I wake up to Han''s alarm going off at eight in the morning, making me groan and push his shoulder. "Turn it off," I mumble putting my pillow over my head. He silences it with a chuckle. "I''m going to shower; you better be up by the time I get back." He says, swatting my butt playfully.
Twenty minutes later, he is out of the shower and dragging me out of bed. I curse under my breath, making my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I am so tired this morning. We go downstairs, and I''m fully dressed in a coral sundress. It''s summer and getting warm in the afternoon. "I need coffee. Can we stop at Starbucks?" I ask, grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl. "Sounds good, but we should leave now," Han tells me, grabbing the keys.
I walk into my ballet class, iced white chocolate mocha latte in my hand. "Hey!" I greet Jess, handing her the coffee that I bought for her. "How was the party? Tell me everything!" I say excitedly. Class doesn''t start for another ten minutes, so we spend that time talking about the party. Jess had a great time, dancing, drinking, and making out with some art major whom she''s had a crush on for a while.
"There''s another party on Friday. You should try to convince them to let you go! It''s college, you need to experience parties!" Jess tells me. I nod. "There''s no way they''ll let me go alone, but maybe I can convince them to come," I say with a smile.
"Ladies," Trenton says, coming to stand in front of us. I ignore him, going to the changing room and changing into my ballet clothes and shoes. It wasn''t long before Madam Kinsley arrived and we started class. Trenton, as usual, spends the class complaining about how he isn''t flexible and watching other girls with a pervy stare.
I wonder if Trenton could be the one who sent the text. He has been creepy lately. I wouldn''t put stalking past him.
Madam Kinsley compliments my dancing, making me smile proudly, but it attracts Trenton''s stare, which annoys me. By the end of class, he has moved to dance closer to Jess and me, but we both ignore him until his hand brushes over my stomach as he does an open-armed turn. Jess sees this and moves between us, and I give her a thankful look. She is a great friend.
Class ends, and I go to the dressing area and change back into my sundress. My stomach growls loudly, and I''m excited to meet the guys for lunch. My phone dings and I pull it out, expecting a text from one of the guys, but I was wrong. It''s an Instagram notification from ''UKnowMe11''. It doesn''t say anything, it''s just a picture of me in the coffee shop. "Who are you?" I replied quickly. I put my phone away, shaking.
That''s when I noticed that the classroom was empty except for Trenton and me. I hurry toward the door, but he steps in front of me. "Where are you going so fast?" He asks with a smile. "None of your business," I tell him with a glare.
"Oh, come on, don''t play so hard to get. You''re dating those three guys. Everyone knows you''re easy." He says with a laugh.
"I''m not playing anything. You couldn''t ''get'' me if you were the only guy left on earth." I tell him with a laugh, attempting to walk around him. That''s when he grabs my arm and pulls me to him. He leans down like he is going to kiss me but I push him away as hard as I can and run out of the room when he falls back a few steps. I''m shaking as I make my way to the cafeteria to meet the guys. I know there is no way they can find out about this. I can''t have the same thing happen to them. They''ll kill Trenton. I can''t lose them.
I take a few deep breaths and gather myself as I walk into the cafeteria and see my guys waiting for me at our usual table in the corner.
I sit down with a fake smile on my face, even though I feel like crying.
"Here you go," Han says, pushing a plate over to me. I see they''ve gotten me a few different options, including pizza, pasta salad, and a cheeseburger and fries.
"Thanks!" I tell them before picking up a fry and dipping it into a large amount of ketchup, taking a bite. Kai laughs, reaching out and using his thumb to remove some ketchup from the corner of my lip, then licking it off of his thumb, making me blush.
"How was dance class?" Jae asks, his hand landing on my thigh, making me jump slightly. His eyes narrow at my reaction. "Good. Madam Kinsley complimented my dancing." I tell them. "Of course she did. You''re an amazing dancer," Han says with a smile.
"C- Can I ask you guys something?" I say, biting my lip nervously.
"Princess, you can ask us anything," Kai says, scooting closer to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "You seem off, what''s going on?" He asks, moving my hair out of my face.
"My anxiety is acting up a lot today. Do you think we can skip after lunch? Or you guys can stay. I can take the car home and come back for you guys later." I say, doing my best to keep my voice even, although I''m on the verge of a panic attack.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Of course we can. Did something happen?" Kai asks, glancing at Han and Jae behind me suspiciously. I shake my head quickly. "No-," I say, my voice cracking as my eyes fill with tears. I hate lying to them.
"I just want to go home," I tell him, a tear slipping out. "Let''s go," Han says, standing up. The rest of us follow and they lead me to the car as Kai wipes my tears away. He sits in the back of the car with me like always, holding me in his arms. The car ride is quiet, except for my sniffles as I let my tears fall, my head against Kai''s shoulder.
"When we get home, let''s change into house clothes and we will watch a movie and cuddle," Jae suggests, glancing back at me as he drives. "No scary movies though," Han says. I nod, but I''m not listening. My mind keeps playing flashbacks of my assault from high school, brought on by Trenton.
A horrible flashback starts, and my breathing becomes faster. Suddenly my throat feels closed. Kai''s arms no longer feel like the supportive arms of my husband but more like the constricting arms of my assailant.
I pull away and move closer to the door of the car, my breathing shallow. "Princess, calm down, slow your breathing for me," Kai says, reaching out to me, and causing me to flinch.
The car stops and I look up, noticing that we are home. Han and Jae turn to face us, both of their faces worried. "I-I''m okay," I tell them, between shallow breaths. "Breathe with me," Kai says, helping me regain my breathing.
We get out of the car and go into the house. "I''m going to run you a hot bath. You relax in the bath for a while and we will set up the living room for a movie night, and make you some chamomile tea." I nod to Han, giving him a small smile. I am so lucky to have them.
"I''ll bring you your clothes. Just go relax in the bath for a while. I''ll be in your room if you need me," Kai says, nudging me toward the bathroom connected to my room.
As I sink into the bath, I hear the guys'' hushed voices, but I can''t hear what they are saying. I know they are worried, but I can''t tell them what happened. They will kill Trenton and then they''ll be taken away from me!
I don''t know how long I''ve been in the bath, but I feel my tense muscles slowly relaxing, and my breathing back to normal. I think the lavender bath bomb Han put in the water has helped a lot.
"Princess, here are some clothes for you. Take your time getting out," Kai says, setting a small pile of clothes on the counter. "I''m done," I say softly, sitting up in the water. He picks up a towel and comes over to me, wrapping the fluffy white towel around me when I stand. "The movie is ready, and the couch has been converted to a giant bed." He tells me with a smile.
"What are we going to watch?" I ask softly as I dry off and change into the clothes he brought me, which are one of his t-shirts and a pair of my pajama pants.
"I''m not sure. Some romance movies that Jae picked. Come here, let me dry your hair," Kai says, lifting my hair dryer. He thoroughly dries my hair, and then we make our way downstairs and I claim my spot in the middle of the couch that''s piled high with blankets. Han brings me a cup of tea and Jae starts the movie.
I must fall asleep before when I wake up again. The movie is over and I hear the guys speaking quietly. I keep my eyes closed and listen in.
"Something had to have happened," Kai says in a quiet voice,
"I don''t know. She went through a huge trauma when she was younger. I think it''s normal that she has some bad days from it. It could just be that." Jae whispers.
"No, she was fine, and then when her ballet class ended, she was having an anxiety attack. Something had to have happened in that class." Han chimes in. She even skipped tryouts today to come home.
"No, she loves ballet. What could have happened?" Jae asks, his hand gently touching the top of my head.
"There''s a guy in her class. What if he said something to her?" Kai asks, his voice dark.
"I don''t know. I think we need to walk her to and from class from now on, something happened that upset her." Han said, and the other two hummed in agreement. I stretch and pretend to wake up.
"Good morning, my princess! So nice of you to wake up after falling asleep and leaving us to watch that horrible romance movie alone." Kai says with a smile, pulling me into his arms.
"You''re welcome. Since I fell asleep, we will have to watch it again." I tell him with a smirk, making him and Han groan.
"What''s for dinner?" I ask as my stomach loudly growls.
"Whatever you want," Jae tells me. I think about it for a minute. "I want Chinese food," I say, stretching.
We eat dinner together while watching some random show, then when it''s time to go to bed and I have to pick whose bed to sleep in like I do every night, I bite my lip. "Can... Can we all sleep in Han''s bed?" I ask quietly. Han has the biggest bed I''ve ever seen, it''s bigger than a king-size. We usually don''t all sleep in the same bed unless we fall asleep while watching TV, but I need all of my guys tonight.
"Of course," Han says with a smile, grabbing me around the waist and throwing me over his shoulder, making me laugh.
He and I go to his room to get ready for bed while Kai and Jae go to their rooms to change into pajamas. I take the T-shirt that Han offers me, and put it on, and get into bed, getting comfy under the blankets in the middle of the bed.
"You know you can tell us anything, right? No matter what." Han asks, looking me in the eye. "We know something is going on, please talk to us," He says, lying on the bed next to me. Jae and Kai agree as they walk into the room.
"I will," I whisper. "Just... I''ve been thinking a lot about what happened at that party in high school. It just flashes into my brain sometimes." I say quietly, shaking my head. "The last couple of days it''s more often, and it makes me feel... I don''t know. Anxious." I tell them.
"Do you think it''s because we had sex?" Kai asks nervously. "No!" I say quickly, hugging him. I don''t want him to think that this is because of him.
"It''s just... I don''t know. When I figure out why, I''ll tell you." I say with a shrug. "Guys, I''m fine. I just need to cuddle with my husband tonight... I need to know that you''re here to protect me. All of you." I tell them with a small smile.
"We will always protect you, Jagi," Han says, pulling me close. Kai lies on the other side of me and Jae lies on the other side of Han, on top of the blankets.
"Wake us up if you need anything, Princess," Kai says as he turns off the lamp beside the bed. Before I know it, I''m asleep, feeling safe and sound in Han''s arms.