After Kris left the nurse’s office, he read her scribbly writing and drove Tao back home. It turns out that Tao doesn’t live far from the school. The whole drive was silent, Tao was still fairly dazed and couldn’t say much at that point. And Kris was just convincing himself that he'd focus on the ride and nothing else.

“Um, we’re here.” Kris softly nudges Tao in the passenger seat. Tao gives a small nod but Kris knows that when Tao is sick, he won’t be able to comprehend much of anything. Kris recalls the one time Kris was sleeping over at Tao’s house when they were very little, he was worried sick about Tao’s wellbeing since Tao wasn’t very responsive.

Kris walked out of his door and moved around to Tao’s side. He unbuckled Tao’s safety belt and helped Tao stand up. Kris was about to walk off but he soon realized that Tao couldn’t keep his own balance. He caught Tao just before he dropped to the ground.

“Woah, careful there.” Kris mutters before slinging his arm around the fragile boy. They slowly make their way into Tao’s house after Kris fumbled for Tao’s keys. Kris felt very out of place and distressed being put in this position as Tao’s carer. He had barely said a word to the kid since high school started and now he’s bringing Tao into his own house? Kris squeezed his eyes shut and avoided a headache. He slowly brought a half-awake Tao upstairs and laid him gently on the bed. Tao fell asleep immediately.

...

Tao wakes up in his room. Was everything just a dream? His eyes slowly flutter back closed and his mind reels. Definitely not a dream then. He still feels vertigo when he tries to get up and decides to just lie motionless on his bed. At least it doesn’t feel as hot as it was when Tao was at school.

Wait, how did I even get here? Tao eyes wander around his room and looks for anyone who could’ve took him home. Obviously it couldn’t have been his mom…or his stepdad. His mother couldn’t have brought him home, she’s constantly at work. And Tao’s stepdad…Tao shakes his head and tries not to think about it.

He tries to fall back asleep, but he can’t. His mind keeps running circles trying to remember what happened today. English class. Tao slowly recalls. Walking out of his English class and then walking down the hallway. I tripped. Tao rolls over onto his side and closes his eyes, his raven-blue bangs falling into his eyes. I tripped into that guy and then he pushed me into the lockers. But then what? It was really hard for Tao to recall, because that guy slammed Tao’s head pretty hard into the locker door. Someone saved me. Tao remembers a weight being lifted from his shoulder and he tries to recall anything before he slipped down to the floor.

Kris. The name flashed in his mind with a blurred face accompanying it. Did he really save me? For the past week, Kris had been acting rather cold to Tao. Tao got the impression that Kris really dislikes him. It was his body language and lack of words towards Tao that makes him shrink away. Tao likes the rest of the gang, they were all friendly towards him and he feels a little less lonely but he’s still hurting. Still drowning in his hidden sorrows.

But wait. Did Kris bring me home?

...

Kris walks down Tao’s hallway and gazes at the front door. Should I really leave yet? For the whole afternoon, Kris has been feeling flutters in his stomach and all these different feelings of nervousness. He’s so lost again. What should he do? Well he’s sleeping now, so there’s not much I can do to help him. Yet, Kris’ feet would not bring him any closer to the front door. Something reels him back, his need to take care of the young boy who Kris desperately misses. I suppose I can put a damp cloth on his head before I leave.

Kris turns around and moves over to the kitchen. He manages to find a clean cloth amidst all the mess on the countertop and puts it under the tap. He squeezes it and then walk upstairs with the cloth in hand. He tries not to make the stairs squeak too much as he doesn’t want to wake the boy up. He slowly peers into Tao’s room to find the boy just lying quietly on his bed.

Kris crosses the rooms with four even and long strides and puts the back of his hand on Tao’s forehead. Tao stirs and his eyes open staring straight into Kris’ gaze.

Kris’ action strikes a strong sense of nostalgia deep with Tao. Whenever Tao was sick, Kris gege would gauge his temperature in the most peculiar way—placing the back of his hand on his forehead and then using his palm to check his own temperature. When Tao asked why he checked like that, Kris just chuckled and answered that his mom used to check his temperature like that.

Why would this Kris use the same technique to check my temperature?

“Oh, hey, you’re awake.” Kris jerks his hand back and rubs his neck instead. “Uh, how’re you feeling now?”

Tao’s eyes gaze innocently back at Kris, and blinks as if Kris was just a figment of his imagination. So he did bring me home.

“Better thanks.” Tao quips quickly, his tone soft. A silence falls over the both of them and Kris takes a courageous leap and places the wet cloth on Tao’s forehead. Tao’s face begins to grow red and he hopes that he can pass it off for just him being sick.

“Did you bring me all the way back home?” Tao asks him although he’s already sure of the answer.

“Um, yeah I did. The nurse said that no one was available to bring you back so I brought you in my car. I hope you don’t mind.” Tao notices the slight hesitance in Kris’ voice and his reaction is immediate.

“No! Of course not. In fact, I’m really grateful, I wouldn’t have been able to get home if it weren’t for you.” Tao takes a closer look at Kris’s face. He notices that his eyes look really warm and friendly, yet, he acts completely different. His dyed blonde hair falls onto his face and Kris swiftly pushes it back. That action makes Tao think about Kris gege again. But no, the guy in front of him is not the same person. Tao doesn’t know why, but he refuses to believe it.

“I guess I’ll be going then…” Kris stands there awkwardly. Tao quickly realizes that he actually enjoys Kris’ company and that he really didn’t want to be alone right now since he’s sick. It's been so long since someone actually showed that they cared about Tao and without even realizing it yet, he's already attached.

He acts without thinking about it.

He hand darts out and grabs on to Kris’ wrist. No words are formed, just a bold action that Tao already regrets. He must think I’m a complete idiot.

Don’t. Don’t do that. Kris pleads in his mind. His heart feels like he’s breaking into pieces as he relives this memory that he wishes he could bury away. Why can’t you remember?

“Why can’t you remember?” The words escape Kris’ mouth without him knowing. It’s merely a mutter but Tao can hear it absolutely perfectly. “I-I’m sorry. I have to go.” Kris coherently says this time and walks out of Tao’s room, fleeing from the entire scene, unable to face up to his old friend.

Tao lies on his bed, motionless. What just happened?

Kris puts his car into gear and drives away from Tao’s house. He needs to run away, recover from everything that just happened. He knew it was a bad idea to go to Tao’s house to take care of him. His heart aches and he curses aloud. Nothing good could've come from that.

Why can’t you just remember me? Was I that insignificant to you? He’s able to handle himself around Tao now without having a complete breakdown because of how hurt he is, but this is the absolute final straw for him. His true emotions come to play and he punches the steering wheel. I ing hate this.

11 years earlier…

Tao cries by himself on the school playground. After being teased and bullied by a couple of older kids, he lays weak on the ground. He swears to himself that he’ll learn to be strong and learn to be like Kris gege.

“Tao?” Kris sees his small friend on the playground. He waves goodbye to his other friends in his class and runs over to the small boy on the ground.

“Hey, what happened?!” Kris kneels down and places his hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. Tao looks up with giant brown eyes.

“Kris gege!” Tao practically leaps into Kris’ arms and starts sobbing. Kris just holds the boy in his arms and pats his back. “They took my backpack, gege!”

Kris’ eyes grow narrow into a glare. Someone’s bullying Tao?

“Who, Tao?” The small boy points to a bunch of idiotic boys pushing and laughing at each other. Kris ruffles the small boy’s head and tells him he’ll be back.

Kris returns with a growing bruise on his cheek. But despite the blue growing even more apparent on his face, Kris has a pleasant smile. With Tao’s backpack in hand, he kneels down next to Tao again.

“Hey, look what I got you.” He hands Tao his backpack and Tao’s cheeks have no more tears on them. Tao gives Kris another hug which earns many laughs from the older boy.

“Thank you so much, gege!” Kris buries his face into Tao’s shoulder and gives a large smile. As long as his best friend was happy, he was happy.

“No problems, Taozi. You know that I’ll take care of you no matter what.”

Why did you make so many promises you can’t keep?