*Ding dong!*

I bring the door handle towards my chest to reveal April, standing on our porch with an energetic afternoon smile. The autumn leaves falling behind her match her newly auburn hair, while her sleeveless knitted vest, cream shirt, and pleated mini skirt fit the season's palette well. I have to say, each garment looks almost identical to something that I own myself.

Also...

"Oh, April! You cut your hair!"

"Yep! Too many split ends, you know?" She flicks her new bob confidently. Now we really do look identical...

"So, uh, what brings you here on a Saturday?" I ask.

"Right. I know it's the weekend and Jiho doesn't have school but I just thought I'd check on you guys! Is Jiho here?"

"Oh, um... Yeah. He's just watching TV." I awkwardly step aside to reveal Jiho's legs innocently dangling off the couch. April's face lights up as she immediately steps inside.

"Hiya Jiho! Watcha' watching?"

His arms bind around his sloth plush when he replies, "Pooh Bear."

"Alright! I love Pooh Bear." April raises her palm for a high five, to which Jiho accepts. Despite my lingering shock, I can't help but smile at the action. It's nice to know that there's somebody he's familiar with besides Hoseok and I.

"I swear you have the world's cutest son. Oh, I meant to ask. How are you feeling? I know you had that weird stomach bug the other day."

"Yeah but I'm much better surprisingly. A hot chicken soup, herbal tea and some extra sleep really did the trick."

"That's so... Fortunate!" April's eye twitches almost unnoticeable above her smile. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks. So, is there anything that brings you here specifically? You should be out enjoying your weekend off."

"Well I actually passed a toy store today and found a few things that little Jiho here would like." She lifts her paper bag excitedly. The rustling of her hand fuels Jiho's eyes to peek over the couch like a puppy to his bone.

"Ooo do you hear that, baby? April brought you toys."

"Uh-huh! I brought aaaaa— Uh oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Darn. I must've left his gifts at home when I was unloading my groceries... Hey, do you guys wanna come to my house so we can get them?

"Uh..."

"I only live a 5-minute walk away. Or a 2-minute drive. Plus it'll be nice for you to see my home after welcoming me into yours and we're all free right now."

"Well... What do you say Jiho? Wanna open some new toys at April's house?"

Jiho shyly tangles his fingers together before showing a soft nod.

"Awesome! Let's go!" April opens her palm to him in a comforting manner, though Jiho makes sure to hold my hand first before accepting April's. The ecstatic nanny pulls him forward slightly with laughter.

"This is going to be so much fun! I'm like your second mom."

I can only match April's laughter with an awkward one of my own as all three of us exit my home.

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"Tada! It's a complete Winnie the Pooh plushie set!"

"Wow Jiho! How cool is that?" I crouch to rub the back of my son as he admires the large box set with a wide, closed smile that inflates his cheeks adorably. Safe to say, I think he likes it.

"Jiho, what do you say to April?"

"Thank you."

"Aww you're welcome baby. Look, it even comes with sing-a-long storybooks! May, would you like some coffee while Jiho plays with his new toys?"

"Oh, um." I look back to witness Jiho already sitting in a circle with his new furry friends.

"A vanilla latte right?"

"...Sure. A quick coffee couldn't hurt."

"Coming right up." April happily walks towards the kitchen, allowing me a moment to observe her home. Despite being much smaller in size, her furniture and freshly painted walls bare an uncanny resemblance to mine. And judging by the lack of family picture frames, she seems to live alone.

"Can you believe that random lady in the street thought we were sisters?" April jokingly scoffs at her coffee maker.

"Well we do look eerily similar now."

April chuckles, though her smile fades when she notices her laptop that remains open on her kitchen counter, displaying the 'date night' pictures posted by various ex-girlfriends of Hoseok's. She softly closes the screen with her palm.

"Still, I'll take the compliment. Here you go, one for you and one for me."

"You're too kind."

We quietly sip our lattes for a few seconds before she leans forward with intrigue.

"So. What's it like being a psychologist? You must come across so many weirdos."

"Mm-mm. Not weirdos. Everybody has a story. You'd be surprised by the things some people go through on a daily basis whilst plastering on a smile."

"Hm... you know, I thought about therapy once. But I just don't know if they'll understand me, you know?"

"Well a psychologist's job is to build trust and actively listen. If you're seeing a professional, the recovery might take time but trust me, they'll understand your perspective."

"But who's to say they'll even make me feel better? Surely some words of encouragement can't erase a person's pain..."

"See, that's the misconception. Therapy isn't about going in and having your psychologist tell you "Everything's gonna be alright" for 12 sessions until you're cured. We have to put in work. Heavy emotional work. We can't magically make people feel better unfortunately, but we can be a tour guide to your experiences and help people to go about things differently.  To see things differently. It's sort of a booster to help YOU change your views on whatever you're being impacted by. Not a 'Get sane quick' potion."

"I see... Will you do a reading on me?"

"A reading? I'm not a fortune teller." I chuckle.

"A diagnosis then. Whatever you call it. Just for a minute."

With closed eyes and an open palm centered on the table, April patiently waits for me to take her hand into mine. I chuckle and hold hers delicately.

"Well uh, we haven't done any sessions so this isn't a professional assessment or anything but... I sense that there's a possibility of abandonment or even neglect in your past. You want the best for yourself because you feel you've never had that, or that happiness was robbed from you unfairly. Either way, you're used to taking matters into your own hands and fighting for your dreams independently because you weren't able to rely on others in the past."

"Wow. That was... Scary." She chuckles.

"Was I accurate?"

"Actually... Yeah. Growing up, I never got any attention. Not from family, not from school... Not even from boys. There was one kid in my class who I had the hugest crush on. He was absolutely beautiful... But he never acknowledged me. No matter what I did, no matter how I dressed... I got nothing. It's like I wasn't doing enough no matter how hard I tried."

"That's not true April. It means he wasn't worth it. No amount of makeup or clothes should change a man's view of you. And if any guy is that shallow or makes you question the need to change yourself, then he's not right for you. You're perfect the way you are."

April strokes her thumb across her mug with a struggling smile, as if trying to take in my words despite something blocking their penetration...

"I deserved someone who acknowledges me and makes me smile..."

"Exactly. The right one will come knocking on your door someday, just you wait."

"Well... There is somebody who makes me smile. And makes me feel... You know, protected."

"Really? Who?"

"It's a secret," she winks.

I slump my shoulders with a tilted head. "Oh come on, you can tell me. It's not like I'll know him."

"You never know. Toorak Gardens is a small neighborhood."

"Well whoever he is, I have faith that it'll work out."

"I hope so. I really wanna get married by the time I'm thirty."

"April, you're only 25. You shouldn't put a deadline on these things, honestly. When it happens is when it's meant to be."

"Easy for you to say! You're already married to everyone's dream man... Since I don't have any married friends, what was your wedding like? I need something to hype me up."

"Oh, ours was unreal. The most magical moment of my life for sure. I wore this stunning off-shoulder Nicole Milano gown with a poofy silhouette and a long veil while Hobi wore a classy mocha tux. Not to mention we had the most beautiful chapel ever. It was so nice to have Hobi's family from Korea and mine from Italy come together for such a beautiful ceremony."

"See, that's what I want. Hopefully one day... Assuming my future husband doesn't break off the engagement and run off with some random whore. Knowing my luck, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Hey, don't manifest that! The way Hobi would never cheat on me with some sleazy mistress is the same way your current guy would never cheat on you."

April frowns.

"Well what if the woman wasn't a sleazy mistress? What if he just fell in love with someone else and they reciprocated those same feelings? What would you do?"

"Not much." I sip my latte with a shrug. "That's his bed that he'd have to lie in and explain to our son, which I know he'd never set himself up to. I'm not threatened by other women around Hobi because I know he'd never betray our family. And because I know no other woman can replace what we've built."

I raise my steamy mug to my lips once more as my gaze casually roams around the room. It's then that I notice a random closed door with a keyhole that sits below the handle.

"What's in there? Must be important."

"Oh, that's just my knick-knacks closet. Nothing too interesting."

"Nonsense, I love knick-knacks. It's really interesting what you can find—"

"No! Everything in that closet is coated in dust and cobwebs. I keep it shut because I have a fear of spiders so please if we can just leave it."

"Oh. Okay. Sorry..." I awkwardly sip. I hope I didn't say anything to offend her.

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As the sun sets and mocha clouds sir into sepia, I unlock the front door with Jiho on my hip before placing him down along with his new toys. Hoseok hears our entrance almost immediately before hurrying into the foyer.

"Papà!" Jiho hugs his father. He crouches down to embrace his son whilst examining the new plushy in his grip.

"I was wondering why the house was so quiet. Where'd you go? Shopping?"

"Not exactly. Believe it or not, we were at April's house."

Hoseok's chin shoots up at my answer with raised brows and wide eyes, as if her name alone had sparked paranoia.

"April's?"

"Yeah. She had these cute plushies for Jiho. Why? What's wrong?"

The sunny smile that usually illuminates my husbands face is now stained with awkwardness. Until he catches himself and rubs Jiho's arm, that is.

"Nothing. Just missed you two as all."

"Well I should hope so." His strange reaction prompts me to chuckle with two arms linked around his neck. There it is... The smile that made me fall head over heels and place an eternal ring on my finger. Hoseok peers down at me with two hands rested on my hips as we both press a warm kiss between our lips...