"Hey Sonny!"

Chae was waiting for Sonny to arrive at the little café shop where they planned to meet. The shop wasn't packed with people but all of the booths were taken so they had to get a table.

"I already ordered a matcha boba tea for me. I'm not sure what you wanted but they said once you were here to let them know that way they can take your order", Chae said as Sonny said down in front of her.

The waitress quickly came to their table and took Sonny's order which was hazelnut ice coffee and a banana.

"Okay, so what did you want to tell me?", Chae asked, taking a sip from her boba tea.

Sonny was too nervous and weirded out to tell her what went down at the dinner party, which was three days ago. Since then, she has been avoiding Jungkook.

"Alright but promise not to make a big deal out of it. Because you always do", she started.

Chae nodded and became more curious as the anticipation grows.

How would she explain it to her? In her head, it was a clear brief explanation. But no, she just said "Jungkook and I almost kissed."
Chae almost spilled her boba tea. There were too many questions running through her head. Obviously excited, she just kept asking those questions to her without giving her a chance to answer.

"It was weird. I'm telling you Chae, never in my life have I ever wanted to punch myself so hard to the point where I just forget everything", Sonny exhaled, trying to calm herself down.

"Wait, who initiated it? Was it him or you?", she asked.

"It was just one of those moments. I had frosting in my hair and it was hard to take off, apparently because I rinsed it with cold water. Jungkook came to help and....I don't know. I just found myself staring at him and then he stared at me. That's when it almost happened. But it didn't because my dad was calling for us. The rest of the night I couldn't even look him in the eye. I kept to myself and then I told everyone I was tired so I went into my room and kept panicking. I couldn't sleep", Sonny explained.

"Wow. You two are meant for each other", she chuckled.

"Chae, I'm serious. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I don't know what to say. I should just live in a damn cave", Sonny covered her face and sighed, feeling like a complete loser.

"You haven't talked to him?", Chae asked.

Shaking her head, she replayed that scene in her head again and took a sip of her ice coffee to cool down.

"You have to talk to him. You can't keep hiding. Seriously Sonny, I know you're a smart girl but you're very dense when it comes to this situation", Chae chuckled, shaking her head.

"Situation?", Sonny raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, you really have no idea", Chae reached over and placed a hand on her arm, "you, my dear, have a crush on Jungkook. And a big one at that."

She began laughing. Everyone around them stared and gave them weird looks.

"Are you crazy? How can I have a crush on Jungkook? He's annoying, has never heard of personal space, always knows where I am, won't shut up about what I eat, it's impossible for me to like him", she tried to convince Chae...or maybe herself.

"You're right. You don't like him. He likes you. I should've known", her friend said to herself, gasping.

"Okay now you have gone completely insane", Sonny said.

"Really? You've never thought about why he's always there for you? Why he's always checking if you ate or not? Why he'd risk his own life to protect you?", Chae asked.

"He's a bodyguard. That's his job", Sonny answered.

"No I know that but the way you've been explaining it, he doesn't sound like just a bodyguard. It sounds as if he's your best friend, your soulmate. You've never seen it that way?", Chae asked.

Sonny was about to answer but Chae raised her eyebrows as she looked over her shoulder, "Speak of the devil."

Sonny slightly turned around and saw Jungkook standing near the entrance of the shop. When he spotted them, he walked over. She panicked and quickly turned around, facing down.

"Hey Jungkook. It's nice to see you", Chae smiled at him.

He nodded and turned his attention towards Sonny. He wondered why she wasn't looking at him.

Chae tried to get her attention by kicking her under the table but she just muttered an 'ow' and glared at her.

"Your father mentioned a letter that came in for you. It has to do with your scholarship, I think. I've been calling you but your phone goes straight to voicemail", Jungkook said.

"Forgot to charge it. Um, Chae I'll call you later", Sonny smiled at her before grabbing her ice coffee and headed out, Jungkook following behind.

During the drive to the house, Sonny had her arms crossed over her chest while staring out the window. A few times, she'd glance at Jungkook but when he'd look at her, she'll look away.

He parked the car on the driveway, Sonny ready to get out but as soon as she put her hand on the handle to open it, Jungkook placed his hand on it as well and closed it again.

"Did something happen?", he asked, letting go but kept the door locked.

"What...are you talking about?", she asked, keeping her eyes on her lap.

"I haven't seen you in three days, I call your phone but you don't answer. You're acting the same way like before. Did I do something to make you upset?", he asked.

"...no...I'm just nervous about the scholarship..which I'm trying to find out whether I got it or not", she said, pointing to the lock of the car.

Jungkook unlocked the car and watched as she stepped out.

The envelope in Sonny's hands remained unopened. She paced back and forth, hesitating to do so.
Jungkook stood aside and tried to convince her that everything is going to be okay. But why doesn't she believe him?

Taking a deep breath, she ripped one side of the envelope before taking out the letter, reading it carefully.

'We are pleased to inform you that you are one of our winners for receiving a scholarship..'

Sonny felt like she stopped breathing. She couldn't believe anything right now, like it's a dream. Jungkook noticed her reaction and thought she hadn't gotten it but that's when she spoke up.

"I got it...I got the scholarship!", she yelled excitedly, jumping up and down.

"That's great!", he smiled before being approached by her, feeling her arms wrap around his neck to hug him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and told her how proud he was.

They stayed like that for over ten seconds and then she realized what was happening. Clearing her throat, she pulled away and told him he's gonna call her father to tell him the good news.

"That's great that you got it! See, I told you but you kept doubting yourself."

"You're right Chae. Maybe I should listen to you more", Sonny rolled her eyes before resting on her bed, keeping her phone nearby.

"You should. I guess that means I'm right about Jungkook being your crush–"

"Shhhhhh", Sonny sat up and turned off the speaker, putting her phone next to her ear, "what if he hears you?? Then it'll make things awkward."

"Awkward? Is that why you don't want to admit your feelings towards him? Because you think he won't feel the same and it'll be awkward? Sonny, you're the only girl he's ever around–"

"I don't...feel anything. Anyway, they're gonna send my profile back and what I have to do is apply to the school along with my profile. Then I'll get an interview to see if I get accepted. You think you can go with me? It'll probably take two to three weeks to process", Sonny said, walking over to the calendar that's on her wall.

"Umm..I don't know. Since I'm moving to Italy in six weeks, I have to confirm where I'm gonna be staying at, fill out more papers and applications for different programs in the school, and a lot more. I'll let you know though. I have to get going. My cousin is not letting me put away my laundry. And talk to him!"

After talking to Chae, Sonny let out a loud sigh and stared at the calendar. Then she looked around her room and realized she's not gonna be seeing it in a while. Six years is a long time. Sure there will be days she can come and visit but it'll be hard leaving.

"Hey bud", her father knocked on her door and came in, smiling before hugging her.

"I'm so proud of you. I knew you were gonna get that scholarship. You're incredibly talented", he said, sitting on her bed.

She sat next to him and let out a soft chuckle.

"I'm not that talented. It took a lot of practice. But, you know the more I think about it, the more I'm gonna miss everyone. I'll be around 24 when I come back. Though probably by that time I'll have a place of my own. I know you and Heidi should have your privacy now that you two are getting married", she said.

"Married or not, you're always welcome to stay here. You're my daughter and all I want is–"

"My happiness. I know dad. But make sure not to forget about your happiness too", she said.

Her father kissed her forehead and lightly tapped her lap before getting up.

"Dad..", Sonny called him but as he turned around with a smile, she smiled back and shook her head, "...nothing, never mind."

He nodded and walked out of her room.

"No one would understand anyway", she groaned as she laid back on her bed.

It's 1:25am, the cold breeze making noise as it squeezes through the window. It's cold but Jungkook is sweating and feeling hot. He kept tossing and turning in his sleep.

Dreams can happen at any time when someone is asleep. There are times when they can't remember what happened, or they remember vividly. Good dreams are like a happy memory but bad dreams can be very upsetting and bizarre.

The recurring nightmare that Jungkook always gets disturbs not only his sleeping schedule but also his state of mind. For him, it feels like an eternity. But it usually lasts for 3 to 5 minutes. During that time, he feels extreme anxiety, fear, stress, his heart rate racing like there's no tomorrow, and wakes up in a pool of sweat, which is what happened.

So he got up from his bed, walked towards the bathroom, stood in front of the sink and splashed water on his face. He kept leaning against the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

"Such a hypocrite", he mutters silently to himself.

Once his breathing evened out, he went downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. It somewhat helped. But as he took a sip, he noticed a familiar figure out on the patio.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?", Jungkook asked Sonny who was leaning against the railing.

"Oh..couldn't sleep", she answered.

He stood next to her, also leaning against the railing.

She glanced at him and noticed his shirt was soaked. With water? Did he shower?

"I'm...too excited to sleep. And maybe a bit nervous", she said.

"Why are you nervous? You already got the scholarship. What's to be nervous about?", he asked.

"Mm..just being away from home, wondering whether people will like me. I don't want it to be like middle school and high school", she admitted.

"It's one's choice to go to college. And a very stupid decision for those who go and just not care and fool around. And this Arts Program, I'm sure is filled with intelligent and talented people, just like you. It would be very immature of them if they act the same way your old classmates did. I have no doubt that you are going to meet incredible people. You'll have lots of friends. Maybe even a few boyfriends...", he mumbled awkwardly while looking ahead.

"A few? What kind of person do you think I am? A, I'm gonna be too focused on schoolwork. No distractions. And B, if I'm gonna be with someone, I'm gonna try my hardest to stay with them as long as I can. I don't want to waste my time with a person if I know it's not meant to be. I want to take my time and hopefully I'll get married and have kids. I always thought about getting married at an early age. Like my early twenties. I know it's crazy–"

"It's not. You have goals set and that's a good thing. Sure, it might not happen the way you want it to. Plans change. I always told myself that I'd be married by 20 and have two kids but look at me now", he chuckled, tilting his head to look at her.

"You haven't..tried dating?", she asked.

She's feeling weird now. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that question.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow and thought about it. Why didn't he try dating? Was it because of his past? Or how he was so focused on bettering his mental health? Or maybe because the feeling in his gut hasn't given him a sign...yet.

"Sorry..I shouldn't have asked you. It's stupid", Sonny chuckled awkwardly and brushed her hair back.

"It's not stupid. But you did forget about how I told you I've never been with anyone. I'm inexperienced when it comes to relationships. And like you, I was dealing with some problems which invaded my having a normal teenage life", he said.

"Normal is boring. I didn't forget you telling me that. Well at least we can relate to something", she said.

He smiled softly, exhaling a , "yeah."

Sonny turned to face him, noticing his change of expression, "are you okay? You look...sad, which is weird. You're never sad."

"I'm not a robot Sonny. I have emotions", he laughed.

"Yeah but you remind me of a cyborg. Take it as a compliment if you want", she said.

He nudged her arm, scooting closer to her. She can feel his arm against hers, staring up at the night sky.

"Did you enjoy the birthday presents you got from Heidi and your father? You didn't open them at the dinner party", he asked.

Sonny wondered if he started becoming suspicious about why she went up to her room so early. She did open her presents but a day later when she was alone in her room.

"I did. I got a small purse and a few drawing pads and pencils from Heidi, a huge hoodie from my dad and there was a bracelet on my desk, I don't know where it came from. But I like it", she said, showing the bracelet that's on her wrist.

It was a bracelet with black beads and a small charm of a crescent moon.

"Glad you like you it", he smirked, looking other way.

"Wait....this is from you? What the f–..When did you put this in my room??", she asked, eyes widening a bit.

"You were asleep. I wanted to talk to you but you looked really tired. I think you were drawing something. I didn't want to wake you up so I just put it on your desk. The crescent moon symbolizes new beginnings and the making of dreams into reality. When I read about that, it reminded me of you. You're starting a new beginning and I hope your dreams turn into reality", he smiled.

The corners of Sonny's lips slowly turned into a smile and she looked back down at the bracelet.

"Doesn't the color black symbolize evil and despair? Are you secretly trying to disguise bad luck with a really great symbol? That's messed up", she teased.

"I chose the color black because black looks good on everything, like me. That's why the majority of my clothing is black. If I wore any other color, I wouldn't look as intimidating as I do with black clothes", he explained.

"No it's because of your muscles, tattoos, long hair and height that make you look so threatening. If I didn't know you and saw you somewhere, I wouldn't get anywhere near you.....hm..maybe that's why girls don't approach you", she said.

"I thought some girls like the bad boy type. Does that mean you don't like the bad boy type?", he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't go for looks. I mean, I wouldn't like it if someone went out with me just because of my looks. I would say I'd be more than happy to find someone who loves me for my personality but...really, I'm just scared. They're gonna want to know who I am and if I tell them about what happened, I feel like they're gonna think I'm too messed up and will probably find someone better", she said.

"That's not true. You know that right?", he asked.

"You don't know that. Like, with your past, you never think once they find out, they'll be scared of you?", she asked.

Jungkook tries not to think too much of his past. He wants to focus on the future. But really what if his future makes him look back at the past?

"I think, if they really love you, they would never leave your side and most likely try to be supportive as much as they can. But there are a lot of possibilities, right? It's possible they can turn their backs on you and regret ever saying hi. But it's also possible that they trust you despite of it and love you unconditionally, you know?", he said, tilting his head.

Nodding, she gave him a smile and turned away, watching a stray cat sleep near the trees.

"Hm, it's almost 2am and we're having these kind of conversations. Sleep deprivation can be the result of it", she joked.

"It's nice though. If we didn't have anything to talk about, it would just be awkward", he said.

"But just because we're hanging out and not talking doesn't mean it's awkward. It can be like we're enjoying each other's company", she said.

He looked down and smiled, agreeing with her.

So they became quiet, looking up at the stars until it was 5am. The sun was going up, but neither of them were tired.

Jungkook is on his bed, Sonny is on hers. Both were looking up at the ceiling while holding onto their chest, thinking about the past.