AN: Holy crap, it's been way too long since this story saw some action.  This chapter is honestly pretty much filler, as I needed to get used to writing these characters again after such a long time (especially Chen, he's going to get some POV love soon, I swear), but hopefully it's an enjoyable filler.  Thank you to everyone who's stuck with it so far, and welcome to all the new subscribers!  Your comments and kindness help remind me what a perfect escape writing can be from the real world!  Hope you all are happy and well! xoxo phaedra

CH 17

            The first bell was ringing, and Chanyeol still hadn’t showed up to class. 

            Sena tried to be discreet as she peeked over her shoulder for the thousandth time since she’d walked into class ten minutes ago.  But the desk behind her was still empty, and when she turned around again, it was to find Byun Baekhyun perched on her desk.  Sena jumped and jerked back in her seat, her metal chair squeaking in protest.   

            Baekhyun snickered, and then reached towards her.  Sena narrowed her eyes at him, but it only made him wiggle his fingers a little before continuing towards her.  When he showed no signs of stopping, she leaned back as best as her chair would allow her, watching the progress of his hand warily. 

            “What are you-” She blinked in stupefaction as the weight of his hand settled on top of her head.  Baekhyun patted her head gently a few times, and then his grinning face edged closer. 

             “Thanks for yesterday,” he said quietly, ruffling her hair slightly. 

             “Yeah, sure,” she stuttered in reply, unsure of what else to say while they were in class.  Byun Baekhyun definitely hadn’t been this nice last night when she had called him.  In fact, he’d gotten downright hostile the instant she had mentioned Chanyeol’s name over the phone, and it had taken her a good ten minutes to convince him that she wasn’t the reason that Chanyeol was in such a strange mood.  At least she didn’t think that she was – but then she’d kept replaying his angry words as she tossed around in her bed yesterday.

              Save the nice girl for your boyfriend.

             Baekhyun chuckled, and then straightened and stood up, withdrawing his hand.  “Really.  I appreciate it.  And he’s okay, in case you were wondering.”  He waggled his eyebrows teasingly.  “Because I bet you are,” he stage-whispered in a singsong voice.

             She quailed under his knowing stare.  “That’s good to hear,” she hedged.

             He shot her a thumbs-up, and then waved.  “I’m going to grab some water.  See you in a bit.  Let me know if the mastodon shows up.”

             “Mastodon?”  She frowned, not understanding, but Baekhyun was already edging past her.  Sena listened to him walk away, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone had noticed their conversation.  Sure enough, Sunhwa was gaping at her from the other side of the room.  As they made eye contact, Sunhwa pointed furtively at Baekhyun’s retreating form, silently demanding an explanation.  Sena shrugged defensively, and then mouthed “later” to her friend.  Sunhwa pursed her lips, a clear sign she wasn’t going to drop it just yet.  But before she could react, a loud knock caught their attention, drawing everyone’s eyes to the back of the room.

             “Sena!”  Tao stood in the doorway of the classroom, wearing a bright grin.  Sena’s eyes widened, and she quickly glanced around, but Suho was nowhere to be seen, and Baekhyun seemed to have missed him.   

             “Tao, what are you doing here?”  She moved to get up from her seat, meeting him halfway at the back of the room.  She could feel the stares of some of her classmates on her.

              He shrugged, tugging a blue and white jacket from his shoulder.  “Well, your boyfriend wanted me to drop this off to you.  He would’ve come himself, but he’s got a meeting with the coach before class.”  He shook out Chen’s swim jacket dramatically, and then settled it over her shoulders with a wide flourish.  “So I got to come be his delivery boy.”

              Warmth and the scent of Chen’s cologne washed over her as she pulled the jacket a little closer.   Navy blue with white sleeves, it had a white ‘S’ and the school’s crest stamped onto the front, with Chen’s name and status as captain on the back.  He’d let her wear his letter jacket a few times before, but this was the first time she’d be wearing it as his girlfriend.  The thought gave her a little thrill of excitement.  “Doesn’t he need to wear this before the meet?” She asked, even though she was already burrowing into the jacket.

             Tao chuckled, waving dismissively.  “He just needs to show up in his speedo.”

            Speedo.  

           Chen in a speedo.  

            Her cheeks burned at the visual that suddenly popped into her head.   She’d never been to a real swim meet before, though she’d certainly watched the swimming events at the Olympics, like every other girl on the planet.   She knew that swimmers wore speedos when they were competing.  But why then had her stupid brain not made the connection that Chen plus swim meet equaled Chen in a speedo? 

            Tao took in her blush with a sly smile.  “Oh my god, Sena, you little ert.  I can practically read the nasty thoughts in your mind right now.”

            Titters broke out around them, reminding her that they had an audience.  Sena pursed her lips and slapped Tao’s arm, manhandling him out of the classroom.  He laughed the whole way, pinching her cheek playfully when they got into the hallway.  “Aw, did I embarrass you?”

            “Tao!”  She huffed at him.

            He huffed right back.  “Don’t ‘Tao’ me!  You’re the one who got that dirty little glint in your eyes when I said it!”  He pointed accusingly at her.

            She threw up her hands, nearly dislodging Chen’s jacket.  “What am I supposed to do?  You just said my boyfriend’s going to be wearing a tiny little man bikini!”

            He frowned.  “Hey, I said speedo, not a ‘man-bikini’.  Respect the sport, Sena.” 

            She brushed off his retort.  “Whatever.  I’m a normal, hot-blooded girl, Tao!  We react to stuff like that too!”

           Tao’s eyes widened comically.  “Whoa.  This just got way too personal.  I’m going to go.”  He tiptoed backwards, throwing up a hesitant peace sign. 

           Sena paused, and then realized the wonderful opportunity she had just been handed for some revenge.   Tacking a pitiful look on her face, she edged closer.  “But Tao, Chen just gives me so many urges-“

          His face was turning an alarming shade of purple.  “Holy .  Stop, please stop,” he said, backing up and holding out his hands. 

          She clutched her hands together.  “All these feelings-”

          “Done.  This conversation is so done,” Tao wailed, spinning on his heel and nearly running down the hallway.  Satisfaction bubbled up in her as she watched him go, tugging Chen’s jacket closer to her. 

          “Nice.”

          The deep voice behind her was amused, but more importantly, it was familiar, one she recognized immediately.   She whirled around in surprise.   Chanyeol stood before her in his school uniform, his hands shoved into his pockets.  He looked a little rumpled and tired, but there was a sheepish little smile playing on his mouth. 

         He opened his mouth as though he was about to say something, but then cut himself off, glancing away. 

        For some strange reason, he seemed almost nervous, and so she took it on herself to say something first. “I didn’t think you were coming today,” she started off hesitantly.

        He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his head.  “Yeah, Baekhyun kind of made me,” he replied.  Now that she looked closer, his eyes looked a little swollen, a little red.  Her heart gave a funny lurch at the thought that he might have been crying.

         “Well, I’m glad you made it,” she said, surprising even herself with the sincerity in her voice.

         Chanyeol shot her a strangely intense look, and then straightened up, tugging his bag higher on his shoulder.  “So, we’re supposed to present our chapter on Thursday,” he said, sounding more like himself now.     

         She’d nearly forgotten about their project.  Thankfully, they had worked through the research last week – when they’d been on better terms.  “I know.  We’re mostly done, if it’s easier, I can just split up the parts and we can go over it separately.”

         He paused, and Sena could see that same intensity flicker in his gaze.  “I think we should just go over it once or twice, you know, together.” 

        “Oh.  Yeah, sure, we can do that.”

        He nodded.  “So do you want to come over to my place or work at yours tonight?”

        “Um, I actually can’t do today,” she said quickly.

        He frowned a bit.  “Oh?”

       “Yeah, it’s just the swim meet is today.”  The weight of Chen’s jacket on her shoulders suddenly felt heavier.  Chanyeol’s eyes swept over the blue and white, his face going neutral.

        “Tomorrow should be fine,” he said nonchalantly, and then jerked his head towards their classroom.  “Come on, we should get inside.”

-------------

        “Sena, up here!” 

         Sena scanned the packed stands, following Sunhwa’s voice.  She finally spotted her friend at the far end of the swim hall, guarding two seats near the locker room entrance.  Sena barely hid her smile – she knew she could trust Sunhwa to find the best view to admire the talents – and the physique – of the swim twim.  She picked her way through the sea of supporters in navy blue and white and then plopped down next to the other girl.

        Sunhwa gave her a bruising hug before slapping her arm.  “Ugh, where have you been?  The meet is about to start!” 

        “I’m sorry!  I had to go see Professor Han about my art project.  What is that on your cheek?”  She leaned in, and marveled at the tiny, stylized wolf, with the letters ‘SD Wolves’ underneath. 

        “Isn’t it great?  I got you one too!”  Sunhwa reached into her pocket and picked out a slip of paper. 

        “Oh my god, are we really doing this?  Temporary tattoos?  I feel like we’re in primary school again.”  That didn’t stop her from swiping her hair over her shoulder and tilting her cheek up for Sunhwa.

        The taller girl quickly applied the tattoo, and then held a damp tissue over it.  “Don’t act like you don’t love it.  I already sent Himchan a picture and he said he couldn’t wait to see it in person.  Ah, perfect, we’re done!”  She peeled away the tissue and paper, and then clapped her hands excitedly.  “Now send Chen a picture too!”

        Sena tapped gingerly at the slightly sticky mark on her skin.  “He’s going to laugh at me,” she whined.  She could already imagine the quips he’d make, but it didn’t stop her from snapping a smiling picture and sending it off to her boyfriend. 

        His response was instantaneous.  ‘Come into the hallway.’

        Next to her, Sunhwa whistled as she peeked over at the screen.  Sena shoved her playfully before replying. ‘Which one?’

       ‘The one to your left.’

        Which meant Chen could definitely see her.  She ran an unconscious hand through her hair, smoothing it down, and then leaned down to grab her mirror.  But Sunhwa gripped her wrist, hauling her back up.

        “Don’t worry, you look fine.  Go!  Ugh, I wish Himchan was this romantic.”  She pouted as she pushed Sena up and into the aisle. 

        “Want me to tell Chen to send him out?”  Sena called over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.

        Sunhwa’s eyes lit up, but then she tamped down her enthusiasm.  “No,” she answered flippantly, flipping her hair.  “It’s not fun if he isn’t doing it himself.”

         Sena laughed at her friend’s stubbornness.  “Right.  Okay, I’ll tell him to come out.”  As she darted into the tunnel leading to the locker room, she heard Sunhwa yell something about a shirt.  The next moment, her vision suddenly went black as a hand settled over her eyes.  Startled, she flinched, her back coming into contact with someone behind her. 

        “Nice jacket.”  A warm arm slid around her, and Sena relaxed as Chen tugged at the hem of his swim jacket.  “Guess who?”

         A smile threatened her lips.  She could play if he wanted to.  “Hm,” she wondered aloud, running a hand over his forearm.  “This is tricky.  These muscles feel like Luhan’s arm, or maybe Xiumin?”

        She heard him scoff above her ear.  “Seriously?  This is how you’re going to encourage me before a meet?”

        “Well, you asked,” she answered sweetly. 

         He grabbed her hand and pulled it behind her.  “Alright, then, whose muscles are these?”  He pressed her hand against his abdomen.

         On instinct, her fingers skittered over his abs, sliding into chiseled ridges and grooves.  His muscles flexed at her touch. 

         And then her brain caught up with her hand. 

        That was definitely bare skin she was touching. 

        She frowned, and then everything hit her at once like a torpedo.

        Speedo.

        Chen is in a speedo.

        Oh. My. God.

       She wasn’t sure whether she screamed out loud or in her mind as she pulled away, because the overload her brain was currently in was cacophonic.  Her hand was nearly burning from where she had been in contact with him, and she didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or from wanting to turn around and touch some more.

       Chen sounded like he was on the verge of popping a hernia with his laughter.  She cringed, diving for the wall of the hallway and burying her face in her hands.

        “Hey,” Chen said in between chuckles, his hand curling around her arm.  She jerked away, feeling the sting in her cheeks from her blush. 

        “Chen, you’re practically !” She hissed.  Sure they had made out a few times, and she might have snuck a feel or two under his shirt, but they hadn’t made it to full on clothes-off sessions yet.  She hadn’t gotten that far with anyone!

        “You don’t want to see me ?”  She could almost hear the pout in his voice. 

        He was terrible.  The worst boyfriend ever.  “Oh my god, I can’t-“  She was going to hyperventilate. 

       “Sena, turn around,” he said with a laugh.

       Words spilled out of before she could think.  “No, Chen, we’re in public and I wasn’t really thinking about all this when I said I would come but this is kind of-”

       “I swear to you I’m not .”  His amused voice cut through her little monologue. 

       She whined.  “I felt your, your-”

      “My what?”  He sounded far too smug right now, and if she wasn’t mortified she might have punched him. 

      “Chen!”

       His hands settled on her waist, rubbing gently.  “Alright, I might not be wearing a shirt right now, but I promise you I have pants on.  Now please turn around?”  Chen’s voice was beseeching and sweet, and enough to finally give her the courage to turn around. 

      The hallway was dim, but the mix of light and shadows did wonders for the sight before her – her boyfriend, shirtless.  Chen wasn’t ridiculously muscled, but he did have the lean, sharp lines that marked his sport.  Those lines slid sinuously down his body, disappearing into the low-slung sweats hanging on his hips. 

       “You like?”  He murmured, lips a scant inch from hers.

       She couldn’t speak.  She might have been drooling.  And her skin was feeling terribly tight and tingly right now, making her bite her lip as she met his gaze helplessly.

       Chen scanned her face avidly, before he groaned and slid a hand into her hair.  “God, you know how to give a guy some confidence, don’t you?”

       She looked up at him in confusion before she realized what he meant.  The swim meet.  She felt instantly guilty at her reaction.  “I’m sorry!”

       “No, don’t be,” he interjected quickly, “you’re doing everything exactly right.”

       She smiled shakily, and then asked, “Are you nervous?”

       He shook his head.  “Not really.  We’ve competed against these schools tons of times, and we always win.”  His arms s around her waist, pulling her closer.  “But would you give me a good luck kiss if I said I was?”

       She was so close to his bare chest now, and she had a fleeting moment of panic over where to put her hands.  But Chen had a way of making her feel confident, in a way she’d never felt with a boy before.  And it was with that confidence that she laid her palms over his pectorals, and heard Chen in a quiet breath.

       “Okay, let’s try again,” she asked, feeling flirty.  “Are you nervous?”

       His gaze dropped to , and he swallowed hard before nodding.  Sena bit her lip to hide her smile, and then cupped his face, leaning up to press a teasing kiss to his mouth.  But Chen apparently wasn’t after just a peck.  As she slid back, his arms instantly tightened, holding her close as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving restlessly and his tongue swirling around hers.  Her pulse jumped wildly, and she grabbed at his shoulders for balance, his warm skin smooth and soft beneath her hands.  The atmosphere around them grew dizzyingly hot and urgent, filling the infinitesimally small spaces between them, and she felt like she was skirting around the edge of feeling overwhelmed, only in the most perfect way possible.  He shifted the angle a bit, on her bottom lip, and her head spun deliciously.  Distracted by his mouth, she didn’t notice his hand ghosting over her hip, easing her shirt free.  But she definitely noticed his hand on her bare skin, and her startled twitch had Chen pulling back breathlessly.

        “No?”  He asked gently, pulling her shirt back down quickly. 

        “Yes,” she blurted, before she could even think about it.

        He frowned.  “Wait, is that like a ‘yes, you’re okay with it,’ or a ‘yes, I should stop’?”  

        She probably should have cared more that they were less than twenty feet away from a significant chunk of the school’s population, or that she had just been freaking out over Chen being shirtless.  But all she wanted in that moment was to escape back into their little bubble of sensation, and feel her nerves come alive again.  She grabbed his hand, placing it decisively on her hip again.  “Yes,” she repeated, and then curled her hand around his nape and kissed him again. 

        Like a light switch, the same energy arced through her, and Chen hummed into as he shifted even closer, wrapping one hand in her hair as the other drifted under her shirt again.  His fingers danced lightly over her waist, but he didn’t go any further, as though he was content to just hold her.  Her own hands didn’t seem to have the same restraint, and she surprised herself by trailing down his spine.  He arched into her, his teeth sinking into her lip for a beautiful second.

       The loudspeaker suddenly crackled with static.

       They both jerked backwards, breathing hard and staring at each other. She didn't know whether it was the same for him, but that had hands down been the best kiss she'd ever had.  Part of her almost wanted to thank her half- boyfriend for the wonderfully effervescent butterflies still swimming inside her, while the other part, reveling in the lingering tingle of Chen's lips on , had physically rein herself in from going for round three.  

       Sena finally broke the silence with a laugh.  “Good luck,” she whispered giddily. 

       The corners of his mouth twitched.  “We need to do that again,” he said huskily, leaning in and pecking at her lips even as she laughingly pushed him back.

       “You need to go,” she reminded him, stepping out of his arms.  "I know you said they're easy, but you still have a swim meet to win, remember?"

        Chen groaned.  “Wait for me after?”  He said, thumbing the tattoo on her cheek. 

        She nodded with a broad smile, and then remembered her promise to her friend.  “Oh, tell Himchan to come see Sunhwa!”  

        He snorted, and then grabbed the front of her uniform, tugging her closer for one more toe-curling kiss.  “See you soon,” he murmured.  Releasing her just as abruptly, he jogged back into the darkness of the hall, leaving Sena to find her dazed way back to the stands. 

        “Someone looks very well-kissed and satisfied,” Sunhwa said as she sat down.

        Sena patted her flushed cheeks nervously.  “That was really hot,” she confessed quietly.

         “Don’t rub it in my face.  Himchan said he’s trying to coach one of the new guys on the team, so he’ll find me after the game.  No pre-game snogging for me.”  She huffed, and then straightened up.  “So are you finally going to tell me what was up with Byun Baekhyun this morning?”

        As the first swimmers lined up for their races, Sena recounted the events of last night and the morning.  Sunhwa listened patiently, occasionally interrupting to cheer for a friend’s race, but as Sena finished, she nodded sympathetically.

        “Chanyeol’s not my friend by any account, but I also don’t think that he would go off on you like that if something serious hadn’t happened,” she said.

         Sena nodded.  “Yeah, I’m kind of hoping he’ll bring it up when we get together.”

        “I seriously think that – oh wait, that’s my man!  That’s my man!  Go Himchan!”  Together, they both shot to their feet, cheering wildly as Himchan stepped up to the starting block.  He raised a hand in their direction, winking cheekily before he got into position.  The whistle blew, and he dove into the water, streaking past his competition.  Sunhwa’s hand gripped hers brutally the entire time, and it wasn’t until a victorious Himchan surged out of the pool that Sena could feel her fingers again. 

         “Sorry!  I’m sorry!”  Sunhwa apologized, rubbing her hand vigorously, even as they both still hollered for Himchan. 

         “It’s okay!”  Sena soothed, hugging her best friend tightly. 

         “Look, Chen’s up now!”

         And sure enough, her boyfriend was stepping up to the block.  He casually stripped off his jacket and pants, and Sena nearly choked on her breath.

           “Oh.  Oh, wow,” she whispered. 

            Kim Chen could definitely work a speedo.  He wasn’t the tallest or the buffest on the team, but there was a certain confidence in his stance that spoke of being at ease with his body.  And that confidence was just as wildly attractive as all of his lean muscles and chiseled definition.  As he stretched, he glanced over at her.  Sena shrunk back at the intensity of his gaze.

            “Wow, hello bedroom eyes.” Sunhwa whistled appreciatively.

            “Sunhwa.  I think I’m going to die,” she whispered deliriously.

            Sunhwa cackled next to her.  “See, this is why you date a swimmer.  You get almost all the visual benefits of without getting in trouble with your parents for actually having .”

            “Sunhwa!”

            “What?  We’re teenage girls, we can totally talk about this stuff.”

            Sena was saved from dignifying that with a response as Chen took his place on the block, pulling his goggles on and adjusting his swim cap.  She cheered his name as he took position, and then watched with her heart in as he took off into the water. 

            “Come on, come on,” she chanted to herself, clutching his jacket and Sunhwa’s hand.  His arms broke the water in powerful strides, widening the gap between his competitors with each .  As he turned effortlessly to swim back, her scream melted into the hundreds of cheers from other students, and the cacophony of sound swelled and grew as he raced closer and closer to the finish line, so that when he finally slapped the edge of the pool, the noise in the hall was deafening.  Pride and exultation had Sena throwing her hands up in the air as Chen climbed out the pool, and she turned to Sunhwa with a thrilled look.

            “He won, oh my god, he won!”  She probably sounded like a lunatic, but she was too happy to care.  As the next swimmers stepped up, Chen looked over in her direction, and she waved wildly at him, shooting him a thumbs up.  He grinned, bowing with a flourish.        

            The rest of the meet passed by quickly.  As Chen had predicted, Seongdeok claimed a clear victory over the other schools, dominating each event.   After the Wolves left for the locker room with hoots and yells, the hall emptied quickly.  Sunhwa dashed off to her locker, and Sena took up a post by the hallway, waiting for Chen.  

            Luhan was the first to come out.  He waved at her, loping down the hall to join her.  “Hey!  Did you have fun?”

            “It was great!  You were really good!”

He shrugged.  “This was an easy meet, tell me that after next week.  We’re up against one of our main rivals, so we’re all really going to have to work.”  He leaned in, nudging her shoulder gently.  “So, how’s our fearless captain treating you?”

            “Are you taking secrets back to the rest of the clique?”  She teased with narrowed eyes.

            Luhan held up a hand defensively.  “Hey, Tao started it.  He said you were creeping hardcore on Chen.  Plus the rest of us are currently single, so we really have nothing better to do.”

            She rolled her eyes with a laugh.  “Tao just couldn’t handle girl talk.”

            He nodded.  “Plus, I told him it wasn’t technically creeping since you’ve already bagged Chen.”

            “Oh my god, bagged?  You make me sound like some-”

            “Sena!”

            They both turned around.  Chen was making his way over to them.

            “And that’s my cue,” Luhan said breezily.  “Catch you later, Sena!”  He took off for the exit before she could say anything, just as Chen reached her. 

            He had a pair of sweats on, but his upper half was still gloriously bare, and Sena had to pause for a second to take it all in up close. 

            Chen noticed.  “Checking me out again?” 

            She blushed.  “Maybe.”

            He pulled on a shirt, much to her internal regret, and then tugged a jacket on over it.  After he was done, he wrapped an arm around her and leaned down for a kiss.  Her first instinct was to tilt her head up, remembering their earlier kiss – and her second was to remember where they were.  She quickly ducked into his shoulder.

            “Chen!  We’re in public,” she hissed, cringing at the catcalls around them. 

            “I’m pretty sure we were in public last time,” he quipped, but let her be.  Instead, he tilted her chin to the side, and brushed his thumb over the little wolf on her cheek.  “I like this.”

            She looked up with a grin.  “Yeah?  They were Sunhwa’s idea.”

            He laughed.  “Should’ve known.”  He slung his backpack over his shoulder.  “So, my pretty good luck charm, what can I treat you to for helping me win?”

            She shook her head quickly.  “No, it’s my treat!  To congratulate you,” she said, slipping her hand into his.  Chen paused and glanced down at their clasped hands. 

            “Sena, we’re in public,” he teased, pitching his voice higher to mimic her.

            She bit the inside of her cheek at his totally justified retort.  “Fine, if you don’t want to hold my hand-” She let her voice trail off, sliding her hand out of his and striding purposefully away.  He laughed behind her, and then she heard him run after her.  A second later, his warm fingers were tangling with hers, squeezing tight.

            “Make me work for every little thing, don’t you?” 

            “Would you still like me this much if I was easy?”  She tossed back saucily.

            “Yes,” he said emphatically, his face comically serious.  “In fact, I’d probably like you even more.”

            And there was the Chen she knew.  She rolled her eyes with a huff.  “Why am I even dating you?”

            He leaned in close.  “Because I get you all hot and bothered when I’m ,” he whispered conspiratorially.  She slapped his arm for that, and he laughed it off, pressing a kiss to her hand. 

            They walked to a café close to the school, where Sena managed to manhandle Chen into a booth so she could pay for their drinks.  As much as she loved his chivalry, she liked treating her man just as much as he liked to treat her. 

            As she set their drinks down, Chen grabbed her hand, tangling his fingers with hers.  “So, you want to come over to my house for a little bit today?”

            She raised her brows with a smile.  They hadn’t bridged the home visits yet, though Sena’s mother had been pestering her to meet Chen.  Chen rarely talked about his house or his family, beyond what he’d told her that day on the rooftop.  She was excited to see what he was like outside of school.  “Sure,” she said happily.

            A ping sounded from her purse, and Sena pulled out her phone.  1 message – Chanyeol.

            Her heart skipped a beat, and she tilted the screen to point away from Chen as she quickly scanned the message. 

            ‘Hey.  Can we talk sometime today? About what happened yesterday?’

            “Who’s that?”  Chen peered over, chewing on his straw. 

             “Just Sunhwa,” she lied, forcing a casual tone into her voice.

            Chen wrinkled his nose.  “Tell her she’s infringing on my time.  She gets you all day at school.” 

            The ease with which he believed her made her feel instantly guilty.  She shoved her phone back in her purse, leaving Chanyeol’s message unanswered.  She’d promised today to her boyfriend, and Chen was going to get her full attention.  “There, now it’s just the two of us,” she said, shaking their joined hands gently.

            “So how’s the painting coming along?”  Chen noisily on his iced coffee.

            “Halfway done, I think,” she said with a groan.  She’d hit a block yesterday after what had happened with Chanyeol, and hadn’t gotten any work done on her SYA submission.  The deadline was rolling up, and she was starting to feel the pressure.

            Chen eyed her intently.  “When are you finally going to let me see it?”

             She smiled at his persistence.  Chen had been asking about her painting for the past few days, curious about the piece that had gotten her so excited about the showcase.  He’d seen some of her older works, but she didn’t want to show him this particular piece just yet – because she was hoping to use it for inspiration on a painting she wanted to make for him.  “Soon,” she promised vaguely. 

            He raised a brow.  “Soon means never, doesn’t it?”

            “I didn’t say that, just soon,” she hedged, sipping from her latte.  “So who are you swimming against next week?  Luhan said they’re some pretty serious rivals.”

            Her utterly transparent change of subject had him rolling his eyes playfully, but he launched into an explanation of his swim schedule for the next few weeks, and Sena silently congratulated herself on a successful evasion.

------------------              

            “So, how long are you going to stay here?  Not that I mind at all, but shouldn’t you talk to your dad?” 

            Chanyeol glanced over at his friend.  Baekhyun was staring at him with a worried expression.  He sighed deeply, settling back into the couch.  “I’ll go back tomorrow.”

            “Has he called you?”

            Only a couple hundred times, along with countless messages from his uncle and grandmother.  Chanyeol had ignored most of it, save for sending a quick message to his grandmother and uncle saying he’d call them when he was ready to talk. 

            Baekhyun sighed.  “This blows,” he groused, flopping back on the couch and tossing the control at Chanyeol.  “Pick something to watch.”

            Chanyeol had just turned the TV on when his phone buzzed insistently.  Expecting his dad, Chanyeol barely flicked a glance towards it, but when Kai’s name appeared on the screen, he huffed and swiped the bar to take the call.

            “Yo.  Come outside,” Kai ordered tersely, without giving Chanyeol even a second to say hello.

            Chanyeol frowned, glancing at Baekhyun.  “Uh, I’m not at my house.”  His friend somehow didn’t look very surprised.

            “Yeah, I know.  Outside, now.”  The phone went dead, and Chanyeol stared at the screen for a second before looking over at his friend, who was barely holding in a smile.  Something was definitely up.  “What’s going on?”

            Baekhyun stood up, stretching theatrically.  “I believe the man said outside, now.  Come on, get your shoes on.”

            In less than a minute, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were downstairs, opening the front door, where they were greeted with four grinning faces. 

            “Finally,” Kai said, grabbing Chanyeol’s jacket and pulling him past the threshold.  Chanyeol stumbled outside, into the huddle of his friends, and heard Baekhyun shut the door behind them. 

            “What are you guys doing?” Chanyeol looked around in confusion. 

            Sehun clapped his hands gleefully.  “Manfest.  We’re going to watch a movie.”  He gestured to a black backpack in Kyungsoo’s hand.  “Suho bought beer, and he’s going to buy snacks, too, like the good rich boy he is,” he said with a cackle. 

Suho, to his credit, only nodded.  “And I won’t even punch Sehun for saying that,” he promised, patting Sehun just a touch too roughly. 

            Gratitude swelled inside Chanyeol.  He hadn’t yet told the rest of his friends about his father’s new relationship, but they’d clearly guessed that he’d been off during the day, probably with some help from Baekhyun. 

            “Yeah, we know.  You’re touched, humbled and all the little cockles in your heart feel warm and fuzzy.  Great.  Now can we get going already?”  Despite Kyungsoo’s droll tone, the shorter boy tossed a genuine look at Chanyeol before leading the way to Suho’s car. 

              Sehun ambled over and slung his arm over Chanyeol’s shoulders.  “Cheer up, cap,” he said.  And with the night his friends had planned, Chanyeol knew he would.