Was Baekhyun in trouble? Sehun didn’t know what to think. What were the mysterious, middle-of-the-night phone calls about? Why would Baekhyun need more time? Sehun had assumed Baekhyun’s moodiness was because of his less than stellar home life. But maybe there was more to it.

Sehun figured he would try to find some time to sound Baekhyun out about his situation later. Now wasn’t the time – there were too many people around.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

By the time he woke up, the sun had moved halfway across the sky. Somebody had repositioned the umbrella to recover him, and the entire group was gone.

Sehun sat up groggily and looked around. He spotted Baekhyun in the water with Luhan and Eunhyuk, Chanyeol filming them from the shore. Hyoyeon stood with the surf breaking over her toes, watching.

Luna was swimming nearby. Her friends Sunny and Billy had shown up.

‘I think you were drooling,’ said a voice from behind him.

Sehun quickly wiped his mouth, then turned to find Yuri laughing. ‘You’ve caught the lying thing from Baek,’ he accused with a smile.

‘You’re definitely more gullible than I expected,’ she replied. ‘Have a nice nap?’

He stretched his arms above his head, working out the stiffness that came from lying on the sand. ‘I didn’t get much sleep last night,’ he explained.

‘How come?’

Because I was thinking about you, he thought. ‘I don’t know. Too much food, maybe,’ he said aloud, hoping his voice sounded casual.

Uri looked at him silently for a long moment, and Sehun felt a sudden pang of nerves. It was almost as if she knew what he was thinking. Or else maybe she wanted to talk about the fact that they’d come close to kissing the other day. The air between them felt thick with energy. He wasn’t sure if he moved toward her or she moved toward him, but suddenly they were only a foot apart on the blanket, and her long bare leg was touching his.

‘Yuri! Come help me,’ Luhan called from the water.

She turned away, and Sehun felt cold.

Luhan stood up, shaking droplets of water from his hair. ‘Can you bring me my goggles?’ he called to Yuri. ‘I got salt in my eyes.’

Yuri rummaged around Luhan’s bag. As she stood up with the swim goggles, she reached out and ran her fingers through Sehun’s hair. He shaded his eyes and looked up at her.

‘Your hair’s a mess from sleeping,’ she said quickly. Then she was gone.

Luna and Baekhyun passed her on their way back up from the water. Baekhyun bent over and shook his hair over Sehun, purposely flinging water on him.

‘Loser,’ Sehun commented.

‘Sweet life you have here,’ Baekhyun said, dropping down onto the blanket. ‘The ocean is great!’

‘Does it make you miss the swim team?’ Sehun asked, figuring that the question didn’t sound too leading, but might give him some info about what was going on with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun gazed out at the horizon. ‘If the school pool had a view like this, it would.’

Luna pulled her wallet from her big straw bag. ‘I’m going to go get some bubble tea,’ she told the boys. ‘You want?’

‘Get me a choco bubble tea’ Sehun requested.

‘What the hell is bubble tea?’ Baekhyun asked.

‘It’s this disgusting iced tea with big round globs of tapioca in it,’ Chanyeol told him. ‘The tea is fine, but when you up a tapioca ball, it’s like ingesting a loogie.’

‘Oh gross,’ Luna cried. ‘That’s ridiculous, it’s totally delicious.’

‘I think I’ll pass,’ Baekhyun said.

‘Suit yourselves.’ Luna went off across the sand towards the snack bar a quarter of a mile away.

‘Wait up Luna! I want to film this disgusting experience of you digesting this drink,’ Chanyeol called out as he caught up with her to the snack bar.

That left Sehun and Baekhyun on the beach.

‘Only in Malibu does the snack bar service bubble tea and lobster rolls instead of coke and hot dogs,’ Sehun said.

‘Crazy place. But, I could get used to it,’ Baekhyun replied.

‘Too bad you have to leave so soon.’ Sehun searched his friend’s face. ‘When do you have to be back in Michigan?’

Baekhyun shrugged, still gazing at the ocean. ‘Whenever.’

‘Oh.’ Sehun hesitated, then plunged ahead. ‘Because Luna heard you saying you only had two days.’

‘What?’ Baekhyun asked, his attention snapping back to Sehun.

‘She heard you on your cell last night, I guess. She said it rang several times.’ Sehun tried to make his tone of voice sound casual.

Baekhyun grimaced. ‘Sorry. I hope I didn’t keep her up.’

‘I think you did a bit,’ Sehun replied. ‘And she was a little worried about you. She said you kept on saying you needed more time. Who were you on the phone with?’

‘Just, er, you know… my girlfriend.’ Baekhyun sighed. ‘She’s the needy type. She didn’t even want me to come out here, and now she wants me to get back to Michigan as soon as I can.’

‘Your girlfriend?’ Sehun repeated. ‘Who? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone?’

‘Yeah. You don’t know her,’ Baekhyun said vaguely. ‘I’m really sorry if I bothered your sister.’

Sehun wasn’t sure what to say. Luna had made it sound as if there was something sinister about the phone calls, and Baekhyun’s explanation didn’t really add up. But it wasn’t any of Sehun’s business who the guy talked to on his phone, or when.

Besides, surely if Baekhyun was in some kind of trouble, he’d tell me about it, Sehun thought. Wouldn’t he? Especially since I’ve given him so many openings.

‘Later, my friends. We’re taking off,’ Luhan said, as he, Yuri and Kris approached the blankets.

Sehun glanced at Yuri. Her hair was wet from swimming and droplets of water slid down her smooth, tanned skin. She was hot when she was fully dressed and dry. Right now, she was scorching. Sehun didn’t want to get caught staring at her with his tongue dragging in the sand, so he dragged his eyes away.

‘You’re all leaving?’ Baekhyun asked.

‘We’ve been here for hours,’ Hyoyeon replied. She gathered up her stuff while Eunhyuk shook out the blanket. ‘And we have to get ready for the party tonight.’

‘Translation: Yuri and Hyoyeon have to spend the next five hours doing their hair,’ Luhan joked. He took down the umbrella and folded it up.

‘And I have to spend the next five hours party-proofing the house,’ Kris put in. ‘My father’s afraid we’ll trash the place.’

‘She you guys at the party,’ Yuri said. She’d wrapped a sarong around her waist, and it clung to her hips as she picked up her beach bag.

‘I don’t know,’ Baekhyun said. ‘I haven’t been invited to this infamous party.’

‘Infamous?’ Kris queried.

Sehun rolled his eyes. ‘Luna is pissed because my mom won’t let her go. They’ve been fighting about it all week.’

‘Why can’t she go?’ Kris asked, frowning. ‘She’s always welcome.’

‘My mom freaked out about Sohee, and I don’t blame her,’ Sehun said evenly. He knew Kris would understand what he really meant – that maybe a vampire-filled house wasn’t where he wanted his sister to be.

Kris thought about that, then nodded.

‘But you should come, Baekhyun,’ Luhan put in. ‘Mrs Oh can’t tell you no.’

Baekhyun shrugged. ‘That’s up to Sehun.’

‘Well, of course Sehun wants you to come,’ Hyoyeon said. ‘Don’t you, Sehun?’

Sehun hesitated. The last time they were at a party together, Baekhyun had got stoned and driven off in Sehun’s car. Nah, won’t happen again, Sehun told himself. Baekhyun said all that garbage was behind him.

‘Sure, Baekhyun and I will both be there,’ Sehun said aloud. He just hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

‘Maybe just a movie,’ Luna was saying as Sehun pulled the VW into the house later. She’d been on her cell ever since they left the beach. ‘Hello? Billy?’ she said, raising her voice. Frustrated, she hit ‘End’. ‘I lost the signal,’ she complained.

‘Why didn’t you make plans with him while we were at the beach?’ Sehun asked. He found it baffling how much time she spent on the phone with her friends. She’d called Billy about three minutes after saying goodbye to him at Surfrider Beach.

Luna ignored him, shoving open her car door and climbing out. Baekhyun swung himself over the side of the convertible without bothering to use the door.

‘It’s a little cramped in the back, bro,’ Baekhyun joked. ‘Not enough room for me and all the beach gear.’

‘When I get a car, it’ll be bigger,’ Luna said. She pulled the wet towels out of the back seat and shoved them into Baekhyun’s arms, then grabbed her straw bag. ‘Straight to the laundry room,’ she told Baekhyun. ‘Mom hates when we leave towels around.’

‘Got it.’ Baekhyun took off toward the house, Luna following.

Sehun dragged the blanket out of the back and shook it out one more time. If their mom hated wet towels, she really hated sand in the house. As he started toward the front door, a cell phone chirped from the car. He turned around and scanned the VW, finally spotting Luna’s phone – gray cover today – on the front seat. Sehun figured it was probably Billy calling back.

He grabbed it, hit ‘Talk’ and said, ‘Hello?’

‘Time is running out,’ said the guy on the other end.

‘To get movie tickets?’ Sehun asked.

There was a pause, and Sehun wondered if the signal had died again. ‘Hello?’

‘Don’t try to be cute,’ came the reply. ‘You have your deadline. After that I get really upset.’

Sehun rolled his eyes. ‘Dude, it’s Malibu. What is there to be upset about?’

‘Malibu?’ Laughter filled his ear, and then the guy said, ‘Thank you. Remember, thirty-six hours.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Sehun asked. ‘Billy?’

But he only heard silence. Sehun pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen. It was empty. The guy had hung up.

‘Who were you talking to?’ Baekhyun asked from behind him.

Sehun turned and shrugged. ‘I thought it was my sister’s friend, Billy, but he was being really weird. Maybe it was a wrong number.’

Baekhyun strode forward and snatched the phone from Sehun’s hand. ‘That’s my phone, moron,’ he snapped. He hit a few buttons, calling up the phone log.

‘Excuse me?’ Sehun said, annoyed. He and Baekhyun trashed each other a lot, but it was always just joking around. This time Baekhyun didn’t sound amused at all.

‘Did you just call me a moron?’

‘You told him you were in Malibu,’ Baekhyun said angrily. ‘What the hell did you do that for?’

‘Because I thought it was Billy,’ Sehun retorted. ‘What was your phone doing on the front seat?’

‘It must’ve fallen out of my pocket when I got out,’ Baekhyun said. ‘But I bet Luna wouldn’t appreciate you answering her phone, either.’

‘She wouldn’t go all psycho on me,’ Sehun said. ‘What’s your damage?’

‘What else did he say?’ Baekhyun demanded.

‘He said something about thirty-six hours and about how he’d get really upset if you missed the deadline,’ Sehun replied. ‘Now why don’t you tell me who that was and what the hell is going on?’

Baekhyun looked him up and down, his eyes dark with fury. ‘You know, man? It’s none of your business,’ he said. He turned around and stalked into the house without another word.

Sehun stayed rooted to the spot, replaying that phone conversation in his mind. Clearly the guy on the phone was threatening Baekhyun. But why? And what was the treat?

Now, at least he was sure of one thing: Baekhyun was in trouble.

Serious trouble.

*Note- Woah~ so what’s with Baekhyun? What sorts of trouble is he in? Anyways, the start of Kris’ party will begin in the next chapter! Stay tuned~