“Maddie,” I groan, pushing at her shoulder. “Hello, Jesse. I’m Raleigh. Nice to meet you. This is Aria, and that’s Ayden,” I point to the both of them. Aria’s smile is brighter than the sun, and Ayden’s gaze seems to be skittering between Maddie and Jesse, like he doesn’t know who to concentrate on first.

“Nice to meet all of you. Come on in, please. I’ve got steaks in the oven, and the salad’s almost ready. What would you like to drink? I’ve only got non-caloric beer, unfortunately, and water. We’re starting up a new season, yeah?”

I nod, like I understand what’s going on, but I get going on a diet. Before Jaeyong had to leave Seoul for the world tour, he had to cut his weight, and he was the whiniest baby about it, no lie.

“Yes, of course,” Ayden stammers out, and Jesse waves us into his home, all of us following like little ducklings. Maddie’s still ribbing Aria and Ayden, and Aria hisses at her and Maddie shuts up.

“Ta-da!” Maddie waves her hands at the set table, pointing to seats that we all take. Both Maddie and Jesse bring over the plates with freshly plated steaks, a giant bowl of salad in the middle of the table that Maddie struggles to spoon some in everyone’s plate, glaring at a piece of lettuce that flew the coop and hit the table, leaving an oil-and-vinegar splotch behind.

Her eyes cut to me, and I mash my lips together to keep from laughing.

“You saw nothing, Raleigh. Absolutely nothing.”

I nod along, pretending, murmuring a thank you when she hands me my plate back.

When everyone’s got food in their plate, out of habit now because even my English has suffered that I haven’t been using it as often as I could have been back in Seoul, I utter a “jal meokkessumnida,” a Korean version of bon appétit, and start digging in once Jesse gives us the go-ahead.

We all make our exclamations of how good the food is, and then conversation starts to turn to everyone else: Ayden stammering out about working in the States, even though his accent firmly puts him as a Londoner (or at least to my untrained ears).

Ayden talks about the show he’s working on, almost like he’s a crew member instead of the star of the show, and I watch Aria looking at him with stars in her eyes and a whole lot of love.

That’s it, I’m going to send Jaeyong no less than a thousand selcas and make him miss me as much as I miss him. I can’t stand this.

How much longer do we have to go?

Forty-six hours now? Forty-six hours…

I’m going to lose my mind from being this impatient, I just know it.

Shit!

“He’s the star of the show,” Aria supplies. “We met at a comic con last year, randomly. And then started dating, also randomly.” She nods to the table, because both Maddie and I know this story, or know as much as Aria has told us. “We came to London because Ayden wanted to see his family, and Raleigh’s boyfriend—ah, shit. Sorry, uh…” Aria’s eyes get wide and big, knowing she’s stepped in it.

It’s not information I like to give out, obviously. Some people have weird reactions, like my mom back in Montreal, when she deigned to call me to check in, and I told her I was with my boyfriend. I don’t tell a lot of people that I’m dating Jaeyong (except for Aria and Maddie who don’t know who he is, or what he does, and they honestly don’t care as long as he’s sweet to me).

But can I trust Jesse?

Maddie gives me a small dip of her chin, the tiniest nod of approval, and I give as much information as I want to.

“My boyfriend works with Trickshot, the K-pop band coming to Wembley in a couple of days,” I say, keeping it all deliberately vague. Aria looks like I shot her in the chest, as if her saying anything about my boyfriend spilled the beans.

Honestly, though, I just met Jesse and it’s my decision to say what I want to say about Jaeyong.

I know there are Korean players that are part of the Super League and the Prime League. Trickshot’s the biggest K-pop band to ever exist, to ever come out of South Korea—those players know who they are, and I can’t afford Jesse or Maddie slipping up, so I’m keeping that circle small, keeping it just to Maddie herself.

“And he got us tickets to the concert on Friday night, which I’ve sent to you, Maddie. It should be in your email, yeah?”

“Shit, I forgot to check on that. Where’s my phone? Jesse, do you know where my phone is?” Maddie asks, pushing back from the table and disappearing for a few seconds where we all kind of stare at each other awkwardly.

Well, it’s awkward on my part, and Ayden looks like he wants to be anywhere but here, or at least to change bodies with someone who wouldn’t be fanboying so very hard.

“Found it!” Maddie yells, thumbing through it. “Yup, I got them. Barricade, baby!” She punches the air, looking at me excitedly. “This is going to be awesome.”

“Did you listen to their Trickery album?” Aria asks, notching her chin at Maddie. “Because it’s dangerous on so many levels. I kinda wish I were fluent like you, Raleigh, so I could understand the words without having to go through other people’s translations…” she groans in frustration.

“Well, there’s literally nothing stopping you, so go for it,” I say, scooping up some more salad and chewing.

“I want to hear stories,” Jesse says, interjecting in the conversation.

Maddie frowns at him, taking her seat next to him. “What kind of stories? What are you talking about?”

“Embarrassing stories…about Maddie,” Jesse grins. “You guys must have some stories, no? You lived together for so long.”

Aria and I glance at each other, grinning wickedly, while Maddie squawks and tries to break our stare by putting her freakishly long arm between us, waving it around as if she’s going to make us forget that we’re sitting across from one another.

“Oh, we have stories,” I say, laughing.

“No, no, you don’t. I’m a perfect human being and I make no mistakes ever. Not once in my whole entire life. That’s all you need to know, Jesse, okay?”

Conversation moves in different directions after that, and before we know it, dinner’s all done and we’re each drinking our non-caloric beer (which is not that bad, honestly, but I miss my pomegranate soju, not going to lie), when Aria sighs deep enough that it sounds like she’s got a world-ending kind of wound.

“Why does time always seem to move faster when you’re on vacation, huh? What the hell is that? Who allowed this?” She shrugs, then points to Maddie and me, looking like she’s about to start crying. Ayden rubs a hand along her back, while Aria dips her chin and looks down at her now empty place setting.

“You want to speak to the manager?” Maddie asks on a choked laugh, but it sounds like she’s forcing it, biting it off too quickly.

“Time’s going by so fast. We’re going to see your game tomorrow night, Maddie, and then the concert’s the next day, and then bam! We all have to go back home, and I wish I could’ve taken a longer vacation, but I just can’t,” Aria sighs. “I’m going with Ayden to a comic con in July, and that’s it for my two weeks of allotted vacation,” Aria sighs again, this time loud enough that she looks like a deflated balloon.

“I know, Aria, I know. And I’m busy with training when it would have been really cool to spend the days with you guys, too. But…” Maddie says, snapping her fingers. “I’m really excited that you’re going to be in the stands tomorrow. Super excited.”

Ayden looks like he’s going to bust a gut, and there’s a vein on his forehead that looks quite foreboding.

“Oh, yeah,” Aria says, as if remembering something, opening her mouth, just in time for Ayden to interrupt.

“I’m sorry, but could I have both of your autographs for my parents? Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry, but honestly it would make them so happy,” Ayden blurts, all in a half-breath, words tumbling together, mixing up together that Maddie and Jesse both look at each other and glance back at Ayden, shrugging their shoulders as if it’s all totally fine.

Ayden appears to deflate after that, and Aria scratches at the back of his head, trying to soothe him.

It’s funny how the celebrity got star-struck himself.

“Let me get one of the press shots,” Jesse says, scraping his chair back, smiling at everyone at the table.

“Okay, how bad am I doing, honestly?” Ayden asks the table, and Maddie’s laughing and Aria’s pressing a kiss to his cheek and both of my best friends have found love, and we’re all getting along, and it’s great, if it wasn’t for Jaeyong missing.

God, I could just see him here, sitting with the rest of us—conversing in a mishmash of English, French and Korean, and everything would be awesome, I just know it would be.

Jesse comes back with a photo and a Sharpie. Maddie signs her name on her own picture (which Jesse has hanging around the house, which is so cute I could die), and then Jesse signs his own, handing the both of them to Ayden, who takes them as if he’s just been handed the holy grail.

The tension breaks even more after that, and it feels like more connections are being forged, deeper friendships being made.

It’s great, if Jaeyong weren’t missing.

I glance down at my phone and mentally tabulate the time left until I can see Jaeyong and hug the shit out of him.

Forty-four hours and counting…

Forty-four hours…