Page 74 of A World of our Own

“They’re here doing a job, too,” I said, a touch defensively.

Jackson shook his head. “Yeah,” he said slowly, “but it’s different, mate. You know that.”

“So, because I work more closely alongside them, I’m therefore not ‘in the trenches’?”

“Now you’re getting it.” He winked at me, shoving another sweet in his mouth.

I leaned my arms on the safety rail, resting my chin on the cold metal as I watched the group moving around the stage below.

It seemed that no matter where I was, what I did, I was always straddling two worlds.

After the Chicago dates, we were midway through the second leg of the tour, and I was hopelessly behind on my write-ups. I’d gotten so distracted between LA and Oakland with Becka that I’d neglected my city-stop pieces, and I had a mountain of notes to dig through.

I laid my head on my desk, cursing myself for being lazy and easily distracted by pretty skyscrapers and a flirty ex-boyfriend.

“Idiot, idiot, idiot,” I groaned, banging my head on the desk, mercifully cushioned by the mound of notes and paperwork.

“Kaiya, your order arrived,” Sihyeon interrupted, popping her head round the door.

I frowned, lifting my head from the desk. “What?” I asked, slightly dazed.

Sihyeon dropped a little box on the table next to me. It had my name on a label.

“Do you wanna come out with us?” She asked, momentarily dragging my attention away from the parcel I didn’t remember ordering. “Or are you not done banging your head on the desk yet?”

“Not done yet,” I sighed.

“Okay, see you later!” she called cheerily, closing the door behind her.

I pulled the box towards me and opened it, frowning as I took in the contents. Inside was a packet of the coffee sweets I’d developed a taste for while living in Korea, a bottle of vitamin water and a sheet mask from a luxury Korean skincare brand. Underneath was a note.

Kaiya,

Please take care of yourself. You work too hard.

- J.

I sat back in my chair, stunned. Not at the gift. He’d always loved surprising me with little things. It was that he’d noticed how run-down I’d been recently.