"And it's hard to love
With a heart that's hurting
But if you want to go out dancing
I know a place"

*****

🔶🔶🔶🔶

"You called; that's new," Samuel said, picking up Victor's call.

"Is it? Well, I'm just curious if you liked the playlist I sent you. It's not the usual, y'know?" Victor asked. There was that, but truth be told, Victor didn't know why he was calling Samuel right now, because they didn't do these kinds of things. Casual phone calls, text messages— no. They just contacted each other if they wanted either of them to come over.

"Mhm... it's fine. Kept me busy and sane the whole ride here to California."

"Pfft... sane? Why? Did something happen?" Victor asked again to keep the conversation going.

"I didn't get much sleep last night y'see, and that wayward friend of yours decided that it's a good idea to get drunk and be loud on the bus. He's a handful, really," Samuel said, breathing out a sigh. Victor had no idea why, but for some reason, his already weak smile fell after hearing what Samuel said.

"Ah... t-that he is. You two are getting along well, aren't you?" Victor asked again, pacing back and forth inside his room.

"By well you mean better than before? If so, then yes. We're not trying to kill each other every damn time now, I guess. Why?" Samuel asked on the other line.

"Why?"

"Why? I mean, it's not like you to ask about how or what I do, Vic. I wouldn't mind if you tell me you miss me or you're horny," Samuel said, and even if they were just talking on the phone, Victor could tell that Samuel was holding back a smile right now; which made his lips curl up to one as well.

"Mhm... and if I do, will you come by tonight?" Victor asked; already aware of how Samuel would answer that.

"Pfft... as if I can. What's with you-"

"But do you want to? See me, I mean," Victor asked, tone dropping low towards the end of his sentence as if he was embarrassed about what he just said.

"W-what?" Samuel asked, making sure that he heard Victor right because it surely didn't sound right.

But still, it made him smile.

Still, Samuel's heart started beating so fast, that he had to place a hand over his chest as if it'd help calm him down.

Still, his cheeks were now flushing pink, and he was now biting his lips, suppressing a wide smile from appearing.

Still, he felt the urge to run back to his room and hide his face, for he felt a bit too exposed by smiling like this just because of a simple phone call.

Still— he stayed still, knowing full well that he shouldn't be feeling anything towards a person who he knew would never be his.

"Mhm... I know you can't leave-"

"Do I want to see you? That's what you asked me, right?" Samuel asked again, cutting Victor off, in case the latter took it back.

"Y-yeah..."

"Why?"

"No reason... I'm just curious. 'S all," Victor answered, and by the way he was breathing, Samuel was almost sure that Victor was about to end the call— but he wanted to talk to him more. Why? Because Victor Owens to Samuel was like sweet candy. He knew he shouldn't have it; that it was bad— he knew that he shouldn't crave for it, still... Samuel kept on coming back for more, just to have a little taste of it.

Over and over— and over again.

"I do... I want to see you. What are you gonna do about it, Vic? Mhm?" Victor asked with a bitter smile curling up to his lips, knowing full well that just like always, Victor Owens wouldn't do anything.

"Take a rest now, Sammy. G'night." Victor dropped the call in a blink as if he didn't hear what Samuel just said.

_____________

Justin was at the sides of the university grounds, grabbing himself a drink; that's when he caught a glimpse of Samuel getting up from his seat, walking a bit towards the back with his phone glued to his ear.

Maybe he was still drunk, or maybe it was about their most recent kiss but Justin was somewhat curious to know who Samuel was talking to on the phone.

There was a good distance between them, but even so, Justin could still tell that Samuel's face was now flushing red. He was biting his lips, probably suppressing a wide grin, with a hand over his chest as if feeling his heartbeat.

"What is he even smiling about?" Justin asked, ignoring the fact that he just spilled his current thoughts out loud.

"Huh? Who?" Rose asked, taking a cup of beer for herself as well.

"That witch? Look at him— smiling like an idiot over there, Tch." Justin pointed towards Samuel's direction.

"Is he now? That's odd? Well, I mean, the only people who can make him smile like that is either his sister or Kate— sometimes me, if I try," Rose said, now seeing what Justin was talking about; looking at Samuel as well as she and Justin stood side by side, taking a sip of beer at the same time.

"Maybe it's Lisa? Or his mom, perhaps?" Justin asked, hating how he just sounded like he was convincing himself.

"Could be Lisa, but his mom? Nah, Sammy wouldn't even dare smile if he's talking to his mom. Wait, why are you even asking anyway? Curious? Are you gonna admit your little crush-"

"Oh shut it, Rose. You know that's not true. Tch." Justin clicked his tongue in annoyance while his eyes remained at Samuel, watching how the latter's smile fell to a frown as he put the phone down. It was odd because it was like watching someone rise to cloud nine only to crash back hard to the ground— and it sucked because Justin was aware of the fact that he couldn't do anything to satisfy his curiosity without appearing unnecessarily nosy. So the question would continue to linger in his mind, and that'd probably keep him up all night.

"Pfft. If you say so, Jus— oh! They're gathering for the fire dance already! C'mon, let's join in!" Rose pulled Justin towards the rest of their group upon seeing Mr. Parker call them up to join the yearly workshop's little tradition of dancing around the bonfire, during the participant's first night.

____________

Everybody was here, now circling the big bonfire while holding their cup of drinks. Some were dancing and some were just standing still. Rose was with Kate as usual, and Justin found himself standing in front of Samuel Jeon out of everyone there.

Samuel was just standing while lazily stepping side to side, and as much as Justin did not want to stare, his eyes chose to betray him instead. He was pretty sure that Samuel wasn't even aware of his presence since the latter was just staring blankly into space, hands tucked inside the pockets of his jacket, looking so fluffy that Justin almost found him cute— 'almost', because he'd never admit that out loud, of course.

'I think you should know that one wrong move could make this little game of yours turn for the worst... Samuel might not be your type, but he's also hard to refuse— hard to escape even. I'm telling you because I know someone who got stuck in your little witch's bowl of potions, still unable to get out.'

Suddenly, Justin remembered Rose's vague words about Samuel before; about that one poor soul who was stuck inside the cold-blooded witch's bowl of potions; and right now as he looked at Samuel by the fire, and all the perfect shadows that followed the shape of his face, Justin could finally understand Rose's words that day. For right now, Justin felt like a moth, walking straight towards the flame.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" Justin asked, making Samuel flinch upon realizing that Justin was now standing close in front of him.

"H-huh?" Samuel asked, not sure what Justin was trying to do right now. That is until their eyes met, making Samuel see his own reflection inside the two dark orbs that were staring back at him as if he couldn't see anything else— as if they were the only ones here and all the others didn't exist.

"You look bored, little witch; wanna get out of here?" Justin asked, scratching the back of his neck; flashing that devil-may-care smirk of his, despite not having any idea of what he was doing.

*Now playing: I know a place : MUNA*

Yeah. Justin didn't know why he was acting this way, or why was he here now, at the back of the school fountain, dancing with Samuel, lifting the latter by the waist— still unable to look away. And honestly, Samuel was asking the same question as well. He was wondering what took over him that made him grant Justin's odd request; sneaking past the drunk crowd and leaving to another place just to dance under the stars with this man instead.

But his demons were silent now. Justin was lifting him, spinning him around while his eyes were still on him— just him, and as much as Samuel hated to admit this...

He didn't hate this feeling.

"Saw you talking on the phone earlier. Why? Did your mother call?" Justin asked, letting himself thoughtlessly run his mouth.

"It wasn't mom," Samuel replied as Justin placed his feet back on the solid ground.

"Then, was it your sister?" Justin asked again, ignoring the fact that he shouldn't be asking Samuel any of this.

"No? Why are you even asking, huh?" Samuel raised a brow suspiciously at him.

"Because you looked like somebody died after the call. I'm just asking like any decent skating partner would— y'know, out of concern?" Justin tried to sound as casual as possible, hoping that Samuel would buy his excuse— but then he saw Samuel's face falling to an unreadable frown again. Gone were the usual sparkles in his eyes that could be seen whenever he was performing; making Justin want to dig in and find out more behind it.

"Have you ever felt like you like someone for real that it made you wonder if it's love you feel?" Samuel asked, taking a step, now moving behind Justin with his fingertips tracing the line on the latter's shoulders.

"Maybe? One— too many times before, I guess. Why?" Justin asked, keeping his feet still as his eyes followed where Samuel was.

"Bet you never had trouble with 'em, right? Because you're like that; you're one of the lucky ones. You— you always get what you want," Samuel said, letting the bitterness show in his tone. He didn't understand why, but the silence and the lack of other people made him feel like it was okay to be a little bit like himself right now.

"You think? How about you? Aren't you quite lucky too? Have everyone fawning over you," Justin replied, still staring absentmindedly at Samuel's face.

"Pfft... is that how you see me?"

"Yeah, Samuel Jeon, skating royalty. Princess high and mighty," Justin said, voice sounding like a whisper now. It was barely audible but still enough for Samuel to hear.

"Is that so? Mhm... y'see, Justin, not everyone acknowledges my crown. To some, I'm nothing but a silly skating clown." Samuel turned when Justin lifted his hand, guiding him as he spun with a foot off the ground.

"To whom?" Justin asked as he stopped, pulling Samuel by the arm, making the latter glance down to where Justin was holding him now, then back up again to his eyes.

"T-to some? Just.."

"Well, at least between the two of us here, I'm pretty sure that I am the clown— not you, Samuel. Not you," Justin said as the realization hit him hard— that the poor soul that Rose spoke of before may not be the only one who's stuck. 

The cold-blooded witch actually got himself trapped in his own boiling bowl of potions, unable to get out.

And Justin hated how he oddly disliked the idea of that.

"It's getting late now; you know your way back, right?" Justin took a step back, deciding to escape before he finds himself getting caught in this rather beautiful mess that was right in front of his eyes.

"R-right..." Samuel watched as Justin turned around, walking away from where he was standing. 

Maybe it was the little alcohol from the cocktails he drank earlier before they got here; but for some reason, Samuel felt comforted by Justin's words, without knowing what it meant. So as the man walked further away from him, he spoke.

"Justin!" Samuel exclaimed, making Justin stop in his tracks but not enough to make the latter turn back.

"Thank you," Samuel said again, watching as Justin raised his hand, giving him a small wave as he started walking away again.

'H-hah... what am I doing, really?' Justin fought the urge to look back because he shouldn't. At least not right now— not when his own heart was oddly beating like crazy.

_____________

The sun was already up when the participants were called in to gather at the indoor gym for warm-ups; and as usual, Samuel didn't get much sleep last night, thanks to Justin's not so silent snores as if he was holding a concert in his own dreamland.

"Gosh, is it that bad?" Kate asked after listening to Samuel's complaints while they were doing their stretches first thing in the morning.

"Ugh... I'm telling you, that guy must be dreaming he's a rockstar by the way he was growling nonstop in his sleep last night," Samuel said, groaning all uncomfortable as he reached down to stretch his hamstrings.

"Pfft, the world could end outside and Rose would still be able to sleep until her alarm goes off, that is." Kate glanced at Rose's side who was helping the others in their group do their warm-ups nearby.

"I swear to god, I need to take a nap during breaks later or I wouldn't be able to last three days if this continues to go on." Samuel got up from the floor to do another set of exercises when a gymnastic ball suddenly hit his feet.

"Oh my... I'm so sorry, I slipped," a female gymnast wearing C.U's jacket said, bowing apologetically at Samuel after picking up her ball.

"It's fine. Just be careful, next time. We can't afford to be injured here, you know that, right?" Samuel replied. Well, he was not really trying to be rude, but it was true. His ankle just healed and he really couldn't afford to get any injury before the upcoming competition.

"Yes, yes of course. I'm sorry again— wait... a-are you Samuel Jeon? The Samuel Jeon?" The girl asked, big eyes going wider as she took a good look at Samuel's face.

"Do I know you?" Samuel asked, wondering if he had ever met this woman before, yet no memory really came to his mind.

"Uhm. No? But I know you! Oh my god, I'm such a fan! Are you joining the Nationals this year?— Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm Stacey by the way!" The girl said with a bright smile on her face; extending her hand towards Samuel as she introduced herself.

"O-okay. Thanks? Nice to meet you, then. And yes, I'm joining the Nationals this year." Samuel subtly glanced at Kate who just shrugged as if giving Samuel a go signal to accept the handshake. So Samuel did— awkwardly, that is.

"Really! That's great! Me too! I'm competing in the artistic gymnastics division! Oh my... I'm sorry, I must be interrupting your warm-ups. Anyway, carry on. Uhm, nice to meet you again Mr. Jeon!" Stacey waved all cheery at Samuel before finally leaving him be.

"Uhm... what was that?" Samuel turned towards Kate again, a bit weirded out after being confronted by a big ball of energy so early in the morning.

"C'mon, you heard her. Pfft, she's a fan of The Samuel Jeon," Kate said in a teasing tone, making Samuel roll his eyes with a groan before doing his stretches again on the floor.

_____________________

Victor woke up hearing the buzzing sound coming from outside his door, and when he saw who it was, he wished he didn't get up at all.

"Dad, good morning. What brings you here?" Victor asked, scratching the back of his head lazily as he opened the door wider for his father to get in.

"You're still a mess, I see. When was the last time you cleaned this place? I hope it isn't the same as the last time you visited your girlfriend's family." William Owens, chairman of the Owens Financial group, one of the leading companies in the country— also Victor Owen's father, said.

"I was busy, dad. Even my weekends are booked-"

"They called me saying that they haven't seen you for a month already, and that they're wondering if you and their daughter had already broken up." Mr. Owens continued to walk around, inspecting his son's rather messy apartment with a disappointed look on his face.

"It hasn't been a month— two weeks. I haven't seen them in two weeks, and I don't think that's a long time for them to think I was missing. Want some coffee?" Victor asked, walking towards the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. By the way his day was starting, he could already tell that he needed more than a pitcher of it.

"Still, that's long enough to worry a woman and her family. Give her a call today, ask her about her mom or her dog— just so they can have something to talk about at the dinner table later. I don't want any trouble here, son." His father stared at Victor firmly this time, making the latter choke out a bitter laugh.

"Hah... I'm not in their family yet, and here I am already expected to contribute to the stories they tell over dinner, huh? Give me a break dad." Victor clenched his teeth as he spoke, feeling his chest tighten more the longer his old man stayed there.

"That's how it works and more for a young engaged couple. I already allowed you to pursue your silly dream. This is your only contribution to our family, so I hope you don't make things harder for us and your brother, over some tasteless music and some boy you met in high school—"

"Don't. Don't bring him up—"

"You think you can fool me? I know you're still messing around with that pathetic skater. I'm only letting you be because you're young, but that's it. My patience has a limit, son," Mr. Owens said making Victor clench his fists.

"Please leave. I need to prepare for class. Thank you for your visit— dad," Victor no longer bothered to hide the bitterness in his tone as he turned his back away from his father.

"You know I'm busy. I hope I didn't waste the time I spent driving all the way here," Mr. Owens retorted, sharp eyes glaring at his son for a moment, before he turned and walked away, slamming the door close as he left.

"H-hah. Who even told you to visit, old man?" Victor said to himself as he took a deep breath, now feeling the urge to escape and run towards the only person that could help him breathe freely again.