Paper Cranes

"Welcome to LA!" Jared exclaimed, hands in the air as we walked through the airport. I laughed at his excitement; he wrapped his arm around my waist, the other holding his bag of clothes. I was pulling my suitcase along as we walked through the tunnel. The buzz was evident already. People around us were whispering loudly. Jared was wearing his aviator sunglasses, a hat with a black jacket with black shirt and black pants. I was wearing a plain red t-shirt with black jeans and a baseball cap. It felt awkward.

After we passed the security and reached the exit of the airport, a bunch of paparazzi were waiting, cameras in hand flashing as we got into a cab. Jared sighed, directing the cab driver to his place. He sent me an apologetic look. I held his hand and gave it a squeeze. He smiled. I stared out the window, there were houses flashing by, large bungalows. I was awed by the size of these houses. It was nothing like New York.

The car stopped in front of a large house. Jared paid the driver and pulled me out of the car. He searched for his keys and clicked on a button. The gates opened automatically and he led me inside. I was gaping at the size of the place. It was simply mind-blowing how one person could afford such a place. I heard Jared laughed. "Come on, it's late. I'll show you around outside tomorrow, now let's go inside," he said, putting his hand on my back, pushing me towards the front door.

He unlocked it and went to key in his security code for the house before coming back where he left me, the hallway. "This is your house?!" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He took my suitcase and set it aside. We took off our shoes and he gave me a tour. "First off, we have the living room. This is where I like to chill out most of the time, watch some movies, sleep, read," he leaned against the beige couch as I observed the room. It was bigger than my apartment put together, it had a wide flat screen tv, a shelf filled with DVDs and CDs and vinyl records. There was surround sound system and a classic record player. The walls were decorated by some abstract paintings. There was a large glass coffee table in the centre with magazines and newspapers stacked one on top of another.

"Come on," Jared took my hand and pulled me into another corner of the house. "This is the kitchen and dining room," he said. I knew I was gaping but I couldn't help it. It was like my dream kitchen. Pots and pans were hung on the wall, there was a big stove fully equipped with an oven. A dishwasher, two sinks joined together, nicely furnished cupboards, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a large fridge, a center place with two bar stools where people could just hang out. A cabinet built for bottles of wine and various other alcohols. The dining table was rectangle and could fit six people around it.

"Next, we have the bathroom," he said, switching on the lights. Even the bathroom was nice. It had a shower installed within a glass enclosed area. The walls were painted in light blue colour with towels arranged neatly on hangers.

"Okay, let's go upstairs," he said. We climbed up the wooden floors. There were photographs of Jared, Shannon, Tomo and most probably his family and his fans framed on the wall. There were also some Chinese statutes on the middle of the staircase as decorations. "This is the guest room," he opened the door to reveal a queen size bed, neatly made with a black and white photograph hung above it, a bedside table with lamp and a make-up table.

"Nice," I nodded approvingly.

He grinned. "This is kind of my work room slash library, I guess you can say." The room had a study desk in the middle with stacks of papers spread all over it, a PC, shelves and shelves full of books, storybooks, art books, autobiographies, cookbooks, decoration books, magazines, etc. There was also a two people brown couch in a corner and an acoustic guitar next to it.

"Then, there's the rehearsal room." It was basically a room dedicated for band practices. It had a drum set, a keyboard, a few bass guitars, a row of electric guitars and another row of acoustic guitars, various other musical instruments which some I couldn't identify. It looked foreign. There was cupboard with the awards the band had won with endless fan gifts and photographs of the band with the fans. It was like music heaven in there.

"Last but not least, my bedroom," he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at me. I rolled my eyes but followed him into the room. It wasn't the master room in the house as the previous room was much bigger, so I presumed Jared had used the master room for that purpose instead of keeping it as his bedroom. There was a king-sized bed with a simple retro black and white dots bed sheets. A make-up table. A closet which was like a separate small room within the room. It was filled with suits, casual clothes, shoes, shorts, etc. etc.

"Wow! I don't think I'll ever own this amount of clothes," I said. Jared laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling me out of the closet. He started to kiss the side of my neck. I was staring blankly at the wall but I felt myself lost in the enticing kisses. Once his lips found mine, I knew I was doomed. He spun me around and I felt him slowly lowered me down onto the bed. Our lips never parted as I felt his hands roamed freely around me.

***

I yawned loudly as I woke up on Jared's comfortable bed. I groaned and stretched underneath the sheets, the soft, fluffy pillow felt so good. I snuggled against it and reached out to my side. There was no one beside me. Confused, I opened my stinging eyes and searched for Jared. He was nowhere in sight. Where did he go? I forced myself out of the bed and picked up the first article of clothing in reach. I wore Jared's black shirt on; it was large enough to cover half of my thighs. I went to the bathroom and rinsed my mouth with the mouth washer. I hated morning breaths.

As blur as a five year old kid, I made my way down the stairs and popped my head into the living room. It was empty. I searched the kitchen next and there he was, standing by the stove, cooking some omelets. He was wearing only a pair of boxers, looking as fine as ever. I tiptoed as quietly as possible across the wooden floor and wrapped my arms around his waist, surprising him. I felt him jump slightly. I laughed and snuggled my face against his back.

"Morning sunshine," he said, agitating the frying egg on the pan.

"Morning!" I muttered, taking a glimpse of his cooking. It smelled delicious which made my stomach grumbled. Jared chuckled. "Someone's hungry."

I smiled shyly, hands still wrapped around him. "Had a good rest?" he asked, one hand holding onto both of mine as he flipped the omelet on the pan.

"Uh-huh."

"Erm… Ro… I need to get the plate," he said. I looked at him and let go of him. I leaned against the counter opposite him and watched him grabbed two plates from the cupboard and lowered the omelet onto one of the plate as he fried another.

"Can I look at your fridge for something to drink?" I asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead. Make yourself at home," he said, still focused on frying the omelet.

I went to the fridge and opened it. Half of it was empty and I took out a carton of mixed fruit juice. I searched through the cupboards for a glass. I poured the juice into the glass and took a sip from it. The sweetness of the juice slipped down my throat. I turned back to watch Jared and he was already done with the omelet. They were bigger than the usual omelet size and they looked welcoming to feast on. He handed me a plate and I sat down by the bar stool.

Jared waited for me to try it and without wasting another second, I took a small piece. It tasted fantastic. One of the best omelets I had ever tasted. "These are great! I'm impressed!" I said. He grinned proudly and ate his. I finished the whole plate within minutes and downed the juice. Jared started to laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"You just devoured the whole thing!" he exclaimed, finishing his.

I rolled my eyes and filled my glass with juice, handing it over to him. He took it and drank a few gulps from it. "You know what, Ro?"

"Hmm?"

"You look awfully sexy in that shirt," he said in a lower voice, putting down his plate on the counter and made his way over.

"No. No. No," I shook my head. His hands found their way around my hips as he pulled me closer to him. A smirk on his face. He kissed me on the lips. "Jared…" I whined.

"Yes?" His lips had moved down to my neck.

"I-"

"HELLO?!!! ANYONE IN THERE?!!!" A voice shouted over the PA system.

"Ah, damn it, Shannon!" he cursed and let go of me; he left the room to open the gates and door for Shannon. I was still slightly dazed at the kitchen when Shannon entered. He wolf-whistled when he saw me which brought me to my consciousness. My face flushed red immediately. Jared punched his brother's shoulder playfully and stood in front of me, acting as a shield. I held onto his arms.

"So… you guys had a good night, huh?" Shannon teased.

"Shut up, Shannon," Jared retorted.

Shannon laughed as he leaned against the dining table, arms crossed. He was wearing his usual black clothes, a hoodie with a vest and baggy jeans. He seemed more cheerful than I remembered him last. I presumed he hadn't shaved in a few days. His brown hair was messy.

"I'll go change," I said, excusing myself as I slipped out of the kitchen as quickly as possible, took my suitcase and ran up the stairs. I took out an old t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants. I threw them on and returned downstairs. The brothers were at the living room, quietly discussing something.

I knocked on the door to get their attention before walking in, so that I wouldn't walk into some important conversation. Jared waved for me to come over and I did. He pulled me down onto his lap. Shannon was smiling happily from the couch next to ours.

"So, how are you Rowena?" he asked.

"Couldn't be better," I replied. Jared held my hands, his head rested on my shoulder. "Couldn't be better," I whispered, beaming.