A guy and a girl can be friends. But sooner or later one will fall for the other maybe too early, maybe too late and just maybe forever…

6^th September 2020

“Where exactly are we going that we need to be formally dressed?” Aleyah asked Sehun as they approached the hotel’s back door. They were once again sneaking out but this time she wasn’t as afraid as before.

The blonde male looked to his left and right before stepping out from the door carefully. He offered her his hand as she set foot onto the uneven pavement. The lady was dressed in black from top to toe - her long dress, knitted cardigan as well as wedged laced boots. Whereas his dark blue buttoned down shirt and slimfit black dress pants were topped with a black trench coat and a top hat. Both of their outfits were out of place for this shabby back alley, causing the few hotel workers who were smoking to cast them weird looks as they walked past them.

“You will know when you reach there.” He led her by his arms down an alley in Milan, towards a black van that was waiting for them. This would be the second place where he would start creating fond memories with her, and the thought of it made him smile uncontrollably.

“Wow.” She exclaimed softly as she stood before the grand opera theatre in Milan, never did she dream that she would ever set foot in La Scala. And never did she dream that it would be with one of her idols, Sehun.

Coming back from the box office, he couldn’t help but to smile when he saw her amazed face. Her head was raised and she was viewing the grand landmark with her mesmerized eyes, slightly ajar. Probably startled by it’s majestic exterior, he thought. He simply loves to read the genuine expressions that she shows on her face, like now. For she wasn’t like the others who masked their feelings, she was never afraid to show how she truly felt about something, “Let’s go in.”

“What are we watching?” Sehun passed her the tickets and she stopped abruptly in her tracks, causing him to turn and look at her, confused. “Phantom of the Opera?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong?” He tried to read her expression on her face but he was unable to figure out if her hesitation was of a good cause or not. “Do you not like it?”

She did not answer, her eyes were just glued to the tickets that were in her hands. Phantom of the Opera, she was introduced to the main piece of the musical at the age of 12 by her music teacher. Ever since she first heard the masterpiece, she was charmed by the singer’s powerful voices. And she swore to herself that she would definitely have to watch it live one day. She knew that they were having a world tour since last year but she couldn’t catch it when they came to Korea because it fell on the same day as Exo’s concert. And at that point of time, seeing him was of more importance than her own interest.

Now that Sehun presented these tickets before her, Aleyah was so touched that she couldn’t respond. She was unable to believe that she’s finally able to catch her favourite musical in this world famous Opera House. Not only so, the tickets she was holding wrote balcony seats. Although the lady knew nothing much about the Opera House seating arrangement, she definitely knew that they were good seats. But what she didn’t know was they were box seats.

“If you don’t like it, we can don’t watch it you know.” The blonde male told her softly.

“No, it’s fine Sehun.” She looked up at him and beamed. “It’s just.. I’ve always wanted to watch this musical since I was young but I didn’t manage to when they came to Korea. Now that I get to watch this here, it’s beyond a dream come true kind of thing you know…”

Sehun instinctively felt himself relaxed, it wasn’t a bad thing afterall. Initially, he was worried that she disliked this musical and refused to watch it. And that would mean that this date would be blown. Now that it turns out that his effort is starting to pay off afterall.

“Then shall we go in before they close the door?” He offered her his arm and she hooked onto them spontaneously.

“Of course.” Her eyes arched into a half-crescent shape as they shimmered with excitement.

“As you please ma’am.”

******

Paper Moon, a renowned celebrity hangout place in a neighbourhood restaurant. Among the Italians sat an Asian couple; a blonde male and a brunette. Their arrival in the restaurant today added on to the restaurant’s remarkable client list which already consists of professionals, football players and television artist. But today, the restaurant welcomed the first Korean Artist from a famous boyband.

The restaurant they were in was rather small but it has elegant décor; black and white lacquer with signed photos on the walls of famous visitors. The seats were very close to one another and everyone could hear each other’s conversation easily. However, the tables alongside the Asian couple were purposely left empty to give them ample space and privacy.

“When the Phantom and Christine start singing, I just felt goosebumps all over. Their voices are just so amazing!” Aleyah had been talking non-stop about the musical ever since they came out from the Opera House. She had been going on and on about it even when they are in the restaurant now. This was the first time Sehun had ever heard her talked continuously for the past forty minutes.

But he was more than glad that the musical he picked was well-loved by her. When he was in Paris, he had already planned for this. He struggled as he went online to purchase box seats tickets for this renowned musical despite not understanding English before paying the restaurant a sum of money to block the 2 tables beside them just so she could be comfortable tonight. Although he spent a huge amount of his hard-earned money for this seemingly simple date, he had no regrets because it was for her.

“Why do you love it so much?” He asked her gently. Throughout the musical, Sehun did not understand a single word they sang. All he could appreciate was the classical music behind the powerful voices that the artists possess. As much as he tried to enjoy the show, he still couldn’t and there were a few times that he actually fell asleep for a couple of minutes or so. In the end he decided to watch her instead of the musical, and they were the only time he was wide-awake.

“I don’t know. I think I’m just attracted to their powerful voices?” The lady shrugged as she poke into her spaghetti before twirling it around with her fork and send it into .

“Chen, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun Hyung have powerful voices too. Are you attracted to them then?” The blonde male lifted the wine glass off the table and sent it to his lips as he threw her teasing glances.

“Oh yeah.” She caught his mischievous smirk even though he tried to hide it behind his wine glass, “Don’t be jealous if I do.”

Just as Sehun was about to reply her, he yawned, “I’m sorry.”

“Looks like someone didn’t sleep well last night.” Aleyah looked at Sehun with an eyebrow raised.

“To be exact, not that I didn’t sleep well, I barely slept.” He corrected her as he stifled back another yawn that was coming.

“What’s wrong?” She looked at him, slightly worried.

That tinge of worry in her eyes was caught by Sehun. That emotion reflected concern and it warmed him upon realizing that. Although it was for him, he still didn’t like seeing those deeply knitted eyebrows of hers. He preferred the talkative Aleyah with wriggly eyebrows as she talked compared to now. “Kai hyung's fiancé couldn’t find him yesterday night so she bugged us the entire night. Her phonecall was at least once every hour. No joke but Luhan hyung and I nearly threw our phones off the balcony.”

He thought her creased eyebrows would straighten out or she would at least chuckle at his attempt on explaining the issue a little more comically, but he was wrong. Those eyebrows were more knitted than before as he heard her mumbled, “Kai’s fiancé…”

“Yeah Kai’s fiancé. Why do you seem so shock?”

“You know that he’s engaged right?”

Sehun’s unintentional words hit Aleyah like a pail of iced water being poured down her head. She shivered instinctively at them as reality started to kick in. Ever since yesterday night after Kai and her kissed at the bridge, she was blinded by the euphoria she got from it that she failed to see everything else that had existed.

She once again failed to see Kai was someone who has a fiancé, someone who already has a wife-to-be and she was patiently waiting for him to return back to Korea.

“Aleyah?”

“Aleyah, are you alright?” Tapping her lightly, the lady jumped at his sudden contact causing the blonde male to flinch as well.

“Are you okay? You seem so flustered.” Sehun saw how she attempted to take a sip of wine with her trembling hands but spilled some onto her dress instead.

“Come, let me take you to the washroom.” He stood up and put his napkin on the chair. Sehun knew that something was off but he did not know what exactly did he say that caused her to be so shaken.

“No I’m fine. Let’s just.. continue eating.” Aleyah dug into her meal, avoiding his queering gaze as he peered down at her. She held back her tears as she forced herself to swallow the tasteless spaghetti in hope that it would make the lump behind disappear.

Enjoy~