We’re eating healthy food—steamed vegetables, and steamed chicken with a side of rice that tastes good with salt and pepper, doused in sriracha sauce, and everything is delicious.

“I’m sorry, I can’t even get you guys a pizza,” Maddie groans, stabbing her fork into her steamed chicken and taking a vicious bite. We’re all sitting at her small kitchen table which feels like it’s hardly been used if she’s anything like me—I usually eat while in front of the TV or standing over the sink before having to leave the house.

“I have no willpower in the face of pizza, so steamed chicken it is.” Maddie sighs, like it’s killing her that she isn’t eating the one thing she wants.

“Are you cutting weight or something like that?” Aria asks, humming over her own food. “This is really good though, and I won’t feel like dying by the end of the night for eating too much. It’s good, Maddie, don’t worry about it. I’m just happy to be here with you two, okay?”

Maddie groans again, glancing up at her ceiling but I can tell her eyes have gotten a little wet and I’m pretty sure she’s fighting back tears.

Maddie’s always been the one out of us that doesn’t like crying in front of others, like it’s somehow burdensome to show emotion in front of either Aria or me. I can probably count on my hand the number of times I’d seen her cry when we all lived together as roommates back in Montreal, which somehow makes me think of our old neighbours Elena and Sophie, and I fleetingly wonder how they’re doing.

I’m sure it’s the jet lag that’s making me feel loopy like this, all out of sorts, a little lost in the conversation, like I’m just letting it pass over me instead of catching onto details and sentences and phrases to understand them. I dip in and out of conversation while I try to concentrate on eating a healthy meal, knowing it’s going to make me feel better.

“Oh, she’s crashing,” Aria says, and it takes me a few seconds to realize she’s talking about me. “Show me where the coffee pot is and I’ll make us some.” It’s like I hear Aria’s chair scrape back and away from the table as if it’s far away, just out of hearing, and Maddie’s snapping her fingers in front of my face, which is rude, but I didn’t even realize she’d been doing it. How long has she been doing it?

Shit.

I listen to Maddie instruct Aria where everything is, and before I know it, I’ve finished half of my plate, and the smell of strong coffee is permeating Maddie’s apartment, making my eyes flutter at the gorgeous smell.

“Sorry,” I mumble, rubbing at my eyes, licking at my stinging lips. “Sorry, but I’m so out of it right now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Aria says, somehow next to me now, making me startle in my seat. Her hands rub my back and I want her to stop because I’ll fall asleep, but I also don’t want her to stop since it feels so nice.

“The couch is a pull-out bed, or you can go sleep in my room, if you want, Raleigh,” Maddie says, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

“Yeah, why don’t you? I’ve already had a nap and I feel a lot better.”

I smack my lips and sigh. “No, I’ll be good once the coffee hits me. I can stay awake a few more hours, I’ll just go to bed really early, that’s all.”

Maddie nods, and Aria starts to braid my hair and it’s nice, but also too relaxing, so I stumble to my feet, nearly knocking the chair back and over onto the floor in my haste.

“Shit, sorry. I’m so sleepy. Can I use your shower? Maybe that’ll wake me up.”

“Yeah, sure. Just…maybe keep the door unlocked so we can get to you if you fall or something.”

I nod dumbly, fighting back a yawn, clenching my jaw tight enough that the pressure in my head build and builds. I huff out a tired sigh, then get to my luggage, pulling out clothes and toiletries and everything while Maddie gets me a couple of towels, so I wash off the plane smell and feel.

I feel a whole lot better after a lukewarm shower, my hair freshly washed, body scrubbed free of some of the fatigue of being in a plane for so long.

“Better?” Aria asks, now dressed in sweats and cozy clothes, looking a lot like mine except her long-sleeved sleep shirt has Leviathan written across it, which reminds me of the gifts I brought the both of them.

“Yeah, so much better. Here,” I say, carefully grabbing the wrapped presents from the bottom of my suitcase and handing one to Aria and one to Maddie. Both of them look at each other with surprise and a little kid kind of glee at being presented with wrapped gifts that I know they’re about to rip apart.

“Is this what I think it is?” Aria asks, ripping the package open, then starting to laugh her head off. “Trickshot merch! You know, ever since you told me about them, I don’t think I’ve listened to anything else? Shit, man. I can’t believe you know them. And that you’re dating one of the members, I can’t even believe it.” Aria shakes her head, holding out her long-sleeved black shirt, and the Trickshot logo is all I can see on the back of it.

Maddie’s grinning at her own soccer jersey type of crop top that I know she likes to wear when training sometimes, especially when it gets too hot outside when she’s running drills or running around the track. “Raleigh, shit, this is awesome.” Maddie holds the shirt up, wiggling it as if testing the stiffness and flow of the fabric and apparently it meets her specifications. “We’re gonna wear these to the concert, right? Hey, where’s yours?”

I huff, a little annoyed at being called out so fast. “Mine’s got Jaeyong’s face all over it and is sitting in my suitcase, waiting for me to wear it to the concert.”

“Shit, our first K-pop concert,” Aria sighs, holding the shirt tight to her chest, like I’m going to reach over and tear it out of her hands. “It’s going to be so, so great, I just know it.”

I snort, and Maddie shoves at Aria’s shoulder—we all know how she gets with her high expectations over every little thing that happens to her. “Aria, come on.”

“I know, I know. But I’m excited! Ayden’s not looking the most forward to it, you know, since large crowds like that tend to freak him out, but I hope he’ll be okay.”

I nod along, because yeah, that’s fair. There’s going to be more than a hundred thousand people at Wembley—standing and sitting, all at the same time. “There’s going to be tons of security, and we’re going to be right in front, at the barricade,” I say, making a motion with my hands. “It’s not going to feel as crushing as if we were in the middle of that huge sea of people or anything like that.”

Aria grins hard enough that I think she’s going to rupture something in her cheeks. “It’s going to be so much fun, especially since I’m gonna be with you guys.”

Maddie pushes at her shoulder again, and Aria allows herself to flop over onto her side, settling down on the couch cushions, as if she’s truly contemplating staying there forever.

Jet lag, it’s absolute shit.

Maddie helps her up by tugging on Aria’s shirt, starting a tussle because that shirt is apparently important, one of the ones that Ayden bought her when they started dating. A lot has changed yeah, but we’re still kind of the same, even if we have additions to our lives in the form of boyfriends now.

I listen to Aria launch into the whole story about Ayden, wanting to hear it again in person now, to hug her or flick her on the forehead when she was being dumb, watching her accept her punishment as the story goes on.

“So, he’s still on hiatus; the show starts up again next month, and it seemed like a good idea to come here and meet his family. They’ve been really sweet to me so far. Then again, I feel weird about staying over and imposing, but Ayden’s loving being back home. Plus, it helps that his dog, Raven, is the cutest.”

“No way, Jaeyong’s dog is the cutest,” I say, pulling out my phone from the pocket of my sweats and pulling up a picture. “See? This is Haneul. It means sky.”

“Damn right it means sky, look at that dog’s eyes. I swear he’s prettier than I am,” Maddie jokes, looking around for denials, but both Aria and I don’t say a word. Maddie rolls her eyes. “Fine, then. Have you both forgotten whose apartment you’re sleeping in tonight?”

“All hail Queen Maddie, best footballer there ever was!” Aria exclaims, raising her hands high and pretending to bow down. Since I’m still standing, I do a deep bow, bending at the waist an almost forty-five degrees, giving respect and deep apology to my friend that all makes us giggle, punch-drunk on being united again after all of this time.

“You guys are coming to my game, right? On Thursday evening?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it. Unless this one has me traipsing all across the city the whole day that I end up sleeping through it,” I say pointing at the would-be offender, Aria.

“Look guys, you know me, all right? I’m in London for the first time in my life and I need to see it all. Got any suggestions, Maddie? What should Raleigh and I hit first?”

Maddie chews on her bottom lip, glancing off to the side, thinking. “I don’t really get out much, so I’m not the best person to ask…”

“What do you mean you don’t get out much?” Aria asks, practically pouting.

I take a seat on the couch, groaning at how very comfortable it is. Yup, I could totally fall asleep here, just like this. Hell, maybe a walk or a jog around the block would do me good, make me feel better.

If I can muster the energy to get up and do it.

“What do you want from me, Aria? I’m in training all day long practically, and then I get to see Jesse for a little bit before the whole day starts over again. Weekends are usually for travelling depending on the time of year, and I still need to squeeze in time to do my groceries and take care of my apartment. I haven’t been really interested in seeing old buildings and shit. It’s not like they’re going to go anywhere. I can see them whenever.”

“Fine. Fine!” Aria says, leaning back into the couch, head pillowed against the back of it, staring up at the ceiling, looking betrayed. “I guess I’ll ask Ayden’s parents about what we should see and do. I’m going to leave him with his parents as much as possible but there’s only like, another six and a half days left, and I need to see as much as possible.”

“Jesus, you’re going to sleep like a baby on the plane ride home, aren’t you?” I comment, and Aria nods enthusiastically.

“That’s the plan. That’s the plan.”

We’re quiet for a few more moments, each of us sitting next to each other on the couch, staring at the TV screen and an old episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine that’s playing that I don’t really pay attention to.

“We only have six days with each other, all of us in the same city in almost an entire year, and I want to see the both of you as much as I can,” Aria says, always being the bravest one of us, laying it all out there. She sighs, and I sigh too, leaning down to get my head on her shoulder, not the most comfortable spot, but needing that connection.

“And I want to see everything. Is that too much to ask for? Really?”

Maddie slaps at her thigh, making Aria gasp in pain, jostling me on her other side. “Stop being dramatic. I’m going to see you every single evening from here until you leave, and you’re basically sleeping over until then. You’re gonna watch one of my games, fucking finally, and then we’re going to the concert at the end of the week and fawn over K-pop idols while Jesse gets jealous, and Ayden gets however Ayden gets. It’s going to be great. Don’t ruin it by saying it’s already over, all right?”

“Fine,” Aria growls out, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, shit, this is a great episode. Turn it up, would you?”

And it feels like old times, watching the Halloween episode of the fourth season, where we watched it for the first time together, back in our apartment in Montreal what feels like a lifetime ago.

Some things change, and some things apparently never do.