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CANON REESE

We helped ourselves to some sandwiches at the kitchen counter. This single-storey house actually have three bedrooms — Cassidy and I have a bedroom each, and a master bedroom for our parents.

However, with the situation in hand, Cassidy does not want to allow the boys to enter the master bedroom,  given that there might be personal belongings of our parents being kept there. So, logically, she locked the doors and windows up. Despite the fact that she does not want any company in her bedroom, she said I could sleep over with her so she would be more at peace. I do not blame her, though, since we are basically letting a group of boys to stay over at our home.

Worst case scenario — they ransack the house and sell off our belongings. But, either way, it is smart for my sister and I to sleep in one room.

Hence, I offered the band to use my old bedroom. I stored away all my valuables before we moved away so there really is nothing to find there. I have a queen-sized bed, so at least two of the guys could sleep comfortably. With the universal decision-making tactic called rock, paper, scissors, Marx and Jett won the rights to the bed. As for Vinn and Crawford, they were stuck with the living room couch. And, finally, Nikon had to settle with a sleeping bag we used to bring when we go camping.

After grabbing a bite, we all headed to go to sleep, nearly passing out from the exhaustion.

✿

I was woken up by a couple of knocks on the door. Upon checking my phone, I figured it was just half past six in the morning. I turned to Cassidy who subconsciously turned towards the door. We only managed to get some shut eye for barely five hours. Other than that, she must have been extra tired after running through the rain and driving us all throughout the night.

"I'll get it," I told her, urging him to go back to sleep. Even if she does not want me to go out doing things by myself, it seems like she is physically incapable of moving right now due to her fatigue so she gave up and proceeded to sleep.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by Crawford and the sweet smell of pancakes. "Good morning," he greeted, slightly embarrassed. "So, uh... I've news, good and bad." He pressed his hands together and fumbled with them as he explained, "Good news is Jett and I woke up early so he went ahead and fixed the stove. And uh, I made pancakes for breakfast." With that, he ended with a forced smile.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, "And the bad news is?"

"Yeah, uh, well..." The smile was immediately wiped off his face as he fixated his eyes on the ground, "I noticed that there's this guy who kept walking by outside of the house. I thought he was just a passerby but he kept trying to peer in through the windows. He's done it a couple of times already."

With this, my heart dropped.

I literally just woke up and I feel like ten years have been shaved off my life with this news. Did someone from the city actually manage to trail us all the way here? How? The band's phones were off, they did not use their credit cards, and we kept an eye on our surroundings. I was so sure there was no other vehicle on the road during the duration of our trip.

I immediately gestured for Crawford and Jett to gather the others and sneak towards my bedroom for the meantime. We could not take any more risk so the boys had to crawl their way to the room in order to avoid being seen through the windows, if Crawford's story was accurate.

Should I wake Cassidy up? She might know what to do. But I feel terrible for waking her and presenting her with, yet again, another problem.

Having made up my mind, I walked towards the front door. I can do this. Just... feign ignorance. They cannot force their way into this house. If anything happens, I can scream and our neighbors would probably jump in to rescue me, considering that they are old family friends. Alright, here we go.

I twisted the knob and opened the door ever so slightly. I made sure to keep the chain lock on in case someone tries to jump on me. I took a quick peek around the area before my eyes landed on a figure of a guy from a distance, evidently trying to look into our house.

"Hey!" He yelled out. With that, I noticed his figure getting larger as he walked towards the door.

At this point, all I could count on was my adrenaline and, thankfully, it urged me to slam the door shut and lock it immediately. My heart is beating so hard, I could feel shivers resonating throughout my whole body. Barely even managing to catch my breath, I already sense the guy from the other side of the door.

"Ree, is that you?" His voice finally registered in my head, allowing me to let out a sigh of relief. My knees still feel a bit wobbly but I managed to unlock the door once again. As it swung open, I was greeted by a tight embrace. "You're actually here!"

"Ron! Hey, you," I smiled as I pulled away, "I haven't seen you in years."

He flashed a huge smile at me, my favorite kind of smile ever since we were little since I always thought it looked like a heart. When our teachers from kindergarten made us draw ourselves playing with our friends, I always drew a heart as his mouth.

"About six years, I think?" He shook his head and crossed his arms.

Aeron Collins. When I was a kid, he kept calling me Ree instead of Canon or Reese so I started calling him Ron instead of Aeron. Fast forward fourteen years later, the nicknames stuck with us. He lives right next door, making him the best candidate of a playmate for rambunctious kids like Cassidy and I back in the days. We usually run to the beach and keep playing until the sun sets, go 'help' out at the fields of our relatives and family friends, and so on.

"We went here three years ago," I said, thinking back to when we talked mom and dad into bringing my friends here for a summer beach day. "We even saw Clyde but you weren't here."

"Ah, right. I was at the academy then," he nodded.

"Academy?" I furrowed my eyebrows, "What academy?"

"Dance academy. I finally convinced Ma and Pa," he grinned sheepishly and I instantly threw myself at him for a big hug.

Last time I saw him, he was being forced by his parents to take up law. But ever since we were little, he has loved dancing more than anything in the world. I feel so proud that he could finally do something he really wants.

"I wish you were here when I got accepted," he patted my head before pulling away. "It would have been nice to get hugged after announcing such great news. But Clyde was the only one I could talk to then and his first reaction was — Oh, dang  you quit studying law? Who's gonna get me outta jail when I do something stupid now?" He clenched his chest, feigning hurt.

I could not help but laugh at Clyde's antics, he is always teasing us.

Clyde West, another childhood friend of ours. He is a few years older but we get along really well. He loves annoying us a lot but he still has our backs. He lives near the beach which is why we usually hang out there to play a lot back then. But now, Cassidy and I live in the city, Clyde attends university at a different city, and Aeron goes to an academy from another town. We barely even see each other.

"You know he supports you, Ron," I reminded him, tearing up as I tried to suppress my laughter. When we were younger, we used to sneak out together — Aeron, Clyde, Cassidy and I. Our parents thought we would be staying at Clyde's for a sleepover while Clyde's parents thought he would be staying at our place. Since he is older than the rest of us, Clyde got his driving license earlier and he used to drive us to neighboring towns whenever there is a dancing competition, just so Aeron could compete. We would watch and cheer as our friend gave his all on stage. Sometimes, that memory still gives me goosebumps, seeing someone do something he loves with such passion.

"Oh, by the way," he snapped his fingers, "Clyde said he'd be coming home in a week. This is great, we'd be complete again!"

"He'd come home in a week, you say?" I mumbled, thinking to myself. I really miss Clyde and I am thrilled to have our little group all together again but Cassidy said we're going back in two days. That is too bad. Maybe I could talk her into staying a bit longer. "Wait," I looked back up at Aeron, "why were you stalking our house? I was so scared but I didn't want to wake Cassidy up."

"Ah, right," he chuckled, embarrassed. He scratched the back of his neck as he confessed, "When I went out, I noticed the truck so I got excited, thinking you'd be here. I was expecting to see your mom or dad but I saw two guys I haven't seen before. I was worried your place got broken into."

"I see," I found myself nodding. That makes sense. "Those are my friends," I pulled on his arm to lead him into the house, "I'll introduce you." He settled on the kitchen table while I went to fetch the boys.

I knocked on my bedroom door, where the band hid themselves.

"It's okay, guys. It's my friend," I said before they finally unlocked the door and stepped out one by one. The band seemed wary as they gathered in the kitchen. "This is Aeron, we grew up together. He lives next door." I gestured towards him who gave a bright smile and a small wave. "And these guys are, uh—"

A pause. I instinctively turned to Marx. Should I or should I not tell Ron their real names? I mean, I trust him but Marx is already skeptical about my sister and I.

"Nikon," he introduced himself with a friendly smile. His hair was tousled as he was rushed out of his sleeping bag earlier. "That's Vinn," he pointed at the boy whose curly hair was a mess. With eyes barely opened, Vinn offered a smile and a sleepy 'hey' at the visitor. "Crawford," Nikon gestured at the lad who was busy serving pancakes at the table. "This is Marx," he nudged their leader who stood next to him, before tapping the final member on the shoulder, "and Jett."

"So," I reached for a plate of pancakes and slid it towards Ron's direction, "Breakfast?"

"No, but thank you," he waved his hands. "I have to go, anyway." So far, he seems like he has no idea who the boys are. I figured he might know them since he goes to another town to attend to his academy. Maybe someone could have led him to knowing them. I guess not. Ron turned towards the band, "Sorry if I scared you, folks. I thought you were burglars who broke in here." He got up from his seat. "It was nice meeting everyone, tell Cassidy I dropped by. I'm off to my part-time job, then." He made his way towards the door when I grabbed his arm.

"Wait, what job?" I asked, eyes wide in eagerness. "I mean, we need jobs, too."

"You? You want a job?" He struggled to hold in his laughter. "Come on, Ree, stop kidding around." I just stared at him, unmoving until he finally stopped laughing. He glanced at the others who were just as serious as I am. "Wait, you seriously want a job?"

I nodded furiously, "Do you happen to know any job openings?"

Scratching his neck, Aeron scanned the room before checking his wristwatch. "I guess I've time to spare," he walked back to the dining table and took a seat. "Ah, let's see." He stroke his chin and stared at the ceiling as he scoured his mind for ideas. As we all gathered in the dining area, we each helped ourselves with the pancakes Crawford made.

Our town is pretty small and since we were active when we were younger, we know quite a lot of people. Aeron, in particular, is very popular among kids our age and even the aunts, uncles, and grandparents in our place. I am positive he could help us out of our predicament.

"Ah. There's this job I wanted to do since I got here but I thought I wouldn't be a good fit," Ron chuckled, embarrassed.

"What was it?" I looked at him, concerned. Why could he possibly think that?

"Well, it's a job at a cat cafe." Ron shyly picked on his fingers.

"A cat cafe," I repeated, confused. We live in a small town, I guess I never really thought we would have something pulled out of an anime lying around the place. I mean, there is hardly any cat cafe in our residence in the city, how was I supposed to expect to find any here?

"Yeah, well... It's more like a tea house. Do you remember our old school?" Ron proceeded to explain as I nodded, "There's a nice lady who lives near there. She has a lot of kittens which her granddaughter loved to play with when she gets home from school." Ron smiled as he thought about it, "When the grandkid graduated high school, she got accepted to a university in the city. She worried her grandmother would be lonely when she leaves so she used her savings to renovate her room to turn it into a makeshift cat cafe. This way, people could come over and have a cup of tea while they chat with her grandmother and play with the cats." He smiled, before turning at me, "That was really sweet, right? Over time, the cafe was a hit and the place grew bigger, to the point they had to hire part-timers to help out. Pretty cool huh?"

"I want it." We turned to Vinn who seemed like he was listening eagerly. He raised his arm, along with his fork, as he volunteered. "I want the job."

"Wait," I interrupted, cautiously. Looking at Ron, I asked, "Why did you say you weren't fit for the job?"

"Oh," Ron chuckled, embarrassed, "I really wanted the job but I have a dog at home and I think they could smell if I spent all day with cats. When I went home after the interview, my dog kept avoiding me and acting up like a jealous kid." He shrugged before turning to Vinn, "Anyway, I think the place hasn't hired anyone yet. You can try applying."

"Do I get to play with the cats?" Vinn asked, unblinking. His fork is still in the air, the pancakes sitting still on his plate.

"Maybe on your breaks, you could. But your job is serving the drinks and food," Ron clarified before helping himself into a serving of breakfast as well since we are taking quite a bit of his time. "Oh, and you have to wear a cat costume, too. Which is a bit cumbersome since it's summer and it's scorching hot—"

"I'll do it." Vinn slammed his fist on the table. His eyes glistened as he repeatedly chanted, "I want the cats. I call dibs."

"Is everyone cool with that?" Ron glanced at the band and the other members just nodded in unison, letting the exhilarated curly-haired lad get away with the job. "Okay, well, does anyone know how to operate an espresso machine?"

"Me," Jett spoke in a low voice as he poured a packet of instant coffee into a mug. As he filled it with hot water, he added, "I used to work for a cafe when making music wasn't raking in any money." Oh, right. I remember him mentioning this in an old interview when asked about his life before he got into the band, him having to do all sorts of part-time jobs just to get by.

"Nice. There's a library near the town's university that's open 24/7." Ron reached for the syrup to drizzle on the pancakes on his plate. "Honestly, our town is fairly small and most of the kids dream of going to universities in the city so people swarm the library a lot to study for entrance exams. There's a small coffee stall there, catering the professors and students. My cousin used to work there but he just graduated high school. Now, instead of serving coffee in the library, it's him who's studying for entrance exams." He turned to Jett, "Are you alright with that?"

"The sweet smell of books and freshly brewed coffee?" Jett stirred his cup of cheap instant coffee with a teaspoon, "I don't see why anyone would say no to that."

"Excellent!" Ron had a mouthful of pancakes. He threw his head back as he got lost in his thoughts. "Honestly, I don't know a lot of job openings around since there isn't a lot of establishments here," he checked the time once again, "I've to go leave for work now. I'll drop by the cat cafe and library to put in a good word for you, guys. I'll also try to look for other job vacancies and get back to you later." 

"Wait, where do you work?" I asked, blocking his way as he tried to exit the living room.

"Oh, I work the day shift at a 24/7 grocery store," Ron beamed his signature heart-shaped smile at me. He pointed at the small logo of a shopping cart stitched on his polo shirt before gesturing at the grocery bags that littered the kitchen counters, bearing the same logo. "I guess that's where you did your shopping, too." He chuckled before ruffling my hair, "If you missed anything, just let me know, I can do grocery runs." He left me his number before finally leaving for work.

"Canon?" I turned to where the voice came from and found Nikon who is shyly scratching his nape. "Jett said he already checked the laundry machine and it works fine. Do you have anything you want to toss in the washer?" He held up a laundry bag.

"Ah, I'll get the bed sheets and maybe some of my old clothes," I mumbled to myself, instantly running to my room to fetch them. This trip was very impromptu so Cassidy and I were not able to bring spare clothes with us.

I went to my old bedroom and scanned my closet. I have grown quite a lot since we last came here so some of my clothes might not fit me anymore. After carefully looking through them, I found a few plain shirts that fit me just fine. Good thing I went through that phase when I indulged in wearing over sized shirts all the time. Although, based on the beads of sweat dripping down my face as I bent over my closet, I might need to do some modifications on the sleeves. There is no way I can lounge around with sleeves flapping up to my elbow in this summer heat.

I tiptoed my way to Cassidy's room and snatched whatever I could get my hands on that she might want to wear. I also pulled out some old bed sheets and blankets before going back out of the room.

"Here," Nikon scooped the pile of cloth in my arms and tossed it on the laundry basket. He offered me a smile before nodding towards the kitchen. "You should continue having breakfast. I'll do the laundry."

"No, no, no!" I insisted, reaching for the laundry basket but he just kept dodging me so I could not get my hands on it. "I'll do it," I protested.

"I'm in charge of doing the laundry in our group," he said, walking straight towards the washing machine. I frantically followed him, chanting protests over and over. Finally, he placed the basket on top of the washer and turned to me. "It'll be fine, trust me." He began reaching for the cloth when —

"Yeah, that's uh... that's my underwear."

His eyes widened before he let go of my bra. He pressed his hands together as his glance kept shifting around the room. "Right. Okay. Uh," he then cleared his throat, "I'm sorry. I just, uh, wanted to help." His face has noticeably been tinted with a light shade of pink, reaching his ears. He suddenly snapped his fingers, "You wash your clothes and you call me when you're done so I can wash the sheets. For now, I'm gonna head in and help make you a fresh batch of pancakes so you can eat them warm when you finish, how does that sound? Good? Good." He clumsily ran to the kitchen, practically tripping over his own feet.

I want to hide my face due to the embarrassment even if I am the only one out here. My cheeks feel warm as Nikon's face kept flashing in the back of my mind.

That was cute.

✿

"Hey," I walked towards Nikon who is quietly sitting in front of the laundry machine, watching as the sheets turned in the washer. I already finished washing and leaving my clothes to dry. "Care for a drink?" I showed him the tray I brought with two glasses of orange juice.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he reach for a glass, barely able to meet my gaze.

I occupied the spot next to him. Typically, I am not the type to approach people and initiate a conversation. But there is something about the band that feels familiar, like I have known them for a while. This feeling makes me want to reach out and protect them. "Are you okay?"

Nikon gave me a small smile, "Yeah. I'm just..." He turned to me, his eyes soft and all too transparent. "I'm sorry." He tried to keep the eye contact but he seemed to feel upset as he recollects the recent happenings. "First, with the kiss. I really shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry. Now you're letting us stay in your home at the expense of you and your sister arguing. You're even helping us find jobs. And I just..." I noticed that he kept picking at his finger before he let out a heavy sigh. "I feel bad. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's alright," I reassured him, reaching for his hands so he could stop picking at his skin. "Could you please try to forget all that? I really don't mind." I stared at the glass of juice in my hands. "I mean, we were gonna go here, anyway. You, guys, tagging along is actually a pretty cool bonus since I've been a fan for so long. And I'm glad we could help." I kept tapping my fingernails on the glass as I spoke, "As for Cassidy... well, she's just concerned for me. I understand that. We're sisters, we'll be fine." I took a quick sip of juice before adding, "Try not to worry about it too much, okay?"

"Still," he mumbled, bowing his head as he looked at his feet. "I feel bad about the kiss." He kept rocking his heels back and forth, his voice so low as if he is talking mostly to himself. "You must be so creeped out. A guy shows up, asks for a kiss, twirls you arou—"

"Say that again."

Surprised, he finally looked at me. "What?"

I tightened my grip on the glass in my hand, trying to steady my breathing. "The last part," I repeated, struggling not to stutter, "say it again."

"I showed up?" He carefully spoke, confused. I shook my head and he went on, "Asked for a kiss—"

"That one," I nodded before I found myself standing up with the glass of juice in one hand, the tray in another. "You asked for a kiss," I began to make my way towards the door as I muttered under my breath, "I obliged."

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Author's Note:

I made a lot of changes, people. If you read the old version of this story, you might notice that a very flashy character went missing. Forgive me but I had to eradicate him for the betterment of the plot. Please do understand.

Characters:
Jung Hoseok as Aeron Collins
Kim Seokjin as Clyde West

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FEATURE OF THE DAY:

When I rewrote this chapter some time last year, I named it after Blue Side, the outro to Hoseok's mixtape. Then just recently, he released the full version of it.

https://youtu.be/OZD_EU_hMUQ

Hoseok said he liked the blue sky and breeze so he tried to melt them into the song. I believe he accomplished it magnificently.

If you haven't listened to their solo or personal works, you might want to give it a try. The BTS members each have different personalities and they reflect beautifully on their music.

If you know any artist you like and appreciate and would like to share them with us, feel free to message me.