Illa Illa - Juniel

Fallen

Aerin looked at the dark night sky with an empty stare. The stars shined beautifully from various locations in the universe, and fortunately, it managed to give Aerin’s mind a taste of serenity. Looking at the view was a good choice of past time for her while waiting, for it didn’t require any effort in doing. One thing she noticed though is that, no matter how bright the stars were, their lights weren’t enough to overshadow the obscurity of the clouds; like the dark billows were hindering them from glowing. It didn’t really matter to Aerin for she wasn’t a very astronomical person, but it gave her a sense of empathy—one of which she didn’t really favour.

“Sorry, I took some time.” The sounds of glass bottles clinking against each other were suddenly heard by Aerin, causing for her to avert her gaze from the skies. Turning towards the direction, she saw Sehun approaching her at the back of her truck, his hands occupied by two medium sized black plastic bags. “Aren’t you cold though?” Sehun asked, putting the bags down before taking a seat on the trunk beside her, eyeing her outfit which consisted of only a sleeveless tee and jean shorts in the process. The girl only shook her head in response as she rummaged through the bags, gaining her a shrug from Sehun. “Well, even if you are indeed cold, those would heat you up.”

Seeing the number of green glass bottles present inside the bag, together with a box of what seemed to be fried chicken, Aerin turned back to Sehun in incredulity. “Are you even old enough to buy these?”

Highly dissatisfied with Aerin’s reaction, Sehun scoffed. “Reality check, I’m already nineteen; unlike in America, that’s the legal age for drinking here.” He then grinned mischievously afterwards. “And even if I’m not of legal age yet, I’m on good terms with the owner of the convenience store where I bought that so we won’t be caught. I have my ways, you know.”

Still not convinced, Aerin looked around their surroundings, searching for any signs of life forms. Seeing this, Sehun shook his head with a sigh as he started pulling out the bottles from the bag. “Don’t worry, we’re the only ones here. I already checked.” Sehun said, now opening the box of fried chicken with a gulp. “It’s a weekday so people would opt to rest than to play here at the beach.”

Aerin looked at Sehun in discreet awe. The male always claimed to have his ways with things, and proving this for so many times already, her amazement heightened. She then took a piece from the box and gave Sehun a thumbs up—a sign saying that she was pleased. “I’m impressed,” She said, savouring the tasty meat of the chicken with a satisfied smile. Though once the sound of the cap popping off from its bottle was heard, she then pulled off a disbelieving smile. “But is this your way of comforting me? By making me drunk?” Grabbing the bottle from Sehun, she then took a sip, her eyes squinting from the bitter taste of the beverage. “You do know that dad and Luhan would kill you once they know that you made me drink.”

Sehun started by taking a sip as well, but unlike Aerin, he donned a playful expression. “Not if you keep our little activity a secret,” He then smirked at the girl before taking a drumstick as well. “And I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t since if they found out, you’d be in big trouble too since you came with me on your own free will.”

Staring at the male in disbelief, Aerin’s face contorted displeasingly whereas Sehun only chuckled. No wonder he’s always at the top of their class. “You do have a point there.”

“So what happens here, stays here.” Aerin nodded in response to Sehun as they continued devouring the fresh meat laid beside them on the trunk.

It was then when the atmosphere turned silent; none of the two spoke afterwards and only the occasional blows of the wind, rustlings of the trees, and the ruckus made by them were heard. The ambience was hushed but it didn’t make both Aerin and Sehun any less comfortable. In fact, the quietness was calming and both of them liked it; they both cherished the moment for it was their time to think things thoroughly without any hindrance, as well as the time for them to eat their food in peace.

And it took them another half an hour to finish their food, letting only the still unopened bottles remain with them. Both had already managed to down a bottle and a half, but there were still a number left. I better remind Sehun to hide this well if we won’t be able to finish everything. Aerin then took another two bottles and opened both, handing one to Sehun who just arrived after throwing their trash and buying a few chips and snacks to replace the lost presence of their beloved chicken.

“You better not puke later, Aerin.” Sehun said, regaining his place beside her on the trunk as he opened the bag of chips with a smile.

Putting on a small smile as well, Aerin shook her head. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Sehun nodded and removed his cap; he then placed it on Aerin’s head, following it by placing an average sized blanket on her exposed lower body which he got from the back seat of the truck. His actions weren’t received negatively by Aerin, but she sure became flustered—a gesture which rarely happens to her. She knew that the male was similar to Luhan in a way, gentle and kind, but she didn’t quite expect that he would act like so towards her, much less be disconcerted about it. Not to mention the way he did it so naturally, Aerin found herself getting curious if the male was also like that to other girls.

“Sehun,” Aerin spoke, gnawing her bottom lips in thought as she looked at the sandy ground. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Sehun choke on his drink upon hearing Aerin, gaining the undivided attention of the girl; however, so as not to make his flushed face any more obvious, he quickly sorted out his thoughts and tried to act as naturally as possible. “None, why do you ask?”

I just suddenly wanted to know, Aerin thought, but she knew that her answer was very unreasonable. She wasn’t usually intrigued with other people’s love life so she, herself, was wondering why she suddenly had the urge to ask. She thought about it for a brief moment, but seeing as Sehun was waiting for her answer, she just blamed everything on the alcohol and smiled. “Nothing really, I was just curious.”

It wasn’t nothing for Sehun though, for the person he liked was the one that asked him such question. It surprised him, especially since the girl wasn’t really that direct when it comes to things like that. He wanted to know the exact reason, to be honest, but instead of asking again, he just followed it up with a confession. “I did have six before when I was still in Seoul. The first one’s when I was thirteen.” He wasn’t afraid of being looked differently by Aerin just because of something like that; he knew that the girl was very open-minded and understanding—one of the few reasons why he came to like her.

And his claim was proven right when Aerin just chuckled and asked again. “Among those six, how many were real?”

Blinking his eyes in surprise, Sehun eventually broke out into laughter once he understood the girl. “Honestly, none.” Hearing this, Aerin shook her head amusingly to which Sehun scoffed. “But hey, I was always the one being dumped!” It didn’t do him any justice though, for the girl still laughed. Seeing this, Sehun snickered; he was seeing new sides of Aerin and it pleased him so much. Plus, knowing that she was being more open than the usual, he took the chance to get to know her more without being mistaken as having an ulterior motive. “How about you? Do you have a boyfriend right now?”

Taking a few gulps from the green bottle, Aerin shook her head. “Nope, but I had three before.”

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