“I don’t understand,” Key said softly and Rochelle let out a deep breath.

“It was something very simple, but it’s been blown out of proportion by both of us. I didn’t think something through.”

Key smiled encouragingly. “I won’t laugh.”

“Onew offered me his top,” she started off, glancing down at the garment and then up at Key again. “So I just spun around without thinking and started undoing my buttons.”

“Oh Tofu,” he murmured and then smiled. “He’s very modest.”

“You all are. Onew closed his eyes, to give me my privacy. But I thought he had left, I was as shocked as he was.”

“So it was a mistake, why are you worked up about it now?” Key enquired.

“Onew won’t come near me now, I guess I over-analysed the situation and thought he and I couldn’t be as close as friends as we are now.”

“He’ll be fine,” he assured, brushing the hair out of her face. “He’s the forgiving type, and it wasn’t a massive thing, he’ll feel silly for his actions and apologise, just you wait and see.”

“I hope so.”

“Oh noona,” her murmured and Rochelle glanced up at the boy again. His dark eyes were intense and she tried to look away, knowing the fluttering in her chest would make it hard for her breathe soon. “You-”

“Key,” she interrupted and shook her head. “Don’t say anything. I know the way you’re thinking right now. You barely know me.”

“It feels like I do, we spend all our time together,” he replied and she nodded, but stepped away from him. “You don’t like me.”

“I do, that’s the problem.”

“Then why?” he asked gently and Rochelle sighed.

“I’m here for my job, and although I’m so glad to be friends with you all, it would be wrong to jump into anything that I may or may not feel, because it may make my job harder.”

Key nodded slowly. “I guess.”

“And no, it’s got nothing to do with your age,” she added on, Key glancing up at her and smiling.

“How did you know I was thinking that?”

“A lucky guess,” she replied and Key hugged her lightly. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes and feeling her body mould into Key’s. She knew she needed to pull away, but it felt so nice to be in his arms. Tonight was turning into a whirlwind of emotions for the girl, and her rationality finally made her pull away, smiling at Key and then shooing him out. “I need to change.”

“Can’t I stay?” he joked and she gasped, smacking his arm and shoving him out of the room.

His eyes flickered over to the girl with Key and then back to the wall in front of him, irritation rising in his chest. Onew felt betrayed. Although Rochelle had been incredibly polite to him all day, she and Key were obviously closer. He wondered what had happened between the two in the wardrobe, and his frustration led his mind down a path he didn’t want to think of. As he had lain in his bed last night, he realised that in the past four days his mood had changed. It was slowly becoming clear to him that he was envious of the closeness between Key and Rochelle, but he couldn’t figure why. He didn’t want to believe he was attracted to the girl, he hadn’t known her long enough. And yet Key was obvious for his admiration of Rochelle. Onew couldn’t figure out whether it was just a harmless crush on the younger boy’s behalf, or if things could really work between him and the older girl.

“So much for us not missing anything last night,” Minho mentioned as he walked over to Onew and shook his head. “What’s going on with them?”

“They’ve probably hooked up or something. Yet another girl to pick Key,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. Minho stared at him for a moment and then chuckled.

“It annoys you.”

“Because they’ve only known each other for four days, not four weeks.”

Minho shook his head. “I think you’re missing something inside of yourself Onew-hyung.”

“Are you implying that I like Rochelle?!” Onew hissed and Minho laughed.

“Look how defensive you’re getting!”

“Minho-ah, you haven’t experienced love before, and nor have I. I think if we fell for someone, we’d know it,” he told the younger boy, who shrugged.

“Our lyrics are very much about the situations we’ve never experienced. Love can be blinding Onew.”

“I don’t love her, she’s just a journalist who we met earlier this week, and a very nice person. Key is more than welcome to her.”

Minho shook his head again. “You’re so picky Onew.”

“What’s to be picky over? She likes the flirts, and I would rather concentrate on our performances today.”

“Well, I think you’re as bad as one another.”

“What?” Onew snapped his head back to the taller boy and poked him. “Bad as one another?”

“She likes you, she clings to you. If Key and Jonghyun actually give her a chance to choose who to gravitate around, who does she pick, hyung?”

“Not me.” Minho raised an eyebrow. “You’re wrong Minho.”

“Whatever, you believe what you like,” Minho concluded, walking over to Jonghyun and Taemin practising some moves. Onew blinked a couple of times and then looked over at Key and Rochelle.

“He’s so wrong,” he murmured, rolling his eyes and focussing on the performance ahead.

“Hi.” He looked up at her greeting and smiled weakly, Rochelle tentatively sitting down beside him on his bed. They were back at the member’s dorm, and she had escaped the loud living room as all the boys celebrated from a good day of performances, and yet another number one placing. Onew had disappeared half an hour ago, and she had finally worked up the courage to go and find what he was up to. Now that she was sitting beside him, she didn’t know what to say. “So, great performances today.”

“Thanks.”

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry still about last night,” she said and Onew shook his head, slipping the sheet in his hand back into his music book.

“No need to apologise.”

“You’ve avoided me like the plague today,” she pointed out and Onew shook his head again.

“I was busy with the performances.”

Rochelle sighed, getting up. “If that’s how it is then. I’m going to go home. I might miss tomorrow too.”

“We have our photo shoot though,” he replied and she nodded.

“I know, but I think a break would be nice yeah?”

“No.” She glanced at Onew’s features and he shook his head roughly. “No, you shouldn’t stay away.”

“I’m pretty much done with the majority of your profiles. I have to show my drafts to my boss at the end of next week. It’s just the schedule recap that’s keeping me here really.” She cringed at the way her words came out and closed her eyes with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean that in a friendship way, but a professional one.”

“I understand,” he said, forcing a smile onto his face and then looking at the door. “Key will be missing you, won’t he?”

“You think,” she started and shook her head furiously. “You’re treating me like this because of Key?”

“Like what?”

“Being short with me. Has Key said something to you?”

Onew narrowed his eyes on the wall behind her head. “Nope.”

“I don’t know why I’m even talking to you about this. I think I’ve finally realised why you don’t like me around though,” she stated, Onew snapping his dark eyes to her face. “You think I’m here to distract Key. That I’m using my position to seduce him or something.”

“I don’t-”

“No, please,” she interrupted, holding up her hand in protest. “I’m sorry if you think that Onew, but I have tried very hard to include you and thought we were becoming friendly until the stupid incident yesterday. But I’m here to do a job, and I’m not stupid to get involved in the wrong way.”

“I didn’t-”

“I’m going to go,” she stated shakily in English, blinking rapidly as her emotions began to rise. “I’m sorry for my outburst, but I guess I’m just over trying to please you.”

Rochelle rushed out of his room, grabbing her bag from a stand in the hallway. She ignored the noises behind her as she collected her shoes, flinging the front door open and stalking down to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited impatiently for it to arrive on the top floor, hitting it a couple of more times. She was highly upset with herself for making a scene, and didn’t even know how she could face Onew tomorrow, let alone again. Stepping inside the elevator, she turned to hit the ground floor button, and waited for the elevator to take away from the stupid mistake she had made.

___________

I'm sorry for the lack of posts. I live in New Zealand, in the city that was recently in the 7.1 earthquake. It was horrific and I'm sure you can understand the last thing you think of doing is posting fic! Also before that I was busy with uni commitments, but I'm back now... and planning to just post a huge chunk of this tonight :)