Beyond The Stage

The Day Before

Alexis's POV

Like promised, I saved Do-Song some breakfast. The hotel doesn't have to-go boxes. Who would, at an all-you-can-eat breakfast? That's a straight way to losing money.

So instead, I stuffed a muffin and some bacon into my jacket pocket after wrapping it in a napkin. I would feel bad, but I've done this too many times to feel remorse. It's not like I'm stealing.

I put some fruit into a styrofoam cup and put the lid on, confidently walking out with my 'coffee.'

Do-Song is already waiting outside, which makes me wonder how long he was out there. Now I really want to know what Elijah did.

"Hey cutie. You got the stuff?" He says in a low voice as we start walking. I roll my eyes at his act and hand him the cup. "Oh, how smart. Are you an experienced thief?"

"I paid for it, I don't steal. Never have, never will." I say as I pull out the muffin from my pocket.

He chuckles, "You got me a muffin too?" He starts to reach for it, but I slap his hand away. "This is for me, I gave you fruit."

He looks at me incredulously. "How is this breakfast?"

I take a bite of the muffin before speaking. "I'll have you know, fruit is very filling. You said yesterday you wanted to get into shape. This is step one."

"I never said I wanted to get into shape, I said I was in shape."

"Yeah, the shape of a donut."

"Shut up."

I don't actually mean it. He obviously works out, judging by his toned arms and legs. I even saw the outline of abs when the wind blew his shirt up against his chest. I'm just making fun of him because his cardio sucks.

"So what do you want to do today?" He asks.

"Well, I have to get some groceries, because buying snacks and going out everyday will kill my bank account. I need to buy some clothes since I only brought a few things, and-" 

He cuts me off, dragging me away, "You can do that later, let's go to the arcade and do the boring stuff tomorrow." Why even ask if you're just going to ignore me? 

"I'm serious Do-Song. Unless you are willing to pay for me every time we eat." I try to imply. If he won't let me go to the store, I'll just force money out of him.

He doesn't think twice before answering, "Yeah, no. I'm broke." Wow, I feel the love. "I promise, tomorrow okay?"

"Tomorrow is the concert." I state lamely. No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to stop me from going to that concert.  It's not an option.

"The day after, then." He smiles. I think it over. I should have packed enough for one more day, and I can just split the check with Do-Song wherever he takes me. And I like hanging out with him, even though I'll never admit it. I'll just make him pay for the arcade, and call it even.

I smile, giving in, "Fine." He cheers, making me chuckle, before he starts pulling me again.

♡♡♡

The day ended up just like yesterday. After I beat Do-Song at almost every game twice, he got grumpy and said that the games were 'rigged,' so he took me to a bunch of recreational places. We went to an open carnival, which was free to get in to, but you had to pay to ride. I told him then and there, that there was no way in hell I was getting on any ride other than the merry-go-round. When he laughed at me, I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine and walked away with my ice cream like "that bitch." When he got his shit together, we went to a go-kart place. I was amazed, because it let us drive out in the streets. We even had our own lane just for go-karts that was blocked off by cones.

I had a lot of fun, but at the end of the day, I realized that I have one of the biggest events of my life tomorrow. It's only a concert, but it was a big deal for me. I was going to my first concert to see the seven boys who practically saved my life perform. And they were going to be just a few meters away from me. 

I have no idea how I managed to get such good tickets. I showed up about two minutes before they went on sale, and had 2,000 plus people in front of me. When I finally got in there were two seats left in the pit. I tapped faster than I ever did on flappy bird trying to get it. I didn't look at the price, because I knew I would've hesitated if I did. It was pure luck. What amazed me even more was seeing stories on social media about fans waiting thirty minutes before the sale, and using multiple devices, just to find only 2nd level seats left. I don't know what happened, but fate really played a role in this one.

"Do-Song!" I screamed out. He jumped at my random outburst, since we were walking in silence back to the hotel before I screamed.

He puts his hand over his heart. "Damn woman! Tf you tryin' to do, kill me?"

"The concert is tomorrow!"

He looks at me like I'm crazy. "Honey, we've known that. Are you okay? Your brother never said anything about memory loss."

I hit him on the shoulder as a habit, not fully paying attention to him. "Oh my mother of pearl, they are going to be right in front of me! What if I faint? I'll probably faint. Or have a panic attack." I start pacing. Either of those is possible. I've had severe anxiety my whole life. I don't have panic attacks often, but they're not rare either.

"Hey, calm down." Do-Song grabs my shoulder with one hand, and starts rubbing circles on my wrist with the other. It makes me regain some focus. "You're not that special." I immediately turn my head towards him, ready to slap him into next year. "To them, I mean! To them." He covers up quickly.

I raise an eyebrow at him, partly pissed and partly confused. "You are one of thousands of fans in the stadium. One of millions in the world. It will seem special at the moment, but at the end of the day, life will continue on. No need to get worked up over it." He explains.

I stop worrying. Every one has to face the facts eventually. Even though he's right, he could've worded it differently. I turn away and continue walking to the hotel, refusing to talk to him, much to his dismay.

When we reach the hotel, he's still trying to justify himself. I walk into the lobby and hold out an arm, signaling for him to stop. "When you learn how to "comfort" someone without insulting them, you can come back. Until then, don't bother me. Tomorrow is off-limits, though." He nods, not wanting me to hit him again. 

Trying not to be a total jerk, I give him a smile, "Thank you for showing me around, Do-Song." Thanks to him, I haven't been completely lost during this trip. He showed me a lot of cool places, and became a great friend in only two days. Though he's an annoying idiot sometimes, I'm glad he's here.

He smiles, "Your're welcome Alexis." He mumbles under his breath, 'so bipolar.' 

I walk past the desk towards the elevator. "I heard that."