Amber stepped out onto the street outside her apartment building, she blinked at the sun in her eyes, but she came to stopped when she saw the person standing there waiting for her. Her instinct told her to turned around and run back inside, to hide from him.

“Give me another chance,” he pleaded. “Can you please let me explain myself?”

She didn’t understand herself, but when it comes to her friends, especially this childhood best friend, Kikwang, she couldn’t bring herself to saying no. However, she knew better than to be alone with him, “I will let you explain yourself, but not here. I can’t be alone with you, Kikwang. I don’t trust you like I used to.”

The pained look on his face made her feels bad, but it was the truth. She can no longer trust this person that she used to call her best friend.

(---)

Kikwang wringed his hands as he sat there across from Amber and her new friend Kyuhyun. It was uneasy and this pained feeling that his childhood friend no longer trusted him.

Amber glanced at Kyuhyun before she turned back toward Kikwang, “So ... what do you have to say to me?”

There was a hint of nervousness in Amber’s voice, but there was also a tinged of coldness mixed into it as well. Kikwang felt like his heart had just shattered. It was also uncomfortable to spill his guts in front of a stranger like Kyuhyun.

“If you don’t have anything to say I’m leaving,” Amber started to get up.

“Amber,” he pleaded. He glanced nervously at Kyuhyun and she noticed it.

Amber glanced between Kyuhyun and Kikwang, “Whatever you have to say to me can be say in front of Kyuhyun. So, either you explain yourself now or I leave.”

Kikwang bit down on his bottom lip, “I ... I’m sorry for what had happened. I’m sorry I used you for my selfish reasons. I never wanted to hurt you.” He tried to read her reaction to his word, but her face was emotionless. Kyuhyun’s presence seem to have given her a confident that he never seem in her before.

He continued, “I loved you, heck I still loves you, but that’s not the reason why I came to talk to you. I heard from the coaches that they removed you from the team because you no longer wanted to work with me. I told them that if they want me to still work for them that they need to reinstate you into the team, with condition that you do not have to work with me to get better.” He paused when he saw Amber looked at Kyuhyun, as if she was asking for his permission or advice. He placed a hand on Amber’s and nodded.

Kikwang tried to ignore the urge to get up and punch this man, Kyuhyun, out of his seat, “Anyway, they had agreed to my request and would like you to come back to the team. This is the least I could do for all the things I put you through. I don’t want to destroy your career as well.”

Kikwang saw that Amber mind was moving at a hundred miles per minutes at that current moment. He knew that she loved basketball more than anything else in the world. The sport was part of her and finding a new team is not as easy as people might think, especially when one is injured.

She stood up, “Thanks, tell them that I will consider it. How long do I have before they need an answer from me?”

“You have a week,” Kikwang answered.

Amber nodded and walked out from the cafe they were in. Kyuhyun followed behind her, but the man turned back and glared at Kikwang before he followed Amber out the door. Kikwang knew for sure then that he would never get his friend back.

(---)

Amber was grateful that Kyuhyun was able to show up to help her at such a short noticed. He also believed that Amber should do what her heart tell her to do and that he will be there to protect her if Kikwang dared to try anything funny with her again.

Amber loved the game, basketball was her life and the team was like her family. The opportunity was too good to passed off and she had come to a decision. There was one person that she had to tell and that was her boyfriend, Lee Jonghyun.

They met up at nice coffee shop in Hongdae. As they waited for their coffee and snack that they had ordered Amber decided that it was the time to tell him of her decision, “I decided to return to my previous team.”

“What!”

People in the cafe all turned around at stared at them with Jonghyun’s outburst. Amber placed her index finger to her lips, “Calm down. I don’t have to work with Kikwang. I would never see him alone.”

“Is that so?” Jonghyun looked miserable. “I thought that it would be better if you not play basketball anymore.”

The words that came from his mouth shocked her, “Why?”

Jonghyun nervously shifted in his seat, “Amber, who don’t have to work hard, because that kind of thing happened and ...”

Amber felt this unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach. She was perplexed by his words, “Don’t you support me to become a pro basketball player?”

“At that time I couldn’t help,” he bit down on his lips. “But now you have me by your side.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The corner of his lips pulled up and formed a small smile, “I will protect and take care of you. You don’t have to work.”

That confirmed that unsettling feeling in her stomach. Jonghyun, her boyfriend, does not understand her true feeling. She tried to hide the disappointment in her face and the awkward silence ensued.

“Let’s go to a movie,” Jonghyun noticed the changed atmosphere spoke up. “There’s this one I really want to see. Shall we go?” Amber bit her lips and nodded. “Also, I made a reservation at this really nice restaurant tonight too.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?” She asked, but he was already out of earshot as he walked up toward the counter to pay for their coffees and snacks. This uneasy, unsettling and uncomfortable feel she felt just wouldn’t leave her.

After the movie as they were having their dinner that feeling still haven’t left her. She wanted to tell him. Tell Jonghyun how she felt.

“You know,” he said.

“What is it?”

“My life has gone so much better and it’s all thanks to you,” his face was lit up with the brightest smile. You could see the happiness twinkled within his eyes.

“Me?” she said as she pushed the food around on her plate.

He nodded, “Since I started to date you. My career has been going so well. If you want anything just let me know. I will buy it for you. After all you’re my Amber.”

Amber couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t hurt him. The happiness that was written all over his face and twinkled in his eyes, she couldn’t take that away from him.