ˏˋ°•*⁀ ➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
─◌✰ ್𝗌𝗎𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗍
𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁 (𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻) /ˈ𝘀ə𝗻ˌ𝘀𝗲𝘁/
❝𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗇 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝗋 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖿𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗌．❞

What the hell had Seungmin been thinking when he suggested orange picking?

With a hurricane on the horizon, the weather was absolute garbage. The wind whipped the car around and around the whole drive, causing Minho to nearly swerve off the road twice. Rain slapped the windshield so hard it sounded like bullets, and everyone had to yell over the noise just to be heard.

Now that all sixteen of you were at the orange trees - the Seoul gang had gone in their van, and the Jeju group took Tessa's car - it was like dodgeball, but with fruit.

Everyone was bundled in raincoats and long pants, standing in the middle of the orchard, in a sad attempt at staying dry. You stood huddled next to Felix, whose arm was around your shoulders. He looked like a wet cat. A cute one, of course. You all ducked as humongous, juicy oranges threatened to knock you out.

"Holy shit!" Seungmin yelled, pulling Renee out of the way as a particularly large one nearly hit her in the head.

"This is all your fault, Kim Seungmin!" Riley cried as she pulled the black raincoat Tessa had lent her closer to her body. Of course, no one had packed raincoats, so the girls had to borrow them, and the boys had to buy them on the way.

"I didn't think about it when I asked Renee out!" Seungmin protested, pulling his hood on. "I thought it was going to be romantic!!"

"If one of us gets killed, it's gonna be blood on your hands!" Lanhua agreed, pointing at him, eyes squinted. She somehow looked perfect in her pearly white raincoat, a sodden gray beanie atop her head. "I just wanted oranges to make juice with back at home!"

"Well, I'm not about to let the rain stop me!" You exclaimed, yanking your hood off and approaching one of the trees. Most of the fruit had already fallen off, but there were still a couple of hardy ones hanging on. "I want oranges!"

"Laska, you definitely shouldn't climb that!" Hyunjin broke in, eyes flicking between you and the ferociously swaying tree. "You're gonna kill yourself if you go up there."

"No I won't!" You insisted, grabbing onto the lowest branch. "Besides, if something happens, Lix will catch me!"

Felix sighed. "Hyun, you know she's not gonna listen to you. I'll catch her."

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Ooh, I wanna climb the tree too!" Seungmin exclaimed, lunging at the tree next to you.

"You better be careful, I'm too cold to catch you like I did back on the beach," Renee warned him.

"I forgot you did that," JJ laughed as she picked an orange up off the ground. "Does this one look okay to eat? The rain made it clean, right?"

"JJ, if you eat that I will have an aneurysm," Hyunjin said seriously, trying to swipe the orange from her.

Giggling, she dodged out of his reach. "No, find your own ground orange!"

"I don't want a ground orange, I want you to be safe!!"

You laughed at your brother's antics as you continued to climb. You'd never seen him care so much for a girl before. Usually, he would just side-eye them when they made bad decisions. It must mean he really liked her.

"Oi, Laska, throw the oranges down to me!" Riley called at the foot of the tree. "Chan said he'll hold them in his pockets!"

You nodded as you reached for two that hung just a few feet above your head. Your arms weren't very long, but you knew if you just stretched a little farther, you could get them. You stood up, taking both your hands off the tree.

"Laska, you're gonna hurt yourself!" Felix yelped from his spot next to Riley. His arms were already outstretched, like he expected you to fall at any moment.

You tore the oranges from their stems and threw them down at Riley, who handed them to Chan. He stood by watching the spectacle, an amused smile on his face.

"No I'm not!" You insisted. "If I have you here, nothing can go wrong!"

"I think you overestimate my strength!"

You rolled your eyes, climbing a bit higher. The extra big ones were closer to the top, and you'd be damned if you didn't get them.

About halfway up, you started to get a little tired. You glanced across at the other tree where Seungmin was sitting, his legs swinging in the misty air.

"Did you get any?" you yelled at him, and he grinned, nodding.

"Ren is holding them for me!" He pointed down at the girl. "But now I don't wanna climb back down!"

You laughed, shaking your head. You looked towards the ground where the rest of your friends were. Jeongin was holding Mya up as high as he could so she could get some of the oranges that were just high enough that neither of them could reach. She was laughing so loud you could hear it over the rain. Tessa was up in one of the trees across from you, trying to hit Minho with oranges as he yelled curses up at her.

"Gimme another orange Laska, Chan is eating both of them!" Riley complained as she tried to take the fruit back.

You continued to climb, grabbing three more oranges and throwing them down to your friend.

"Okay Laska, I think you should come down now!" Felix called, ignoring Chan when he offered him one of the oranges.

You glanced down at your boyfriend, and sighed, relenting. You started to move backwards, placing your foot on the branch below you, when a raucous wind rocked the entire tree, root to leaf.

You let out a cry, and before you knew it, the branch you clung to snapped, and you were falling through the sky. And once again, you were out of control. The branches whipped your face, creating micro cuts on your cheeks and forehead. Those were going to scab over and hurt for weeks. You squeezed your eyes shut.

"Felix!" You screeched as you fell.

This was just like the night when you almost drowned. Only this time, you weren't nearly as afraid. You knew Felix was there for you. And you found yourself feeling less terrified of the lack of control. Less terrified of everything, actually.

When you landed in Felix's arms, a huge grin spread across your face. You looked up into Felix's eyes - which were blown out in terror - and hugged him.

"I love you," you mumbled into his jacket. You didn't care that he was all wet or that he smelled like dirt and leaves. You just cared that he was him, that he was there.

Felix groaned, kissing the top of your head. "I love you too, idiot," he mumbled. "I'm not letting you climb trees or anything else that might endanger your life. You might think it's funny, but I almost had a stroke."

You laughed, hopping out of his arms and lightly kissing him on the lips. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to stop me."

He grinned despite himself. "You're probably right. I'll be here just in case when you do stupid things."

"Sounds good to me," you smirked. "As long as I can break you out of all your doomed, insecure thoughts."

Felix pouted. "Hey, not fair! I don't have doomed thoughts."

"Okay, whatever you say," you grinned, grabbing his hand and tugging. "Can we keep orange picking? Maybe you could lift me up like Jeongin is with Mya!"

"That sounds a lot better," Felix agreed, and he hoisted you up to reach for a few more oranges, gazing at you with stars in his eyes.

——————————

"This was the perfect first date," Renee said to Seungmin as they walked next to one another through the grass. Seungmin was peeling an orange for them to share, water dripping into his eyes.

"I'm sorry it was so rainy," Seungmin said sheepishly. "I would have waited, but I didn't know when I'd be seeing you again."

"Well, maybe for our next date I can come to Seoul," she suggested. "I bet you have tons of stuff."

Seungmin perked up. "Next da- yes! We could go to a museum, or maybe I could show you all my camera supplies? Do you like getting your picture taken? Because I do photoshoots!"

Renee blushed. "I'm a little camera shy, but I wouldn't mind trying with you."

Seungmin pumped his fist in the air, almost dropping the orange. Renee grabbed his hand to steady it, and he just grinned at her. She smiled back.

——————————

A few trees away from them, Robin and Han sat together on a low branch, watching their friends. Robin plopped her head down on his shoulder.

"I can't believe you're heading home already," she said after a long silence.

"I wish you were coming back too," he sighed. "You're not too far from us, why not leave now?"

She shrugged. "My grandparents need me till the end of the summer. But I'll be back in September. Then we can hang out all the time," she nudged him in the side.

Han grinned. "Really? Aren't you like, super busy?"

"I mean, yeah, but not busy enough not to see you. Besides, I'm a content creator. You would make me a bunch of money," she smirked.

"Is that all I'm good for?" Han complained. "I'm just a money machine?"

"You know you're good for way more," Robin chuckled, and Han laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist as they lapsed into silence once more.

——————————

Tessa stood by herself, propped up against a tree, peeling an orange.

"Truce?" Minho, who had been hanging out with JJ and Hyunjin, headed over to her.

She glanced up, eyebrows raised.

"Lee Minho wants a truce?" she asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, seeing as I'm leaving tonight, I thought it might be a good idea. Wouldn't wanna end the trip with any bad blood, ya know?"

"Was there bad blood between us?" she cocked her head.

"Uh, you were just throwing oranges at me like, five minutes ago."

Tessa laughed quietly. "Fair point. I got a little too excited, I guess."

"I know. You still love the rain," Minho stated it like fact, studying her with a watchful expression.

She nodded, not saying anything.

"So, what do you think?" He asked again.

Tessa sighed, but it was clear she wasn't upset. "Okay, a truce. For now. Until we see each other again."

"Don't stay away for too long, yeah?" Minho said so quietly he wasn't sure she heard him.

Tessa just pursed her lips in response, before walking back towards her friends.

——————————

JJ and Hyunjin, now alone after Minho wandered away, walked together under the trees. JJ bit into the orange whole, like it was an apple. He shook raised his eyebrows.

"What's up?" JJ came to a stop, watching the man suspiciously. "You look extra pouty today."

Hyunjin shrugged, continuing to walk. "I can't believe you ate that orange off the ground," he said, dodging her question.

JJ rolled her eyes but played along. "I didn't eat the peel, that was the part that was dirty." She reached out and grabbed his wrist so he was standing next to her. "Seriously, what's up?"

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair, before breaking out in a charming grin. "You're just so hot like this. Your hair all wet, juice dripping down your face. It almost makes me not want to leave Jeju."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "Then don't."

Hyunjin spun her around and grabbed her waist. She had to admit, despite his drama queen tendencies, he was incredibly smooth. "You should come to Seoul with me."

JJ chuckled and shook her head. "You know I can't do that."

"Why not?" he pierced her with intense eyes, and in spite of herself, she felt her heart stutter in her chest.

"Just... things," she replied, pulling herself away from him. "I'll come visit you, I promise. You can show me all those cafes you were talking about."

Hyunjin nodded slowly. "That could be fun. You like coffee tasting?"

JJ wrinkled her nose. "Not really. But you'd make me go with you, huh."

"We could judge them harshly together," Hyunjin joked.

"Yeah, that's me, the judgy girl," JJ laughed along. She reached out and put an arm around his shoulders. "You're a great friend, Jin."

"Yeah, you are too Jiah."

——————————

"I don't want to leave you," Changbin said to Lanhua as they walked together.

Lanhua sighed, coming to a stop. "I don't want you to either, Bin. But you have work there, I have work here. My- people have high expectations of me, and I can't just leave. We'll see each other really soon. You know that."

"How do I know that though," he muttered, averting his eyes from her. "How do I know that you-" he stopped himself.

"That I what?" Lanhua asked.

"That you feel the same way," he finished lamely.

Lanhua lifted the man's chin up, kissing his cheek. "You just have to trust that I do," she replied.

"Why would I believe you, when no one has felt the same way? How do I know we'll actually be together?"

"You're the most special man I've ever met, Seo Changbin." Lanhua narrowed her eyes. "And if it's meant to be, we'll fight for it. Right?"

He sighed, but squeezed her hand. "I'm going to miss you, Hua."

"I'll miss you too, Bin."

——————————

Finally, when everyone was oranged out, you all met in the middle of the orange trees. It was about time to drive to the airport. Everyone had packed their stuff so they could go straight from the orchard.

"I can't believe we're really saying goodbye," JJ finally said, looking at everyone. "You're all such amazing friends, and we just met two weeks ago!"

"I don't want to go home," Mya sighed as she reached for Jeongin's hand. He accepted, squeezing lightly. At least they wouldn't be leaving each other.

"I'm going to miss you guys!" Robin exclaimed, reaching out to hug Mya. "We have to meet up when I get back in September."

"When will we see the rest of you?" you asked, looking at JJ, Lanhua, and Tessa imploringly. "You're all so busy."

JJ and Tessa glanced at Lanhua, as if they were expecting her to speak first.

Lanhua nodded, a grin spreading across her face.

"Well, I actually have some news for you guys!" She said, eyes flicking to Changbin. "I'm going to be in Seoul for a whole month, starting in October."

"What??" everyone gasped.

"Oh my gosh, for what???" you demanded. "And why haven't you told us?"

Changbin turned to face her, eyebrows raised. "Yeah, why haven't you told us?" he asked. He didn't look upset, just curious.

Lanhua eyed the floor. "Well... I didn't know for sure until this morning, and I didn't want to get your hopes up. But my work is organizing a doggy training camp over in Seoul, and they're sending me as the trainer! And they said all of you can come and help out. You'd get paid, not a life-changing amount, but enough to live on! So..." she blushed, trailing off.

Changbin slid an arm around her shoulders, smiling slightly. "Is this your way of asking us to come along?"

"Yeah! I mean if you- if you want to. If you have time! I understand if you can't, everyone is so busy," Lanhua, uncharacteristically blustery, hid her face in her hands.

"Well, you know JJ and I will be there," Tessa shrugged. "My employees can take care of the bookstore for a month, they don't need me."

"And fuck my bartending job I wanna hang out with puppies!" JJ chuckled. "Plus, I think it would be nice to spend some time in Seoul." She glanced almost imperceptibly at Hyunjin, whose eyes widened.

Ewee. You turned away from them, and over at Lanhua instead.

"Well, I'll be there!" you agreed, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "I can't wait! I love dogs."

"Ooh me too!" Mya gasped. "I love little dogs, they're so cute."

"Count me in too," Riley nodded. "Maybe some of the dogs would let me draw them."

"By the way, where is this training camp?" Robin asked. "I might have some sponsorship meetings during October."

"It's a real camp, so it's gonna be in the woods!" Lanhua clapped her hands. "We're gonna be right by the lake, so we can swim, make campfires, hike, all the fun naturey things!"

"Oh..." Renee trailed off. "I don't love the outdoors. But I wanna support you, so I'll be there." she smiled at Lanhua.

"I guess it's decided, we'll all be there in October," Chan promised Lanhua, who beamed at him.

"I can't wait," she said as everyone made their way back to their cars. "I promise, it's going to be a blast."

It was with a simultaneously heavy and light heart that the Jeju girls waved you all goodbye outside the airport. Lanhua squished you in a tight hug, the both of you trying not to cry, the scent of her matcha perfume wafting up your nose. JJ just grinned and gave you a side hug, promising you that she would actually text back for once. Tessa nearly suffocated you in her arms, Renee almost cried on your sweater, and Robin squeezed your hand with a wink.

Then, the five girls were gone.

You knew they'd be back in a matter of months, but their absence was still weird. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying not to think about going home, returning to your normal life.

Who were you kidding? You wouldn't be going back to your previous life. Everything had changed. You finally came to terms with the fact that you wanted to be a fashion designer. You had overcome your fear of losing control. And best of all...

"Laska, you okay?"

Felix stood behind you, worry clouding his eyes. He reached a hand out to you.

You smiled, grasping his hand and squeezing. "Yeah Lix, I'm okay."

"C'mon guys, I need a snack! Those oranges weren't filling enough!" Riley called from the front of the group.

"I still have sticky fingers, can we stop by the bathroom?" Mya questioned.

"I still have seven oranges in my pocket, someone help me eat them!" Seungmin demanded, chucking one at Han's head.

You and Felix shared a look, both of you trying not to laugh.

"You ready to go home?" He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and you could feel him smiling. Warmth spread throughout your body. No matter how much you would miss this trip, the island, and your friends, you knew that with Felix by your side, you'd be okay.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

laska's note —
honestly no words. i loved writing each long distance couple's farewell. of course, it won't be a long time until they'll be reunited! just a few months. it's still sad that they're all leaving one another for awhile! it's over an hour flight for them to see each other, and with their busy schedules they probably won't see each other until the fall! there's only the epilogue left 🥹 i will miss writing felaska as the main characters I'm this world.

question of the day —
what is something you want to see in the next book of this series?

my answer —
i have a lot planned... think fall aesthetic, halloween, everything. let ur mind go wild 😉

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊