Dancing in the dark

Chapter 16

Jeongyeon started to clean the mess the girls had made. They said they were going to make dinner, not start a food fight.

Nayeon had ended up shoving Chaeyoung away from the pot of noodles she was making, because she kept adding ingredients she didn't want in there and Chaeyoung had responded by dumping a bag of flour over her head.

Before she knew, all hell had broken lose and there were seven girls and a seven year old covered in flour dust, walking around the house looking like tribals.

Mina stepped into the house, gasping and slowly breaking into a smile when she saw Nayeon and Ari wiping the kitchen counter, covered with flour from head to toe, sporting a matching pout on their faces.

"I'll clean this, why don't you go take a shower?" She took the kitchen towel from Nayeon's hands, pecking her on the cheek.

Jeongyeon helped Mina prepare the dinner, as one by one the girls stepped into have a shower.

They visited the Statue of Liberty later that night, disguised as students in their big hoodies and baseball caps.

"Stop stealing my food." Chaeyoung elbowed Nayeon, as she tried to steal another French fry from her paper bag.

"I swear to god, if you both start fighting again, I'm going to ground your grown up arses." Jihyo warned, stepping in between the pair who was about to exchange blows. "There won't be any sight seeing for you tomorrow."

Nayeon sulked and sat next to Mina on the park bench, the New York City lights around them glimmering, brightening up the night sky.

"You can have mine." Mina extended her bag with a small smile on her face.

It grew when Nayeon's eyes gleamed, an endearing smile lighting up her whole face making the New York lights seem dull in comparison.

They rode the subway home because Chaeyoung wanted to have the New York experience.

Nayeon threw a sleeping Ari carefully over her shoulders and stepped into the subway grumpily, still a little mad at Chaeyoung.

"What is that man doing over there?" Chaeyoung's eyes focused on a guy in the car adjacent to theirs.

She snapped her neck back to the girls, dropping her bag of French fries to the floor when she realized he was jerking himself off.

Nayeon completely enjoyed how ashen her face looked. "Got your New York experience Chaeyoungah?"

Chaeyoung gave her the middle finger in reply.

"Ari and I can take the couch." Mina offered when they got home.

"No." Jihyo declined, "It's too uncomfortable for two people."

At the end it was decided Mina and Jihyo was going to share the bed with Ari.

Momo, Sana and Dahyun were going to take the bed in the second room and Tzuyu was going to spend the night on the couch.

Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung and Nayeon slept on blankets on the floor in the wide space between the coffee table and television.

Sometimes during the night, Nayeon shuffled in her sleep when she heard a whimper coming from behind a closed door.

She opened the door to Ari's room and found Mina crying in her sleep, her whole body trembling and shaking as she kept muttering, "No!! Please, that hurts."

Nayeon felt her heart clench painfully knowing Mina still relived her past as nightmares.

"Minayah?" She held the girl's hand softly as she slowly stirred from sleep. "It's fine, you're safe now."

Mina looked at her scared and confused at first and then a shaky breath left her as reality finally descended upon her.

"Do you want to help me make some coffee?" Nayeon asked, pulling the trembling girl up on her feet gently. "I can't seem to sleep either."

They sat on Nayeon's makeshift blanket bed on the floor, sipping from their mugs, making quiet conversations not wanting to disturb the sleeping girls around them.

"Do you always have them?" Nayeon asked putting the mug down on the coffee table and taking Mina's empty mug from her hand.

Mina leaned against the armchair and shook her head as she stared at the roof.

"Sometimes," She lied, knowing Nayeon would get worried if she admitted she had them almost every night. "It's not as bad as it used to be."

Nayeon turned around after setting Mina's mug down and glanced at the girl who looked lost in her thoughts.

"Next time it happens, you're going to call me no matter the time." She said softly, getting a quiet nod in return.

They talked until Nayeon's eyes grew sleepy, and she laid back against the blanket trying to keep her eyes open as she looked up at Mina who sat next to her.

"Go to sleep Nayeon-chan." Mina brushed a hair behind her ears.

Nayeon patted her side, "No, I want to talk."

Mina laid down beside her, leaning on her elbow and resting her face on her hand, "Fine, let us talk."

Mina gave the sleeping form next to hers an affectionate smile because ten minutes later Nayeon had stopped rambling and was snoring softly in her sleep.

She bent down to lay a tender kiss on the older girl's forehead.

She pulled away, about to go back to her room, when Nayeon sleepily pulled her into her arms, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

That night, Mina slept without nightmares for the first time in two years.