Refund Beach City

Changing Paces

Mook rolled around in his bed, restless. It was a Saturday, meaning that he had time off of classes. It also meant that he did not make any plans. He was bored out of his mind. Unable to stay in bed any longer, he hoisted himself up and got himself dressed and ready for the day, hoping to find something to entertain himself with. Walking out of his room and into the living room, he was met with his new roommate.

"About time you got out of bed."

Gang Ho was sitting on the couch, a bored expression on his face. He was certainly dressed extremely comfortable. Sweatpants and s T-shirt comfortable. Mook shrugged and joined him on the couch. Mook was surprised when he was told that he would be sharing a living space with Gang Ho. He wasn't upset though. In fact, he was more than happy to finally be able to live in the student dorms with students around his age.

"So, where are you going?"

Tilting his head, Mook looked at Gang Ho in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"You're dressed extremely well, so you must be going somewhere."

"As far as I am aware, I'm staying here."

Gang Ho gave Mook a skeptical look. His expression, however, quickly turned to disbelief once he realized that his roommate was serious. The two spent the next half hour going over what was appropriate to where and when to wear certain things. It wasn't until Gang Ho received a text message that the conversation had ended.

"Looks like we have a reason to dress decently today. Aru has invited us to go to the pier today with her and her friends."

Mook was already up on his feet and urging Gang Ho to go and get dressed as soon as he heard the girl's name. Gang Ho stood in a stunned silence as Mook shut his bedroom door after pushing him in. All of a sudden, a smile broke out on his face as he erupted into a fit of laughter. Mook was as oblivious to his own feelings as he was harmless. Shaking his head, he sent Aru a text stating that he and Mook would be accompanying her. Stretching every last bit of laziness from his body, he got dressed and headed out with Mook.

Aru was sitting on a bench near the entrance of the pier when Mook and Gang Ho arrived. She wore white shorts and a sky blue shirt. When she noticed the approaching boys, she quickly stood up with a smile across her face.

"You two made it! Come on, Xena and Susu are saving us seats at a restaurant."

Mook suddenly became nervous as he watched Aru and Gang Ho walked ahead of him. He wasn't exactly the best when it came to socializing with people that he didn't know. Maybe everyone would have more fun if he goes and stays in his room. Just as he decided that he was going to turn back to his room, he felt a tug. He stiffened when he realized that Aru had grabbed his hand. A small tint of pink covered his cheeks as he tried his best to not freak out.

"Where are you going?"

Mook began to panic. He had hoped that he could have just slipped away quietly so that no one would notice. As he tried to stutter out excuses and replies, Aru gave his hand a little squeeze. Mook gulped before looking into her big, beautiful eyes.

"It's okay Mook, I'm here for you."

Mook suddenly released the breath that he didn't realize he had been keeping in. He didn't care that his face was probably a bright red at the moment, or that he was becoming a jumbled mess. He had her, and that's all that mattered. He waited a while before nodding to her. He and Aru interlocked their fingers as they went and joined Gang Ho at the entrance. As they went and joined Susu and Xena at the restaurant, Mook and Aru never let go of each other's hands.

The five young adults spent the rest of their day on the pier. They ended their adventure on the Ferris wheel. Mook watched as Gang Ho and Susu entered a passenger compartment together, waving at the remaining three members of the group. Xena, not wanting to intrude on Mook and Aru, joined a single male passenger around her age. Mook laughed as Aru prayed for the auburn haired boy who was cursed enough to share a compartment with her friend. It was finally time for Mook and Aru to board their own compartment for the ride. The stars shined brightly as the two friends chatted about themselves, sharing things that no one else would hear.

When the Ferris wheel stopped, the two looked around for their friends. Susu and Gang Ho were beneath them, Susu smiling as Gang Ho was getting nervous that they were going to free fall to their deaths. They could tell that Xena was above them even before they saw her. They heard her loud voice booming above them, her breath spent on several memes. Looking up, they were surprised to find that the boy was sitting patiently, taking in every word the short girl spewed out. It could have been the lighting playing tricks on them, but they could have sworn that they had seen the boy's face redden as Xena sat next to him, ignoring people's individual personal space. Mook and Aru shared a look before bursting into fits of giggles and laughter. After settling down, they finally sat down. With every passing second, the two slowly inches closer together. Aru laid her head down on Mook's shoulder, and the two enjoyed the view of the beautiful night sky. In that very moment, everything was perfect.

But not all perfect moments last.