“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” - George Bernard Shaw

A/N: Lol you thought that was it? *smirks* oh... I was just getting started. ;)

3 months later

"Good morning, Baltimore!!!"

Alice almost choked on her tea when the door swung open, revealing her colleague, Matilda, in a polka dot high-waist skirt matched with a jean polo, and hair looking like it could survive a hail storm.

"Nice headband, Tilly. " Arty chuckled as he looked up from his paperwork.

"How was New York?" Alice asked before Tilly could retaliate. She was rewarded by a beam followed by a small twirl.

"Oh it was wonderful Alice! It was just brilliant! I went to the Empire State building which just gave a magnificent view of the whole city and don't even get me started on the food. I think I just tasted the best pizza there ever was.”

"I can see that." Arty wiggled his eyebrows but before Tilly could fling her handbag towards him, Alice asked, "How was Broadway? You've been talking about it for months--"

"Oh I saw Hairspray!" She squealed.

"You sure you didn't play in one?" Arty snickered and Alice gave him a warning look. He immediately shut up, and Alice thought he made a wise choice if he wanted to stay alive for afternoon tea.

"I'm just hung up on the whole thing and decided to dress up for work." Tilly explained as she swayed from side to side, her skirt following her movements. "Is that such a crime?"

"Of course not, Tilly." Alice said as she passed by her table and patted her shoulder. "You look great."

"Thanks Alice." Tilly smiled as she made her way to her desk. Upon putting her bag down on the surface, she clapped her hands once. "So, while I was away, I haven't forgotten about gifts."

"Now we're talking!" Arty cheered just as a shirt smacked him on the face. "What the--"

"It's the thought that counts, Arthur." She pointed with a mocking smile as Arty looked at the "I <3 NY" shirt in his hands. Alice tried not to laugh at his incredulous expression.

"And for you, Alice." Tilly handed her a small purple pouch and thanked her before pulling the ribbon open and pulling out its contents. Alice paused when she saw a single silver charm of the Statue of Liberty, sitting at the palm of her hand.

"Oh Tilly..." She looked up at her with a smile. "This is... you really shouldn’t have--”

"I know you collected those charms." She grinned." So when I saw this, I knew it was for you. Add them to your bracelet, yeah?"

"Of course."

"How come she gets a charm?" Arty whined.

"How about I add in a face punch with that shirt, Arty?" Tilly challenged as she placed a hand on her hips.

"Did I mention how much I love the shirt?" He smiled tightly while Alice shook her head at her friends in amusement before continuing to browse through her camera.

Her latest project brought her to a province near Belgium where she had to get shots for a lifestyle magazine. Alice smiled as she examined each plate on the viewfinder; seeing an array of landscapes portraying the great wonders of nature.

Wonders, she thought. Wonders that could never really be captured the way our own eyes could.

At the thought, Alice found herself frowning. Because recently, she's been losing pride in her shots; always saying that what she sees with her own eyes could never really compare to what her lenses captures.

No matter how advanced her camera was or how incredibly high quality her lenses may be, there was always something missing...

"So, what I miss?" Tilly asked, snapping Alice from her trance. "What was the latest project again?"

Tilly moved to turn on her monitor while Alice took a sip of her green tea before answering.

"Grassy. Lots of trees." Arty answered for her. "And more trees."

"It was an environmental shoot. "Alice explained as she rolled her eyes at Arty. "The place was recently certified as a nature reserve and they're doing a back-story on it."

"What?" Tilly exclaimed. "Don't get me wrong, that's good news and all but come on. Your talent and trees? That's the third environmental shoot this month. If they're just going to make you shoot trees then you should've just gotten a job a National Geographic!" She waved her hands up in the air. "Or I don't know, worked for the Discovery Channel."

"Better pay too." Arty added with a mouthful of sugar donut.

"See?!" Tilly eyes were wide and encouraging as she made her point.

"It's fine, guys." Alice waved her hand. "I mean, it's hard to get by jobs here and I'm fortunate enough to actually have one, you know?"

"But--"

"But." Alice interrupted. "But nothing. It's cool, Tilly. And it's not forever." She smiled. "Yoongi and I have been talking about building up our own studio--

"You and Yoongi, huh?" Tilly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively while Alice scrunched her nose, giving her a weird look.

"You know it's not like that."

"Oh everything is not like that in the beginning." She snickered then winked.

"It's not like that and you know it." Alice pointed defiantly as she leant by her desk.

"Your tone is convincing me otherwise~" Tilly continued to , knowing Alice never loses her composure to snide remarks or playful teasing’s. She was probably one of the most patient people she knew. And seeing how she practically stays at a job which basically degrades her talent for photography says a lot about her patience and tolerance.

Knock knock.

All three looked up at the same time at the sound of a knock from their office door. Jonathan Fisher, one of their colleagues, stood by the doorway with a bunch of folders and magazines in his arms. Alice returned to her camera after nodding at him in greeting.

"Good morning, Jonathan." Tilly greeted and the man smiled at her warmly and nodded in return.

"Morning. Uh, Alice?" Jonathan called and Alice looked up from her camera in surprise, raising her eyebrows in question.

"Boss wants to see you."

Alice glanced at her colleagues before answering, "Now?"

"Now." He nodded before bidding goodbye and practically rushing down the hall.

Alice frowned slightly as she stood from her seat and placed her camera safely into her bag.

"Ooh...Someone's in trouble~" Arty teased just as Tilly threw him a dirty look--along with the pen she was currently holding which hit him square in the chest. "Ow! What?!"

"It's probably nothing, Alice." Tilly assured her as Alice moved towards the door. As she walked down the hall and into the elevators, Alice hoped Tilly was right. Because nobody gets called into the office unless you did something good and were to be promoted.

Or did something wrong... And evidently got fired.

Alice gulped as she walked the familiar hallway towards their editor’s office and hoped it wasn't the latter.

~~~

It was around seven in the evening when Alice got off from work. Usually, she would go straight home to her flat, which was about half an hour commute by bus, coupled with several blocks walk to her building.

But tonight, she didn't feel like staying home alone.

So she stopped by a Chinese restaurant and ordered some of her favorites for dinner before making her way East from her original route.

January always proved to be a difficulty for Alice because she never got along with the cold weather too well. Which was weird considering that Winter happened to be her favorite season too.

Downed in a long coat and bundled up in sweaters and a scarf, she trudged through the streets with the take-away bag in hand; slightly shivering and wishing Science would create a heater cloud that would hover over her anywhere.

Thirty minutes later, she found herself standing in front of another person's front door. She rang the doorbell once and heard the footfalls from the inside.

When the door opened, a surprised-looking Yoongi greeted her.

"Hey." Alice smiled as she raised the take-away bag in front of her. "I brought dinner."

Yoongi paused and surveyed her form, looking for any signs that would cause him worry. Alice always called when she was coming over unless it was an emergency.

"I'm not forgetting a birthday, am I?" He asked as he stepped aside to let her in and Alice chuckled while shaking her head.

"I can't visit my best friend?" She defended as Yoongi took the bag from her hands. She removed her coat and placed it in the coat closet, thankful for the warmth Yoongi’s flat provided. "And I figured you must be starving yourself again with those instant noodles."

"I do not starve myself with instant noodles." Yoongi protested as they walked deeper into his flat, passing the living room where the coffee table was filled with sketches and blue prints, and into his small kitchen. "I just don't have the time to cook right now."

"That's what you say every time I come over." Alice said as she moved around his kitchen, grabbing some glasses and a pitcher of water from the fridge. She stayed at his flat so often, she practically knew where everything was placed. Right down to the area where Yoongi keeps his Swiss chocolate (in the vegetable drawer within the fridge, because Yoongi thinks it's smart to place chocolates with veggies where nobody would dare look).

"And I'll say it again and again because it's true." He said as he pointed his chopsticks at her. "Anyway, what you got me?"

"Your favorite." She winked and the smile on Yoongi's face was enough to cheer her up.

The two have been friends for as long as she could remember. It was around the end of high school when Alice met Yoongi at a summer orientation camp for one of the universities she was trying to get into.

Yoongi was Korean but had been staying in England since he started high school. Aside from his nationality and quiet sense of humor that caught Alice's attention during one of the sessions (Yoongi had whispered something remotely funny about the lecturer and it turns out Alice was thinking of the same thing and was thoroughly impressed by their similar sense of humor), she also found out that he was into Photography which is what really started off their friendship.

Ever since then, Alice and Yoongi had been really close. So close that they could tell each other's presence by the mere sound of their footsteps against the stairs. 

So close that they could pass for “living together” by the amount of time Alice spends at his place. 

They sat opposite each other and started to have dinner; settling in a comfortable silence. Yoongi wasn't much of a talker and it was Alice who always had to pull out the conversations out of him. This was probably one of the reasons they got a long so well.

Which is why Yoongi found it odd to see Alice just sit