PART 18
Several months later . . . in Ireland . . .
"Bye everyone! See you after a week," Iqah happily bade goodbye to her friends and classmates.
"Bye Iqah. Where will you be spending your vacation?" one of Iqah's friends asked.
Iqah suddenly smiled. "I'll be spending my vacation with my best friends."
"Oh, that sounds fun. Well, enjoy your vacation," another of her friends said.
Iqah nodded. "Thanks. I'll be going now."
Suddenly two of Iqah's classmates came into the room. Both of them were giggling continuously.
"There's a super cute guy waiting outside of our school building. God! He's so handsome. A lot of the girls in our building are already parading in front of him," one of the two girls announced.
"Really?" Iqah asked curiously.
"Yes, I wonder why he's here. Looks like he's waiting for someone . . . maybe his girlfriend," the other girl said.
"A girlfriend? Oh! That's bad. Anyway he's so cute. It's very impossible that he's not taken yet," the first girl said.
"I wish I could find a boyfriend like him . . . He looks so perfect," the second girl said with creamy eyes.
Iqah suddenly laughed. "I'll be going now. I still need to prepare a few things before I go."
"You're going out of the country right?" one of Iqah's friends asked.
Iqah nodded.
"Well let's all go now. Then let's take a look at the mysterious guy they are all talking about," another of Iqah's classmates said.
A few minutes later . . .
Iqah and her classmates were already out of the building when . . .
"Iqah . . ." a voice called out.
Surprised, Iqah looked at where the voice came from. Slowly approaching her was a very familiar figure. Her heart quickly skipped a beat.
"Xiah . . ." she uttered.
All of Iqah's friends and classmates were shocked.
"Iqah, you know him?" one of Iqah's classmates asked in disbelief.
Xiah had already walked up to where Iqah was standing. He then quickly took the things she was carrying, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hello . . .I'm Xiah" he sweetly greeted Iqah's friends.
Some of the girls who had been trying to get Xiah's attention suddenly sighed, while all of Iqah's friends couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Iqah, you never told us you already had a boyfriend," one of her classmates spoke.
Xiah couldn't help but smile.
Iqah smiled too. "Well . . . no one ever asked me," she replied with a light laugh.
Xiah gently took Iqah's hand. "Let's go. Our flight will leave in about three hours. We have to hurry. It's quite hard to get a straight flight these days . . ."
Iqah's friend's and classmates couldn't help but smile teasingly at her.
"Iqah, you said you were going to spend your vacation with your best friends. . . Best friends? The more appropriate word should be 'boyfriend'," one of the girls said as a tease.
"Well, it's the truth . . . I'll be going to my Ela Unni's house," Iqah tried to explain.
"Okay . . .Okay . . . Well have fun," the girl replied with a mischievous smile.
Iqah laughed. She already knew what was running on her friends' minds.
After introducing all of her friends and classmates to Xiah, they quickly bade goodbye and immediately got on Xiah's car.
"You didn't have to come here to get me, Xiah," Iqah said sweetly.
"Well I wanted to surprise you. And besides I wanted to make an appearance in your school so that everyone will know that you already have a boyfriend . . . So no one will even dare court you," Xiah said with a smile.
Iqah laughed. "So that's the real purpose why you came here?"
Xiah nodded. "Do you know that everyday I'm worried . . . worried that someone will suddenly take you away from me."
"Xiah . . ." Iqah uttered with a soft expression in her eyes.
"Honestly, U-Know, Micky, Jaejoong and me . . . we are all feeling the same thing. We are all afraid that you girls will suddenly meet other guys . . . guys who will be able to go out with you freely . . . who will have more time for you . . . who will be able to give you the things that we can't . . ." Xiah said with a low voice.
Iqah gently caressed Xiah's face. "I love you Xiah. Don't you trust me?"
"Of course, I do. But you really can't blame me. Someone in love will always have fear in his heart," Xiah uttered.
Iqah smiled. "I'll always be by your side no matter what happens."
Xiah looked deep into Iqah's eyes. He suddenly felt a calm and soothing feeling filling his heart.
"I love you Iqah," he lovingly uttered.
"I love you too, Xiah,' she quickly replied.
Xiah smiled. "So . . . let's go. Micky and U-Know already went to get Daniaa and Nab. And Jaejoong and Max already went straight to the Philippines. We will all just meet up in Ela's house."
Iqah smiled sweetly at him, then nodded.
Xiah started to move his car out of the parking lot. But before finally leaving the parking area, he quickly gave Iqah a light kiss on the lips.
"I missed you," he sweetly whispered in her ear.
Iqah lightly laughed. "Let's go, Xiah . . .or we might miss our flight."
Xiah laughed as well. "You're right. Okay, let's go . . ."
A few hours later . . . . in Malaysia . . . . .
"Daniaa, let's go already," one of her friends excitedly called out while waiting in the school corridor.
Okay, I'll be out in a minute," Daniaa said as she hurriedly picked up her things. She then quickly went out of the room.
"So Daniaa . . . how come you're suddenly going on a vacation out of the country?" her friend asked.
Daniaa smiled. "My Unni insisted that we spend our vacation in her house in the Philippines," she answered.
"Really? You're quite lucky. . . Wish I could also go on a vacation," her friend started to day dream.
Daniaa laughed. "So what are we going to do now? I can't stay with you guys for a long time. I still need to prepare some of my things and my flight will be tonight."
"Don't worry. You won't miss your flight. There's plenty of time for you to get your things arranged. Let's just eat first, then we can go for a short stroll in the mall," one of Daniaa's friends said with a big grin.
"Yes, it's still early Daniaa. So who are you really going with to the Philippines? You surely have a date or something. Going to another country with just female friends is kind of boring. But going with a boy . . . especially a boyfriend is totally exciting," another of Daniaa's friends said with a giggle.
Daniaa couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You guys are too much. I'm just going with my friends."
"Friends? Yeah . . . as if we would believe that. We all know you've been hiding something from us. Ever since you went to have a vacation in Japan, you suddenly changed. It's like you returned as a different person," another girl said to Daniaa.
"Yes, that's true and she's actually keeping secrets from us now. You know Daniaa . . . all of us have already noticed the secret phone calls you've been having. And the secret text messages you've been receiving and sending . . . You have a boyfriend . . . just admit it already," Daniaa's closest friend said as a tease.
Daniaa looked at her school friends. As much as she wanted to tell them the truth, she knew she couldn't. She knew once she told them about Micky, they would surely think that she was just making it all up. And she also didn't want to cause any trouble for Micky. Their relationship was still a secret.
Frankly even she still couldn't believe that she had met Micky personally and now was her boyfriend. It was like a fantasy that became a reality.
"Come on . . . Let's go . . . Stop with the teasing already," Daniaa said while trying to change the topic.
Daniaa's friends all laughed and giggled after seeing the mixed emotions on her face.
"Okay . . . okay . . . we were just teasing you. If you really don't want to tell us about what you're up to. We won't force you. Just make sure that the guy you're dating is worth it . . ." another girl said with a smile.
"And cute . . ." another of Daniaa's friends added.
Several minutes passed . . .
All of the girls were already walking out of the school building. All of them were excited and happy to go on their usual stroll after their class.
Daniaa was very busy chatting with her friends that she didn't notice a group of girls were also busy checking out a guy outside the gate of their school. The group of girls were composed of the most famous girls in their school.
"Oh my god! He's so cute! Wonder what his name is," one of the famous girls exclaimed.
"I think I'm in love," another of the famous girls said.
"Come on . . . ask him what his name is . . ." another girl said as she sighed with admiration.
"Maybe he's waiting for his girlfriend . . . Oh! I wonder who the girl is," one of the girls said again.
Some of Daniaa's friends just laughed after seeing the group of girls near the gate.
"I wonder what kind of guy they are busy checking out this time . . ." one of Daniaa's friends said.
"Let's take a look . . ." another of Daniaa's friends said with a big grin.
Daniaa and her friends hurriedly went to the gate to see what kind of guys was on the other side of the gate,
And Daniaa's heart immediately flew after seeing who was patiently waiting outside of their school gate.
"Hey! He's Micky of Dong Bang Shin Ki. Their group is quite popular in Japan and Korea. Daniaa . . . you're a fan of their group right?" Daniaa's closest friend said.
"Oh! He's totally cute! Do you think he's really waiting for his girlfriend? Let's wait here until the girl comes. I want to know who she is and what she looks like," another of Daniaa's friends said.
"Do you think we can get his autograph or something?" another of Daniaa's classmates asked.
Daniaa's heart was racing as she stared at Micky, and then at her friends.
"Daniaa . . ." Micky called out as soon as he saw her. Then he took out a bouquet of flowers from his car, and hurriedly walked up to her.
All of Daniaa's friends were shocked. They all looked at Micky, then at Daniaa, with their mouths wide open.
"Daniaa, I was beginning to think you already left," Micky said as he gently kissed Daniaa on the cheek, and carefully handed her the beautiful bouquet of flowers.
All of the girls who were watching Daniaa and Micky all screamed with envy and delight.
"How sweet!" some of the girls exclaimed.
"Daniaa, he's your boyfriend?" one of Daniaa's friends asked with disbelief.
Daniaa didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.
"What?" one of the girls asked.
"You're so bad! You actually have a boyfriend already and you never told us," one of Daniaa's closest friend said with a hurt look on her face.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you guys," Daniaa uttered with a low voice.
"Please try and understand. We're really not supposed to tell anyone about our relationship," Micky tried to explain.
"Oh . . . it's okay . . . We understand," one of the girls said.
"Oh, you're such a lucky girl, Daniaa. Imagine . . . you have such a cute and famous boyfriend. I wish I could also be that lucky," another girl said with dreamy eyes.
Some of Daniaa's friends laughed. Then they introduced themselves to Micky. . . one by one . . .
"Hello, I'm Micky," he said with a sweet smile.
"Daniaa, you can leave now . . . You don't have to go to the mall with us anymore. We know that the two of you need some time alone," Daniaa's friend teased.
Daniaa suddenly blushed.
Micky couldn't help but smile. Then he gently took Daniaa's hand. "Come on, you still need to prepare your things right?" he asked.
Daniaa nodded.
"Go . . . you, love birds, need some time alone . . ." Daniaa's friend teased.
Micky smiled at Daniaa's friends. " Well, goodbye then. It's been nice meeting all of you."
"Bye . . . have fun . . ."
"Take care of Daniaa, okay."
As soon as Micky and Daniaa were inside the car . . .
"I think I'll be having a headache after I return to school next week," Daniaa uttered.
"Why?" Micky asked worriedly.
"My friends will will surely tease me again after we return from our vacation," she answered.
Micky laughed. "Don't worry. . . I know they will surely go easy on you . . ."
Daniaa laughed as well. Then she suddenly became serious. "Why did you come here? Aren't you afraid that a news about us will suddenly be leaked out to the press?" she asked with worry.
Micky laughed at Daniaa, then he gently caressed her face. "Don't worry . . . I'm not scared of anything . . . as long as you're with me."
Daniaa's heart suddenly jumped with joy. She never imagined that such a happiness could fill her life.
"You're so sweet . . ." she couldn't help but utter.
Micky smiled. "Well, I think we should go . . .I'm already excited to meet up with the other guys."
Daniaa nodded. "Me too. I miss Ela Unni, Iqah Unni and Nab. Let's get going then."
Almost the same time in Brunei . . . .
"Nab . . . come on. . . Hurry up," her best friend said.
"I'm already hurrying. Wait a minute," Nab replied as she tried to put all her things in her bag.
"Hey . . . aren't you finished yet? My boyfriend and his friends are already waiting outside the school," another of Nab's friends said.
"Nab is so slow. Just wait okay," Nab's bestfriend replied with a laugh.
"You can just go ahead, if you like," Nab said.
"My boyfriend wants to introduce his friends to you. You're the only one in our class who hasn't got a boyfriend yet," Nab's friend said with a big grin.
Nab wanted to protest and say that she did have a boyfriend. But she just remembered that she wasn't allowed to say anything about it. Sad, she just just lowered her head and kept silent.
Several minutes passed . . . .
Nab and her friends were already outside of their school.
"Nab, I wanted to introduce to you my boyfriend's friends . . .since I know you still don't have a boyfriend yet," her friend said with a smile.
Nab blushed. She felt so embarrassed. She didn't like the way the two guys were staring at her.
Somehow she wished someone would save her from the very awkward situation she was in.
"Nab, why don't you say hello . . ." her friend said as she nudged Nab.
"Hello . . ." Nab said shyly.
"Hello . . . You're really very beautiful," one of the guys said.
"Beautiful . . . and already taken," a voice suddenly said with a cold tone.
Nab and her friends suddenly looked at where the voice came from.
"U-Know . . ." Nab uttered with shock.
"Nab . . . aren't you supposed to be home and packing your things? What are you doing here? Are you going on a date?" U-Know asked continuously while he looked at Nab and the boys.
"No! It's not what you think. They just wanted to introduce these guys to me . . . because . . . because they thought I still don't have a boyfriend," Nab answered with a weak voice.
U-Know quickly approached Nab, and took her hand. Then he faced Nab's friends and the boys with them.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. . . Let me introduce myself . . . I'm U-Know . . . and I'm Nab's boyfriend," he said with a serious tone.
Nab couldn't help but smile. U-Know was obviously jealous. And somehow this thought was making her happy.
"You're Nab's boyfriend?" Nab's bestfriend asked with eyes rounded with disbelief.
"Yes . . . Our relationship is a little complicated that's why she can't say that she's already involved with me. So I guess now that you all know the truth . . .you don't have to worry about her anymore. I would really appreciate it, if you stop introducing guys to her," he said while trying to control his jealousy.
Nab's bestfriend easily saw the jealousy in U-Know's eyes. She smiled.
"I'm sorry . . . we didn't mean to cause any problem. Nab is really very special to us. We just wanted to make her happy. Don't worry, from now on . . . we will never introduce another guy to her again. . . especially now . . . we all know that there is already someone special in her life," she said.
A smile suddenly appeared on U-Know's lips. "Thank you. Nab is really very special to me. And I certainly don't want to lose her. So please forgive me . . . if I sounded a little bit harsh and possessive."
"Oh . . . that's okay. We understand. The important thing is Nab has finally found someone who will take care of her and love her . . ." Nab's other friend said with a smile.
"U-Know, what are you doing here?" Nab finally found herself asking.
U-Know looked at Nab and smiled. "I wanted to surprise you," he replied.
Nab smiled back at him. "Well we better get going. I don't want to chased by a mob of fans," she said teasingly.
U-Know lightly laughed. "Don't worry . . . I'm sure if we get chased by a mob of fans again . . . we will be able to lose them . . . just like what we did before."
"Come on . . . I still have a lot things to prepare," she said with a smile. "Bye . . ." she said to her friends.
U-Know nodded and bade goodbye to Nab's friends.
"Have fun . . . and take care of her," the two girls said as they also bade goodbye.
Nab and U-Know were already in the car when . . .
"I'm starting to think that maybe I should visit you more often," U-Know suddenly said.
"Hmmmm . . . why?" Nab asked.
"So that I can make sure that no one else tries to court you. Do you know how I felt when I saw you with those boys? I was already boiling . . ." U-Know confessed.
Nab laughed. "So you were really jealous?" she teased.
"Jealous? Not just jealous, my dear . . . but also very scared . . ." he replied.
"Scared? Why?" she asked.
"Do you know that everyday while we're apart . . . my heart is constantly fearing that you might suddenly meet another guy and fall in love with him. Everyday I'm scared that you might suddenly leave me," U-Know answered with a weak voice.
"Oh, U-Know . . . that will never happen. I love you and you will be the only man I will ever love. So you don't have to be afraid of anything," Nab said as she slowly touched U-Know's hand, and gently held it.
U-Know tried to smile. "I know how much you love me . . . And I guess it's natural to feel scared when you truly love someone. No one can ever guess what will happen in the future, so there's always fear hidden in our hearts."
Nab smiled. "Oh, U-Know . . . what can I do to erase all your doubts and fears? I love you . . . My love for you will always stay with you whatever you do . . . wherever you go . . . No matter who comes along . . . I will always be yours."
U-Know's heart suddenly became at ease. He felt the love and sincerity in Nab's voice. And as he gazed into her eyes, he instantly knew that no one could ever take her away from him.
He then quickly kissed Nab on the lips. "I love you, Nab . . ." he uttered.
Nab smiled sweetly at him. "I love you too, U-Know."
"Well, let's get you home. So you can arrange your things. I'm already excited to see the others," U-Know said.
Nab nodded. "Me too. I've been missing Daniaa Unni, Iqah Unni and Ela Unni. As soon as we see each other . . . we're all going to have a big group hug," she said with a certain twinkle in her eyes.
U-Know couldn't help but laugh. His lovely Nab was being so adorable again. Somehow the more time they spent together, the more he fell in love with her captivating ways.
"Okay, let's go . . ." he said as he started his car.
In the Philippines . . . the next morning. . . in Ela's home.
Ela was busy cooking in the kitchen when . . . .
"What are you doing? You've been cooking ever since you woke up early in the morning. I'm starting to get jealous . . ." Jaejoong lovingly uttered while he hugged Ela from the back.
"Jealous? Jealous of whom?" Ela asked with a laugh.
"Jealous of the food . . ." Jaejoong replied with a laugh.
Ela laughed as well, then she turned to face Jaejoong.
"Sorry, I just wanted to prepare a special meal for our friends. I'm already finished with the last dish. After I'm finished preparing the foods . . . I'm all yours," she said with a smile.
"Good . . . I was beginning to think that I'll be spending all of my free time with Max," Jaejoong said with a light laugh.
"Max? . . . Where is he anyway? I haven't seen him for hours," Ela said. "The last time I saw him was when he asked for something to eat."
Jaejoong let out a loud laugh. "He's now busy taking a nap near the pool."
"Nap? I guess there are two things he loves the most . . . sleep and food," Ela uttered with a smile.
"Nope . . . he loves foods the most," Jaejoong said with a laugh again.
Suddenly the phone started to ring.
Jaejoong picked up the phone. "Hello," he uttered in English.
"Hello . . . can I speak with Ela please," a man's voice said.
Jaejoong suddenly frowned. "It's for you," he said as he gave the phone to Ela.
Ela quickly took the phone. "Hello . . ." she spoke.
Jaejoong just watched as Ela talked on the phone for more than ten minutes. Then as soon as she finished . . .
"Who was that guy?" he asked seriously.
Ela looked at Jaejoong. "He's Norman . . . a friend and someone I work with," she answered.
"A friend?" he asked with a dark expression on his face.
Ela stared at Jaejoong. "What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're jealous."
"Why? Don't I have a right to be jealous?" he asked suddenly.
"No, you don't have a right to be jealous . . . Because there's nothing to be jealous about in the first place," Ela quickly said.
Jaejoong's eyes quickly became filled with sadness. "So I don't have a right to be concerned about you, is that it?"
"Jaejoong . . . it's not like that . . . Why are you being jealous all of a sudden anyway?" she asked with a low voice.
"I'm being jealous because I love you. And I'm always scared that since you're far away from me . . . someone may suddenly appear in your life and you'll end up falling in love with someone else," Jaejoong uttered.
"So you don't trust me?" Ela asked.
"Yes, of course. I trust you . . . It's just that it's not impossible for you to meet another guy . . . someone who will be able to give you the time you need . . . someone who will be able to take you out without any worries . . . someone who will be able to let everyone know that you're his girl," Jaejoong started to say sadly.
"Jaejoong, stop," Ela said as she gently placed her finger on Jaejoong's lips to stop him from talking. "Jaejoong, I don't need anyone else . . . except you. When I accepted your love, I already knew the consequences. And frankly I don't mind if you don't have the time to spend with me . . . I understand that you're busy and have lots of work to do. I also don't care about going on dates . . . because I would rather spend my time alone with you. . . here in the house . . . doing things together. . . And lastly, I don't care that no one else knows that we're together . . . because what is more important to me is that you love me and you make me feel it everyday . . . with the simple words and gestures you make. Jaejoong, even though we are apart most of the time, you always make it a point to shower me with love whenever we're together. And that is enough for me . . .I love you with all my heart. and even if a million guys comes my way . . . I will never let you go."
"Ela, I love you too. You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that . . ." Jaejoong said with a smile.
"So maybe now you can stop worrying. If these is someone who should be worried . . . it should be me. Imagine you're the superstar . . . young, handsome, rich and famous. While I'm just an ordinary girl . . . old, ugly and unknown. Honestly . . . there are times when you don't call me for a few days . . . my heart just fills up with fear. Sometimes I'm thinking that maybe you're already involved with someone else . . . someone who is younger, prettier and also famous like you," Ela said with a low voice.
Jaejoong suddenly drew Ela into his arms, and he embraced her tightly. "Just like I said before . . . I love you and you'll be the only woman in my life. Let's just get married already so we can both put our hearts to rest. We're both afraid of losing each other. If we get married, then we won't have anything to be scared of anymore."
Ela stared at Jaejoong. "Marriage won't be the answer to our problem, Jaejoong. We just have to hold on to each other much tighter and pray harder. I want you to finish your contracts first remember . . ."
"But what happens if our contracts get renewed, or we get new offers from other companies . . . What then? We're both going to wait for another 2 to 3 years? I'm already going crazy just thinking of how long we have to wait . . ." Jaejoong uttered.
Ela lightly laughed. "You're really anxious to get married, aren't you? I'm warning you . . .when the day comes and we get married, I'm going to stick to you like glue. You're going to have to live with me . . . forever and ever."
Jaejoong stared at Ela. "Then I will pray very hard for that day to come . . . very . . . very soon. My heart will only feel safe, once you get married with me."
"Jaejoong . . . let's just enjoy one day at a time. You don't have to be afraid of anything. I'm yours . . . and yours alone. No man will ever have my heart except you. You know I love you and I know you love me. All we need to do is trust each other and believe in the strength of our love," Ela uttered seriously.
Jaejoong gently caressed Ela's face. "Do you know why I'm so anxious to marry you? It's because I want to be by your side always. I want to wake up every morning. and see you lying next to me. I want to see your face as the sun slowly rises ever morning. I want to feel your warm body next to me whenever I'm cold. I want to be beside you whenever you're writing your stories . . . I'll cook for you . . . I'll personally make your breakfast, your lunch, your snack, and your dinner. I'll even massage your back . . . when you're tired . . . I want to be the one who takes care of you when you're tired or sick . . . I want to show you how much you mean to me . . . by doing simple things for you."
Ela smiled. "You're really very sweet, Jaejoong. But I don't want to cause any problems for you and your group. So let's just wait until the time is right."
Jaejoong stared at Ela. Then he slowly started to kiss her. Their kiss was both very passionate and sweet. All the insecurities they were feeling quickly melted away as soon as their lips met. They suddenly felt they were the only ones in the world perfectly fitted for each other.
Ela slowly drew away from Jaejoong. "I almost forgot . . . I'm still preparing some dishes, Jaejoong."
Jaejoong lightly laughed. "Sorry. . . I got a little carried away. Would you like me to help you?"
"Yes, of course. I still need to transfer the foods from the kitchen to the dining room . . . when I'm done," she replied with a smile.
"After you're done with what you're doing . . . can we spend some time alone in the garden?" Jaejoong asked sweetly.
Ela nodded. "After I'm finished cooking . . . we can do whatever you want . . ."
"Whatever I want? Hmmm . . . now that sounds tempting," Jaejoong said teasingly.
"Hey, you're so bad!" Ela said with a pout.
Jaejoong laughed, then he lovingly embraced Ela. "I was just joking," he uttered.
"Joking? I know you were serious," Ela said with a pout again.
"Hey, I was just joking," Jaejoong said with a smile.
"Oh . . . all right. But as punishment, you be the one to finish transferring all the cooked foods from the kitchen to the dining room," Ela said with a smile.
"Yes. my princess," Jaejoong said teasingly again.
"Hyung . . . I'm hungry. . ." Max wailed as he slowly entered the kitchen. "My stomach is growling already. Do we have something that I can snack on?"
Jaejoong lightly laughed. "How about that Ela? Our little boy is hungry again . . . what do you suggest we feed him?"
Ela giggled. "I'll prepare something, Max. But don't get yourself too full for lunch. I've already prepared a wonderful set of meals . . . I know you will surely love."
"Wow! That sounds so . . . delicious. I know I'll surely love all the meals you cooked. I think I'm going to get very fat in just a few days of staying here," Max said with a grin.
"Fat? If you're that easy to get fat . . . then you should have been much more bigger than an elephant by now," Jaejoong teased.
"Hyung . . . you're terrible," Max exclaimed.
"Hey! You two boys stop teasing each other . . . Just help me to arrange a few things first . . . and then we can just wait for the others to arrive . . ." Ela said.
"I wish they would arrive already. I want to have lunch already . . ." Max uttered.
"Max . . . we just had breakfast, and then you already had two snacks and this one I am preparing is your third . . . and you're still hungry?" Ela asked in disbelief.
Jaejoong couldn't help but continuously laugh. "I told you he has a big appetite . . . Now do you believe me?"
Ela smiled, then nodded. "Here you go, Max," she said as she handed him another bowl of food.
As soon as Max saw the food, a big smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Thanks, Noona."
"Noona? Hmmm . . . can you just call me by my name Max? Noona sounds . . . too old for me . . ." Ela spoke.
Max looked at Ela, then smiled. "Okay . . . Ela."
"Now that sounds much better," she said with a nod.
Max had already started to eat the bowl of food that Ela gave him. "Do you think I can have another bowl when I'm finished with this one? This is just too . . . heavenly. Your cooking is way . . . way much better than hyung's," he said with a grin.
"What? Her cooking is better than mine? Max . . . you don't love my cooking anymore. . . Cheater!" Jaejoong said with a high note.
Max looked at Jaejoong with a grin on his face. "Sorry hyung, it's the truth. She cooks much better than you."
"Ouch! That hurts," Jaejoong uttered jokingly.
"Hey! The two of you stop playing already, and help me with the things I still need to do," Ela said as she hurriedly pushed Jaejoong to a table where all the cooked foods were placed.
"How can I help?" Jaejoong asked sweetly.
"Just carry all the foods to the dining room," she answered.
"Ela, I'll just finish this bowl of food, and I'll help too," Max said.
"Sure, just take your time," she replied with a smile.
Time passed . . . . It was already passed 1 in the afternoon . . . .
Ela and Jaejoong were already waiting patiently in the living room. They were both lying comfortably on the coach next to each other.
"It's late . . . I think we should let Max eat already. Nab, U-Know, Micky, Daniaa, Xiah and Iqah should have been here hours ago . . . What do you think happened to them?" Jaejoong asked worriedly.
"I also don't have the slightest clue. I tried calling their phones, but I guess they all turned their phones off. I'm a little bit worried too. Let's just wait for another hour. And if they still don't arrive, we'll just eat by then," Ela said.
Jaejoong gently caressed Ela's head as it rested on his chest. Then he started to play with Ela's hair, just to draw her attention to something else.
"Jae . . . what are you doing?" Ela asked as she tried to stop his hand from moving.
Jaejoong lightly laughed. "What do you think the others will say once they see your hair looking like that?"
Ela looked at Jaejoong, then smiled. "Hmmm . . . I think they will all ask if I just got out of bed or something," she answered with a light laugh.
Jaejoong nodded. "Totally correct . . . And I will be saying that we just got out of bed . . . together," he said with a naughty smile on his lips.
Ela started to pinch Jaejoong. "Bad boy! Naughty . . . naughty boy . . . If you say something like that . . . they will surely believe it. And that's a bad example for Daniaa, Iqah and especially Nab. So don't you even try making a joke like that," she said with a sudden serious tone.
"All right . . . I'm sorry . . . I was just joking. . ." he uttered. He then moved his body, so that he would end up on top of Ela. "But while we're waiting for them . . ." he said as he slowly started to give Ela small and short kisses on the lips.
"Jaejoong . . ." she tried to utter while trying to move away from him. "Max might see us."
"Don't worry . . . He's busy . . . I already gave him three bowls of food, so he wouldn't disturb us," Jaejoong uttered as he started to kiss Ela's neck.
Ela laughed. "So you were really planning this huh?"
"Hmmm . . . yes," he uttered with a low, seductive voice.
"Jaejoong . . . stop it," Ela tried to say.
Jaejoong continued to kiss Ela's neck when . . .
"Unni . . . we're here!" Nab immediately shouted as they all entered the room.
The girls' mouths quickly dropped open as soon as they saw the very intimate position that Ela and Jaejoong were in.
Surprised, Ela hurriedly tried to push Jaejoong away from her. While Jaejoong also shocked, suddenly fell down on the floor.
Micky, U-Know and Xiah couldn't stop themselves from laughing.
Ela and Jaejoong looked at each other, then at their friends. Both their faces were bright red with embarrassment.
"Sorry . . . we didn't mean to interrupt," Micky teased.
"And we were already worried that we were late . . . I guess we should have made ourselves arrive much . . . much later," Xiah said as he tried to control his laughter.
"Unni . . . are you okay?" Nab asked with concern.
Ela was so embarrassed that aside from being very red, tears were starting to form in her eyes.
Jaejoong stared at Ela, then he quickly sat down beside her and embraced her.
"Hey . . . it's okay . . . Don't cry . . ." he tried to comfort her.
"I . . . it's so embarrassing . . ." she uttered with a trembling voice.
Micky, U-Know and Xiah all looked at each other. Somehow they all felt guilty that they laughed.
Iqah, Daniaa and Nab also glanced at one another. Then they smiled, and quickly went to Ela's side.
"Unni . . . it's okay . . . Don't cry . . . We understand," Daniaa said cheerfully.
"Yeah, Unni. . . Nothing's wrong with kissing and . . . and . . ." Nab started to laugh. "You're already old enough to do it . . . and besides the two of you are going to marry each other anyway. So it's perfectly fine."
"Do I hear wedding bells ringing?" Iqah asked jokingly.
Ela slowly looked at her friends. "I'm sorry."
The three girls smiled. "Oh, it's all right, Unni. Don't worry."
"Jaejoong . . . next time . . . have more self-control," U-Know said jokingly as well.
Jaejoong gave U-Know a smile, as he tried to control himself not to laugh.
"Well, next time . . . let's just remember to always announce ourselves first before we enter a room . . . We might interrupt Jaejoong again with his plans," Micky teased while continuously laughing.
Jaejoong suddenly grabbed a throw pillow near him and jokingly threw it at Micky.
Micky, on the other hand, was so busy laughing that he didn't notice the pillow that was thrown at him. The pillow flew right at his face.
"Perfect hit," Jaejoong uttered with a laugh.
Ela and her friends burst out laughing after seeing Micky's expression.
Then only seconds passed. . .
Everyone was already throwing pillows at one another. Then the boys later started to ran after the girls with powder on their hands. Laughter was continuously heard, while screams of joy totally filled the room. They were like small children happily playing in the room.
Several minutes later . . .
Max entered the room with the three empty bowl on his hands. He was totally surprised and confused on what he saw.
The whole living room was in a total mess. Throw pillows were scattered everywhere. Even some of the furniture and room decorations were either knocked down or turned. And the four girls with the other DBSK boys all had powder all over their faces and bodies.
The four girls and the other DBSK boys all stared at Max as he entered the room unexpectedly.
"What? What happened?" Max asked, quite confused.
The girls and boys exchanged glances with one another, then started to laugh again.
"Hey . . . what did I miss?" Max asked with a more confused expression on his face.
"Nothing . . . you didn't miss anything . . ." Micky replied.
"Oh, well since you're all here now . . . Let's eat already . . . I'm hungry . . ." Max uttered.
Ela and Jaejoong exchanged glances with each other, then they both laughed at the same time.
"Oh Max, you and your stomach. . ." Micky said as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Hey . . . well, food is my only love partner here . . . All of you have someone . . . while I'm stuck . . . alone and . . ." Max tried to act like he was pitiful.
"Totally full . . ." Xiah added.
All the girls bursted out laughing again, followed by the other DBSK boys.
Max started to laugh as well.
"Come on . . . let's eat . . ." Jaejoong said as he took Ela's hand.
An hour later . . .
All of them went to the beach in pairs, Iqah with Xiah, Micky with Daniaa, U-Know with Nab, and Jaejoong with Ela. Hand in hand, they all walked down the shores of the beach while admiring the beautiful scenery before them.
They all knew that they had finally found the love they were all searching for. And they already promised each other that no matter what happen, they will continue to hold on to each other.
They all knew that the love in their hearts was strong enough to withstand the tests of time. They were going to love and wait for each other, until the right time comes that they can all be married to their respective love ones. All of them had already decided to be married on the same exact date. They were all friends . . . the very best of friends . . . and they wanted to share the most important event in their lives with one another.
But until that time comes . . . .
Iqah . . . Xiah . . .
Daniaa . . . Micky . . .
Nab . . . U-Know . . .
Ela . . . Jaejoong . . .
will all walk down the road of destiny together . . . with hope, trust and love in their hearts . . .