“Aaaah andwaeyo! We wanna stay here with Amber!” Luna squealed.

The girls are already at the tip of the door, wearing their shoes as slowly as they could, while Jonghyun is outside waiting in the car. As usual, he’s responsible for returning the girls to their home safely.

Taemin grinned, “Sorry noona, but Amber is staying with us tonight~”

“Yup, and there’s not enough rooms for all of us!” Onew teased even more.

Amber’s standing awkwardly between them and chuckled, “You girls better get home now. It’s getting late...”

Victoria sighed and looked like she was about to deliver a long speech, but in the end she only said, “Take care, okay?”

“I will.” Amber smiled.

Finished wearing her shoes, Sulli stepped up, “Hyeong, aren’t you coming back to campus?”

Amber giggled, coz it’s been a while since she heard Sulli called her ‘hyeong’ like that.  But her question actually kind of slammed her badly, right at the spot where she almost forget about her studies. She wrinkled when Sulli’s still staring at her, waiting for her answer.

“Oy oy, Jjong’s waiting for you girls outside! Go home already!” felt like saved by the bell, Key pushed the girls to the door. Amber sighed in relief.

“Iiishh...no fun at all.” Krystal hissed. “Amber-ya, we’re coming again tomorrow, have a good rest tonight, kay?”

After their hug and ‘bye-bye’ ritual, all the girls finally left with Jonghyun. The boys are back into the messy living room and sigh deeply when they saw snacks, cans, and some other left over whatnots scattered on the carpet and coffee table.

Onew kneeled on the carpet and started picking up all the trashes while whining, “Aigoo... can we just leave it til tomorrow morning...?”

“Nobody sleeps until all these junks are put in the trash bin!” Key already held a huge trash bag for himself. The boys got no choice but to do what he said. He’s the mom of the house anyway.

Still lost in her own mind, Amber came toward Key and helped putting some left over ramyeon cups into his trash bag. Though she wasn’t quite sure, but she was still thinking about what happened just now, that Key was intended to save her from Sulli’s question. She wanted to say her thanks, but nothing came out when she opened her lips.

Suddenly Key turned to her, “Ah yeah, where should you sleep tonight..”

Amber was stunned for a few seconds. She’s not sure how to face him now since he had’t said anything about their last conversation, but still, Amber felt extremely odd around him.

“I can sleep anywhere, don’t worry.” Amber plunged in the last can under the coffee table into his bag.

“Let’s find you a bed.” Key immediately tied his giant bag and put it aside. “Taeminie, you’re responsible for all the trashes later.”

“Ah omma!”

They could hear Taemin whined and mumbled, but Key just ignored him as he led Amber to the second floor. Usually the boys use this floor to practice their dance or to place their old stuffs. There’s no room in this floor, makes it look more like a spacious attic than a living space. But those giant windows at the side of the wall give it such a lively feel, especially in the afternoon, where the sun light beams warmly into this room, or in winter, where snowdrops decorate the edges of the glass beautifully. And although it’s not as often as her stays at Victoria’s house, she has visited this house a couple of times, so she’s pretty adapted with the whole atmosphere here.

“Is it okay here? If you’re not comfortable or anything, you could switch with Jjong and sleep with me...” said Key jokingly as he wiped the floor with his bare fingers, doing a dust-check.

Amber blushed. Well, not because he asked her to sleep with him (hmm, maybe a little), but more because she was now assured that he’s not mad at her anymore. Just because some intruders came into the mansion and all those fast-paced scenes, it doesn’t mean she could easily forget about his cold attitude this afternoon.

Amber scoffed to cover her excited face, “Oh~! It’s really fine here. And I don’t wanna share a room with you. Really not ready for your all-night-long nagging...”

Key stood up in satisfaction, knowing that the floor is clean enough. “BUT you deserve to be scolded!” he stepped to the stairs, “Now wait here, I’ll bring the extra bed.”

Didn’t really know what to do, Amber just stared outside. She wasn’t really thinking about it, but when she finally realized, she’s already looking for a pink flash running by. Luckily, there’s nothing out there except the cold black sky and the endless line of house roofs. She wondered if Jia would really come here tonight, coz it means she gotta through this night sleeplessly, again.

When she heard Key’s footsteps on the stairs, she immediately broke out from her uneasy mind and helped him with the blankets.

“Waah... gomawoyo...” she said as she put down the mattress and those piles of blankets.

“Okay, you can do your own bed, right?” said Key as he spreaded some extra blankets on the floor. Amber nodded before she start to make her bed. She could hear the noise from the boys below them and just to fill the silence between them, she asked, “Is everyone still cleaning up downstairs?”

“Oh, I wish they were. But they chose to pillow-fight using those TRASH BAGS now...” Key sighed.

“Jinjja? Eeeh sounds fun...”

“Don’t, Amber.” Key threatened while finishing his pile of blankets.

As she laughed, she turned to see him and found a huge pile of blankets folded neatly next to her bed. “Hyeong, eeeh... do you think it’s a bit too much...? I don’t need that many of blankets..”

“It’s not too much. It usually freezes like hell here at nights...oh wait, I’ll get the heater upstairs. How could I forget...” and before she could say anything, he’s gone already.

It wasn’t long until Key came back with an electric heater fan. He quickly plugged the cable into the stop contact at the corner of the room. The heater looks like an ordinary standing fan, but it actually creates heat which warms the air around.

“There...” stated Key proudly when he finished setting up the heater.

He then walked toward the mattress and grabbed a layer under Amber’s mattress. He spreaded it next to Amber’s and lightly threw himself on his new mattress. He looked up at Amber, who’s staring at him like a confused owner to her random dog.

“What? Of course I’m also sleeping here tonight!” he exclaimed.

Amber was still processing the information when he continued, “WELL, I just can’t let those...men in black-thingy-whatsoever, broke into this house and yeah, you know what could possibly happen.”

“Eh- -“

“Seriously Amber. You can’t live like that every single day, right..?”

Amber sat on the mattress next to him, strummed by his words. His words instantly reminded her about Sulli’s question earlier, and how Key seemed to notice her slight shock there.

She braced herself, “Ah...hyeong, umm, thanks for earlier...”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s a coincidence. I was about to pick you up anyway. But then suddenly that mansion was under attack and you’re lucky I could be there to the rescue. ” he laid on the mattress lazily.

Amber raised an eyebrow, “No,I mean about... aish forget it. But still, thanks...”

Key glanced at her in suspicion, but at the end, he let it go. He tapped the mattress next to him, “Come on, sleep. I don’t wanna see you in those ugly panda eyes. Absolutely no.”

Amber shook her head, “I can’t. What if Jia come by tonight?”

Key sighed heavily and before she knew it, he already pulled her by her arms to the mattress. He pressed her head to the mattress unpleasantly, using only a single hand. He’s still laying like a mermaid while watching her grinning at him in funny pain.

“Oy! OY!! Are you trying to kill me?!” she tried hard to get up, but Key added even more force on her head.

“SLEEP.” Key said. “If that girl really come, well, let her do what she need to do. Your job is to sleep.”

“YAH! What if some other parties come by? Those men, and all, or maybe JYP, there are so many- -“

But Key cut in, “Amber.. stop.” he released her head. “You’re tired, and you’re sleepy, and you’re here to get some rest. Arasseo?”

She blinked.

“Good night.” he grabbed the blanket on her feet and drown her under it.

***

Amber POV

I could only surrender under this thick blanket. I’m listening to the silence, waiting for him to say anything more, other than ‘Good Night’. But all I heard is the sound of blanket scratching the mattress. Is he sleeping too?

But that thought quickly smeared off my mind, because the next second I could hear he said, “By the way, do you want to stay blonde like that?”

I immediately popped myself from my blanket, “My hair?” I chuckled, “Ah it’s only temporary, it’ll return to black, no worries.”

The next minutes turned awkward all of a sudden. He’s staring at me but it looks more like I’m being observed. We’re not talking to one another, but it feels like hours of conversation. Usually, we like to have so many things to talk about, but now it certainly is different. I have so many things running around wildly in my mind, and I guess, he has so many unanswered questions too in his mind. I know those eyes. And when he gave those look, I’m...afraid of it.

“Hey.” he said.

“Oh?”

“How long it’s been?” he continued.

“What do you mean?”

“This job. Hacking, and stuff...” he hung his words.

A breeze of night air creeped up my spine. I tightened my blanket.

“Not long after appa and omma past away, I guess.” it wasn’t really hard to answer. But the true torture is to look at him directly, right at those investigating eyes. “Can’t we not talk about it, please?”

Key raised a shoulder, “I don’t know, it’s just... I hate you, Amber. And I hate myself too.”

The sound of the noisy heater is playing its monotonous music, creating a slow ambience between us. This feels like forever. Even slower than my history class.

“I thought I’ve known you, each and every corner of your life, but I don’t..” he mumbled. As he put his gaze away, I thought I could be at ease, but now I’m feeling bad for him instead.

“Mianhae, hyeong.” I said.

Key patted my head, “Ani, actually you’re quite awesome.”

I’m glad it’s dark. Because it’s starting to felt hot around my cheeks. Guys don’t blush, right? Especially not in front of another guy.

“But even so, you’re still just...Amber. Amber that loves to dance and rap, and wanna be as bad as Mike Shinoda.” he chuckled to himself.

I bit my lips, I thought I was just blushing, until a drip of warm tears ran down my cheek. A giant wave of emotions urged me to explode.

I miss everything... Memories started to flood my mind, taking away all my breath.

“...and this Amber is simply dumb. You shouldn’t have kept it to yourself for years..”

My tears ran faster, and I don’t know why.

But he can’t hear it, and I wanna keep it that way.

He just can’t see me cry.

It’s...weak.

And I have never heard him talk so gently, other than that day at my parent’s funeral. The way he comforted me, leaving all his sharp-talking and sassy attitude, he showed a completely different side of him that day. And the way he’s speaking to me now, almost feels the same.

***

Key POV

Yah.

Don’t you think you can hide those tears from me?

I really wanted to wipe your stupid tears and get your some tissue, but, if I did so, your effort of hiding them would be useless, isn’t it?

Okay, you can cry under those blanket as long as you want. And I won’t get you a single tissue. I'm such a good guy, am I ?

I’m waiting for her to burst, but she’s holding it in pretty good, I couldn’t catch any sobs from her. I could only see her trembling a bit under those pile of blankets.

[BEEP!]

My phone vibrated. I grabbed it out and found an unfamiliar number popped with a message on the screen.

“The security system here is still under restoration. Until then, we’re counting on you, Key.

♥, Miss A~”

I could feel myself smiling as I reply it fast.

“Counting on me? I don’t need to be ordered around. But anyway, thanks, for saving her today.”

I clicked off my phone, putting it back to my pocket. When I turned to her, she’s not trembling anymore. Is she really okay...?

“Are you sleeping already?”

She only nodded under the blanket.

“So you can’t sleep, huh...” I threw myself back to the mattress.

In less than a few minutes, I was already drowned in my own head.

I never thought that extreme days like these would jump into her life.

Did I miss something? I mean, we have always hung around together all this time, and how could she hide her second life from us perfectly like this? We do realized that, ever since her parents past away, there’s something different about her that’s unexplainable to us, but we thought that she was just trying to move on.

Oh damn it. She should have just accepted when we asked her to live in the clubhouse. It’ll be fun with more people around her. But of course, she insisted and decided to rent her own apartment and... OH. Of course! She could’t freely do her ‘hacking-job’ if she lived with us... It all makes sense now. Annoyingly makes sense.

***

“Hyeong...”Key heard Amber calling him under the blanket.

“Mmh...?”

“I need your opinion..” she half-whispered.

“Hmm, spill it.” Key’s waiting for her next sentence.

Though she’s tired after her silent cry, she’s still couldn’t sleep at ease while thinking about, well, everything.

“Do you think I can go back to college?”

Key was surprised. He didn’t think she would ask that kind of question at all. But then he sighed.

“Is it because of Sulli’s question earlier?”

There was a long pause until she finally replied, “Oh.”

Key rolled over and half-hugged her. He pulled her head, still covered in blanket, to him. “Hey, may I ask you something?”

Amber froze, she felt the sudden weight on top of her body. Her heart beat slowly became faster, and she wanted to get out from her blanket, but it’s hard when he’s hugging her like this.

He placed his lips on her head, whispering, “Why are you so stupid...?”

Amber held in her small gasp. Her heartbeat is killing her, she could even listen to her own heartbeat in her head... Damn Amber, what’s wrong with you!

After more struggles, she finally popped out from her blanket. She’s panting hard, as if she just ran circling a block for 10 times or something.

Key was frozen for a while when he saw her swollen eyes and those slightly wet cheeks. It’s a rare sight for him, especially on this tough girl. He scoffed, “You look...bad. Go wash your face or something.”

“YAH! Hyeong, you’re not helping at all...” she wiped her face roughly and slammed herself on her mattress, “What’s the point...?”

“Well, if you wanna come to class, just come. If you don’t wanna come, then don’t. Isn’t it simple?”

“It’s not that easy, “ she sighed, “Don’t you remember Taemin’s accident? I’m not risking you guys again.”

Key hit her head, “Then what about you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. I can’t even block a little attack from that hacker. I can’t protect you guys. And I know nothing about my dad.. “

Key’s gaze turned cynical. “Well I don’t know, I’m not good at fighting, or hacking, I can’t protect you, and I know nothing about you, until these past few days..” he then left her a playful smile. “Make us almost the same, right?”

This time, he hugged her for real, “You’re not alone, pabo.”

***

It's a really embarrassing times while writing this chapter >.<

Sorry if it's a bit boring, but I hope you guys like it! ^^

Don't forget to leave your comments and tell me what you think!

And again, thanks for reading and subscribing! XDD