“My parents are on vacation, so no one should be here.” Chanyeol and Ariel stepped inside the door. Chanyeol hand’s reached over to the wall and he turned the lights on. 

Ariel quietly followed behind, holding onto his hand while she held onto the straps of her heels because her feet began to feel sore from walking in them. She saw pictures frames of his family everywhere on the walls. It made her want to have a family that was picture perfect inside and outside. 

Chanyeol led her into the kitchen and told her to sit down on one of the high chairs by the kitchen island. Ariel watched Chanyeol walking to the kitchen. He took a small towel and placed ice on one side of the towel. He walked behind the kitchen island and sat on a high chair next to Ariel. 

He carefully placed the iced towel on her swollen cheek.  

Ariel winced slightly from the stinging pain but the pain dwelled away as the icy feeling overcame the throbbing. Ariel placed her hand over the towel to hold it and unintentionally caressed Chanyeol’s hand. 

“No, I’ll hold it.” Chanyeol protested silently. He moved Ariel’s hand back to her lap. He studied Ariel’s facial expression. 

Earlier, her and her Dad were at each other’s throat, and now she looked weak. “I’m sorry about your Dad.”

“I am too.” Ariel whispered with trembling lips. Her voice quality was shaky and monotoned. 

Chanyeol’s heart was in distress. He saw tears forming in her eyes and Ariel wiping them away like they were nothing. 

“I hate crying. I feel so vulnerable.”

“Its okay to cry.”

She wiped her eyes with her hands, “I’m fine. You didn’t have to take me here.” 

“You’re not fine.” He saw more tears running down her cheeks. Chanyeol grinned to comfort her. He took his thumb and wiped away her tears. “I have a sister and she told me if a girl says she’s fine, chances are she’s not. Don’t lie to me.”

Ariel turned her face and locked eyes with Chanyeol. “Can I ask you something?”

Chanyeol backed away a bit to get a full view of her face. “Go ahead.”

“Whats it like to have a perfect family?” 

Chanyeol contemplated her question. “My family isn’t perfect. No family is.”

Ariel grinned to brighten the mood since the aurora thickened. “Its just..” Ariel paused as if she didn’t know whether to finish her sentence. “Nevermind. Its stupid.”

Chanyeol raised a brow, “No tell me. Nothing’s stupid.”

Ariel didn’t say anything a minute, like needed some time to form her sentence. “My dad.. I don’t think I’ll ever understand nor accept him.”

“He’s your dad. You can’t just erase him out of your life like that.”

Ariel shook her head in disagreement with his comment, “You don’t understand him like how I do.” Ariel shifted her body position in the chair which made her face lose contact with the ice. 

Chanyeol leaned closer to Ariel, “Be careful.”

“Just nevermind, I should’ve never brought it up.” Ariel mumbled.

“No continue. I won’t talk. I’ll listen. Everyone deserves someone who will listen to them.”

Ariel considered Chanyeol’s offer to listen to her. It would be nice for her to have someone to talk to. She doesn’t have a lot of friends she could do that with. 

Maybe Chanyeol’s different? 

No, I don’t want to burden with him my problems.

Thats how it is every time when I tell someone my issues.

They leave.

“I’ll tell you when the time is right.” Ariel grinned. 

“Alright.” Chanyeol placed the towel of ice down on the counter. He stood up and walked back into the kitchen.

Ariel’s hand reached for Chanyeol’s arm, making him stop walking. Chanyeol looked at her skin contact with curiosity. “What is it?”

“Don’t leave. I don’t want to be left alone.”

Chanyeol’s cheeks blushed from her request. “I’m not going to leave you.” He sat back down on the chair and pulled his phone out. “But I am going to order some pizza. The dinner was horrible.”

Chanyeol and Ariel ate pizza in silence. Her cheek didn’t seem swollen anymore so the ice wasn’t needed. They were sitting on the couch in silence. Colors from the music channel were scattering across the wall from