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The next morning Nani woke up to sun streaming through the curtains of the hotel room.  She sat up and looked around.  No one was in bed anymore.  She yawned and grabbed her phone before turning it on to check the time.  Her eyes widened.

“Eleven thirty???”

She rolled out of bed and rushed out to the living area of the hotel.  Jinie was holding her spoon in midair, clearly about to take a bite of cereal.

“Where’s Jordan and Jae?” Nani asked.

Jinie sighed and stuck her spoon back in her bowl. “They wanted to go shopping again, so I told them they could take the car and go.  My feet hurt too much to even think about going shopping.”

Nani glanced towards the door before looking back down at Jinie. “Did they ask where we were last night?”

“I mean…yeah.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That it’s a secret and they’ll find out later,” Jinie replied breezily.

“Do you…plan on telling them?”

Jinie paused for a moment. “Maybe when we get home.  I don’t want to tell them right now.”

Nani nodded.  Then she heard her phone chime in the other room and went to retrieve it.  It was a simple ‘hi,’ but the contact name caught her attention.  She walked back to the other room.

“Last night really happened, didn’t it?” she asked, showing Jinie the text.

Jinie laughed. “Yes, yes it did.”

“So,” Nani sat down next to Jinie. “What were you doing last night after you left me and Jimin all alone?”

Nani watched as Jinie turned pink and shoved another bite of cereal in her mouth.

“Jinie…?”

“Tae and I just drove around town, that’s all,” Jinie mumbled around her bite of cereal.

“Hmm…your cheeks say otherwise.” Nani laughed and reached up to pinch Jinie’s cheek lightly. “You know…now that I know about you and Tae…I’m going to have a lot of fun teasing you.”

“Oh, shut up!  What did you and Jimin do last night?” Jinie asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Um…we mostly just looked up at the stars and talked a little,” Nani shrugged. “It was a bit awkward since we just met…” she turned to Jinie again. “How on earth did you get to know Tae?”

“Well…since we met at a photoshoot…we had a similarity to use to start conversations.  He’d often just text me to ask how my photography was going, and then it would turn into a real conversation.”

Nani sighed. “Well…where do I start, then?”

“Just start getting to know him.  Ask him something.  Offer him a piece of information about yourself.”

So, she did.  Nani lay in bed that night hidden under the covers as she drafted texts over and over again.  She didn’t have to make the first move after all, though.

“Do you want to talk?”

She smiled as soon as she read it.

“Of course!  How are you?” She sighed.  What kind of response was that?

“I’m ok.  How about you?”

“I’m good!”

A few seconds passed before either of them sent another message.

“What’s it like being an idol?”