~𝟱𝟴~

"All right, is everyone ready to go?"

A mess of sad noises and sighs echoed out through the kitchen and living room at Chan's question, neither the boys nor me ready to leave yet. A sad pout was spread on my and Jeongin's lips. But we all knew that we would have to leave. So we all packed our stuff into the same car we drove from the airport with. As the boys started piling into the car, I looked over my shoulder once more, the glittering blue water seeming to flow into me, leaving a feeling of melancholy and longing behind as it washed away again.

I'll forever cherish the memories I made here, I thought. I smiled sadly before turning back towards the car, finding Lee Know standing by the door waiting for me. I went up to him, taking his hands in mine and smiling up at him. He smiled back down at me, his smile tender. He gave my hand a quick squeeze before I climbed into the car, trying not to seem suspicious. Lee Know scooted in next to me, closing the door behind him. Then we were off, the long journey back home looming in front of us.

...

As we stood and waited for Chan and Changbin to return the car, we all just stood in the terminal. I watched as a little girl walked past me, smiling and waving at me. I waved back, sending her a small smile. I remembered how it felt to be that young, not a care in the world. Before everything got so complicated.

And yet, in that moment I wouldn't have had it any other way. I watched as Lee Know made jokes with Jeongin and Han, all three of them smiling brightly. It made me smile as well. Lee Know looked at me, and I sent him a small wave. Just as I did, I noticed Felix coming to stand next to me, my body going rigid. He looked in the same direction I did before turning to me.

"So, who were you waving at?" he asked nonchalantly, his deep voice as soothing as ever, with just a hint of the smirk on his lips bleeding into his words.

"Oh, a little girl walked past. She waved at me so I waved back. She was so cute," I said, hoping my white lie didn't shine through. I knew what I was saying wasn't what he was talking about, but I had to try.

"No, not that. Just now, before I came to stand with you. You waved at someone."

"Oh...I-"

By the wonders of luck, Chan and Changbin had just returned when I was about to lie again, saving me from embarrassment. They gathered us so we could move to the boarding gate, and I was all too happy to get out of the uncomfortable situation I had gotten myself into. But I was sure Felix would not just forget about what he saw, and I got the feeling he would be asking a lot more questions.

...

As we boarded the plane, the situation was exactly the same as when we boarded the flight to the Maldives. Seungmin, Han and Felix took the first three seats we had booked, then Chan and Lee Know the next two, and Hyunjin and Jeongin after them. I was talking with Changbin when I stopped in front of Lee Know's seat again, just like the previous time. However this time I didn't walk past him. I slid into the seat next to him, giving both him and Chan a smile.

Lee Know's knee pressed up against mine, a rush of goose bumps spreading on my skin. I quickly buckled up and got my book out of my bag that was underneath the seat in front of me, trying to distract myself and seem as inconspicuous as possible. I saw Lee Know move his hand onto his thigh out of the corner of my eye, my legs tensing up. But just as I thought he was about to put his hand on my leg, the flight attendant came down the aisle, explaining the safety measures for the flight. I closed my book and listened intently; my eyes focused on her.

Lee Know slowly brushed his fingers across the back of my hand, making more goose bumps rise on my arms. He gently slipped my hand into his, and a slight smile spread on my lips at the tingly feeling from his touch. And I realised that it was just what I needed. His touch brought a calm wave over my heart and mind, soothing me like only he had ever been able to. I gave his hand a soft squeeze before focusing my mind back on what the flight attendant was saying.

...

The whole flight Lee Know and I were skin to skin in some way or another. When he wasn't drawing random patterns on my hand, he was leaning his shoulder against mine, reading over my shoulder. Otherwise our legs were pressed together, the connection only being broken when one of us shifted in the seat, after which it was put back into its previous state. It was like a dance, the two partners so desperate to touch and hold one another but having to keep each other at arm's length for the sake of the people watching them.

And all through the flight, my mind was constantly on the kiss Lee Know and I shared the day before. I still had so much to ask him and tell him, but in that moment I was sure if I talked to Lee Know, it would all come out a jumbled mess. He just had that effect on me. Especially after he was my first kiss. I felt so awkward, and yet not awkward at all. And it annoyed me.

At some point, Lee Know had fallen asleep. Chan, who sat next to him had just moments before woken up from his own nap, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"How was your nap, Chan?" I asked softly, so as not to wake up the sleeping boy next to me.

He looked over at me with tired eyes and gave me a smile. Then he got out his laptop, typing away at it in what I assumed was an attempt to wake himself up. I went back to reading, my mind dragged into the story. My eyes flew over the words as I imagined exactly what happened, it playing out in my mind like a movie. The main characters shared a heated kiss before pulling away, neither sure whether it was a good idea or not.

Just then, Lee Know shifted in his seat, my body tensing up as he rested his head on my shoulder, burying into the crook of my neck. I sat completely still, tense and afraid that if I moved he would wake up. Finally I worked up enough courage to look over at his face, the peace and tranquillity I found there so beautiful to me. A smile spread on my lips, my body relaxing against his.

"If you want, I could move him," Chan said, making me look over at him.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind at all."

My smile spread on my lips again as I looked at him. And I wondered if he was dreaming. I watched him for a long while, watching as his chest slowly rose and fell. At some point I got quite tired myself, my eyes falling shut before fluttering open again. I let myself drift off into sleep, my memories from the previous days fuelling my dreams.

...

I woke up just as the plane landed, my eyes slowly fluttering open and adjusting to the light. My neck was stiff and my legs were numb. I shifted and realised I had fallen asleep with my head on top of Lee Know's head. I sat upright and rolled my head in different directions, trying to get my neck to stop feeling like it was snapped by a train. Lee Know shifted on my shoulder, and I looked over at him as he woke up. I flattened my messy hair as he sat upright as well, looking around confused. Until his eyes fell on mine, a smile spreading on his lips almost immediately. I returned the smile.

"How was the nap, Sleepy Heads?" I heard Chan ask, making both me and Lee Know look over at him.

"I slept really well. Ava's shoulder is really comfortable," Lee Know said, sending a smirk my way.

"Your head isn't too uncomfortable either," I said, smiling.

I noticed the people in our row standing up, prompting me to do the same. I grabbed my bag from under the seat in front of me, quickly standing up so as not to keep the people waiting. However, as soon as I was on my feet, pins and needles prickled in my legs, my stability a lot less than I anticipated. My knees buckled and I stumbled back. Luckily, Lee Know was behind me, catching me and helping stabilise me.

I thanked him softly as I got out of the row, standing next to the seats to wait for Chan and Lee Know to walk in front of me, giving my legs a chance to come back to life. I started walking again when Chan had started walking in front of me, my legs having luckily gotten their act together again. I managed to make it out of the plane without any mishaps, letting out a relieved sigh.

My legs were still stiff so I walked slightly slower than the boys, lagging behind. I saw both Lee Know and Changbin look back at the same time, both spotting me. They shared a look before both dropping back, matching my pace and walking with me. I smiled at the ground at their actions. The three of us started talking about random things, like whether or not to double knot your shoelaces and how pacemakers work. Before we knew it, we were already at the conveyer belt for the luggage.

We all quickly picked up our bags, all heading towards the long term parking to go back to the dorms. We all got into the cars, Lee Know sitting next to me. And again, for the whole ride home, we were constantly touching. Our knees were pressed against each other, so as not to arouse suspicion, but every now and again, Lee Know would managed to press his shoulder against mine, sending a jolt through my body. Whether this was intentional or by accident, I didn't know but I did know that he was going to drive me crazy if I let him. And I wouldn't mind at all.

...

We finally got to the dorms, and I was a mixture of relieved and anxious. I got the feeling something would happen in the very near future. And it made me nervous, my eyes darting around the trees. We got inside and my memories came flooding back in. From the very first day that I came to stay with the boys. All the good and all the bad.

I smiled as I watched most of the boys disappear up the stairs towards their rooms, Seungmin and Jeongin bickering all the way. I smiled to myself once more before moving up to my room myself. I grinned at Lee Know as we made eye contact before he went into his room, me doing the same.

A scream echoed out through the house as I dropped my bag, stumbling out of my room and landing on the carpet in the hall with a thud. Within seconds, Lee Know was crouched next to me on the ground, asking what was wrong. The rest of the boys came rushing out of their rooms as well, Chan running up the stairs to come crouch in front of me. When he asked what was wrong, I just pointed to my room, the black letters painted on my wall clear as day, sending chill after chill through my body as I repeated the words over and over in my head.

You thought you could escape me... You thought you were safe... But you never were... And you never will be...

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A/N

heyy guys :) hope you guys are all doing well. i am so sorry for not posting last week. i haven't really gotten into the swing of grade 12 yet and i had a very busy weekend, but i know that's no excuse. so i am going to try my absolute best from now on to stay on top of things so i can make time for all of you!!

anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and can't wait to see you guys in the next one <3