OFF OF THE DEEP END | CHANGLIX ✔️

29. intimacy

desert rose // lolo zouaï

Changbin only had a few seconds to drink in the fresh salty breeze wafting from the Pacific Ocean before the smell of rotting trash stuck in the California sun for days and the yells of paparazzi accosted him. Filled up to the brim with the commotion of influencers filming in chattery voices and fake smiles, pigeons eating literal shit off of the ground, and the general bustle of an overflowing city, Los Angeles greeted Changbin.

Felix continuously threw these lavish opportunities at the bookshop employee; which started as little vague comments about accompanying him to some concert but ended up with Changbin strapped in a plush first class seat flying halfway across the world because Felix asked him to. The idol had reasoned the impromptu trip by claiming that he had a singular interview in LA, but that excuse obviously didn't cover for bringing Changbin and staying for more than the required time to complete a interview. Nope, Changbin and Felix would be staying in the dry heat of California for a week.

It seemed that the peak of fame that Felix had reached had the side effects of never fully finding solace in public places. Despite the idol assuring Changbin during the frustratingly long plane ride about how fans in America— especially Los Angeles due to the surplus of celebrities that resided there— normally contained more manners and respected the celebrity's private space unlike the sasaengs of Korea.

But those rules didn't apply to the American paparazzi that had seemingly popped out of nowhere and immediately accosted Felix with prying questions and cameras. Changbin reckoned that a disrespect of etiquette and privacy were placed on the code of fundamentals paparazzi followed that maintained its laws even past country borders. It didn't help that all of the shouting was in a language that Changbin barely understood, having forgot almost every detail of the several years he took the mandatory English Language class. The only words he could make out from the crowd were "Felix", "hi" and "speak". That was when his minuscule knowledge ended.

Surprisingly, his bodyguard disguise was foolproof. He'd stalked the internet about himself, and no one had suspected otherwise, despite him appearing close to Felix on a multitude of occasions. That's why he stuck with the same lies today, dressed in a matching black suit to blend in surreptitiously. The perks of becoming a "bodyguard" were he was allowed to place his hand over Felix's waist or back and no one would notice a thing.

Well, no one besides the international fans convinced that Changbin and Felix were dating in some forbidden bodyguard x idol romance would notice. Changbin remembered Felix mentioning how fans noticed everything, but he hadn't fully realized that until seeing these posts containing photos of Changbin's hand caressing Felix's back a bit too tenderly when at the airport in Japan. Well, the fans weren't too far off, except that Changbin wasn't a bodyguard and they weren't dating. But there was something romantic, at least Changbin thought so, which meant the fans at least were right in one regard. Besides, it was a bit flattering to find international fans having no problem with queerness and spouting crazy theories that still managed to support Changbin's hidden thoughts. Their little posts brought smiles to Changbin's face despite the sheer level of delusion the fans held.

Once in one of the armored black vans that always caried Felix around, Changbin preformed some sightseeing through the tinted windows while Felix slept in the seat next to him. He was awestruck at the stunning ocean: all salty waves of shimmering blue and large expanses of soft golden sand. The amount of people roaming the beaches dressed in skimpy swimsuits that revealed almost their entire bodies stunned Changbin, but he guessed that it was simply part of Californian culture. Still, he politely averted his eyes from the people and instead focused on the surfers catching waves.

Their hotel seemed to encompass all of the signature traits of California. Towering palm trees planted in grassy lawns provided pockets of shade to protect against the harsh sunlight. The hotel's blindingly white walls were bordered by massive windows, which opened up to a picture perfect view of a private section of the beach reserved solely for the hotel's customers. In the lobby, decorated surfboards were hung up on the wall as decoration.