Evening came and it was time to close the shop. Just like always, I was the last one to leave. Either everyone else was ecstatic to go home or I was just as less ecstatic to enter my lonely apartment and feast on some ramen noodles by myself while slouching on the couch watching the news.

It was nearly eight when I had finished checking all plugs and locked the coffee shop’s door. Kai entrusted to me the key saying how I should protect it with my life and other things with a failed attempt to sound like authority.

I popped my earphones and unplugged myself from the world, immersed in the beat of the music as I tapped my feet to it.

My condominium building wasn’t far from where I worked. Usually, I’d walk home but the sky was in a frightening shade of dark grey to black and the moon was nowhere in sight. The sky was literally shrouded with a blanket of heavy dark rainclouds. So instead of my usual routine, I took a taxi. Before the rain poured hard, I had already stepped foot at the floor of the building.

Thunder roared in the sky. Through the windows I saw the surroundings light up whenever lightning struck the ground. The feeling I get whenever thunder boomed was not fear but something akin to it. I’ve never been that brave with loud surprising sounds.

When I reached my condo, I was surprised to see Kris seated on the floor outside my door. I stopped in my tracks as he looked up and locked eyes with me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, walking closer to the male.

Kris rubbed the nape of his neck. He grinned and shyly looked away. “Chanyeol forgot to tell me the new pass code of his condomenium,”

“So you went here?”

He bit his lip then nodded.

It seems that Chanyeol left his phone at home and my phone was coincidentally dead that time. Where else could Kris stay but my place? I mean, I can’t just shoo him away like he wasn’t someone I knew. It would be improper of me to leave him outside.

So I sighed and rummaged through my backpack for my keys with Kris standing beside me.

But I noticed that there was an absence of jingling silver keys inside my satchel. I panicked, opening my bag as wide as I can and shoving out all of my things only to find out that my key is definitely missing. It’s whereabouts, I’m not sure of. But a sudden flashback a moment ago when I was cleaning the counter made me realize that the object that I dropped while walking to and fro were actually my keys.

“Um…”

“’Um’ what? Is everything okay?” Kris asked, eyeing my stuff on the floor.

“I…left…my keys,”

Kris chuckled as he sat back down on the floor. He tapped at the space beside him, smiling his gummy grin. I sat down, hugging my knees close to me and grumbling under my breath words of hatred against myself and how stupid I was to leave my key of all things to possible forget.

The storm was still raging outside. Even amidst the thick walls, I could hear the sound of the gushing wind and the large droplets of water that slammed against the window at the far end of the hall.

My eyes looked at Kris, who was calm unlike me who was agitated and pissed off. “How can you sleep at a time like this?”

“I like the sound of the rain,” Kris said, still with closed eyes.

“It’s not rain. It’s a storm,” I asserted. Lightning struck and thunder boomed. How can someone enjoy this type of weather?

He didn’t give a reply so I too just closed my eyes and waited for morning to come. Though, it seemed that it was taking forever for the clock to even reach twelve. I’ve been peeking through one eye, watching the seconds hand tick ever so slowly and annoyingly. With the storm still raging outside, it was also hard to tell whether the sun was already rising or not.

Bored out of my wits, I grabbed for my music player only to find out that it was out of battery as well. A groan escaped my lips as I threw the useless thing back in my satchel. How can this day get any worse?

Just then, another roll of thunder and flash of lightning shook the empty quiet halls. Simultaneously, all the lights turned off and I saw nothing but pitch black nothingness.

How many times have I seen this type of scene in a horror movie? Not that I’ve watched that many but I’ve came across plots concerning a building floor, brown outs and a lady in white suddenly appearing from nowhere.

The hair all over my body erect and I cautiously looked everywhere. Something akin to cold ice slithered up my spine when thunder rolled another time and for a split second, the room lit up from the lighting that flashed like a camera.

I helplessly yelped. I wasn’t really that scared of lighting but the occasion made it scarier that it really was.

Another jolt of electricity caused me to squirm from my seat and scream when I felt a prickling sensation against my neck. I fell on my back after slipping in the attempt to get as far from the thing that was tickling me as possible and something fell on top of me.

In the dark, I could only hear heavy breathing and the warm gush of air that touched my skin ever now end then.  But then lighting strike one more time, Kris’ face flashed before mine. With wide eyes he stare at me before the light died down once again and we lost our sense of sight, leaving everything for our other senses to handle.

We listened to one another breath, not one taking the initiative to sit up again. My skin tingled whenever his warm breath caressed it and I could smell his signature alluring perfume.

Before my heart could’ve drummed louder than the raging storm, Kris got off of me and helped me sit up again.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep on your shoulder,” He apologized.

“N-no. It’s okay,” I stuttered, still seemingly lost.

“Are you hurt?” He asked. Though I couldn’t see him well in the dark, I could sense that his eyes were on me.

“Not really. Are you?”

He shook his head and quickly answered no when he probably realized that I couldn’t see him properly in the dark.

When we stopped talking, my paranoia came back and I was stiff and feeling vulnerable again. Quickly, I sat closer to Kris.

“Um. Are you asleep?” I asked. The more I talked, the more I could forget about ghosts and ladies in white. And I’d do anything to not have those thoughts in my head just for now.

“Would you want it if I don’t sleep?”

I nodded.

Through the loud noise of the rain, I still heard Kris’ low chuckle in amusement. “You really are not that good with the dark are you?”

I affirmed, laughing my embarrassment away.

“Do you want to talk?” Kris asked.

“Yes please,” I faintly laughed.

I heard him think as I too searched for a topic to talk about.

Kris brought up the topic of Suho. He wanted to visit as soon as Chanyeol informed him of what happened but he didn’t have the free time to do so. He gravely apologized for not dropping by but I really didn’t mind. I told him how someone had been keeping me company while watching over Suho so I wasn’t especially lonely.

“Can I ask…who this someone is?”

The “someone” was Tao. Though he confessed his feelings for me two days ago, awkwardness never came between us and it was like we were the same as before. But I couldn’t help but feel heartless whenever I’d look at his face as he sleeps from a tiring day’s training of martial arts.

I bit my lip, embracing my legs closer to me. I can’t sort out my feelings yet. Whenever I’d come close to an answer, it slips away like the tide. His question still rung in my mind—“Do you love someone else?”—because honestly…I didn’t know. I felt something for Tao, that my heart was positive off. The way it drummed whenever I’d look at his face was enough proof. But my love was not full. It was not like the love that I felt when I first fell for Jeremy. There was something missing like part of my feelings weren’t genuinely for him.

“Was it Zi Tao?” I was startled to hear that name from Kris. I’ve never mentioned him nor have they met formally.

I brought my eyes up. Now that they have fully adjusted to the dark, I could faintly see Kris’ figure. “How do you…”

“From Chanyeol,” he confirmed which explained everything.

I told him about how I met Tao. He was bothered by the fact that I met Tao in China like how I met him as well. And that I’ve been bumping into Tao during my duration of my stay like how I’ve been seeing Kris occasionally as well. There was this moment when Kris’ voice hitched in his throat in the midst of saying “Ah” once I’ve finished my story.

“He’s…a good friend,” I said, propping my chin on my knees.

“You’re smiling,” he pointed out.

My eye lit up, realizing that I was smiling. I wiped the expression clear off my face and buried half my face in my knees.

“He must be that important to you,” Kris mumbled.

“Well, you’re important too,” I clarified. “But you keep getting mad for no reason. It’s getting on my nerves,”

He’s as hard to read as a Chinese book. No matter how hard I try to understand the whole page, only certain familiar words are comprehended. Even if I try to understand why he’s acting strange when a few seconds ago he was smiling, I still couldn’t. I don’t know Kris that well yet even if I think I do.

I heard Kris move about in his spot and I felt something heavy rest against my shoulder. “It’s because I’m jealous,” he whispered.

This time, I froze not for the reason of fear of ladies in white. Kris had immobilized me from head to toe, with his gesture and his answer that had completely caught me off guard. Lighting flashed and I saw a glimpse of Kris’ sleeping face before we were shrouded with darkness once more

The more I got close to Kris, the more I became confused of my feelings. I couldn’t sleep properly, knowing that his head was still rested against mine and his hazel hair tickled my neck. I stayed awake for a few hours, just thinking with a blank mind and feeling every rise and fall of Kris chest as he breathes.

Was Kris the answer to Tao's question?

Woah finally updated. Goodness I never knew fourth year life was this crammy and hectic. Especially because of college preparations. I'm going to have my entrance exam in two weeks. Gah I'm so nervous TT~TT What if I don't pass? I'm ssssccaaarreeeedddd. I'm going to study well with oppa in my head as inspiration haha.

I hope I'm not just typing nonesense in my chapters. Do I make sense? Please tell me.

And I appreciate your comments and especially those comments of my writing. I want to improve :>

Well. Update when I can.

- Kleo ♥