Azalea

So I sort of managed to convince my parents that I had to work on a super big project at work after hours and went to Azalea's place. And okay, granted, I'm an adult and I can do as I please in my own home but I didn't really know how to explain to my mom that I was going to a girl's house to watch a movie and eat dinner after an already exhausting 'home-cooked' meal. So I just didn't.

I was nervous. Not so much about Azalea, though I suppose that there was a nervousness there that was always present, but about Taemin. They must have been friends if they lived together and she did say that he was her friend. What if he didn't like me? What if? I shook my head as I took the elevator up to her apartment.

We were all just friends.

I knock politely on the door. Why am I so nervous?

"What?" It's a man - duh - but he sounds sort of boyish, I don't know. "What do you want?"

"This is Azalea's apartment, right?"

"And Taemin's. Rude. Who are you?"

"I'm Key, I'm a friend of - "

"Tae! What are you doing?! Stop!" I could hear her pushing him out of the way and him yelling at her as she unlocked the door. She smiled brightly at me and pulled me inside, hugging me tightly. "Hey! I'm so glad you came."

"I wasn't really doing anything tonight," I shrug, laughing a little. A sulking Taemin glowers a few feet away as we sit on one of her couches. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Anytime."

"Enough." He shoots us a look, stomping into the kitchen. The microwave beeps. She shrugs and shakes her head.

"He's been in a mood all day."

"I can hear you."

"He's normally not like this." She smiles, shaking her head. "He always gets like this when he has a cold." A grumpy Taemin shuffled back into the living room, rubbing his nose against a crumpled tissue in one hand and holding a big bowl of popcorn in the other. Someone knocked on the door and he set the bowl down, heading over.

"What?"

"It's the pizza guy!"

Taemin looked over at me.

"Pay up, big guy." I started to pull out my wallet when Azalea shot him a look, grabbing some money off the table. She paid the delivery guy and gave him a tip before shutting the door.

"Tae, can you get some plates please? And the cups." She set the pizza down on the coffee table and smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got meat lovers' and veggie lovers'."

I actually didn't eat much pizza to begin with but I didn't not like meat or vegetables, so I shrugged and thanked her. Taemin plopped down between the both of us with paper plates and plastic cups, coughing loudly. Azalea slapped his shoulder.

"Rude."

"What? I'm sitting down." She shot him a look and he shrugged. We opened the veggie lover's box first, served ourselves some slices, and started to talk. "So... Key... if that is your real name... what do you do for a living? Assuming you even have a job, that is."

"I'm an intern at a museum downtown." He chewed his pizza slowly, seeming somewhat satisified with that answer.

"What do you do for fun?"

"Stuff, I don't know. I don't really have a lot of time to go out."

"But you're out now," he countered, picking a piece of brocolli off his slice.

"Tonight's different."

"Yeah?" I nodded, tossing my crust onto my plate.

"So, you seein' anyone, Key?" Azalea shot him a harsh glare with he ignored, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Hey!" Azlaea exclaimed, before I could say anything. "Let's watch that movie, huh? Kirsten Dunst is in it!"

"I suppose." We settled into the couch. Taemin fell asleep two minutes into the flim and since he was such a heavy sleeper, Azalea settled him onto the floor and curled up next to me. He snored quietly, his head lolling against the couch.

"I'm really happy you came. I kind of missed you, like a lot." She smiled.

"I missed you too."

She threaded her fingers in my hair and laughed.

"So... I - I think Phillip and I are on a break."

"Yeah?" She nodded, laughing. "I think you could do a lot better than him anyway."

"Do you?" She kissed my nose. "Do you wanna stay? I can get rid of Taemin." We both glanced at him on the floor, watching as he breathed heavily.

"I would if I could, but I have work early tomorrow, but maybe we can hang out or something after, hm?"

"It's a date."