Baby Daddy

4. Dreaming

Rai sat across from Ava in the cafe when she arrived, and there was only one thought that was continually passing through her mind again and again.

Ava's purse was like Mary Poppin's.

Ava seemed to be able to pull item after item out of the black purse on her lap, setting it on the table between the two of them. The waiter that had brought their coffee order over a minute or two ago had eyed the odd assortment that strewn the table, but walked off with his odd looks in tow.

So far Ava had pulled out a thermometer, a stress ball in the shape of a heart, a blood pressure cuff, a protein bar, some Tylenol, and a BTS magazine.

"What is all this?"

"You're going through something," said Ava as she tucked a strand of her cinnamon hair behind her ear. "I just can't tell yet if it's something you're going through because you're sick, stressed, or over tired. Perhaps it could be a combination of the three."

Ava reached out for the thermometer. It wasn't one of those forehead thermometers either. Instead it was an old fashioned thing that Ava leaned across the table and shoved into Rai's mouth without asking permission or giving a warning, nearly making Rai choke.

"Stop being a baby," said Ava as she sat back in her chair again as she left the thermometer dangling from Rai's mouth.

Rai reached up and was about to withdraw the thermometer from her mouth when Ava shot her a look.

"Leave it."

"You don't have to do all this..." muttered Rai. "I'm not sick."

"That's exactly what a sick person would say," said Ava as she reached forward after a minute to retrieve the thermometer from Rai's mouth and check it. "Fine. You're not sick. I agree with you."

"Thank you."

"Now it's time for the blood pressure check," said Ava.

Rai appreciated Ava being so concerned for her well-being. Even though Ava was going overboard, Rai loved her for it. She couldn't help it. The two of them had been such close friends for so long that people were convinced they were related somehow. There were many times when it seemed like the both of them shared a brain. Rai held out an arm as Ava wrapped the blood pressure cuff around it, moving to turn it on.

"I'm really fine, Ava. I'm sure it was just someone joking with me."

"You didn't sound fine earlier when you messaged me. You sounded insane - and I know we're both insane at times when it comes to certain things - but I mean...you were completely out in left field trying to fly a plane without wings or gas..."

Rai chuckled, rolling her eyes at Ava's explanation as the blood pressure monitor stopped. Ava checked what the reading was.

"You're in the clear with your blood pressure," declared Ava. "So do you have a headache? Is it stress?"

Rai shook her head as she sighed. Her eyes wandered towards the cover of the BTS magazine still lying on the table. The cover was a glamorous photo of the seven of them all with their arms strung about each other's shoulders. Jungkook was standing near the center with a wide grin on his face that lit his eyes up. She could see traces of Seol's face in Jungkook's. Seol really did look like a mini Jungkook, and those traits that didn't...were they really hers?

"You're zoning out on me," said Ava, snapping fingers in front of Rai's face. "I doubt you heard anything I just said. It must be that you're overtired. Are you overworking yourself again?"

"I'm fine," said Rai. "You just...you should have seen him..."

"Rai, you need to listen to the words coming out of your mouth, okay? You're not writing a fanfiction right now. You're living an actual real life and what you're saying is completely and utterly ridiculous."

"But what if it's not?"

"How many hours of sleep are you averaging a night, Rai? Seriously. You need to take a break from everything. Go to bed early. Then you'll see that what you're saying is nothing short of nonsense. You're starting to scare me to the point I feel I have to take you to some sort of therapist because you've had some sort of mental break."

Rai sat back in her chair before moving a hand to drink some of her coffee. Ava's concerned gaze followed her as she did so. Ava had to be right, and Rai knew it. Holding tight to this ridiculous fantasy was juvenile. She had to admit she liked the thought that she could have a family with Jungkook, but in the same beat she knew that, that man would never even realize she existed. They lived in two completely different worlds.

That night she did exactly as Ava advised. She got into bed early with the BTS magazine that Ava had left for her. She flipped through a few pages to relax her mind before falling asleep. When she woke the next day, she didn't think about Seol or his words once. She got dressed and moved to get ready for her work day. Arriving at the building, she had to admit that she did a quick scan of the eighth grade homeroom when she went by but didn't see him at all. Perhaps it really was all nothing more than a delusion caused by her stressed out mind.

She continued to think that until - about an hour into her day - her phone rang with a call from the front office.

"Hello Miss Rai. I have the police on line one for you."

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