Page 34 of Teach Me K-Pop

???

The question hangs in the air between us.

After the picture Nikko sent me, I’d kind of forgotten about everything else. I’d hurried home to take Noel out and called him as soon as she’d agreed to take her chicken jerky chew and trot off to a patch of sun by the window.

And now, my surprise is evident, reflected back to me in HD pixels on the screen, a complete contrast to Nikko’s wide, hopeful eyes.

“Would you want to come to the show?” he’d asked just moments before, his voice tinged with nerves and excitement.

Finally, after the initial shock of getting to see him in real life has stopped causing my brain to glitch, I manage to answer. “Yes. Of course. Yes. Absolutely yes.”

Nikko’s smile is so instantaneous, so bright, that it immediately makes me do the same. The silence starts to stretch, the two of us just grinning at each other like neither of us have words right now. For this step that we have the chance to take now. To be in the same place at the same time.

“This makes me happy. I would like for you to see what I do. I want to show you that part of me, too,” he says.

I almost tell him that I want all the parts of him, but that can wait. “I already know you’re incredible at what you do. But I would like to be there to witness it live.”

He ducks his head at the compliment. “I think we are really good in the studio. But I think we are better on stage.”

“You all love to perform, don’t you?” It’s obvious even in videos that they truly enjoy themselves when they’re in front of their fans. It’s got to be such a rush to experience that kind of adoration.

“Yes! So much. There is nothing like it.” He seems to consider something for a moment. “At least nothing that I have experienced yet.”

Under the table, I clench my hand into a tight fist, a reminder to be chill. Keep it clean. Just because sex was the first thing I thought of doesn’t mean that’s what he meant. “I’m excited. To see the show.”

“I am glad you will be coming.” His tone is so earnest, it makes me feel bad for letting my internal 14-year-old giggle aboutcoming.

It might be the one boundary I’ve managed to keep in regard to him, refusing to allow myself to think about him during those rushed shower stroke sessions or late night just-trying-to-get-to-sleep tugs. But maybe—maybe now I can let my thoughts roam a little more freely.

I clear my throat, trying to focus on the conversation again. “Me, too. I haven’t been to a concert in a long time.”

Nikko drops his chin into his hands and peers at me, curious. “What is the last one you saw?”

“Umm… I guess it was some country singer? I went with a friend from work after his wife got mad at him and wouldn’t go.” I laugh, recalling Tyler’s text about two hours before the show. “I didn’t know a single song. Just lots of guys in cowboy hats drinking beer.”

“You know there will not be many men at our concert,” Nikko says, as if this is supposed to be some kind of a deterrent to me.

I raise an eyebrow. “The only man I want to see will be there, so I’m good.”

He looks delighted, lips pursed as he tries to fight a smile.

“I want to see you do what you do. But I also just want to seeyou,” I tell him, honestly. “Even if it’s only to say hi or something, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“I will figure something out,” he promises. Then softer, he adds, “I want to be close to you.”

“Just tell me what to do. Or where to be.” I have a sudden thought of sneaking through the shadows of the stadium, on a secret mission to get backstage without anyone noticing. It makes me laugh and of course Nikko notices. He tilts his head, curious. “I was just imagining trying to ninja my way to see you while hiding from all your fans, and it looks ridiculous in my head.”

Chuckling, he rolls his eyes. “You can leave your black mask at home. I will be sure you have what you need.”

“Thank you.” I look at him for a moment, kind of amazed at just how wild this has all turned out to be. “I can’t believe I’ll really get to see you soon.”

His bright-as-the-sun smile comes out in full force. “I know. I am so excited. We are doing three shows, so maybe we can have more time.”

“Three?” I have no idea why it never occurred to me to look up their tour dates, especially knowing they were going to be close enough for the girls at school to have tickets.

He nods. “We do two or three days at each stop. The stage and production are so big. It is too much for just one night. Less cities, but more shows in each.”

“Oh, wow.” I make a mental note to find some concert footage—one of the few kinds of content I have not consumed about the group. I’ve seen live performances on awards shows and late night programs, but nothing that would give me an idea of what a legit concert would be like. But then I realize something else. “So, I could see you... for a few days, maybe.”

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