Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 27: Love Hate

Krystal didn't know what to expect of her first reunion with Amber. She had returned from Europe a few days ago and their lunch date this afternoon, planned around Amber's busy schedule, would be their first in-person contact since their break. Krystal's stomach was knotted with anxiety and anticipation as she drove to the cafe.

The one thing that she did expect was that they weren't getting back together today. They had agreed to continue their break until mid-March to give Amber time to promote her album without distraction, and Krystal thought that was fair. But even if they couldn't date during this time, she hoped that they would at least be able to hang out occasionally, like today.

"I wonder if I'll seem any different to her," Krystal thought to herself. She wondered if her experiences in Europe had matured her at all. Truthfully, she didn't feel any more mature. She spent most of the vacation being incredibly jealous of the friends that Amber hung out with while she was away.

The only change that Krystal could feel was that she realized that she had thrown the word "love" around too loosely with Amber while they were dating. It was true that she had loved Amber as friends for a long time now, but that wasn't the kind of love that Amber was thinking about whenever they had said "I love you" as girlfriends. It was only very recently that Krystal could say with complete certainty that what she felt for Amber was deeper than friendship love.

"Maybe I should tell her about my sex dream," Krystal thought with a smirk. She was in high spirits and practically skipped from her car to the cafe door. She stepped inside and skimmed the tables with an eager smile, wondering if she had arrived first. She immediately saw Amber's blond head of hair facing away from her and her heart skipped a beat, but then she noticed that Amber was not alone. Sitting across from her was Luna, and the two had their heads bent in heated conversation, oblivious to Krystal's arrival. She found it odd that Luna was there when Amber had said that this was a date, but it was odder still to see Luna and Amber arguing with each other.

As Krystal approached the table, Luna's eyes met hers and she stood to welcome the maknae. The darkened expression that Luna had worn while talking to Amber melted into an affectionate smile, which Krystal instantly returned. She had not seen Luna since returning to Korea either, and she happily greeted the older girl.

"Soojungie!" Luna said, wrapping Krystal into a warm hug. "I'm glad you're home."

"I'm glad I'm home too," Krystal agreed, returning the hug. "I didn't know you'd be here, otherwise I'd have brought your souvenir," Krystal said apologetically to Luna. "I'll give it to you next time."

Luna shot Amber an angry look that wasn't well hidden from Krystal's view. But then she turned back to Krystal with a bright smile, piquing Krystal's curiosity about their conversation prior to her arrival. "It's OK, Soojung-ah, I'll look forward to it. I have a schedule to get to now, so we'll catch up another time."

Luna moved to leave the table, but Amber caught her arm and pulled her back into her seat.

"No you don't," Amber said firmly. "Sit down and let's order lunch."

"But I'm busy," Luna said pointedly, pulling out of Amber's hold as dignifiedly as she could manage. She smiled warmly again at Krystal. "I'll call you when I'm free later this week, OK?"

"But you're free now," Amber said just as pointedly. Luna and Amber eyed each other with annoyance and Krystal could stay out of it no longer.

"OK, what's going on?" Krystal asked, looking back and forth between her two members with concern.

"Nothing's wrong," Amber said, pulling out the chair next to hers and motioning for Krystal to sit down. "It's good to see you, Soojungie. Let's order."