After I get dressed I open my bedroom door just a sliver so I can peek my head out. I wince as the old hinges squeak, but I continue to push the door open. I bet it’s awkward for Taehyung and Haneul when I’m not-

“HAahaHAHAH” I hear Haneul’s rambunctious laughter mingled with Taehyung’s as they look over the contents of some book. Guess I was wrong... they look perfectly fine without me. What could be so funny that Taehyung is wiping tears from his eyes?

“As you can see, Ari hasn’t changed very much since she was five.” Haneul chuckles turning the page of the book. Is that.. is that a photo album? I stick my head further out of the door and try to get a better view of what they are looking at.  “This is my 10th birthday party, that’s Ari right there. Isn’t she adorable?” Haneul points to the picture and Taehyung smiles, nodding his head in agreement. So it is a photo album. I facepalm. I hope they didn’t get to the picture of me in the tub butt with a soap beard while trying to pose like a model. Yeah...not one of my proudest moments.

“Are those your parents?” Taehyung asks pointing to the picture and my head snaps up slightly worried.

Haneul looks down at the picture with a sad smile, her voice growing soft, “Yeah, good looking right?” She picks the album off the table and places it on her lap. She uses her finger to trace over my parents, a somber feeling emitting from her. Suddenly she looks up from the picture to Taehyung and smirks, “I think I might have took all of their good-looking genes though, what do you think?” she winks at Taehyung and tries out her aegyo on him. I’ll have to say Haneul’s ability to change the atmosphere so effortlessly is applaudable. I’ll never tell her that though, she’s my sister, she’ll say I’m going soft.

Taehyung  just chuckles and retorts sarcastically, “Sure...” I grin like a proud parent, glad that he is defending my honor, that’s why you're my friend Taehyung~~~.

“Hey do you mind if I ask you something?” Taehyung suddenly asks after they continue to browse through the pictures, angling his body towards Haneul. She nods and he continues looking down at a certain the picture in the album, “This might sound weird but...where are your parents? Do you guys not live together or something? I’ve been trying to figure it out but...” He looks back up at Haneul, the frustration and curiosity clear in his voice. I frown at his question. Woah woah Taehyung back up there. I swear this day just keeps getting better and better, it’s like the day of confessions! I absolutely hate it.

Haneul blinks and leans back surprised, “Wait... Ari hasn’t told you yet?”

My eyes widen as Taehyung shakes his head and Haneul open to say something. I burst through the door making sure to slam it and bring their attention to me before anyone can say anything else, anything that could make this day even more disastrous than it already is. Their heads turn in my direction and I lean against the door with a sheepish grin, “Okay, I finished getting dressed. You guys can stop talking now~”

I stride over to where they are sitting on the couch and pull Taehyung up, I whisper "Come on!" before spinning on my heel and heading right back to my room. Taehyung quickly grabs a plastic bag on the coffee table and stumbles after me. When I reach my room and Taehyung is inside I close the door and he just stands there staring at me. Whew that was a close call.

After I think about all the various ways that conversation could have ended hadn’t I interrupted it and my heart stops anxiously pounding I turn my focus to Taehyung.  It’s so weird having him in here, he looks taller in my small room. He’s still in his tuxedo from tonight’s dance and as he looks around my room he looks like some important tall CEO. He awkwardly shuffles around looking for somewhere to sit.

“The bed.” I gesture to it and take my own seat at my desk chair thinking the bed will be more comfortable for him.

Taehyung quickly swivels his head in my direction and stares at me with a blank expression. One second, two seconds, thre- but then his lips curl into a smirk and his eyes hold a mischievous glint, “ This isn't why I came here but hey I’m not complaining.” He slowly takes off his coat and loosens his tie, sending me a suggestive wink as he slowly saunters towards me.

 My face ignites at what he’s insinuating. The sight of Taehyung walking towards me with a slightly ed shirt and a naughty smirk has me completely flustered and out of my element. “i-I meant sit on the bed... !” I manage to mumble out.  Taehyung smiles but it soon turns into a chuckle, I pick up the first thing from my desk and throw it at him which happens to be my wallet while he just laughs finding amusement in my embarrassment. My wallet harmlessly bounces off of his shaking frame still laughing at me. When he stops being incredibly rude, he picks it up off the ground  then opens it with this amused grin on his face mumbling something about how even if I throw money at him he still won’t strip. I shake my head and stifle a laugh, not wanting to encourage his silly behavior but a little chuckle escapes anyways.

“Why are you even in my house, Taehyung?” I query tucking a strand of damp, wavy hair behind my ear as I spin in my rotating desk chair. I’ll need to find a hair binder later, it’s gonna get wavy, my natural hair pattern, as I let it dry. I’m beginning to get dizzy as I spin round and round but I kind of like the feeling, it’s distracting me from more important  thoughts.

“Who are these girls?” Taehyung suddenly asks staring at something in my open wallet, taking two stride to get to where I am. I stop spinning in my chair and try to stand up but I stumble a little dizzy. I laugh at how quickly disorientated I am. I struggle to stay upright because of how the world continues to spin but when I see the picture he is staring at, my vision immediately focuses and my easy smile fades away but the dizzy feeling seems to intensify.

It’s a picture of me and my old dance crew, Maxstep, laughing and smiling after we just won a dance competition. (The one from the beginning of the story) After I moved in with Haneul I decided to throw away everything from my dancing past. Clothes, pictures, dance flyers, I even mailed the trophy back to the studio Maxstep uses to practice because I felt guilty for keeping it. Everytime I saw it, all I could think about was what it represented, that my parents were struggling to live while I was just dancing my little heart away.

This picture is the last thing from my past. I couldn’t bare to throw this picture away because I think in that moment when the announcer crowned us as the winners all my hardwork and sweat seemed to pay off, it was one of the most happiest moments in my life. It was an indescribable feeling, it felt like everything was complete in my life, like the puzzle pieces fit together. I was doing what I loved with the people I loved...but now it just reminds me of what I swore I would never do again. Dance.

I frown quickly taking my wallet out of his hands, “They’re nobody. Just old friends.”  I try not to make eye contact with Taehyung afraid that he will see the lie in my eyes. They weren’t just old friends, they were my second family.When I wasn’t home I was with them. If I had a problem or if I just wanted to talk, to hang out, they were there. At my parents’ funeral they were all there, trying their best to comfort me but nothing worked. My heart was frozen and it had no intention of warming up.

Thankfully I’m not like that anymore. Spending time with Bangtan and F4 these past few months has my heart functioning again, has me feeling like I have a family again. Well it did... now I’m not sure anymore. Between Jimin and Mina, I don’t know where I stand in that group of friends anymore. I walk