Korean theme parks were way better than the ones back in Australia. All we had was Dream World or the Big Banana. No, this was way better.
I line up at a ride with the shortest line I can see, though that's still not very short.
My friends couldn'...
Now, you think that because Jaiden is MY friend that I would be the one to jump up squealing and sprint to the door nearly knocking myself out on the door frame, right? Wrong.
Before I can react to Jaiden's 'knock', Felix is leaping off of my bed and swinging open the front door like a maniac.
I walk into the loungeroom to find them, yes, doing their handshake.
"Well... guess you didn't need to be worried about him forgetting the handshake." I mumble to Jaiden.
Felix suddenly looks to Jaiden with a sincere look in his eyes, as he says, "Bro, you know i would never forget that, right?"
"Yeah, bro, you got my back."
They seem to stare into each other's eyes for a seriously barbaric prolonged amount of time two 'bros' should be staring at each other for.
"Helloooo? Maybe save the star stricken looks for when i'm NOT in the room?"
Felix turns around to me and grins, as he steps back to my side and curls his fingertips around my waist.
Jaiden suddenly speaks up.
"So! Off to the fAmous Stray Kids dorm we go, eh?"
"I guess that's our queue..." I grab Felix's hand and pull him along with myself and Jaiden to stand on the front path.
"I'll just order an Uber." I declare, clearly being the only responsible one in the group.
"Actually, I told mine to wait a few minutes for us."
Jaiden motions towards the sleek black vehicle parked on the side of the road outside Jesse's house, MY house.
"Oh, that was clever thinking, Jaiden." I pinch his cheek mockingly and make way towards the car.
~~~
As we exit the Uber, I notice the heightened rate of Jaiden's breathing.
"Hey, are you okay?"
He looks at me with a soft smile, but his eyes are wide with... anxiousness?
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... so tell me, how many guys are there again?"
Felix speaks up. "There's 9, including me."
"9... 9?! That's... more than I thought. Why do kpop groups need so many people?"
Felix smirks and pats him on the back sympathetically.
"Don't worry about it mate, okay? They're all chill, they make friends easily and they won't be on the hunt to scare you, aight? Just chillax and have fun!"
Well I guess that was... something. It seemed to work anyway. I watch Jaiden's face steadily morph back into the cheerful blob I remember from high school.
"Let's do this."
He links his arms with one of mine and Felix's and marches us into the building. Not quite the entrance I would choose to make, but as far as first impressions go this one would seem to mark itself as memorable.
As we finally reach the door, Felix stretches his free arm out to knock, when suddenly the door seemingly is nearly ripped off of it's hinges to reveal doe-eyed Jeongin happily gleaming at us.
"Jeongin!" I leave Jaiden's embrace as I step forward and hug the boy standing before me.
He squeezes me back and I let go to walk into the dormitory. I look around to see Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin seated on the couch, all leaning forward on their cushions as they intently compete on Mario Kart. Changbin turns to look at me, and he smiles slightly, before turning back towards the TV.
Minho stands in front of the couch the boys are perched on, watching their game with the closest focus I've probably ever seen on a man. I chuckle to myself before following the enticing scent filling my nostrils, into the kitchen.
As I step through the doorframe, I can now see Woojin standing at the bench, cutting and plating squares of sandwiches, which I assume are for the boys lunch.
Standing next to him is Chris, arranging the portions of food in whatever strange coding system he's come up with in his mind.
He notices my movement in the doorway and turns around towards me, and shows me his motherly smile before readjusting his attention back to the food.
Even with that small glance, I didn't miss the flash of pain in his eyes as he saw me. I doubt things will ever be the same again with us, no matter how 'moved on' he gets.
I return to the loungeroom to find Felix already seated on the armrest of the couch, exclaiming chants to his group mates as they battle.
I find my place with Jaiden leaning against the wall as we both stand back and admire the uniform chaos around us.
"This is Stray Kids."
Sorry if this chapter seems a bit short, it's 2AM right now, which will also explain any typos. I tried my best :))
Also, despite the (not so) recent event, I will still be including Woojin in this story. His gorgeous booty will live on in my stories ☺️
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