Propping my head up in my hands, I let my mind wander.  I tried not to daydream in class, but the professor was just reviewing last week’s readings.  I’d done the readings.  I didn’t need a rerun of it.  I hated literature anyway.  I was an English language major.  I knew how to read.  Who needed literature?  No one talks like that anymore anyway.  Besides, wasn’t I forced to read Shakespeare in high school?

            My mind automatically went to Jae Hyo.  Well, what else would it go to?  The girls and I went to their outdoor concert this past weekend.  I could watch those guys perform all day every day until I was too old to fangirl. 

            Except ever since that conversation with my mother, all my day dreams were plagued with that damn internship.  And how stupid I was for not wanting to go.  It’s not only about Jae Hyo.  Why couldn’t I stay in one country?  I hate moving.  I adapted here.  Everything I know is here.  I hate change and I don’t know how to make friends.  I needed to keep the ones I had.

            Get out of my head.  I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block my mother’s voice out of my brain.  Out of spite, I was waiting as long as possible to turn in the application.

            “Ok,” my literature professor’s gravely voice cut into my thoughts.  “Let’s relax a bit.  Let’s talk about the psychology behind this for a moment.”

            Great, now I’m in a psychology class.  What happened to just reading Shakespeare, deciphering his mumbo-jumbo English, finding the symbolism, and moving on?

            “How many of you girls would run away from home, fake your own death, sever all ties with your entire family for a boy you met a week, at the most, earlier?” the professor questioned, leaning back against the white board.  He chuckled a little to himself when no one raised their hands.  He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pants’ pockets.  Still waiting.

            That depends, I told myself.  Does Romeo have Jae Hyo tendencies?  If so then yes.  I covered my face with my hands.  What are you doing to me, fate?  Are you trying to tell me something?

            “Not a single one of you girls has a romantic spirit?” the professor pressed.

            An outspoken blonde girl who always sat near the front of this class scoffed.  “Romantic?  Juliet was an idiot.  How could she go through that crazy, haphazard plan for a boy she didn’t even know?  If everything hadn’t gotten screwed up and the plan ended up working, they would have run away together.  Gotten married and then what?  How did she know, in five years, he wouldn’t leave her?  Get bored?  Then she’d have nothing and would be completely alone.”

            A boy sitting a row behind her snorted.  “Jilted, are we?” he teased.  They must have been friends because she laughed along with the rest of the class and turned around in her seat to swat at him.

            “It’s the same for him, too though,” the blonde continued, looking to the professor again.  “What if she gets tired of him?  Meets someone knew?  Despises him in the long run?”  She shrugged.  “I don’t know, it’s just my opinion.  When I was thirteen or fourteen or however old those two were, I would have never even thought of running away with a guy.”  The professor made a sound of understanding and then asked the boy who had commented before what his thoughts were.

            That girl has never been in love then, I decided mentally as I studied the blonde girl.  I felt bad I didn’t know her name.  Shows how much I pay attention to those around me.  What if she had been in love?  How could she say that then?  I’d run away with Jae Hyo if he wanted me to. 

            “Amelia, you have an interesting expression on your face.  Would you like to share your thoughts on the matter?” the professor asked.  I blinked and straightened in my seat.  Ugh.  I hate when professors do that.  If I wanted to speak, I’d raise my hand.  I hate talking in front of others.

            “Uh,” I began nervously.  Oh, what the hell.  “I’ve known my boyfriend since I was fourteen years old.  I’d run away with him.  I would have run away with him back then, too.”  I shrugged and caught that girl watching me.  I gave her a small smile.  “He knows it, too and he’d do anything for me.  I just know it.  Maybe that’s what Shakespeare was going for with Romeo and Juliet.  They just knew.  And that’s why they were so willing to dive head first into this.”

            “Inexplicable, uncontrollable love,” the professor nodded.

            “Yes,” I agreed.  “So I kind of feel for Juliet.  I mean, I know it’s just a story and it is a little far fetched, but love makes you crazy, right?  Isn’t it a given that you’ll do stupid things when you’re in love?  Or do things that others think is stupid but you couldn’t care less because you love the person so much you’d do whatever it took to be with him?”  When I caught what I was saying, I felt my face flush red.  “O-or her.  Or whatever.  I…”  I laughed uncomfortably and lowered my eyes to my lap.

            “Interesting,” the professor hummed.  “Two entirely different perspectives.”

            “Look at her face,” another girl giggled.  “Amelia, you must really be in love.  You can see it all over her face.”

            I knew from her voice that she wasn’t laughing at me, she was in sincere awe. 

            Didn’t help though.  Just made my face flush a deeper shade of red.  I tried to laugh along with the others, but I know it sounded awkward.

            “Ok, I want to change my answer,” the blonde piped up with a smile.  “If my boyfriend made me feel like that, I’d run away with him.”

            Most of the boys in the class had lost interest, but now it felt like every girl in the classroom had her eyes set on me.

            “Me, too,” another girl sighed romantically.  “Tell us about your boyfriend like where you found him and if there are more like him.”

            On a completely unrelated and slightly ironic side note, I bet every person in this university knew who my boyfriend was. 

            Thankfully, the professor interrupted and reined in the conversation.  I once again became the quiet girl in the back.

            Left alone to think of what I’d just blurted out in the middle of class.  I meant it when I said I’d do anything to be with Jae Hyo.  Oddly enough though, my actions weren’t backing up my words.

            What the hell am I going to if they select my application?

            The day before the deadline, I forced myself over to the Study Abroad Office, application in hand.  I was gripping it so hard, when I handed it over to the girl at the front desk, it was crinkled.

            Later that night, my mother had ratted me out to my father about the internship and he called to tell me how excited he was for me that I applied.  And to give me a few of those cliché phrases I knew he had stored up, ready for this particular occasion.

            By the time I hung up with my parents, I was tired and aggravated.  The girls were out and about.  I was sure they told me their plans earlier, but my mind was elsewhere I was sure.

            I dug my phone out of my bag and hit 2 on the speed dial.

            “Hey, sweet thing,” Jae Hyo greeted me after the second ring.  I giggled.

            “Jae Hyo,” I whined.  “What are you doing?  I’m bored.  Everyone is out.”

            “I’m recording with Zico.  Damn, girl, you kill me.  You’re all alone in your dorm?”

            “Wait, you’re recording?  Can I come watch you?”

            “And the conversation goes from ual to not in two seconds,” he mumbled.

            “You know how I work,” I laughed.  “Please?”

            “Of course, baby, come on over, I’ll be here for a bit longer.”

            I was ready to go and out the door three minutes after I ended the call with Jae Hyo.  Using the back entrance, I slipped into the building unnoticed and hurried up the familiar back stairs to the floor with the recording studio on it.

            Busting through the door, I stumbled in.  Zico waved at me from the controls.

            “Hey, Ji Ho,” I greeted him with a smile.  I hurried over and sat next to him.  Behind the glass, Jae Hyo was inspecting a sheet of paper with headphones on.

            He hit a button on the controls and leaned closer to a microphone.  “Jae Hyo, you ,” Zico teased.

            Jae Hyo looked up from the paper with a shocked look on his face.  Zico stuck his tongue out at him once they met eyes and pointed to me.  Jae Hyo’s whole face lit up when he saw me.  Then, lowering his eyelids, he smirked at me.  I felt my cheeks grow hot.

            I liked how Jae Hyo looked when he was singing.  He’d get this look on his face.  Of pure happiness.  Sometimes he’d close his eyes and he’d look completely at ease.

            About an hour later, Jae Hyo was finished.  Zico went to the dorms to get changed and hunt down his girlfriend.  Which left Jae Hyo and me alone in the recording studio.  He flopped down on the sofa against the far wall behind the control table.  I threw myself over his lap, the entire length of my legs over him and leaned my back against the arm of the couch.  Unable to wipe the smile off my face.

            “I love listening to you sing,” I told him with a dramatic sigh.

            “It’s the only reason you’re with me, isn’t it?” he asked, dragging his long fingers up and down my bare legs from my shins up to where my shorts ended.

            “Yes,” I said trying not to laugh.  “I only want you for your voice.”

            He gasped loudly and then glared at me.  He slid out from under my legs and then from a standing position, jumped back on the couch onto his hands and knees over me.  I laughed.  “I must do something to change that!” he declared, lowering only his head to plant a kiss on my forehead.  With a sigh of contentment, I s my arms around his neck and used him to pull myself up a little.  Jae Hyo let out a surprised grunt and fell forward, making us both crash back onto the couch.  He tried to move, seemingly out of worry that he was crushing me, but I continued to hold him close.

            “You’re not busy for the rest of the night, right?” I asked, sliding my hands over his shoulders. 

            “Amelia Jackson, do you want me tonight?” he asked seductively.  I giggled and mussed his hair.  He grumbled and fell over on to his side between me and the back of the couch.  After trying to fix up his hair a little, he draped one arm over my middle and arched an eyebrow.  “We’re all free for the rest of the night.  Hey, Beki’s with Yu Kwon now.  I bet she’ll stay over.  That means you’ll have your room to yourself tonight.”  He moved his mouth right next to my ear and growled, “Want some company?”

            I giggled again, slightly breathlessly.  All I could do was nod.  The way he grinned back made me blush a little.

            “Jae Hyo, would you run away with me if I asked you to?” I asked after a moment of peaceful silence.  He laughed, slightly confused.

            “Um, wait, what?”

            I laughed lightly and explained to him about my literature class and how we had been reading Romeo and Juliet.  This was my warm up.  I really should at least mention that I applied for that internship.  “So?” I pressed at the end of my explanation.  “Would you fake your own death to run away with me?”  I had to laugh a little at that.  It did sound a little ridiculous.

            “Absolutely,” he answered with a nod.

            I tugged at a piece of his hair.  He snarled and shook his head away from my hand.  “You put no thought into that,” I accused.

            Going cross eyed to look up at the imperfection I created in his hair, he shrugged.  “I don’t need to think about it.  Ok, say in some weird situation, you were in trouble and you had to leave the country or maybe you were deported or something and couldn’t come back, I’d go too.  I may not be able to go with you right away, but I’d find a way to get to you eventually.”

            “You can’t just drop everything and leave.  What about Block b?  What about your family?  What about…I don’t know, everything?”  I kept my eyes on my fingers, twisting around the edge of his tee shirt.

            “You know I just want to be with you.  I want to marry you.  I want to have a family with you.  Nothing else is as important as that is to me, ok?”

            “You’d be miserable if you had to leave everything behind and move to some strange country,” I replied quietly.

            “Whatever, I’d adjust.”  You shouldn’t have to adjust, I thought bitterly.  He used a finger to tip my face up to his.  “What is this all about, Amelia?”

            “Just talking,” I answered.

            “You can’t lie to me.”

            I smiled and pulled away from his hand.  “I, um, was just thinking lately.  About when I graduate.  It’s only a few months away.  What if I can’t find a job here and I have to move?  Back to the US or…any other country?”  Like Italy of all places.

            “We’ll get married after you graduate and I’ll start acting so I can make more money and then you will never have to work.  Problem solved,” he responded simply.

            I laughed a little and rolled my eyes.  “I thought we talked about this.  I can work.  I should work.  You focus on your music.  There’s no rush.”

            “If you don’t want to marry me, Amelia, just say-”

            I pushed up onto my elbows and stared at him, incredulous.  “Jae Hyo, please, what is this all about?  What is with your sudden obsession with getting married?  You know I would never want to be with anyone else.  Why are you so hooked on getting married right this very second?”

            His eyes took on a faraway look and his smile was all wrong.  “I’m sorry.  I guess I have been forcing the issue on you lately,” he murmured.

            “Talk to me.”

            He blinked rapidly and then slid his hand behind my head and pulled me in for a deep kiss.  “Are you hungry?  Let’s go get something to eat.”  He jumped over me and off the couch, he held his hand out to me.  “We’ll get take out and take it back to your dorm.  We’ll eat and watch movies.  Chick flicks even.  Come on.”

            I smiled back at him and stood up taking his hand, but I couldn’t help feeling a little odd over the whole thing.  My plan had backfired miserably and now I was just confused.  I hadn’t brought up what I’d meant to bring up and now I had more stuff running through my head.  What was he hiding from me?  Usually, I could read him the way he could read me, but he was hiding this – whatever it was – well.