You slump back into your seat and blow your fringe that is casting over your eyes. You scan around the hospital’s cafeteria, it’s not empty, but it’s not that packed either. You’ve been here for the past 1 hour or so, because you have nowhere to go. The weather’s too hot to be outside at the garden today and you don’t exactly want to show up in Chanyeol’s room. You skipped school today, and you rather not have Chanyeol knowing about that. He might flip out. Oh, on the second thought, maybe you should show up at his room, maybe he’ll talk to you.

No, you shake your head, that’s not a good reason to get Chanyeol to talk to you again.

“Hey, what’s up?” Kai pulls out a chair just next to you and sits down. You watch him as he does so before sighing, looking away. “I came here as soon as I can.”

“I know,” you respond softly, dropping your head. “I just… I don’t know. And sorry if I’m bothering you.”

“Ah, no, don’t ever think like that,” Kai says and grabs your hand, squeezing it gently after that. Your eyes trail to the corner of your eyes, and you stare at how his hand is covering your smaller hand. “Now, tell me. Why did you skip school, hmm?”

“I didn’t feel like going to school?” you slowly look up to Kai and continue after a small chuckle. “I don’t like school? I hate my teachers? I don’t get the subjects?”

“Ah,” Kai lets out a small laugh. “And you’re telling these to a former student who practically lived in his school his whole schooling years.”

Right, you smile, shaking your head. How can you have forgotten that Kai is a smart guy? A really smart guy. Though, he doesn’t look like someone who will be mistaken as a nerd. The smartest kid in your school definitely doesn’t look as gorgeous as Kai.

You clear your throat, letting your thought disperse in the back of your mind. “Well,” your shoulder tense a little, “it’s partly because of Chanyeol.”

“Chanyeol?” Kai tilts his head a little. “He’s slowly coming out of his temporary shell, isn’t he?”

Temporary shell. That’s what you like to refer Chanyeol’s situation as when talking about it to Kai or Baekhyun. “He mentioned about the favor I promised him.” Kai just looks at you and you take it that he wants you to continue. “He hasn’t exactly told me what the favor is yet.”

You wish he told you yesterday because you wouldn’t be lingering around the hospital like a soulless body the whole morning. Not to mention, skipping class which you rarely do. And you have to literally force Baekhyun into the school compound before leaving to the hospital. Baekhyun wanted to skip class with you but obviously, you didn’t allow him to.

You recall how he left you hanging after his last sentence that was spoken to you yesterday. You still owe me a favor. You waited for him to go on and to reveal what it was but he didn’t. The conversation kind of stopped there after you asked him what the favor was but he just stayed in his stiff position, staring into space. It was weird, of course, but you didn’t push him further since you kind of expected him to zone out more than usual since Kai practically listed down the possible symptoms or unusual acts of Chanyeol for you.

Kai squeezes your hand once more and you glance over to him, meeting his eyes. He gives you a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Chanyeol loves you too much to just leave you hanging. He will tell you when he’s ready.”

You look down at your phone and read the time before tucking it back into the pocket of your school uniform again. You did skip school but you still put on your school uniform to the hospital anyways because you have a feeling that Chanyeol is not completely ignorant despite being quiet most of the time. Chanyeol is observant, he has always been.

Pushing the door to Chanyeol’s room open, you poke your head in. And to your surprise, a familiar deep voice echoes across the room. “You’re here!”

You freeze as the door closes slowly behind you. And there, in front of you, Chanyeol is sitting on his bed, cross-legged, and he has the brightest smile on his face. Brighter than of anyone’s you’ve passed by earlier down the hallway that is. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

You scoff and roll your eyes, feeling annoyed. Though, kind of relived actually. You cross your arms. “I’ve been waiting for you for a longer period, mind you. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for hyper Chanyeol to return to me?”

Chanyeol pouts, apologetically, but whips out a Polaroid camera from his back out of the sudden, cautious enough to not pull the IV needle out of his hand. His face forms a toothy smile and he says cheerfully, “Take a picture with me?”

You narrow your eyebrows, glancing from the camera in his hand and then back to him. You an eyebrow. “What?”

“It’s a yes or no question,” he laughs and waves his free hand, motioning you to come closer. “Come on! Don’t waste time. I don’t have much time to waste you know.”

Upon hearing that, your emotion drops to t