One Direction - Night Changes

http://listenonrepeat.com/?v=UM3389FUnKo#One_Direction_-_Night_Changes_(Audio)

In the previous chapter ...

“I like you. Just like the way I like Baekhyun, but slightly more than that. Not love, but like. I like you, Luhan and I want to tell you that I want to give it a try like what Sehun suggested.”

Luhan blinked his eyes another time, and Joohyun stood there in silence. She can feel her cheeks burning in embarrassment, and also, flustered, wondering how Luhan will respond. She was afraid, for she somehow or yes, confessed, and the look on his face was just a blank one.

“I-I got t-“ Joohyun started again, when she was cut off when a pair of arms embraced her gently, as her head was pressed against the other’s chest, as she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. “I won’t rush you or anything, but I want you to take this period of time to understand and know me better. I don’t want you to pick me just because I have been there for you. I want you to pick me because you are in love with me.”

 Luhan then hugged her, and smiled widely,” I won’t pick anyone else, except you because I like you.” 

Joohyun shut the front gate after her, as she stepped out onto the pavement. She turned to her left to head down the route to her school, when she spotted a familiar figure leaning against the brick-wall, with his bag slung over his shoulder and his head facing down.

‘Luhan.’

The latter stood there for a second, before walking up to the male, whose head was moving from left to right at times. She then peered closer and chuckled at the sight of Luhan, who was dozing off quietly. She then reached out and caressed his cheeks, and was surprised to feel that it was cold.

“Ouch,” the male grumbled as he stumbled across his foot and was surprised to see Joohyun standing in front of him with wide eyes. “Oh, hi,” Luhan greeted while rubbing his eyes, before looking at Joohyun’s hand.

The latter then smiled,as she awkwardly placed it down,” Hi. S-So, what are you doing here?”

“Picking you up from home so that we can walk to school together,” he replied, while rubbing his palms together as he smiled at the latter. Joohyun then asked,” How long have you been waiting here?”

Luhan looked at his wristwatch, and grinned sheepishly,” An hour.”

“Jeez, Luhan. There is something as pressing against the doorbell and asking to enter my house,” Joohyun sighed, as she reached for Luhan’s hands. She then carried on,” And waiting out in the cold isn’t really considered to be a smart move.”

She then intertwined her fingers around his, and brought them up to but a few centimetres away as she blew air against it. Luhan shuddered slightly at the warm air embracing his cold hands, and he smiled,” As long as I get to prove that I am serious about you, anything is worth it.”

“I know, but please take good care of your health,” Joohyun chided gently, as she was about to pull her hand away when Luhan grasped it tightly.

She looked at him, and frowned. “I am cold,” he argued, while releasing one of their hands. Joohyun then pointed out bluntly,” I blew hot air against it just now.”

"It wasn’t enough. I am still cold.”

Just as Joohyun was about to argue back, her front gate creaked open and the couple widened their eyes at the sight of her two brothers taking their leave. Jongin froze as he glanced at them, and then at their intertwined hand while widening his eyes.

“Hyung, move! You are literally li- Noona,” Sehun stopped short as he caught sight of his older sister. Jongin then asked with a puzzled tone,” What are you two doing?”

Joohyun tried to break free, but Luhan tightened his grasp as he smiled,” Walking to school together.”

“I can tell, but that holding hands isn’t included,” Jongin frowned, and was about to march over to pull them apart when Sehun grabbed his collar, while shutting the front gate.

The younger male then looked at his older brother,” Stop being a childish kid. Noona is old enough to fall in love and get a boyfriend, and be happy that Luhan hyung-nim is treating her well, and making her cry with joy.”

“The point is that she is still crying and he hasn’t meet my expectations.”

“Nobody ever meets your expectations, so it up. The only person who ever meet your expectations is dad, or yourself,” Sehun scolded the tanned male, before smiling widely at the couple at the front,” We are heading off the school now, noona!” 

The young male then grabbed Jongin and dragged him off in the opposite direction, as the tanned male whined,” Our school is in that direction!”

“Our future school,” Sehun corrected, as he ignored his consistent whines. 

Joohyun blinked her eyes once, and then twice before looking at Luhan. “That wasn’t even part of the plan.”

“What is?”

“Waking to school together and not holding hands.”

Luhan then smirked,” I am sorry, but holding hands is part of the plan. Come on, we need to move or else we will be late.” Before Joohyun can even protest, the doed-eyed male was pulling her towards the direction of their school.

***

As Joohyun stepped into the hallway, she can hear the soft whispers around them and she immediately pulled away from Luhan, who frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“We are not a couple, and we shouldn’t be holding hands at all,” she explained as she walked towards her locker, and Luhan argued,” You kissed me yesterday.”

Joohyun’s face turned a crimson red, and she lowered her head while quickening her steps towards her locker. “And you said that you like me,” Luhan added on with a teasing tone, and the latter blushed even more. Luhan chuckled, while leaning against the locker next to Joohyun, as he silently watched her fumbled around with her books.

“Relax, Joohyun. I am not going to hurt you or bite you or embarrass you,” he laughed, while staring at her face. One thing Luhan was sure about that he will never hurt her, and that he will only love her and protect her. Another thing he was sure about was that Joohyun was getting prettier and prettier each day, and that will make his knees go weak at times

The latter shut her locker door, and looked at Luhan as she avoided the stares from the other students,” I know that you won’t hurt me, but I am not worried about that. I am more worried about how people look at us. It is t-“ “You don’t have to be afraid of that. Let them have their own thinking, because they have no idea about the truth.”

“And here comes the unofficial but yet official campus’s couple,” Chanyeol hooted from the other end of the hallway, and some students cheered. Joohyun flustered for a moment, as she turned to face her locker while Luhan nodded his head.

He then turned to his friend, who was approaching them,” Knock it off. She isn’t ready to accept my love for her.” Joohyun then turned around with an exasperated look, while defending herself,” I confess yesterday, and we say that we will take our time.”

“Heard that? She confessed to me yesterday,” Luhan chuckled, as he fist-bumped with Chanyeol, while the students began to whisper even more. Joohyun cringed in her spot, as she leaned against her locker. She never expected the school to be this alive in the morning.

Just as she was about to say something, another voice piped out from the crowd. “We don’t really know how things are going between the both of you, but I just want you to know that some of us here do support the both of you even though we don’t know everything. Joohyun sunbae-nim is somebody that I really looked up to, and seeing the way she handled things at the cafeteria back then really inspired me to be like her. She is a role model, and people may look at her as someone who changes her feelings fast, but I am pretty sure that she isn’t that kind of girl.”

“Who is that?” Luhan asked, as he straightened up, while scanning through the crowd for the student. The crowd began to shuffle around, and Joohyun held Luhan back.

“Don’t cr-“ Before she can even finish her sentence, Luhan sauntered up to the female student, who was cluching her books tightly.

Luhan then smiled gently at her, and held his palm in the air,” Give me a high-five.” The student widened her eyes at the request, and glanced at Joohyun, who was watching with silence. Chanyeol then leaned towards Joohyun, and whispered,” What is going on?”

“I have no idea, but I swear if he hurt that girl, I am going to kill him,” she whispered back, but nodded her head at the female student who then returned Luhan’s high-five. Luhan then grinned even wider,” I like you. You definitely know how to look at people, and I am glad that you understand her. Hey, I am pretty sure Joohyun is grateful towards you for standing up for her.”

The female student then smiled, as she looked at Joohyun who smiled back at her. Just as Luhan was about to add another statement, a high-pitched voice sounded.

“How do you know what kind of girl she is? You are only a junior, and you barely even talk to her, how do you know what kind of person Joohyun is?”

The students turned their heads just to see Taeyeon standing there with another y expression of hers. Some of the student who are supportive of her whooped, while some just rolled their eyes. Taeyeon then marched up towards the female student, and stood in front of her.

"Knock it off, Taeyeon. She is just a junior,” Luhan blocked her sight, and the cheerleader scowled,” Get out of my sight. I am not talking to you, Luhan.”

The male then frowned,” That’s strange because I clearly remember that you have a major crush on me but what is going on with that cold shoulder of yours?”

“I don’t have a crush on you,” Taeyeon replied, as she looked at the male. She was lying through her teeth, and Luhan laughed. “Really? I still can remember that crushed look on your face when I kissed my future girlfriend.”

Just as Taeyeon was about to reply, another voice interrupted,” But Luhan, Joohyun hasn’t accept your feelings yet.”

“Shut it, Yoona. She is going to, and I am pretty sure she will return the feelings that I have for her,” Luhan called over his shoulder with a grin, as he spotted his group of friends walking towards where Joohyun and Chanyeol were standing.

The doed-eyed female then scoffed, before looking at Joohyun,” Is it true? Are both of you really going out?” Joohyun shook her head, as she tried to explain things when Taeyeon smirked,” See, she still has a crush on Baekhyun. Luhan, look for yourself. She doesn’t like you, sh-“

“I like Luhan,” Joohyun frowned, when she heard Taeyeon’s words, as the cheerleader and Luhan turned their heads to look at her. “I like Luhan, and like I said, I confessed to him yesterday.” 

Chanyeol then laughed,” I never dreamt of the day when Joohyun said that right in front of the whole school.” “You dream about Joohyun?” Jongdae asked, as he slung his arm casually around his best friend.

“I dream about us, idiot,” the taller male grumbled, as he leaned against the locker, and he called out,” Oh, here comes the official couple.” The students turned to see Yifan and Sooyeon entering the hallway with not much expressions, as they held hands.

Yoona then laughed,” They never smile whenever they enter the school.”

“Stop diverting the attention! We were talking about this junior and her facts that aren’t true,” Taeyeon snapped in annoyance, as she turned to glare at the junior when Joohyun replied,” Knock it off, Taeyeon. If you aren’t happy with me, say it to my face and not to some innocent student.”

Taeyeon then scoffed,” So you are acting all angel now just because some students here support Luhan and you? Don’t get all high-and-mighty just because of that.”

“I am not dating Luhan, we are just friends for now. Who knows what we will be in the future? I don’t like your boyfriend anymore, and in fact, I don’t even know who he is. You can relax if you are afraid that I will steal him away from you or what.”

Taeyeon was about to retort back, when the school bell rang and the students began to shuffle off to their classes but still whispering among themselves. Joohyun then clutched her bag strap, as Yoona smiled at her,” Let’s head to class then.”

The huge group of them broke apart as they went for their individual classes, and Luhan called out to Joohyun,” I will see you later!” Joohyun gave a smile, before shifting her attention back to Yoona. “Where is Yuri?”

“She is probably in class already, if I am not wrong,” Yoona replied, as she gazed down at her books in her hands. Joohyun then frowned,” Why didn’t she join you guys this morning? Is s-“ The latter stopped short, as she stopped in her tracks.

Yoona glanced behind, and shook her head as she opened to reply when Joohyun said,” She is feeling bad because she didn’t allow me to play. She is afraid that I will hate her, and she doesn’t want to see me for now. No, I don’t hate for saying no. I understand why she said no. Yoona, where is she?”

“She will get over it. It isn’t your fault, and we have classes.”

“No, I need to speak to her. I need to tell her that I am not mad and I understand her reason. Please tell me where she is.”

“You can’t go. You are missing out too much on classes, and I am afraid your grades will drop. Joohyun, this matter can wait. We have to-“

Joohyun shook her head, as she cut her short,” I am sorry, Yoona but I rather let my grades drop than to lose an important friend. I can count on your for grades, but I can’t count on Yuri anymore. Let me find her and talk to her, and I will meet up with you later.”

The doed-eyed female stood there for a second, before sighing in defeat,” You win. If I am not wrong, she is at the school garden. You can find her there.”

“Thank you so much, Yoona,” Joohyun smiled as she broke into a run towards the school garden. Yoona looked after her back view, before smiling,” I am thankful or meeting you, and being your friend because I am sure that with you around, everyone see things differently now. Thank you, Joohyun.”

Joohyun caught sight of the volleyball captain messing her hair, as she fumbled through her notes messily while dropping her pen onto the grass. The latter picked it up, and smiled,” You dropped this.”

“Th- Joohyun.” Yuri stopped short when she spotted her friend before her. She then lowered her head, and mumbled,” You are supposed to be in class.”

The latter then sat down opposite Yuri, and glanced through the desk,” I can’t be in class if one of my friends isn’t talking to me.”

“J-Joohyun, look, I am really sorry about the whole volleyball competition thing, but I really prefer you to recover than to wander around and spiking balls and worsening the injury. I know that this year is the final year, and that you really want to play, but it is a no. I feel terrible when I saw that devastated look on your face, and I really felt guilty.”

The taller girl tried to open to cut in, but Yuri shook her head as she carried on,” Which is why, since you are unable to play beside me, I, as the volleyball captain will step down too so that both of us wouldn’t play, and that at least I-“

“That is stupid, Yuri! Don’t you ever dare to step down just because I couldn’t play! It is ridiculous. Look, I am not angry or mad at you for saying no and in fact, I am really grateful. I know that time I was in a really wrong mood, but Luhan told me to think about it. It was either I had to play for another time and then stopped for the rest of my life, or I rest for 6 months, and played forever.”

Yuri’s eyes glistened with tears, as she reached out and held Joohyun’s hands,” I don’t want you to hate me, but I felt that-“

“I don’t hate you, Yuri. I love you because you thought for me, and I am not mad if I can’t play for this competition. But I am mad because you decide to step down, and I don’t want you to step down. The only captain who can lead our school’s team to victory is only you, and if you stepped down, who is going to take over? The others are not as compatible as you, and I know that if someone else take over this current position you have, the whole team might just collapse. Yuri, you cannot quit and as your friend, and you currently inactive teammate, I forbid you to quit.”

Joohyun then held Yuri’s hands, and laughed,” Stop crying, this is even touching. Furthermore, if you quit, who is going to score for me?”

“Joohyun, I am sorry and thank you,” Yuri let out a relived sigh, as the two girls sat there with bright smiles.

***

The group was sitting around the table, as usual, as they ate their lunch. Yifan then spoke,” I am heading back to my hometown for a week, and Sooyeon is going to follow me back.”

“When?”

“After this weekend, and I need to head home for a while. There might be a possibility that I will be meeting Yixing there,” Yifan replied, while placing his fork down. Joohyun watched as her friends around the table tensed up for a moment.

She then looked at Luhan beside her, who bit his lips while clenching the spoon tightly. Yifan then said,” I have to attend as the heir of the company to this banquet. Sooyeon too.”

“What is the banquet about?”

“Some merging of some huge companies,” Sooyeon said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pink envelope. Kyungsoo then took it, and read the contents before commenting,” It seems grand.”

Jongdae, who was peering over his friend’s shoulder, nodded his head,” Really grand. Yixing’s family business is merging with the tycoon Lee Shanghong’s business. Who is that guy?”

“Some rich oil tycoon, and he has a son and a daughter,” Luhan said. He then looked at Yifan,” Do you have like the list of the guests that are going?”

Yifan then shook his head, when Sooyeon said,” Everyone’s parents are going, and the two of us too.” “So, only parents are allowed to go?” Yoona questioned, as her jaw tightened.

“Kind of.”

Yoona then asked,” Other than my parents, who else are going?” “Your older brother,” Yifan replied, just as Sooyeon threw him an icy stare. Joohyun frowned slightly as the doed-eyed lady then lowered her head, as she poked her salad.

“I-Is everything okay?” she asked softly, as she reached out for Yoona’ shoulder. The latter just nodded her head, before mumbling,” I need to head to the restroom first.”

Yoona then stood up while dashing off, as Joohyun watched silently. Glancing around the table, she can easily feel the tension among them. Chanyeol then cleared his throat awkwardly, before picking up his drink,” So, what’s the next lesson?”

The others began to chatter among themselves as they tried to pretend that they didn't had the conversation at all, while Joohyun stared at her food silently. It dawned on her that she knew nothing much about her friends, except Yixing’s past.

“Let’s head to the school garden,” Luhan whispered, as he grabbed her hand. She looked at him in surprise, who spoke,” Joohyun and I are heading to class first. See you all later.”

Sooyeon then warned,” Don’t hurt her.”

“Yes, Icy Queen,” he mocked back, before walking out of the cafeteria with Joohyun.

Joohyun sat down on the same spot while she sat just now with Yuri. She then looked at Luhan, who was playing around with his fingers. “Why here?”

“I-I know that you feeling some sort of weird feeling, but not to worry. Yoona is fine, and it is just some of her problems she have. You need not worry about us, because we are fine,” Luhan said, ignoring her question. He then looked at her,” We rather want you not to know than to know.”

The latter then frowned,” Why? Is it because you guys are scared that I will reveal it or something?” “No, we don’t want you to feel the sadness we felt. It is painful.”

“Every one of us have our own painful memories, but sometimes, we should let them out instead of bottling them,” Joohyun said. She then looked at Luhan,” I still don’t know yours.”

The male then stared at his fingers, as a dark look passed his face. “Mine is painful.” There was a few seconds of silence, and then he whispered softly,” Too painful that I don’t know how to share. Some people think that it is selfish, whereas some think it is pity.”

“You can tell me when the time is right, but for now, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he replied, while lifting his head up. Joohyun then gave a small smile,” Shall we all head to my grandmother’s house this weekend before Yifan and Sooyeon leave?” 

Luhan then returned the smile,” Definitely.”

“Another thing is that can I skip class? I need to find Yoona.”

“Are you sure that you are able to catch up with the lost lessons and everything? I don't want you to be here after I have graduated." 

Joohyun then nodded her head, and Luhan said,” She will be in the library.” 

[ A/N ] hi everyone! so, there are like 20 over chapters, and i am really amazed by the number of chapters i wrote. even though the updates are slow, i am super sorry! since my break is ending, i need to like really get ready for school, but this means even slower updates. ugh. i will really try my best to gie you all updates every single week, but it seems impossible with books and books in front of me. kidding, but i will try! also, thank you to those who had been supporting this storyand subscribing! really do appreciate you guys so much, and ily all! thank you :))

_insanegirl_