Paper Dolls

Chapter 32

I sneak into the dorms just before midnight. The lights are all off, the girls must already be sleeping, getting their much needed rest before the full week of rehearsals ahead of us. 

And then there's me. 

Jiho and I spent about an hour with each other, mostly hugging and seeking much needed comfort. I wish we had the entire night to spend like that. It's only been a few minutes but I already miss him like crazy. 

A text pings in my pocket and I look down at my screen to see a flurry of 'goodnight' and 'I miss you' emoji's from him. 

The smile on my face stretches, pulled apart by invisible strings and I push open the door to my room, partially grateful that Binna has been sleeping elsewhere and I wouldn't have to worry about waking her up. 

I stop in my tracks when I see her sitting by the computer desk, looking very much awake. 

Her arms are crossed over her chest and it feels like I'm walking into detention and am about to be reprimanded. 

"Just came back from visiting your 'sister'?" She asks me sarcastically and I quickly shut the door so that our conversation doesn't carry into the living room. 

I lean against the door and purse my lips together. "If I said yes, would you accept that answer?"

Binna scowls and gets up. She starts pacing the small confines of our room and her pyjama pants are so long, they drag on the floor. "You know what bugs me the most. It's the fact that I know how naive you can be about things and I keep thinking that you're in danger but I can't do anything about it because I have no idea where you are." 

My heart softens slightly knowing how Binna has always been protective of me since I came to the city. "I'm not in any danger, Binna. I just need some closure about some things. And I'm not that same girl you met four years ago. We're eighteen, we're like proper adults now."

She snorts and we both laugh a little. My shoulders feel lighter suddenly, like a huge weight has been lifted off them. Binna has been my best friend, almost like a sister since coming here. Not talking to her feels as foreign as not taking a shower in the morning. It's unnatural. 

"Does the twenty one year old heart throb idol, with the most possessive fans have anything to do with this closure of yours?" Her eyes narrow at me suggestively and my cheeks turn beet red knowing she's talking about Jiho.

I shrug and sit on my bed. "No, but it's somehow become a support system to me. Never knew I needed it till it sort of happened." 

"Well I hope you know what you're doing. You saw how crazy the netizens were when they saw him with 'a girl' and how our company reacted. I really feel like you're threading on thin ice here." 

"Don't worry, Binna. We're going into rehearsals this week. We're going to be so busy and tired, I won't be able to meet him much." I mean technically we'll be performing together and I will definitely be seeing a lot of him but there will be people around us. 

We can't do much in a situation like that but still the thought of being together with him on stage and then back stage, it causes a rush of excitement to flood my veins. 

Binna obviously doesn't buy a thing I just said. She rolls her eyes dramatically before speaking. "Whatever. All I care about is that if you ever find yourself in danger, remember you have me, okay?" 

I bite my lip remembering all the precarious situations I had put myself in only today. What if Binna is right? 

"I will," I say after a long moment of contemplation although involving her in this whole Dalia thing is the last thing I want.