*ALICE’S POV*

It’s so hot. It’s so hot that it felt like God was mad. I wiped the little beads of sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand as I finished taking the last batch of shots of the guys and they were filming for another TV show in a park. A park. In the middle of summer. Where the sun is sweltering hot and all I wanna do is curse at everything in sight cause I really couldn’t see a way other than that. I slung the camera strap around my neck and decided to take a break. The guys are heading back to hair and make up anyway and the filming won’t start in at least another half an hour. I sat on one of the benches beside the trailer, a bit hidden from view but I can still see what’s going on around the set so then I’d know when I’m gonna be needed. I caught a glimpse of Hyukkie as he made his way towards the trailer, waving at a group of fans that was there at the shoot and they instantly broke into a collective scream. I could just smile at that. Gotta hand it to those girls, they really love my boyfriend, so much so that I think they’d probably skin me alive if they ever found out about me.

I shuddered at the thought and took out a pack of Marlboro Lights from the back pocket of my khaki shorts and lit one. I shouldn’t even smoke and I actually stopped smoking about a year ago but the stress and the hectic nature of this work during the tour made me relapsed back into smoking. I could already picture Hyukkie’s disapproving stare in my mind, he hates it when I smoke. A smile was once again put on my face as I realized that I no longer call him ‘Silver’. And it was all courtesy of him and his truckload of patience when he taught me how to say his and the guys’ real name and some basic Korean, in exchange of him telling me what the word ‘jagiya’ means. Although I nearly tortured him when I found out that the word that’s been driving me crazy actually only means ‘sweetie’ or ‘honey’, I couldn’t help but to feel grateful for what he’d done for me.

How he came up with that plan to bribe me into speaking Korean, something that I never thought in a million years I’d do, was still beyond me. And it still shocks me that he went on such great lengths to make sure that I at least made some peace with my past. Everything that he’s been doing in the course of just three weeks of us dating continued to surprise me. He’s been nothing but being the most awesome boyfriend a girl could ask for, the kind that I thought only exists in comic books and romance novels, the kind that I thought I never deserved to have. I’ve always known that I have confidence issues and I always think that other people are better than me in a lot of ways but he somehow… helped me with it without even realizing it. He just has a way of making me feel like I’m beautiful, like I’m special.

Aaanywaayy, other than the smushy emotional stuff I just said there, have I told you how I am soooo addicted to the way he kissed me? I have? Well, it, I’m gonna say it again. I am LOVIN his kisses, more than I love my camera, maybe. The way his lips seemed to work so well with mine, the way his hands…

“Smoking while daydreaming, I see. I have a feeling Hyukjae won’t like this.”

I looked up to find Hae, hair and make up ready, both hands on his hips with a stare that was surprisingly like Hyukkie’s when he saw me smoking, but somehow a more judging one. Jeez, I can see why he and Hyukkie are best friends.

“Uh… which is why you don’t see him around, do you?”

“Tsk, bad girl.”

But he sat beside me anyways, and just continued to stare at me, one brow high up on his forehead as I took one last drag of my cigarette, threw the to the ground and stepped on it to put it off.

“You know, I’m now curious as to why you like this thing so much, give me one.”

“Do you want your manager to kill you?”

I looked at Hae with my brows furrowed, just trying to make sure that he wasn’t trying to come up with some evil plan to go with his intention of trying to smoke. When it comes to this guy right here, it’s only natural to think like that. But this time, I really thought he was being honest, as he already had his hand out, waiting for me to give him the cigarette. So I took the pack of Marlboro from my pocket and put it on his open palm. The second it reached his hand, I knew I was wrong for trusting him. My jaw dropped as the dude crushed my NEW cigarette pack in his hand, most likely splintering every single stick of cigarette in it.

“What the did you just do??!!”

I smacked his arm with all force but Hae didn’t even seem to notice as he grinned in victory, throwing the ruined pack of cigarette into the nearest trash can.

“I’m sorry buster, I’m just doing Hyukjae a favor, you know he really hates it when you relapsed into smoking, right?”

“Well, at least Hyukkie’s not going around ruining every single pack of cigarette I have, jackass!”

“It’s cause he’s completely head over heels with you, little dirty-mouthed buster. Whereas I, I am neutraaall.”

I could only look at Hae in disgust as he said that, pouting his lips and pinching my cheek, talking to me in a sing-song voice like I was an infant or something.

“Does your new year resolution includes dying young? Say, 23 or 24? I can take care of that.”

Hae stopped talking and looked at me with wide eyes after I said that and I only smiled, trying to look as sadistic as I could possibly manage. Jeez, he really looked like a fish when he went all wide-eyed like that.

“How on earth Hyukjae finds you cute is something I can never understand.”

I just rolled my eyes at that, and Hae stuck his tongue out at what I did. Oh yeah, very mature, fish boy.

“Oh hi Donghae-yah. Alice, you’re going with the guys for that award show tomorrow night and here’s your itinerary. None of the documentary team is going so you’re pretty much handling this one on your own. It’s only gonna be photo stills, so no video needed, they’d take care of that.”

One of the guys’ crew came over to where Hae and I were sitting at, handing me the two-page itinerary for the awards show tomorrow night. But then one point in the itinerary stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

“Uh… does this say… I have to wear a dress?”

“Well, it’s a black-tie event, you can’t just show up wearing jeans, right?”

The guy just grinned and left Hae and I alone again as he looked at me and the itinerary curiously.

“Buster, what do you have against wearing a dress?”

“Uh… I don’t have anything against wearing a dress, except for… well… I don’t have one.”

Hae looked at me in disbelief before erupting into the loudest laugh I’ve ever heard coming out of a man’s mouth. I looked at him, bewildered at his reaction at first, and then I realized he was laughing at me. Because I said I don’t have a dress. Game on. I brought my palm to the stupid fish’s face and slapped him. Hard. Well, it wasn’t necessarily a slap, it was more like when you’re swatting a fly or something. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“Yah! What was that for?!”

“Lee Donghae, you just laughed at me and you still ask me why I slapped you?!”

“You forgot the ‘oppa’, I’m still older than you! And I know you can say that now.”

“Seriously, do I LOOK like I care??!!”

“Why is it that every time I leave you two together you always end up fighting like a pair of 5-year-olds?”

Hae had his mouth halfway open, ready to say something back to me when Nate came over to the spot we were sitting at, grinning at me and Hae who were, well, exactly like he said, fighting like a pair of 5-year-olds.

“Well, we won’t be if this genius right here didn’t decide to be Mr. Goody Two Shoes and ruined my pack of cigarettes.”

I pointed at Hae, who was, predictably, still supporting that child-like grin on my face. I swear, sometimes I really think that this guy isn’t mentally 24 years old. But to my surprise, Nate just sighed and rolled his eyes.

“You know, Maddie, I’m gonna have to agree with Hae right now, I think it’s a good thing he ruined your cigarettes.”

I threw Nate one of my ‘you’d in wish you were dead once I’m done with you’ look but then he just laughed at that. Seriously, does he not know that I will actually do that?

“Maddie, I know you’ve invented that look since you’re twelve but do you ever recall it working on me?”

. Once he said that, I knew I was lost. I forgot that I was dealing with Nate, after all. Nate just grinned once he realized that I didn’t have anything to say to that matter, cause truthfully, he was right. So then he just sat down on the bench between Hae and me before putting an arm around my shoulder, subconsciously kissing my forehead. It’s weird that since like, a week ago or somewhere around that, he started getting a little touchy-feely around me. Well, it’s not like we’re foreign to things like that but it used to be only a hug, or something as far as him kissing the crown of my head, but now it’s like it elevated into him kissing my forehead or my cheek, hugging my waist from behind me, which are all of the things that… well, Hyukkie does. I even went as far as asking Nate what the hell he was doing when he kissed my cheek one time but he just grinned without really answering my question, and I decided not to dig any deeper cause when he does that, answering a question with a smile, hell would freeze over before he actually answered it. It was sort of like his way of saying he didn’t wanna answer it. And I kinda hated it, because every time he went all touchy-feely around me, my heart still stupidly skipped a beat. I know it’s one of the things I have to deal with when it came to getting over Nate but it’s just… really annoying to know that I can’t just look past the fact that I had been in love with Nate for so long, even when I feel myself falling deeper for Hyukkie and things are going so great between us. Hmmm, I guess it’s just another phase I have to go through cause honestly, I’m still really sure that I will completely get over Nate in time.

“What are you guys going on and on about anyway?”

I was just about to answer Nate’s question, with all intentions of destroying Hae with it, but then the dude beat me to it.

“Well, one, I ruined her cigarettes. Two, I laughed at her cause she said she doesn’t have a dress. I won’t apologize for both, though, I mean, smokers and how in the world can a girl not own at least one dress?”

“Oh Hae, the painful death you will face. If…”

 Before I could even finish my usual string of death threats towards Hae, both he and Nate had already laughed cause, can you believe this, while Nate had one arm around me, he then put his palm on his free hand over my mouth, which successfully stopped me from talking. I seriously feel violated.

“Maddie, enough death threats in one day, okay?”

“Okay, fine!”

Nate then took his palm away from my mouth, still grinning even though I was sure I looked absolutely pissed.

“By the way, Maddie, what did I tell you about buying a dress?”

Oops. Well, Nate and I actually had discussed this some time in the past. It was when I was around 17, and I was telling him that I had missed my high school prom because I didn’t have a dress and well, I kinda refused to buy one. Seriously, a dress isn’t really my thing and I always feel like I’m trying to be something I’m not whenever I’m wearing one.

“Uh… to make sure I have one incase I’ll need it.”

“And did you do it?”

“Uh… I would like to say yes but… I’d be lying.”

“That’s it, then, we’re buying one tonight, Maddie.”

“What do you mean by ‘we’?”

“As in I would drag you to the mall tonight and make sure you buy a dress and I will never let you out until you get one.”

“Whoa, that should be fun to watch.”

By saying that, Lee Donghae, I declare that you are indeed pushing your luck. I reached over Nate and started smacking Hae’s arm while he was screaming in protest and Nate just started laughing and trying to get me away from Hae. It was like a chaos, seriously, even though there were just 3 of us, what with Hae yelling at me to stop and at Nate to, quote, ‘control this she-devil you call your best friend’, and Nate laughing over everything. And because of the said chaos, I somehow found myself sitting on Nate’s lap, in attempt to get closer to Hae so I can inflict as much physical pain as I could possibly manage on him, while Nate had both arms around me, trying to get me away from Hae. So it was really no surprise that we didn’t even notice Hyukkie came.

“Uh… guys…”

I immediately stopped trying to punch Hae and looked to my right to see Hyukkie, also with his hair and make-up ready, looking as fine as ever. Seriously, I sometimes wonder why he chose me to be his girlfriend when he looked like he could have any girl he wanted.

“Thank god you’re here, Eunhyuk-ah, look at what your girlfriend tried to do to me!”

Hyukkie grinned at what Hae said but then I caught something flashed in his face when he looked at Nate and I. It was gone really quickly, though, so I couldn’t quite grasp what it was. But I got off of Nate’s lap and left him and Hae anyway and walked over to Hyukkie.

“Don’t listen to him, he called me a she-devil, what do you think I was gonna do, sit still?”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like you at all.”

I smiled at him as he put an arm around me and pulled me closer to him, kissing my temple in the process. I felt his lips linger there for a few moments longer than normal but I really didn’t mind with it. Then suddenly the director called everybody in as the shooting was about to start again. Great. This is the first time during the day that I had the time to see my boyfriend cause the shooting’s been going on almost for the whole day and I only got a good 10 seconds. How is that enough?

“I suggest you two to get a room after this shooting’s done, you both looked like you need it.”

Before I managed to at least slapped the back of Hae’s head as he and Nate walked past me and Hyukkie, saying that with the biggest grin on his face, Hyukkie suddenly pulled me away towards the back of the trailer, a spot that’s even more secluded than the bench I previously sat on. I caught Nate’s stare at me and Hyukkie as I was being pulled away but that became the last thing I could think of when I found myself backed up against the trailer, with Hyukkie attacking me with his oh-so-addictive kisses. His body was pressed so close against mineas I put one arm around his neck and I ran my fingers through his short brown hair, not even caring that I had probably ruined what the hairstylist worked on before he got here. I felt Hyukkie deepened the kiss as he slid his hand underneath my shirt, grazing my back with his palm, making shivers started running up and down my spine. Oh, the ecstasy he was giving me by doing that.

“You miss me that much, huh?”

I whispered as we pulled away from the kiss. He still had his face so close to mine, our noses were nearly touching, and he just chuckled softly at what I said before planting a quick kiss on my lips.

“You think? I’ve been dying to do this for the whole day. Especially cause you’re there looking all cute with your camera.”

“Really now?”

“Can you just not argue with me, just for this?”

I could just laugh at that as Hyukkie looked at me with that expectant grin.

“Okay, fine, anything for my oppa.”

“God, I really love it when you call me that.”

Just as we were about to lean in for another kiss, we heard a little commotion happening and people mumbling that there was still one band member missing from the set.

“I guess we’re gonna have to continue this tonight.”

We both laughed at what Hyukkie said and left for the set. I really do have the best boyfriend a girl could ask for.

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*ALICE’S POV*

“Nate, do I really have to?”

I looked helplessly at Nate who was standing beside me, grinning widely and making his prominent dimples even more visible.

“Yep. I told you that I’m not gonna let you out before we’re finished, right?”

I sighed and just pouted at what Nate said. I did not like the prospect of trying on dozens of dresses just so I can have one to wear to that award show tomorrow. I’m just the photographer, it’s not like I’m gonna be at the stage accepting an award, or something. But even though I pretty much begged Daniel, who was the head of the documentary team, so that I don’t have to wear a dress, he said that it wasn’t optional and that I strictly have to wear a dress or they’re not gonna let me in at all. I still remembered how the guys were laughing their asses off when they saw that I nearly cried because of what Daniel said. Sometimes I wonder if they really took pleasure in my misery. Those guys are just unbelievable. And Nate was apparently not joking about dragging me to the mall because that’s exactly what he did once we reached the hotel after the shooting. I tried to ask Hyukkie to come but he had another schedule after shooting. So I was left alone with the tyrant that is my best friend Choi Siwon. Yes, at this point, I did not hesitate in calling him a tyrant at all.

“Are we gonna do this or what?”

Nate asked as he was about to pull me inside the mall to begin the hunt for that bloody dress. I really find it weird that when I was about to go on that date with Hyukkie awhile back, Hee was the one playing the role of fashion advisor. And now when I’m going to this award show for work, Nate was the one insisting I need to buy a dress for the event, and he’s the one taking me to buy it. I seriously need some girl friends. Which I think is near impossible as most of the guys’ crews are guys except for some of the stylists and make-up artists, and I can’t really get along with them for some reason. And then there are the SNSD girls, who were nowhere near to even want to consider me a living breathing human being. They loathed me, and that’s me putting it mildly. The not sugar-coated version of that would be all those times I heard them calling me a cheap in some occasions, although they did it clever enough so as not to be heard by other people than me. I just… already gave up on them, they were bent on hating me and there’s really nothing I can do about it.

“Um… Nate, if I said I wanna go back to the hotel now and just forego that award show thingy, would you do that for me?”

“Uh… no.”

“Then why do you even ask?”

I rolled my eyes at Nate and just like usual, he only laughed, ruffled the hair on the top of my head and put an arm around me as we walked inside the mall. It wasn’t really crowded seeing as it was exactly an hour before closing time, and I am thankful for that. The last thing I need was some fans recognizing Nate and started taking pictures or something, and then both Nate and I will have a lot of answering to do. Yeah, having a superstar as a best friend wasn’t necessarily a good thing sometimes.

“Nate, won’t Tiffany get, like, really pissed if she knows you’re here with me?”

Nate looked taken aback when I asked him that. Mainly because we somehow silently agree that the topic of Tiffany was off-limits after that incident I had with her a few weeks ago. But I was just a little worried. As much as Tiffany had hurt me, I knew at some point she was making Nate happy. And lately I didn’t see that happening, Nate and Tiffany fought non-stop these days.

“I don’t know, at this point I don’t think I care anymore, I just… need to get away from her for awhile. Hey, I think that’s a good store right there.”

The way Nate just switched the topic like that made me realize he probably didn’t wanna talk about it. And I was perfectly okay with it. I just knew that squeezing it out of Nate would be useless. If he’s not ready to talk about it, there’s no way anyone’s going to get the truth out him. Nate might seem like someone who’s really open and accepting towards anything and anyone but deep inside he’s this… private and introverted guy. That’s a side of him that no one can touch, really. As Nate pulled me by the hand towards the store he was talking about, I walked past a display in one of stores there and I instantly stopped. I never liked wearing a dress, nor have I ever had the intention to own one but… this one dress might just change my mind. It wasn’t like that dress was the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen but… that was the first dress that I could picture myself wearing. And I think it was more than enough. It was a strapless baby doll mini dress that looked like it was made out of a flowy satin fabric with the prettiest cream colour I think I have ever seen. I didn’t realize that I had been standing there for awhile until Nate put a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance.

“You wanna try on that one?”

I just nodded and we both went inside the store right away. Nate asked the store clerk for that dress in my size and he practically shoved me inside the little changing room the store has so I could try the dress on. And as soon as I zipped the dress up, I knew I was in love, and throwing away my belief that a dress isn’t my thing at the same time. I loved how the dress looked when I wear it, and most importantly, I loved how I looked in it. I spun in circle once in front of the mirror just to have a 360-view of the dress and I found nothing wrong with it. Well, people can clearly see the tattoos on my back since the dress had a tube top, but there’s nothing wrong with that, right?

“Maddie, how does it look?”

I almost forgot that Nate was waiting outside of the changing room to see how the dress looked like. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the changing room. Nate looked up from his iPhone as soon as I walked out and… I swear it was like he was stunned when he saw me. But I dunno, I might have been seeing things, though. It can’t be like that, surely, I mean this is Nate, my best friend.

“What do you think?”

Nate still hasn’t said anything, he just stood up from his seat and gestured at the store clerk to leave us alone. He walked over to me, with a big smile on his face, and put both his hands on my shoulders before turning me around so that I was facing the mirror again. He kissed my temple and said,

“Look at that beautiful girl.”

That was the first time I heard him call me that.

*SIWON’S POV*

I know that it will probably sound shallow that something as simple as seeing Maddie in a dress would suddenly made everything clear, but this is actually the first time in all the 16 years that we were friends that she was willing to wear something different. It made her look different, and I bet it made her feel different too, but to me… she just simply looked beautiful, stunning, or any other word that had the same effect. And she really had no idea about the effect it caused in her, and more than that, the effect it caused in me. Remember the never-ending questions I seemed to have when it comes to Maddie, ever since she and Eunhyuk became closer and eventually began dating? I think… I have the answer for that now. I didn’t know if it was the right one but… that’s the closest thing to an answer that I could come up with. That uneasy feeling every time I saw Maddie and Eunhyuk together, well… I could associate that with jealousy. I was jealous. I was jealous of how Maddie now seemed to think really highly of Eunhyuk that it sort of… made her forget about me. I couldn’t stand it when I knew they were dating, I couldn’t stand it when they run around acting like they were in love with each other nearly all the time. Just for this once, I probably need to put aside the fact that Maddie is Eunhyuk’s girlfriend, and that Eunhyuk is one of my best friends. Because maybe, just maybe, after I see her as my best friend for the past 16 years, I have to… I have to prepare for the possibility that I might have fallen in love with Maddie, my best friend.

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Whew, that was a long chapter. Well, I guess it's to make up how long I didn't update this story. Damn, I didn't realize it had been 3 bloody weeks since I updated! XD Anyways, I hope everybody still enjoy this and thanks so much for those people who read, subscribe and comment. You are awesome. Love ya! :*