just ash

chapter 6

Once they made their way through the line to the bathroom, Susie yanked Ash into one of the stalls.  They squished into the small space, and Susie grabbed Ash's phone out of her hands - again.  Susie climbed on top of the toilet seat in a show of her great balance despite their evening of drinking.  Ash did her best to snag it back, but the combination of her drunken state, the limited wiggle room, and Susie's ability to twist and turn expertly kept her empty-handed.

"You know, your disregard for my personal property is kinda rude, pal."  Ash glared at Susie, who was again scanning the messages Namjoon had sent.  Susie ignored Ash and slowly shook her head, her eyes wide.  She wobbled on the toilet dangerously, and Ash put her hands on her tiny waist to try and stabilize her.  Unfortunately, that only caused Ash to wobble, too, and they both toppled until they were leaning against the stall's graffiti-covered wall.

"Ash, this is serious.  Do you know who Namjoon is?"  She scoffed before continuing, "No, of course you don't.  Namjoon equals RM.  Does that ring a bell?" 

She looked at Ash expectantly, but before Ash could reply, Susie drunkenly barreled on.

"RM is the leader of arguably the biggest boy band in the entire fucking world.  Remember that video you were drooling over earlier tonight?  Yummy boy with the eyes and the lips and the smoke and the hotness?!"

Ash gave Susie a blank stare in response, her alcohol-fogged brain working at a much slower pace than usual, until the light bulb finally went off in her head.  Her mind went back to the music video they had been watching before going out that evening, to the attractive man's familiar voice and eyes. 

Susie noticed when Ash's eyes flashed with recognition, and then held Ash's phone an inch from Ash's eyes.  Then, she was yelling again.

"MY CLUELESS ROOMMATE IS TEXTING THE IDOL OF ALL IDOLS.  YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME."

Ash felt annoyance bubble up into her chest and she snatched her phone back from Susie's grip before her roommate began flailing again.  She suddenly felt very sober as she tried to rationalize her situation.  There was no way Susie was right.  Namjoon could be a common name. 

This has got to be a coincidence.  What are the fucking odds?

"Susie, you have completely lost it.  And you have had too much to drink.  I am cutting you off, woman!"

"But Assssshhhhhh, it all makes sense! His mask! His leaving suddenly every time you cross paths! Think about it!  This is a fairytale!  AN IDOL FAIRYTALE!"

Ash opened her mouth, ready to retort a snarky response, but then she heard a faint voice. 

"Hello? Helloooo . . ."

"Do you hear that?"  Ash scuffled around to look through the crack of the bathroom stall to see if someone was trying to get the tipsy pair out of the stall they had been hogging.  Susie shrugged, clambering down from the toilet to plop down onto the seat. 

But then, Ash glanced down at her phone to see that amidst her and Susie's bickering, they must have pressed the call button on her and Namjoon's conversation. 

Shit.

Ash gaped at her phone in horror and quickly ended the call.  Her brain couldn't formulate words, and she heard Susie squeak.  Within seconds, Namjoon's number popped up on her screen again, indicated that he was calling her back.

"Answer it, you freaking coward!" Susie growled at Ash.  Ash only looked at her roommate with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, so Susie decided to take matters into her own hands.  When Susie snatched Ash's phone this time, she didn't protest.  Susie held Ash's wide-eyed gaze and answered the call, quickly turning on speaker phone.