It had been twelve weeks and two days when Luhan managed to pick himself up and get his together. The entirety of the said time was spent eating rice cakes, watching TV and generally sulking on his mattress. He was glad he didn’t have to work for the season. Normally, he’d be sad he was being replaced by someone new, someone better, but it didn’t. More time to feel sorry for himself, he thought. More time to feel like after being dumped by his boyfriend, he thought.

            He splashed water on his face and combed his hair a little. Just because he felt like didn’t mean he needed to look like . He pulled on a tattered sweatshirt and loose pyjama pants before going out of his apartment to go grocery shopping.

            He put on his shades, one part to hide his identity (which he never realized didn’t actually work), another to hide his swollen eye bags. He didn’t want any life lessons from friends encountered on the way to the grocery store. Or in the grocery store. He just didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, really. The only exception being his demon boyfriend who never answered any of his 932 missed calls and 39 voice mails. Was he being too clingy? No, he told himself. He wasn’t being clingy or needy. He just wanted a second chance. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?

            Luhan grabbed a cart and ticked things off his shopping list as he zoomed past the aisles, careful not to draw any attention to himself. He didn’t want to deal with the salespeople. He would shoplift if he could if only it would mean not having to chat with the cashier. That was how bad he was taking the breakup. And, to be quite honest, he was sick of it. But until he could say his ex’s name again, it would have to be this way.

            “Luhan?”

            Apparently, his ex had no problem saying his name, though.

            Luhan thought of running away. He thought of ripping the tiles off the floor and burying himself beneath them. He thought of knocking his head on a shelf so he’d fall unconscious. But his overpowering desire to see his ex’s face again ordered his feet to spin him around, give the best forced smile he could muster and raise his hand to give a little wave.

            “Hi.”

            His ex beamed at him, leaning over his own cart while Luhan anxiously grasped his.

            “Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you around.”

            He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. “Oh, I’ve been... around.”

            The man standing before him nodded and looked off to the side where there was another tall blonde man, dark circles under his eyes, holding a pack of noodles.

            “I found them. They were beside the frozen goods,” the tall male said before glancing over at the trembling Luhan. “Hello.”

            “Hi,” he said, feeling resentment for this stranger bubble up inside of him. It was like the type of hatred dogs held for mailmen.

            “Oh, let me introduce you. Tao, this is Luhan. I’ve told you about him. Luhan, this is Tao, my new boyfriend.”

            Where do feelings go when they fade?

            Maybe that’s where he went.