Chapter 42: Habit

     A chill swept across Baekhyun's skin. He tried to open his eyes, but lifting his eyelids posed an unforeseen challenge. They seemed glued shut. His mouth was dry as if he'd swallowed sandpaper. When a sliver of light finally crept under his eyelids, pain shot through his skull. There was something hard beneath him and he put his hand down and gravel crumbled against his palm. In the distance, cars hummed along the freeway. Footsteps passed him, but no one stopped.

     Slowly, the night before came back to him.

     Scraping his hand against the wall by which he'd collapsed, he pushed himself up from the ground, then promptly heaved the contents of his stomach. A whimper of defeat welled in his throat.

     Hollowed out, head spinning, minutes or perhaps hours inched past before he could muster the energy to stand. Barbs of pain stabbed behind his eyes and he stumbled when he tried to step away from his support. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he made slow progress toward the main street.

      Collapsing in a cab, he leaned his head against the window, fogging the cool glass with his breath. At least he hadn't been robbed. His wallet was lighter only by the cost of more drinks than a sane man put away in a night. He swallowed hard, eyes closing as pressure built behind them. 

     "Hey are you going to be sick?" Asked the cab driver.

     "N-no."

     "Alright well if you are just tell me and I'll pull over."

     If only he could purge his sins like the contents of his stomach, life would be so much simpler. Baekhyun nearly laughed to himself.

     Several lurches of his stomach later, the cab pulled up to the curb by the Park building. Paying the fare, Baekhyun stepped out and took a cautious breath of fresh morning air. This far from the main roads, the waterfront drive was lined with thick bushes and tall trees. The air smelled of the river and lush greenery.

     He was late to work, and his phone was long dead.

     Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. Placing one foot in front of the other, he numbly swiped his entry card and watched the door slide open.

     Everything was back in its rightful place.

     As he crossed the threshold, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Long gazes reached after him like phantom fingertips and he looked away. Let them stare. Let them wonder. It didn't matter anymore.

     He watched the elevator come and go in a daze. He took the next one. As he turned to lean against its mirrored wall, a hand itself in the gap. The door reopened with a jerk and Baekhyun swallowed back a wave of nausea. Aimee stepped in. She turned and pressed the button for the dance studio floor.

     "Good morning," he greeted quietly.

     Aimee snorted under her breath. "Is it?"

     Baekhyun's eyes narrowed. He was about to open his mouth and call her out for her attitude when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Aimee strode out of the elevator without a look back.

     Baekhyun suppressed a bubble of ire. He jabbed the button to his floor viciously and was none too relieved when he finally reached it. Marching across the floor to his office, he felt his ears burning. Questions raced through his mind. Was the whole world aware that he'd slept on the street? Did they know why? Was this about Tena? Or had they all finally realized what a mess he really was underneath the nice suit?

     He was only too glad to reach