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AS THREE O'CLOCK ROLLED AROUND, AERA WAS WORRIED THAT THE TWO YOUNGEST WERE DITCHING HER. She turned her phone to face her and watched as the digits changed. "Wow," she breathed out, standing from the table she had picked for the trio and dragging her cup from the surface. She pulled her mask over her face and re-situated her cap onto her head. But before she could walk away, she noticed a commotion coming from the entrance. "Ah, sorry!" Her eyes flickered over toward the girl with orange hair bowing before a server, eyes squeezed closed. It was obvious that her cheeks were reddened. The server stared in surprise, the front of her shirt now wet from a water glass spilling between them.
"It's okay," she responded, bowing her head. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm sorry, as well." Aera watched in interest as the dark haired behind her began to pull her toward where they had been planned to meet. "You're late," the eldest hummed, eyebrows raised. She crossed her arms, her drink dangling from her grip dangerously loose. "She slept through her alarm," Maria explained with a shrug of her shoulders, arm still looped with Liana's. "I'm sorry. I ended up falling asleep while watching this drama," the youngest explained shyly, cheeks still flushed. "But we're here now. We can get a drink to go and go shopping!"
"Enough about drinks, what did you and Dohyun talk about?" Maria asked, automatically grabbing Aera's arm. "Did you flirt? Oh, God. Did you send him a meme?" Aera felt her stomach twist at the memory. She had been so nervous. Seeing his name pop up like that made her whole body grow cold. She just couldn't believe it was real, even though it was bound to happen eventually due to them being coworkers now. "He was very polite," she eventually said, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. "He told me he was a fan of our group.. and that his bias is Jinx unnie." Behind her mask, Aera was pouting. Behind Maria's, the girl's mouth fell open in shock.
Aera shook her head for a moment before chuckling. "But he did give me advice on what to wear. Casual, but not too casual. And there's going to be alcohol as an ice breaker." She waved her hand before tugging down her mask and taking a drink from her iced coffee. Once she finished, she licked her lips and placed her mask back over her face. "But you don't drink," Maria exhaled. She watched as Aera's fingers tapped against the lid of her cup for a moment. "Oh, my God. Are you going to drink!?" Quickly, Aera shushed the girl. Her eyes widened in surprise at her outburst "I don't know!" she replied in a rush. "I don't want to seem like a loser.. You know?"
Liana, who had been silent for the most part, sighed. She placed her hand on Aera's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You don't have to drink to be cool," she hummed supportively. "But if you do decide to drink, make sure to limit yourself. Or tell someone to stop you when you reach a limit. Dohyun oppa would do that for you, don't you think?" Aera heaved a sigh. "He told me that he might not drink if I don't, but I don't want to make anything boring. I don't want him to get bored... of me." She had never felt so insecure. Perhaps it was just her nerves. Normally she was always so confident with herself and who she is as a person, and yet her words seemed so contradictory.
"Who are you and what have you done with my soulmate?" Maria asked in disbelief. She watched as Aera took in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders before releasing the tension in her chest. Her eyes then met Maria's. "You stopped drinking for a reason. You did it to better yourself. You do not need alcohol to be fun or interesting, or entertaining. Do you understand?" Aera's eyes widened at the seriousness with Maria's words. Never before had she heard the girl talk so sternly. And, though it was a shock, it came as a comfort. The insecurity she had been feeling seemed to dwindle to a small nagging and a smile broke out across her face. "I understand," she replied genuinely.
After another thought, she wrapped her arms around Maria's neck. Her eyes squeezed closed as Maria wrapped her arms snuggly around her waist. "What would I do without you?" she asked rhetorically, snuggling her masked face into the dark curls sprouting from her band mate's head. "Who knows," Maria answered honestly. "I would hope you'd be alright, but I seem to be the only person able to keep you from destroying yourself." Aera scoffed at the playfulness of her friend's words. "Sure," she chuckled.
The two parted and Aera fixed the jacket over her shoulders. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. I'm getting tired and we all know how grumpy I can get." She handed her drink off to the youngest, who took it with sparkling eyes. "You can have the rest." Joyfully, the trio left the café sharing lighthearted conversations. Soon they would reach the store and force Aera to try on more clothes than she could ever imagine before finding the perfect outfit. One that screamed AERA.
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rumi says!
do you guys prefer shorter chapters with social media fics?
it feels weird having such short chapters but i am happy with how i ended this chapter.
