How it began with a photo

Quiet Mita Hyper Lora V - Fabian RM - Keane Jin - Piers Suga - Von J-Hope - Nathaniel Jimin - Hugo Jungkook - Terry ————— ————— On a bright sunny morning, Mita and Lora strolled idly into the hustling and bustling cafe for their usual Monday latte fixes. Decked out in their smart formal suits, they were all ready for the crucial lunch meeting with one of their big bosses. "So we should meet up with Fab afterwards," Mita reminded Lora with a mischievous wink as she grabbed her beverage and took her first sip. "And why do we have to meet up with that sleepyhead again?" Lora whined and flashed a deadpan look towards her childhood best friend. "Just 'cos... He was your classmate...? Guy friend...? Or boyfriend...?" Mita cheekily listed out the options. "And you miss him sooooo much!" "WHAT?!?" a bewildered Lora exclaimed, her hand movement frozen in time just as she was about to collect her freshly brewed latte. "Well, isn't it true that he's all that to you, and much more?" Mita teased with an evil smirk on her face. "Don't bother covering up your feelings. It's so obvious!" "Gosh, and what about you and Von, lil missy? Don't you deny yours for him!" Lora nudged Mita in a futile attempt to ask about the implicit relationship between the two. "Oh, c'mon. Nothing much. Just the casual 'hi' and 'bye' when we bump into each other," Mita whispered bashfully. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Lora exclaimed vehemently as she led the way out of the cafe. "Nooooooo, why would I? Plus, he's not staying in the apartment anymore. Heard he has joined some sort of music group last month." Mita tenaciously insisted while following Lora in opening the massive glass door. Mita and Lora carried on their little playful tiff, giggling and shrieking until they reached the office building where Sleepyhead Fab has asked them to go. ————— Just then, Fabian and Von were walking out of the same building. Fabian could not help but ask, "Why didn't you confess to your girl? The best part is you get to see her twice a day... TWICE!!" "And now, you're always grumbling 'cos you missed her. Bro, stop the daydream and make up your mind already!" Fabian hooked his left arm around Von's shoulders and wrestled him mildly. "It's a love maze, man... What I want doesn't seem to affect you and the group," Von muttered under his breath. Fabian rolled his big brown eyes and looked to the sky dramatically, "God, please finally bring these two lovebirds together or there'll be no end to the cloud of darkness enveloping us everywhere we go! Just make it right!" As Von and Fabian turned at a sharp corner, a thunder indeed erupted and they crashed into two shadows of midnight blue and charcoal grey suits. Before they could react, they found themselves abruptly drenched in some hot brownish form of liquid. The boys were annoyed since their favourite dance practice attires were no longer good to go but recovered immediately at the whiff of the familiar floral scent they have liked throughout their lives. They glimpsed at the flustered blushing faces and heard the recognisable voices of profuse apologies. "Mita?" "Lora?" The boys each exclaimed and managed to grab the girls' arms tightly to prevent them from hurting themselves. "What are you guys doing here?" Blurted Mita while in a complete daze and staring at Von's lean yet sturdy arm. She could not believe the coincidence! "Yeah, aren't you supposed to be at dance practice?" Lora pipped in and trying at all cost to avoid eye contact with the visibly worried Fab. "It's starting in 15 minutes so we've got time," Von assured them. He continued holding onto Mita even though she was clearly fine albeit still flustered. "Are you girls all right?" "Yes, we're all good, thank you," Lora confirmed with Mita through sight of observation. "Sorry for staining your clothes, guys. I don't know if the coffee stains will go away..." "Don't worry about it. We'll get changed. Thank goodness our idol looks are fine though," Fabian assured Lora and added in a whisper, "You're stunning today, Lora." Lora began blushing as red as a tomato so Mita regained her composure quickly, hooked her arm around Lora's and said confidently, "You boys should march right upstairs. We'll see you later after our meeting with the boss!" Von and Fabian took one last look at their respective sweethearts and waved goodbye with a longing smile. Lora and Mita stood at the same spot, not daring to move until they could no longer hear the jogging footsteps of the boys. "O-M-G, O-M-G, O-M-G, what just freakin' happened? Like, did we spill our precious lattes on them? And like, did they try to save us?" Lora ranted away at bullet speed as they walked briskly away from the scene of the crime. Mita could only let her best friend lead the way, nodding her head dumbfoundedly. ————— Mita and Lora had just stepped out from the elevator, the distinct and upbeat music from the dance studio drowning the eerie silence along the common corridor. They had no way of escaping from the impending meetup with Von, Fabian and the rest of the motley crew. Both boys had sent texts to the girls, making them promise to head to their beloved practice room once their schedule for the day ends. Mita and Lora found themselves flushed with embarrassment at the thought of the morning's latte incident, but still felt the obligation to turn up. "Oh god, Lora. Should we apologise to the boys again or just pretend that nothing happened, or..." Mita rambled softly but Lora cut her off, "Of course nothing happened! The other boys don't know a thing so let's just feign ignorance." "Ok, that's a good idea. Let's go in and watch them rehearse," Lora tugged Mita's arm, to give support to her best friend as much as for herself. "Yoooooooo, look which 21st century girl's here!!" Nathaniel shouted at the top of his lungs, his volume much louder than the catchy beat to their next hit song. "Took you long enough, we're starved!" Nathaniel spread his arms and brought the girls in for a hug. Piers and Hugo joined in to form a warm yet very sweaty group hug. Lora let out a nervous laugh as Mita said, "Yeah sorry, we were swarmed with work today." "No problem, we'll just order in and par-tay! Pizza ok for everyone?" Keane suggested, flipping through the office's vast collection of pamphlets for food deliveries in the area. Everyone agreed unanimously and he placed the order for nine hungry stomachs. After clearing out the dance studio, Mita, Lora and the boys noisily made their way to the dining space. Terry settled down on the cozy couch in the corner and called out the girls, "So how was the big meeting just now? Did the boss seesaw throughout the whole thing?" "Yes, as always," Lora laughed mildly and added, "At least he has made a final decision." Mita continued as she settles down at her usual spot, "Many plans ahead for you boys. Just wait and see, it's gonna be dope!" "Awesome stuff!" The boys chimed in agreement. While the conversation went on with great excitement, minutes quickly drifted by and finally the delivery man arrived. Mita was about to get up to greet him when Von reached for her arm and held her back, declaring "I'll deal with it." Wolf calls from the boys echoed across the room, making Mita burying her blushing face behind Lora. Lora laughed out loud and affectionately caressed her best friend's smooth wavy hair. Terry and Piers began teasing Mita's sheepish behaviour emphatically, pinching their noses and hiding their fit bodies behind Hugo and Fabian. Everyone erupted into loud bursts of laughters with their comical act. Terry continued on whizzing, "Go go help Von. I want to but I'm shy!" Von returned soon after with stacks of large pizzas and gigantic bottles of soda and the boys began stuffing themselves silly. After hours of fun and laughter, Lora helped Mita to clear out the aftermath of a generous meal with the boys. Von popped his head in and requested politely to speak to Mita privately. Lora cast Mita a cheeky look and proclaimed, "Mita, you are hereby dismissed." Holding the door for Mita as she exited the room, Von reached out once she cleared the pathway and gave Mita a warm hug. Mita's eyes enlarged and her body froze with pangs of panic. She eventually found herself returning the hug as Von simply whispered in her ear, "Hold me tight." As Von and Mita hugged each other, Lora shrieked out loud when Fabian played a boisterous prank by creeping into the room and grabbing her waist from behind. "FABIAN!!!" She screamed somewhat softheartedly. Fabian laughed out loud, held Lora's wrist and used her hand to hit his chest. Lora could no longer control herself and ended up laughing along. "Come, I'll help you here but I want to hold your hand first." Fabian flashed his heartwarming grin, melting Lora's thumping heart. He intertwined his fingers with hers before she could react away from him. "We've so much to throw, and it's getting late, and..." Lora pressingly protested but Fabian held his finger to her lips. "You bring out the best in me." He lovingly told Lora, leaning down to plant a tender kiss on her blushing cheek. Out of the blue, Von and Mita appeared at the door hand in hand, eyes lit up with the dawning knowledge that they had wanted each other all along. Fabian and Lora turned to the sight of the new couple and they walked towards one another. Face to face, Von and Mita flashed their brightest smiles to Fabian and Lora. Realisation then struck the four of them that they have reached euphoria through their newfound loves. The rest of the boys came bursting in, cheering and holding up mobile phones on recording mode. They expressed words of congratulatory, taking turns to hug the four of them emotionally. "Wefie time!!" Keane announced and the entire gang took a candid photo to commemorate the special night. ————— "... And that is how the photo came about, kids," Mita lovingly narrated to her five-year-old mischievous son, Evan, and Lora's younger daughter, Morgan, who were leaning heavily on both her sides. They had found the old photo lying around and came running to Mita with curiosity when they could recognise their mothers' younger selves. "What's going on here?" Lora came through the door and joined the party of three on the long and plush sofa. "Mummy, mummy! Auntie Mita just told us how you met daddy and how daddy and Uncle Von became idol superstars!" Morgan climbed onto Lora's lap and hugged her by the neck. Lora made a quick eye contact with Mita and laughed. Lora responded simply. "It was indeed the most beautiful moment in life."

To be continued

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