Amalia's POV
Elijah was given the keys to Taemin's brother's car, as it would likely garner less attention than any of the other shiny sports cars with custom number plates he owned. We each climbed into our respective seats and buckled up, and as we slowly pulled out of the garage, I took one last look back at the house and sighed; I'd complained plenty ever since I first bumped into Taemin, and yet I couldn't help feeling a little sad that I may never see him again. Well, at least in the sense of us being able to talk like regular human beings, rather than being made to follow him around like some crazy stalker just hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
A little way down the road, once the house began disappearing from view, Elijah looked at me and said, "It's been a crazy couple of days for you, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, understatement of the century," I spoke through a laugh, finally processing everything and wondering how I hadn't been jolted awake by my alarm yet. "It's probably been pretty crazy for you two as well, though, right?"
"Well, yeah, we don't normally pick girls up by putting them in the hospital... or at all, really. Even if the media says otherwise." I gave a look to suggest I didn't believe him — because I didn't — which made him chuckle. "How's your head, by the way?"
Honestly, I'd almost forgotten I'd had a metal door slammed into my head that not only made it so I could barely stand on my own two feet, but nearly made me vomit in a celebrity's thousand dollar sports car... even saying that sentence in my head sounded ridiculous. The pain was thankfully no longer an issue, though remembering it all was enough to give me a headache.
I smirked a little to myself as I thought of how I'd answer. "I've been making some odd decisions recently, namely letting a multimillion dollar celebrity hide out in my friend's grandparent's garage overnight and then following him home the next day." After a moment's pause, my shoulders raised and fell in a shrug. "But y'know, other than that, I'm still mostly sane."
My overwhelming honesty made him laugh, which in turn made me giggle a little as well. "Good, that's good." The laughter lingered for a minute or two before it gradually dwindled, leaving the two of us in silence; it didn't last long this time, as Eli sighed and shook his head. "Listen, I hope you know, Tae didn't mean to hurt you."
"It sure didn't feel like it." I smiled and rubbed my head, though when I glanced beside me, Eli looked genuinely concerned. "Why? Worried about bad publicity?"
"No, I just... I worry about him, y'know? He's been really stressed recently, and ever since he met you—" He suddenly cut himself off by rolling his lips together, and I couldn't help wondering what he was going to say. "I just don't want you to think he's a bad guy, or anything."
In response, I simply said, "I know, it was an accident." My gaze drifted toward the window as I fiddled with a loose thread on my shorts. "Don't worry. I'm not going to go around yelling that Taemin Seong hit me with a door... I don't care enough to do that."
Although I was facing the opposite direction, I just about caught a glimpse of Elijah's confused expression in the wing mirror; I suppose he hadn't heard me arguing or talking back to Tae aside from the first night we met, which was understandable at the time considering he'd nearly given me a concussion. If he was anything like his celebrity friend, he'd probably just assumed I was a hardcore fan-girl as well.
"So, uh... what do you do? I mean, I know you're in school, but what're you studying? What do you wanna do when you're done?"
Surprised he wanted to know more about me, I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "Well, I... I'm not completely sure yet, but I think I wanna work with animals. Even though I've never owned a pet myself, I've adored every animal I've ever met." My mind drifted to Castiel and his wagging tail — and his owner, by default — and I couldn't help smiling. "I figure it'd make me happy." He seemed pleased I'd opened up, though I wasn't sure how much more I wanted to and so quickly flipped the question on him. "How about you? Most people know you as Tae's right hand man, but I'm sure there's more to you than that."
"Oh, yeah? Like what?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "That's why I asked."
Elijah chuckled and took a hand off the steering wheel to scratch his chin. "Fair enough. I make music, too. Not quite on the scale of Tae's — at least, not yet — but I'm working on it."
"No wonder you two are best friends." I remembered how Tae had told me him and Elijah had been close since they were kids, and so it came as little surprise that they had similar interests. "You know, I think I've only ever heard you feature on Tae's songs. I'll have to listen out for more of your own stuff."
"I'd appreciate that. I hope you'll enjoy it."
I smiled at him, and from the corner of my eye I saw the beach come into view. "I'm sure I will."
My eyes scanned the horizon for my family as we pulled into the parking lot, which had certainly filled up more since I left an hour or so ago. It was difficult to spot them amongst the crowds, but a child sprinting across the sand caught my eye, especially with the three people sat on deck chairs nearby; the longer I looked, the clearer it became that it was them. It was a relief to see they were still hanging around, and even more so that nobody had seemed to notice I'd disappeared.
As the engine quietened down, Elijah turned to me and gently tapped his hands on the steering wheel. "Well, this is it. It's been nice talking to you, Lia."
"You too," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and climbing out of the car. "And hey, thanks for the ride."
With one final wave, I pushed the door shut and watched as Eli reversed out of the parking space and merged into the traffic on the road, leaving me standing on my own. The adventure was over, and it was time to get back to reality.