And then Beki belly flopped on top of me.  I burrowed my way out of my blankets and elbowed her off me.  Jordan and Maddie were cracking up in the middle of my room.

            “Nap time is over, little darlin’.  Time for dinner!” Beki informed me in a much louder voice than necessary.  With a bit of an inexplicable southern drawl.

            I groaned and sunk back under the blankets.

            “Don’t be cranky, Amelia!” Jordan chided.  I felt her and Maddie come over to my bed and shake me through the covers.  Beki wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.  “We’re hungry!  Come get food with us.”

            “Are you ok, Amelia?” Maddie asked when I refused to come out of my cave even after all the shaking.

            “I’m fine,” I muttered.  “Or at least I will be as soon as Beki stops spooning with me.”  Beki laughed out loud and rolled away from me.

            Jordan poked a finger under my blanket just enough to create a hole big enough for her eye to be seen through.  “For real, are you ok?” she asked.  With a sigh, I sat up.

            Beki immediately began smoothing my static-electrocuted hair down.  “Are the guys still filming?” I wondered, peering at my cell phone.  No messages.  No missed calls.

            Maddie nodded.  “You’re stuck with us for now, girlfriend.  Aren’t they, like, an hour outside Seoul?  They probably won’t be back until way late tonight.”

            I sighed again.  “I’m hungry,” I complained, looking to Beki with a pouty look.  She’d given up on fixing my hair.

           “That’s why we’re here,” she told me with a nod.  “Plus, you look like you could use some girl time.  What’s eating at you, butter cup?”

            “Can we talk over dinner?” I asked, looking to my friends.

            “Of course, let’s go. We’ll go some place better than the university cafeteria.  Amelia’s choice,” Jordan decided.

            “Amelia’s treat,” Beki snickered.  I snorted at her and she gave me a shove so hard I actually fell over.  She giggled and hopped off my bed.

            “How did you end up with Yu Kwon?” Jordan wondered after I jumped off my bed to brush my hair real quick.  “You’re so rough, Beki, and he’s so…timid.”

            Beki smirked as she held her hair back into a ponytail and used her teeth to take the hair tie off her wrist.  “I like my men submissive,” she answered with a raise of her eyebrows.  Maddie giggled.

            “This is an opposites attract thing, isn’t it?” Maddie asked.

            “Totally,” Beki answered, fixing her hair on top of her head.  “Plus he knows I’d kick his if he tried to leave me.”  The girls giggled more.  I didn’t even try.  “Shut up, he loves me,” Beki insisted as we headed out of the room.  Jordan scoffed and was instantly shoved forward by Beki.

            We decided on a traditional Korean restaurant near campus.  After we sat down and ordered enough food to feed a small village, or four starving college girls, Jordan looked at me.  She pointed with a chopstick.

            “Spill your guts, sister.  Something is up,” she stated.

            I heaved yet another sigh.  Now, Beki and Maddie were both gawking at me.

            Something snapped inside me and the whole story came tumbling out of my mouth.  “So now everyone and their mom is so freaking excited about me being selected for this stupid internship.  So excited in fact that no one ever thought to ask me if I even want to do it!  My parents, professors, even the director of study abroad is all, ‘Oh, Amelia, how wonderful. What a wonderful opportunity for you!’  But I know what they mean is: you girl, how could you even think this isn’t what you should do?  You’d be a moron to pass this opportunity up.  And all I can think is, Amelia does not want this opportunity.  Amelia wants to stay in Korea.  Why is that so wrong?”  My voice began to crack.  “Amelia wants to stay with her friends, her family and her Jae Hyo.  Why is that wrong?  Because I’d rather take a regular job in a country I’m comfortable in over some supposedly super amazing job half way around the world?”

            “Whoa,” Beki sounded when I finished.  My shoulders slumped, I felt deflated.

            “That’s insane, Amelia,” Jordan added.

            “What did Jae Hyo say about this?” Maddie questioned.  My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.  I held a chopstick out to each girl, right up to their faces.

            “I haven’t told him yet and the three of you must swear on your lives that you will not let a word of this conversation slip to any Block b member, boyfriend or not,” I ordered.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Beki open .  “I don’t care.  Swear on your life.  Then I will draw up a contract and you will each cut your fingers and sign it in blood.”

            Jordan eased the chopstick out of my grip.  “Cool it, girl.”

            “You really want to talk about cooling it?  I distinctly remember you, during one of your mental breakdowns, that you asked Beki to jam one of those through your ear canal to pierce your brain,” I grumbled, referring to back in high school when Jordan was insane with want for Ji Ho before they both confessed they’d only wanted each other since before puberty.

            “Touché,” Jordan replied handing me back the chopstick.  “As you were.”

            “So what will you do then?” Maddie asked, ever the logical one.

            I shrugged.  Just then, the waitress came over and began placing dishes of food on our table.  The table top couldn’t be seen once she was done.

            “Stuff my face until I can slip into a food coma,” I answered, picking up my spoon.

            What was I going to do? I wondered as we began to eat.   

            Half way through dinner, my phone buzzed. 

            “Jae Hyo!” I blurted out as soon as I answered.  “Jae Hyo, I’m so glad to hear your voice.”

            My friends carried on their conversation from before my interruption in a friendly attempt at giving me some privacy.  I covered my mouth with my free hand to try to keep my voice from carrying.

            “Hey,” he chuckled.  “I’m sorry I missed your call and it took me so long to call you back.  It’s crazy on the music video set.  But, you sounded upset in your message.  Everything ok?”

            I shook my head.  “Yes, I’m ok.  Just…stressed.”

            “Damn college,” he laughed.  “Well, listen, we aren’t going to head back to Seoul until around midnight.  So I probably won’t be able to get to your place until maybe two?  Is that ok?”

            “No, Jae Hyo, don’t do that.  You need your rest.  You need to sleep.”

            “I need to see my baby,” he retorted in a low voice.

            I forced a laugh.  “Yeah well, she doesn’t want to see you all sleep deprived and whiny.  When do you finish filming all together?”

            “Friday.”

            “Come spend the night then.  Friday night,” I suggested.

            “That’s two days away!” he whined.  That time a giggle did come.

            “It’ll make it all the better when we do see each other,” I replied.  I could hear him smirk.

            “Oh?  Amelia, are you talking y to me?” he asked seductively.

            “No.  I just meant since we’ve been apart for so long you owe me dinner and movies and a sleepover.  Innocent, really,” I teased.

            He sighed dramatically.  His voice turned serious.  “Are you sure you’re ok, baby?  I can come see you tonight if you need me to.”

            “I know you would,” I said softly.  “But really, it’s ok.  I can wait until Friday.”

            “Ok, text me if you change your mind.  If you decide you actually want to see me,” he kidded. 

            “Jae Hyo,” I laughed.  “I want to see you all the time, but I’m trying to be understanding and considerate.  Don’t make me get Beki to beat you up.  Stop being mean to me.”

            “Ah, yeah, I don’t want that,” he stated under his breath.  “Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow then.  And I’ll see you Friday.  I love you.”

            My heart skipped a beat.  “Ok, I love you, too, Jae Hyo.”

            “You’re really not going to tell him now?” Jordan wondered after I ended the call.

            I stabbed a piece of tofu in my soup bowl with my spoon.  “Really not going to tell him,” I mumbled.  “Not now.”

            When I looked at my friends, I could tell they had more to say about this, but I appreciated how they said nothing more about it.

            Ah, crap.  This .