CHAN sighed heavily as he inhaled the hot air of Alexandria, Egypt, which had given him immediate nostalgia as it was similar to the air in Australia in some way. He took a glance at the location around him, then glanced at his friends, who were slowly trailing behind him.

"Now that we're here, we need to find a car we can rent." Minho spoke in a serious tone, staring at Chan for approval.

"You're right, Minho. I think we can find one over there."

He pointed to a place at the far left, where a line of cars were parked neatly on one side of the airport.

"Yeah. Let's go see what they have."

Felix slowly trailed behind the six members, the floor spinning beneath him.

Just a few more steps, and you're going to be fine.

Just keep going.

He obeyed the voice in his head and continued to take a few steps forward, his stomach growling in hunger, his head spinning, his knees getting weaker.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He needed to rest.

Pain rushed through his lower back, making him let out a small groan.

Just a few more steps.

"Alright, this is ours." Chan spoke in an enthusiastic tone, making Minho glance at him in confusion.

"Y-You mean for rental, right?"

"Nope. It's ours."

Changbin smiled as he took a look at the luxurious Hyundai minivan before him.

"It's really nice."

"And it can fit all of us. Isn't that great?"

Felix swallowed, leaning his hand against the back of the car for support, unsure if his legs could carry him at that point.

"G-Guys, can we get in now? I-I'm kinda tired."

Chan nodded in sympathy.

"It's okay. Yeah, you can get inside."

He couldn't wait to hear if there were more words to come out from his friend. He hurried towards the door and opened it quickly, then entered and made his way towards the seat on the window on the far left.

As soon as he felt the luxurious fabric beneath him, he rested his head against the glass window and closed his eyes, passing out almost immediately.

☂︎

"You can come with me to hang a few flyers, Innie. We're going to use roller skates, so you won't walk for long."

Jeongin sent her a wide smile, showing his dimples.

"But... I don't know how to skate, noona."

She stretched her hand out and pulled him up from the bed.

"No problem! I can teach you. And, I will be there to catch you if you fall."

His heart fluttered at the sentence, and warmth filled his stomach.

"I know, noona. I will be there to catch you too."

She allowed a small grin to creep over her face before she let go of his hand, then approached the exit of the room.

He frowned at the growing feeling inside him, then glanced at the mirror at his far right.

Don't you dare do that to Felix.

Don't you dare make her fall in love with you like that.

Don't you dare fall in love with her either.

He allowed a small tear to escape his eye, and to stream down his handsome face as he knew that he already dared to fall in love with her.

And he knew that his best friend, who was pretty much alive and well, would be heartbroken if he found out. Somehow.

Pain, heartbreak and confusion was all he could feel at that moment.

What should he do?

He allowed a sob to escape his mouth.

The feelings inside him were hidden for too long. After the fire incident, when the members separated. He saw her on TikTok, then YouTube and began to slowly build a crush on her. He even dreamt of meeting her one day after getting out of the situation they were in.

Only for his dreams to shatter when he found out that she was, in fact, Felix's beloved girlfriend.

The feeling of disgust, at himself, built up inside him, followed by a feeling of betrayal. He knew that he betrayed his own friend by feeling that way towards his girlfriend.

But what was he supposed to do?

She didn't know her boyfriend was alive anyway. And after the phone call earlier that morning, he knew that his friends wouldn't want to see him in the first place.

So there was no pain if he tried to ask her to be his girlfriend.

Right?

Right?

Did that make him a traitor?

That was the last name he wanted to be labeled as.

"Innie?! Are you coming?" The soft voice called from behind his bedroom door.

He quickly reached up to wipe his tears away, then muffled his soft sobs.

"Yes, I'm coming!"

He adjusted his shirt, then smiled weakly at the mirror before he hurried out of the room.

And allowed his mouth to form into a fake grin as he saw Mal's wide smile while she waited for him at the far end of the stairs.

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