbed her thumb with mine.

            “What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you and what am I supposed to say when I’m choked up because you’re ok?  I’m falling to pieces, yeah.  I’m falling to pieces…”

            I heard her singing and parked the car.  I leaned over and pecked my girlfriend.  “You ok now?”

            She pouted and shook her head.

            “Hmm…what should I do to cheer my pretty girlfriend up?”  I cupped her face and pressed my lips to hers, kissing her with passion.

            Li wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back, gasping softly after I pulled back.

            I smiled.  “Are you ok now?”

            She nodded.

            “Good,” I said, kissing Lizzie’s nose.  “Let’s go shopping!”  I got out of the car and opened the door for her, shutting the passenger side after helping my girlfriend out.

            Lizzie wrapped her arm around mine.  “If I hate this, then I’m not letting you take me shopping again.”

            “Oh hush, you will love it.  Come on.”  I pulled her into the mall.

            Lizzie actually seemed to have a fun time with me.  We bought a couple of things and went back to the dorm.  After we put all the stuff up, we cuddled on my bed.

            Li had her head against my shoulder with her left hand over my heart.  My arms were wrapped around her, keeping her close while we just laid in the bed under my blanket.

            “Eli?”

            “Yeah baby?”

            “I love you.”

            I smiled and kissed the top of her head.  “I love you, too.”

            “Oppa, sing to me,” she murmured.

            I ran my fingers through her hair.  “What should I sing, Li?”

            “Sing Stop Girl.”

            I sang the Korean version of Stop Girl to my girlfriend softly until I audibly heard her breathing slow down.  I smiled and pulled the blanket up over her more, kissing her forehead.