Taste | Changbin

Chapter Ten

The sound of silence greeted Lennon upon returning to her apartment. The apartment only had one bedroom. It was a lot smaller than the house she used to stay at in America. It was small, but it was safe. She didn't have to come home and be yelled at. 

She kicked off her shoes at the door and placed them on a shoe rack. She had wanted to get some type of pet, but now that she was going with Stray Kids on tour, she was glad she didn't have one. She'd have to find someone to take care of them. She'd have to pay them. It was going to be too much of a hassle. 

She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. Leaning up against the counter, she cracked the lid open and took a sip of it. She didn't have any plans for the evening. She had to go to the grocery store, at some point. Other than that, she was free. 

She could do anything she wanted. She lived in an apartment complex, but that didn't matter. She could still do things as long as she did them quietly. A vibrating from her back pocket caused her to snap out of her thoughts. She swiped to answer the unknown number. 

"Hello?" 

"Lennie!" Han's voice yelled through the speaker. 

She pulled the device away from her ear, put it on speaker phone, and placed it on the counter top. "How did you get my number? I only gave my number to Chan." 

"Oh, I know. I'm calling you from Chan's phone. Are you busy tonight?" 

"Not really, why?" 

"I was going to see if you wanted to come hang out because I'm bored." 

"I thought you were writing a song." 

"Well, you see, I was writing a song and then Chan took it over. We finished and now we're done. Actually, he's driving the car, say hi!" 

"Hi, Lennon!" Chan's voice came through the speaker. 

A small laugh came from Lennon. On the other end of the phone, Han grinned. 

"Hi Chan, sorry Han stole your phone." 

"It's not a big deal." 

"Anyway, do you want to come hang out at the dorms? We can order food and there's a bunch of board games. If you're interested, Felix might let us play video games with him. Usually, he says no, but since you'd be there, he might agree." 

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." 

"Please!" Han begged. "I'll do anything!" 

"Changbin won't be there," Chan spoke. "We're going to be at our own dorm. Han and Hyunjin like to go hang out with the other members on the weekends. We don't all live together because it can get too rowdy. Our manager split all of us up." 

"Yeah, no Changbin's allowed!" Han agreed. 

"I guess, but did Chan tell you that we're all hanging out tomorrow?" 

"Yeah, I know. I figured this could be our pregame for tomorrow. I'll text you the address and I'll let the guys know you're coming over." 

"Wait, they don't know?" Lennon's voice cracked. "I thought th-" 

"Oh, they won't care. They love you, you're the latest buzz. They were disappointed when you didn't come to lunch with us the other day. See you soon!" 

Before Lennon could say another word, Han ended the call. Lennon blinked a few times trying to take everything in. Apparently, she wouldn't be hanging out in her apartment alone. Her new friends were waiting for her. 

She hurried to her bedroom to dig through her dresser. She wanted to take a shower before she met up with everyone. The set of the music video had fog machines and she had been playing in the makeup all day. At one point, she had accidentally gotten foundation on her black shirt. 

She grabbed an outfit, went into the bathroom, and took a quick shower. By the time she got out and dressed, Han had sent her the address for their dorm room location. She put a brush through her wet hair and hurried to slip on her socks and shoes. 

Her phone rang again while she was tying her shoe. She rushed for it, nearly tripping in the process, and placed it on speaker phone. "Hello?" 

"Where are you?" Han's voice filled the air. "I thought you'd be here within a few minutes. It's been almost a half hour. Did you decide to ditch us?" 

"I didn't ditch you, I'd never ditch you. I wanted to take a shower before I showed up. We've been on set all day and I felt gross. I'm putting my shoes on and I should be there within the next twenty minutes." 

"Hurry up!" Hyunjin's voice appeared in the mix. "I'm starving and Lee Know won't order food until you're here. He says it'd be rude." 

Lee Know glared at Hyunjin from his spot on the couch. He picked up the pillow beside him and chucked it at him. Hyunjin let out a small scream and covered his head, but it was too late. The pillow slammed into his face. "Lennon, he's trying to kill me! Save me! Help!" 

"Ignore them, get here when you can," Han continued. "Take your time, but hurry. Don't speed, don't hit the pedestrians, try to avoid a fender bender." 

"I know, I know. I'm leaving my house right now. I'm grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I'll be there soon. I'm going to hang up now, so you're not a distraction." 

"That's a good idea, we'll see you soon." 

A chorus of byes filled the air before Lennon ended the call. She grabbed her house keys and car keys off the table with one hand and placed her cell phone into her back pocket with the other. The drive was only a few minutes away. 

What had she gotten herself into?