Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 49: X

"Fine," Luna finally sighed. She approached Krystal and patted the younger girl gently on the head. "I've gotta go but you better promise me that you'll be out of this building before 3 am. If I find out that you stayed here any later, you better watch yourself the next time I see you." She glared at Krystal with her best attempt at a mean-unnie pose, but the glare only caused Krystal to smile at Luna's concern for her. The two girls bid each other good night before a weary Krystal stepped into the shower.

It had been quite the long day for the young girl. The dull ache in every fiber of every muscle told the story of her hard work today. Krystal bowed her head under the steamy flow of water, letting it run down her face, washing away her fatigue. She threw back her head and the warm water poured down her chest like a soothing caress. Krystal was not known for taking long showers, but tonight would be a long one. After all the energy she had exerted during practice, Krystal felt that her body needed the extra relaxation.

Krystal wondered to herself if all their efforts would pay off once "4 Walls" was revealed to the world. "4 Walls", four members, their fourth album... Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but it felt like this album was a symbol of change for f(x), and Krystal felt in her heart that it was a change for the better. She slowly bathed herself with that thought in mind, carefully tending to every inch of her overworked body that she would continue to torture further once their comeback promotions were underway.

Not everything about this comeback was a hardship. In fact, in many ways, nothing about their comeback was a hardship to Krystal because her members were always by her side no matter what she was doing. When Victoria was with them in Korea, Krystal spent every minute with her leader-unnie, catching the older girl up with choreography changes and practicing with her. Luna was always with Krystal in the dance room for practice without fail, energizing her with an unfaltering smile. And Amber, her wonderful partner, her constant when the world was always changing. Amber too was always by her side whenever comeback plans were being discussed and, with the exception of tonight, whenever practice was held, making sure that Krystal was smiling no matter how tired she was. These were the moments that Krystal had missed when the "Red Light" promotions were cancelled last summer, and these were the moments that she cherished now.

However, if Krystal was being completely honest with herself, somehow she still missed Amber even though they had seen each other nearly every day for the past month. The comeback preparations were incredibly time consuming, and every time they saw each other they were occupied with photo shoots, practices, costume fittings, or one of a million other tasks that made up the comeback process. There hadn't been any time for them to be a couple recently, and Krystal felt that loneliness today more so than any other day because today also happened to be their one year anniversary as a couple.

One year ago today, Krystal had gathered the courage to confess to Amber and Amber had accepted her feelings. One year ago today, she and Amber had redefined their relationship and had become more than just friends. Krystal smiled sadly in her lonely shower in the middle of the deserted locker room in the empty building in the dead of night, feeling a little sorry for herself that she was starting off their anniversary day all on her own.

She knew that the situation couldn't be helped with their busy schedules and that she and Amber would have planned a nice, intimate date with each other to celebrate this day if they could, but life was not perfect and that was okay. They had already agreed to celebrate their one year anniversary at a later date, and Krystal knew that her relationship with Amber wasn't measured by the size of a celebration on a specific date. Even though Krystal was disappointed that she couldn't be with Amber at this very moment, she would just have to endure her loneliness.

With a sigh, Krystal ran her fingers through her wet hair and wondered whether she should get out of the shower now that she was clean or if she should indulge herself for a little while longer while the water was still hot. She mused that the hot water would probably be the warmest thing she would feel against her skin all day as Amber had already informed the team that she had urgent business to complete before the comeback started and wouldn't be around at all for the day. Krystal closed her eyes and thought of Amber, instantly feeling an intense heat flush her skin even hotter than the water beating down on it. What had Amber said to her a few days ago when she had pouted at the thought of them being apart for their anniversary?