There was a long, heavy silence – the kind that made you feel as though a sponge was up everything in the room, leaving behind only the tense atmosphere. I swallowed hard, my rapid heartbeat roaring loudly in my ears. My head was spinning, desperately trying to find an explanation for Luhan's presence in the apartment and an excuse for me to smoothly leave, avoiding the awkward conversation that was bound to follow.

Could I just run past him, hoping he would be too tired to dash after me? That actually sounded like a good plan – if only Luhan hadn't been blocking the entire entrance. It seemed that a confrontation was unavoidable; but, surprisingly, none of us seemed brave enough to start it.  

Luhan blinked in confusion, his eyes flitting from me to Baekhyun, crying out for at least a few words of explanation. He was terrifyingly quiet, lips pressed into thin line, as if he didn't trust himself to speak. But no matter how baffled Luhan seemed, he knew well that he wasn't in any position to question the situation – he’d lost the right to comment on anything I did the day we'd broken up. I wasn't his girlfriend anymore, and Luhan couldn't control my life. Knowing that should’ve made me feel better, but I still cared too much about his opinion to ignore the discomfited look he gave me.  

It was impossible to turn a blind eye to it.

I wanted to laugh bitterly at how he still managed to make me feel guilty without even saying a word, even though we weren't a couple anymore and I hadn't done anything wrong in the first place. But then again, Luhan wasn't the type of a person to say what he really meant or thought. He kept his true opinions to himself, but he gave you that one look, and you'd immediately feel like your entire life was a failure. His every emotion was reflected in his eyes, and now, they weren't glimmering with the happiness that they used to.

But then, as if everything was perfectly normal, Luhan’s usual wide smile returned as he grinned at me and Baekhyun.

"Hi guys," he finally spoke, his voice dripping with a forced cheerfulness that made me cringe. I had known him for too long to believe that his smile was real. "I didn't expect to find the two of you here."

I bit the insides of my cheeks with fury. So this was his strategy – playing it cool and looking unaffected, leaving his assumptions unspoken. I should’ve been jumping with happiness, seeing as I had miraculously dodged the awkward questions Luhan should have asked, but instead his calmness made me furious. Even though I didn't want to admit it, deep inside I'd been hoping he’d throw a tantrum, asking millions of questions and displaying the jealousy he should have felt after seeing me here. I desperately wanted him to give me proof that he still cared.  

And as bad as it was, I wanted him to feel the pain he had caused me. The same pain that ate at me from the inside out every single day. And it was probably that hidden pain that forced me to speak before I could close my mouth and think straight.

"We were just chatting," I said, my voice loud and clear as I tried to look unaffected by his sudden appearance. "You know, spending time together, learning more about one another."  

Gosh, I didn't even want to know how stupid that must've sounded.

As Baekhyun sent me a baffled look, Luhan's expression turned blank for a second. Although I knew he wasn't easily flustered, I still hoped to see him lose his cool in front of us.

But of course he didn't.  

Smiling even wider, he turned to Baekhyun. "I'm glad you guys get along alright."

I knew his words were directed at me, but Luhan didn't bother to look my way again, his eyes instead glued to Baekhyun, as if he was the one who had told him about our small bonding time. I was enraged and disappointed, but then it dawned on me that I shouldn't even care in the first place. It seemed I had forgotten we weren't a couple anymore, and that even something as strong as jealousy wouldn't bring us back together again.  

"Yeah," Baekhyun finally spoke, looking as if he had just recovered from my comment about our non-existent friendship. "But why are you here? You didn't tell me you were coming back today."

It was my turn to flicker my eyes from one to the other, hoping to find out if these two were living together – which would be strange, seeing as Luhan had his own larger apartment on the other side of the city. Maybe he just hadn't felt like going back there?

"I'll only be staying for two days; I have business to deal with here," Luhan said, running a hand through his hair. As he shoved his bangs away from his forehead, I saw how tired he really was, with those large dark circles under his eyes that I had failed to notice before. His shirt was buttoned incorrectly because he had missed one of the first holes, messing up the rest.  

This doesn't look good.

Luhan always cared about his appearance, looking good under any circumstances, and it was odd for him to be dressed improperly; so, even though I shouldn't have been, I was worried. Something was bothering him, and I wanted to know if there was a chance for me to help him.

"Are you okay?"

The words of concern slipped through my lips before I could stop them, and Luhan turned to me, definitely taken aback by my question and the softer tone of my voice. He studied my face for a short moment, as if he wasn't sure if he was the one I was asking, and then I saw his eyes drop to the t-shirt I was wearing. Baekhyun's t-shirt.  

I swallowed hard when Luhan's eyes locked with mine again, feeling the overwhelming need to take it off and throw it away. His chest rose in a deep, calming breath, and I could barely move, waiting for him to finally burst.

Once again, he didn't.

"You better get back to the café; I need you there, not here," he said sharply, deciding to ignore my question. He grabbed his suitcase and looked at us both, the stoic expression back on his face. "I will drive you all tomorrow morning to the barista workshop. Baekhyun, you’ll be taking Mina's place.”

. The barista training was the last thing I needed now; I had totally forgotten about it.

"Is it really tomorrow?" I asked, not hiding my surprise, and Luhan nodded.

"Be at the café by seven a.m. We have to drive five hours to get there, so you’d better not be late." He paused to think for a short moment before adding, "And tell Sehun about it."

"Are you going to participate as well?" I threw another question at him, feeling like this was the only way of having a conversation with him. I remembered that the whole personnel of the café –including Luhan – was signed up for it.

Luhan shook his head. "I'm just going to drop you off there." He looked at his watch and then sighed with resignation. "But for now, I'd really like for you two to get back to