As soon as she opened her eyes the next morning, a sense of dread and unease washed over Amy, confusing her.

"Why do I feel so on edge-"

Immediately, the kiss flashed across her mind, making her face go scarlet with embarrassment. Now that she had had a good night's sleep and time to recover, the weight of her actions from the day prior slammed down onto her shoulders, as did thoughts of all the possible negative outcomes that could manifest from it. As her heart hammered forcefully against the walls of her chest, Amy raised her fingers to gently brush along her lip as the memory of Zen's lips replayed so vividly in her head that she could practically feel them all over again. However, along with the sweet memories in crept the doubts born of years of being on the defensive.

"He just kissed me to get me back, right? He didn't actually mean it. He could have any girl in the world; he wouldn't settle for a moody, prissy, broken girl like me. No, he would go for someone more like Echo. He had to just been doing it to get me back...but what if he wasn't?"

Amy was shocked by the uncharacteristic hint of optimism that had interjected itself amongst her pessimistic thoughts. Where was this coming from? This wasn't her normal thinking pattern. Life had groomed her from an early age to expect the worse and nothing less, so where was this positivity coming from? Only one answer made sense to her: Zen.

Sighing loudly, Amy flopped back down and stared up at the ceiling as she debated with herself.

"Why me though? What do I have to offer him?"

"You have your sharp tongue, your sincere heart, your wits, your lovely shape, and your common interests. Plus, there are probably things you don't see in yourself that he does and he loves."

"Is that enough though? Is that enough of a reason for him to actually love me?"

"I don't know. I am just an extension of you after all."

Groaning, Amy rolled onto her side and grabbed her phone. Opening it, she began to absentmindedly scroll through all of the pictures from the last week. In each photo, Zen's beaming smile and dazzling eyes stared back at her, making her heart thump loudly.

"I hate this. I hate all this uncertainty." Amy thought to herself as she brought her phone to her chest and held it close. "Should I just ask him about it? What if I freak him out? It would make everything awkward between us from now on.....I need to know though."

Setting her phone aside and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Amy quietly shuffled out of her room and towards the kitchen. There, she found Zen cooking breakfast just as he had been the day before, although today he wasn't in his pajamas; instead, the actor was already dressed and groomed, the scent of soap and fresh cologne wafting off of him.

"Zen?" Amy called quietly.

Zen immediately looked up and locked eyes with her. "Ah, Amy! Good morning! Are you hungry?"

"Zen...are you going somewhere?" Amy asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I have a photoshoot today for a commercial I'm doing for C&R. Trust me, I would much rather stay home with you but I made a promise to MC to do it." Zen sighed.

"N-No, it's okay. Don't worry about it! It's fine!"

Zen's lips curved into a frown when he detected the hint of unease in his friend's voice. "Amy, is something bothering you?"

"Y-Yeah, kind of."

"What is it?"

"Zen...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For kissing you the other day to get my laptop back. It wasn't right of me."

"What...Oh that! Don't worry about it. It's fine." Zen replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Heh, glad you're not mad...."

"Here it goes." Amy thought to herself.

"Zen, when you kissed me, you were just doing it to get me back, right?" she asked, holding her breath as she awaited his answer.

Zen grew unusually quiet as he set his plate down on the counter. The air in the house immediately grew so dense that Amy was wondering is she would need a machete to cut through it.

"No, I didn't." Zen answered finally.

Amy's heart skipped a beat. "So...why did you do it then?"

Slowly, Zen raised his eyes to meet hers and Amy noticed that his blush had darkened as well as spread to the rest of his face.

"Because I like you."

Despite Zen speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, Amy heard him as loudly as if he was talking on a loudspeaker. For a moment, she just stared at him with wide eyes, her heart thundering loudly in her eyes as her tongue sat like a dry brick in her mouth. A loud sigh escaped Zen's lips as he scooped the remainder of his breakfast into the garbage and placed his dish in the sink, having suddenly lost the rest of his appetite.

"I better get going. My phone is going to be off most of the time so call MC or Jaehee if you need anything, alright?" he muttered as he grabbed his phone and slid it into his pocket.

Still too surprised to talk, Amy only nodded in reply.

"I'll see you later then. Make sure you're extra cautious while I'm gone. Bye, Amy."

Amy watched silently as Zen left the kitchen. Inside her, her heart screamed for her to run after him but her mind kept her frozen in place as it continued to process Zen's words at the speed of an out of date computer. Before long, the sound of the front door opening and closing and the rev of Zen's motorcycle reached her ears, signaling that it was too late now.

"Zen...Zen likes me..."

Immediately, Amy bolted back to her room and snatched up her phone, her fingers fumbling over the keys in her haste.

Amy: MC, I need to talk to you ASAP. Can we meet for lunch?

------------------------

"Zen said that?"

Amy nodded, staring blankly at the glass of lemonade before her.

MC frowned. "And you're sure he wasn't just playfully flirting with you like usual?"

"He was being serious. I could tell. The atmosphere was so thick I thought I was going to choke on it."

"Hmm." MC mused, tapping her forefinger against her forefinger against her chin as she mulled over everything Amy had told her. "So you like him and he likes you...What's the problem here again?"

Amy groaned loudly and buried her face in her hands. "It doesn't feel right. It's too easy. Nothing in life comes that easily, especially not love!"

"So you think he's pulling your leg?"

"Yes...No...I don't know..."

MC just rolled her eyes and rather aggressively stabbed her straw through one of the strawberries in her drink. "Amy, just call him. You're seriously overcomplicating this."

"I can't. He's doing a shoot with C&R today."

"Wait, that was today?! Aw, I wanted to go watch, I mean chaperone....you know, to make sure he and Jumin didn't start fight."

Amy smiled weakly at her friend's poor attempt of a coverup. MC noticed and stuck her tongue out slightly, causing Amy to laugh. Eventually, MC broke into a fit of giggles as well, and the two girls laughed together for a few minutes, ignoring the disapproving looks they received from the other customers at the restaurant.

"Seriously though, just tell him you like him back. What's the worst that could happen?" MC continued once they both were able to breathe again.

"Things don't work out between us and our failed relationship destroys our friendship in the process."

"That's kind of overdramatic."

"It's a possibility."

"Yeah, a one out of ten thousand billion possibility."

"More like a one out of two."

"Ugh, you're so difficult, Amy! Just tell him you love him, smooch with him some more, and forget everything else. You've had enough hardship already; you deserve this so just take it already!" MC exclaimed.

Amy's face flushed bright red when she noticed the other customers staring at her. "MC, could you take it down a notch, please?"

"Could you stop being so stubborn and just confess already?"

"You make it sound easier than it actually is."

"That's because it is easy! You're the one who's overthinking it all!"

"But-"

"No buts, Amethyst! You are going to go home and you are going to tell Zen how you feel before I do it for you."

Amy sank down in her seat as her blush went from a light strawberry red to a fire engine driving through a batch of cherries red. "I should've called Jaehee."

"What was that?" MC barked.

"Nothing!"

-------------------------------

As the cab neared Zen's house, Amy noticed a familiar brunette standing on his porch and immediately groaned.

"Great. What's she doing here?"

After paying the driver and slipping out of the taxi, Amy approached Echo Girl with the caution of a cat sneaking up on a sleeping dog. The starlet hadn't seemed to notice her, her eyes instead glued on the phone screen in front of her. Forcing the nicest smile she could muster, Amy cleared her throat to get the girl's attention. Echo Girl immediately spun around, her eyes wide and full of excitement, but when she saw Amy standing behind her, the sparkle disappeared from her eyes, replaced by a hint of irritation.

"Oh, Amy, I wasn't expecting to see you. Where's Zen?" she asked.

"He's taking a nap inside." Amy lied, knowing better than to tell the starlet that she was actually alone without any way to contact her albino friend.

Echo Girl raised a suspicious eyebrow, her eyes boring into Amy's. "Is he? And you went out without him there to watch over you? That's awfully gutsy of you."

"I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself. Is there something you need? I can go get Zen if you want." Amy replied, eager to change the subject.

"N-No, that's okay! Let him rest. Could you just give this to him when he wakes up?" Echo Girl asked, handing Amy a gleaming white envelope with a bright red lip mark on it.

"Sure. What is it though?" Amy asked as she turned the letter over in her hand.

"That's none of your business. Just give it to him, okay?!" Echo Girl huffed angrily.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, Barbie doll."

"I am not a Barbie doll!" Echo Girl declared indignantly.

"Sure, whatever. If that's all you need then could you please leave? Your squawking is bound to wake Zen up."

Echo Girl's face turned so red Amy was surprised smoke didn't start spilling out of her ears.

"Fine, I'll go. You better deliver that letter to Zen or else! Don't you dare peek at it either!"

As the starlet stomped off like a two year old, Amy smiled victoriously as she mentally patted herself on the back. Slipping the envelope into her back pocket, she quietly entered the house and was immediately enveloped in a pair of strong arms, causing her to squeak in surprise.

"Amy! There you are! I was so worried!" Zen blubbered as he held her close and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

Amy's face immediately turned beet red as her heart rate shot up faster than a rocket. "Zen?! What are you doing back already?!"

"The shoot ended early because my face was starting to swell from all of the cat fur. Amy, why didn't you text me saying you were going out? If Seven hadn't told me you had gone out with MC, I would've had the police looking for you!"

Amy frowned and gently hugged Zen back. Her normal response would've been to yank away from him and lecture him about her being a strong independent woman and not having to tell him anything, but the fear lacing the man's voice softened her heart enough to prompt a different response.

"I'm sorry, Zen. I didn't mean to make you worry. I didn't think you would get home before me and figured sending you a text would be pointless. I'll be more considerate next time though, okay?"

"Okay."

As she and Zen stood in the hallway, wrapped in one another's arms, something suddenly occurred to Amy.

"Wait a second. If you were already home then why did you just leave Echo Girl standing on the porch?!" she declared.

"I didn't feel like talking to her. She's been getting on my nerves lately." Zen mumbled in reply, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"So you left her for me to deal with instead. Gee, thanks." Amy grumbled. Squirming in Zen's grasp, she redirected the conversation. "Um, could you let go of me, please?"

"If I do, are you going to disappear again?"

Amy rolled her eyes and gently but firmly hit Zen in the stomach, prompting him to let go of her. Heading to the living room, she paused and then turned to face him.

"Zen, we need to talk."

"I agree."

"Huh?" Amy flashed Zen a look of confusion till he suddenly grabbed hold of her chin, lifting her face so they were looking one another in the eyes.

"Amy, I told you I liked you earlier, right?"

"Y-Yes. What about it?"

"I was wrong. I don't like you-"

Amy's heart fell. At the back of her head, a little voice whispered, "I told you so."

"-I love you."

Amy blinked. Slowly, her face started turning red and she roughly shoved Zen away from her.

"Don't joke with me like that, you idiot!" she screamed angrily, storming off to her room and leaving Zen rather shocked by her outburst. He hadn't meant to make her that upset.

Frowning worried, Zen chased after Amy and peeked into her room to see her curled up on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hugged her pillow to her chest. An arrow of guilt immediately pierced his heart, leaking its poison into his bloodstream so it spread throughout his entire body.

"I made her cry?!"

"Amy-"

"Go away. I don't want to see you." Amy snapped, burying her face further into the pillow.

Approaching her slowly as to not set her off, Zen slowly eased himself down onto her bed and gazed earnestly into her face.

"I'm sorry, Amy. It would seem my joke wasn't as funny as I thought. Please stop crying." he pleaded softly, gently taking one of her small hands in his big ones and placing a kiss on it.

"Don't you realize how hard this is for me? Don't you realize how terrified I am right now? For once, something good seems to be happening to me and just as I'm starting to let down my walls, you come along and play a mean prank that! You're-You're an idiot, Zen!" Amy screeched.

Zen stared at Amy with wide eyes. "Amy, I'm sorry. I had no idea. I-"

Zen was cut off by Amy grabbing the collar of his jacket and pulling him down so her lips met his. The actor's eyes widened in surprise as Amy's lips desperately latched onto his, silently begging for all the love and affection he could provide. Without hesitation, Zen returned the thirsty gesture, his lips pressing back against Amy's in a battle for dominance that sent shivers coursing through him. Meanwhile, Amy clung onto Zen for dear life as his lips synced with her own. This was what she had wanted-no, what she had needed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled herself closer to him, her body humming beneath his touch. Suddenly though, Zen broke away, his eyes wild like an animal's.

"N-Not here." he panted. "We can't do this here. It's too tempting."

"What?"

Forcing himself to calm down, Zen scooped Amy into his arms and carried her back to the livingroom, depositing her on the couch before seizing her lips once more. Shrugging off Zen's behavior, Amy gently cupped his face between her hands, massaging behind his ears as he tugged at her lips. Zen purred in approval as he slid his hands into her hair, enjoying the soft touch of the strands. Finally, the two of them broke apart, gasping for air as they continued to cling to one another.

"So you do like me....Thank goodness...." Zen mumbled, a smile playing on his lips. "So, what do you have to say about me after that, princess?"

"You're still an idiot."

Zen laughed before brushing a strand of hair out of Amy's eyes and behind her ear. "Yes, but I'm your idiot now, aren't I?"

Amy smiled back and gave Zen's ponytail a playful tug. "Don't get cocky, Snow White. I like you but that doesn't mean I'm automatically going to date you."

"Amy! You're so mean!" Zen groaned, causing his lady to laugh. Sighing loudly, he laid his head on her stomach and purred softly as she played with his hair till he noticed the letter sticking out of her pocket.

"What's this?" he asked, grabbing the letter while being careful to not touch Amy's rump.

"Hmm? Oh, that's what Echo Girl wanted to give you. She wouldn't tell me what it was and pretty much threatened to hurt me if I took a peek." Amy shrugged.

Sitting up, Zen pulled Amy onto his lap before slowly ripping open the letter and extracting a brightly colored invitation.

"What is it?" Amy grumbled as she rested her head on Zen's shoulder.

"An invitation to the release party for her new album. Looks like it's taking place in a couple days."

Amy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Are you going to go?"

"I don't want to but it would probably be good press for our project." Zen sighed. However, after scanning the invitation again, his lips curved into a smile. "You could make it more bearable by coming as my plus one though."

"What? There's no way she put that on there."

"It's right here; look! All guests can bring one guest with them to the event."

"And there's no fine print saying 'except Zen' or 'unless her name is Amethyst Hall'?" Amy asked as she read over the invitation.

"Nope. So, how about it? Will you be my plus one?" Zen purred in a rather seductive tone.

Amy couldn't help but blush profusely as Zen gazed at her with hungry eyes. "I-I don't know, Zen. I don't even have a dress."

"I'll get you one."

"What about the paparazzi? What if they see us together?"

"So what? We're practically together now anyways so who cares? If they honestly start bugging you then just tell them off again. Please Amy?"

Amy sighed loudly in surrender, unable to resist Zen's begging. "Fine. I guess it can't be that bad, can it?"