What's After Like [M Reader X IVE (adult members)]

Chapter 7.1 - Liz (M)

(Timeskip of around six weeks since the previous chapter)

Somehow, you muse to yourself, you're actually more nervous waiting for Liz' arrival right now than you'd been at any point on that fateful night she came over. Back then everything happened so quickly, you'd never really had time to worry about the long-term implications. But now that the day of the long-awaited date has finally arrived, you're pacing restlessly back and forth near your door, just minutes until she's supposed to be here, thoughts about the present and future swirling nervously through your head. Is this outfit really as stylish as you think it is? Was it a mistake planning a more simple date? What if richer, more famous men have been flirting with her in the busy weeks since you've last seen her or any of IVE? Noon can't come soon enough. Sure you've been dreaming of this day for a long time, waiting for the promised chance to have a real date with Liz, but last-minute nerves are threatening to derail your confidence. Communicating only through the occasional text during their intensely busy promotional period hasn't helped the way that one night feels like a distant dream. Stubbornly you try to put away those nervous thoughts and focus on the positives. What if today is everything you've dreamed of? What if Liz really could love you too?

Fortunately, sometimes all it takes is a dose of the present to drive away worries of the future. When the knock finally sounds at your door (a few minutes early at 11:56), you eagerly throw it open and the nerves drain away in an instant, swept off by the pure joy of seeing Liz there waiting for you. She's dressed in a slightly eccentric and very retro style outfit, a low-cut denim vest over a white t-shirt tucked into red slacks, with a high ponytail and a pair of lensless old-school square glasses. Even though you've been awaiting her arrival for the past hour, a fresh sense of disbelief still shoots through you that she's really here, looking for you. Paralyzed by the sight of her, you can only gaze in wonder for a moment before she jumps forward and wraps you in an embrace. "Hey!" she says with a laugh. "Happy to see me?"

"I'm as happy as can be, Liz" you reply, wrapping your arms around her in return. "I've missed seeing you."

"I missed you too," she says. "And I've been really waiting for this day." Reluctantly she untangles herself from you. "Shall we go?"

You turn and grab the heavily packed bag off the counter behind you, slinging it over your shoulder. "Let's go." Liz makes a show of offering you her arm, which you gladly accept, and with arms linked you head for the elevator and make your way out of the building. She puts on a facemask as you exit the lobby before turning inquisitively to you. "So where are we heading?" she asks. In your text messages earlier this week, she'd proposed that you plan a romantic afternoon date, and she'd come up with dinner plans.

"Well it's a little cliche," you say, suddenly slightly self-conscious about your plans, "but I thought we might visit the Han river for a nice walk and maybe a picnic."

Any worries you had about such a simple date for a successful idol are quickly dispelled by the grin on Liz' face. "Oohh that sounds great, and it's a perfect spring day for it too. I do love some cheesy romantic tropes."

It is indeed a warm and sunny May afternoon, with a cool breeze that makes it perfect for pleasant strolls outside. You offer to call a cab, but Liz suggests you just take the subway, likely to be equally fast on a Friday. The hustle and bustle of public transit keeps you from saying too much on your journey, but you're happy just to be side by side. Finally you find yourselves on a pleasant riverside pathway, enjoying the scenic views and perfect temperatures. Liz even takes off her mask given the relative absence of crowds on a workday afternoon (you haven't told Liz but you've actually taken time off work for this, eager to take advantage of the first possible opening in her still very busy calendar). At your request, Liz regales you with some inside stories from their busy weeks of promotions, giving you plenty of new insight into both the hilarity and intense workload of idol life away from the cameras. Finding a quiet spot with plenty of grassy space, you stop and set down the bag you've been carrying, retrieving first a blanket to spread on the ground and then a large assortment of food for a picnic. Liz' eyes particularly light up when you open the small cooler and retrieve several cheesy goodies. "Mmmm, I do really love cheese" she says with a hungry grin.