Both Donghae and Nicole were left speechless for the rest of the night. They held hands all the way back to Nicole's apartment door. Donghae gave her one last kiss on the forehead before saying goodnight and sending her inside. She closed the door, leaving Donghae smiling as he walked away, recalling how utterly amazing he felt during the kiss. Nicole was left inside utterly confused as to what she felt after the kiss. She touched her lips and immediately shook away any thoughts as she shed her shoes.

   "Chanyeol! I'm home!" She didn't hear anything, so she checked his room. She opened the door and found him curled up in his bed. He wasn't in his pajamas, so she got a little suspicious.

   She walked over to his bed and lightly put her hand on his shoulder. He remained still as she his arm a bit before walking to her own room. She changed into her pajamas and went into his room. They had agreed that they would sleep wherever the first person fell asleep, so it would be in his room tonight. She tried to get into a good position. But when she finally got comfortable, he turned and quickly pulled her into his arms. He started shaking. She could hear his sobs. Instantly, she brought her hand to his back and started gripped onto his shirt, absolutely befuddled as to why he was crying.

   "What happened? Is everyone okay?" He shook his head no as his sobs increased, making him shake more. She waited patiently for him to speak and tell her what happened. After a few minutes, he got himself calmed down enough to tell her.

   "Kris is gone. He left. His entire apartment is empty with nothing but a note about why he left." Nicole's breathe hitched in as he spoke.

   "He's leaving Exo. He can't handle all the sasaengs and busy schedule we have some days." Chanyeol let himself go again and cried non stop as his words sank into Nicole's mind. She didn't hear her phone buzz, signalling a text.

   "We all tried calling him. But his phone is disconnected." His words have finally hit her as she starts crying. Not as much as Chanyeol, but there are definitely tears falling from her eyes. She just hugs Chanyeol tighter as they both cry themselves to sleep.

_____

   Nicole woke up first. Chanyeol's face was still puffy from crying so much. She knew her face wasn't much better, so she knew makeup was futile. She lightly pulled Chanyeol's arm off of her as she walked out to make some breakfast. While it was cooking, she checked her phone for any messages in case some were from Donghae. 

   "Hello lovely! I know I said this tonight, but I had such an amazing time. I'll call you soon and hopefully we can go out again? :)"

   She was trying her absolute hardest to feel bubbly and warm from his message, but the news of Kris and seeing Chanyeol so upset has made her turn from any positive emotion. 

   She put her phone down without responding and resumed cooking. She thought about waking Chanyeol up to eat, but decided against it. She decided to bring him food in his room and leave it there for him to eat when he woke up.

   He hadn't woken up by the time she finished, so she put everything on a tray and walked to his room. When she opened it, she saw him in the same position he was when she left, but his eyes were open.

   "Morning." She said softly.

   "Hey." 

   "I have food. Do you want to eat it now?" He shook his head.

   "I'll eat it later. Just leave it here." He pointed to his table and pulled the covers over. She set it down and started to leave when he called her name softly. She turned around to look at him, seeing him lean up.

   "Please don't leave. Can you just stay in here for now?" His eyes started tearing up again. She nodded and walked back over. She sat on the bed next to him.

   "You can lay down." She repositioned so she was laying on her side, facing him. He put his arm around her. She brought her hand up to his hair softly to calm him. He lightly rubbed her back. Both of them felt at peace.

   "Thank you for being here for me." He said, almost in a whisper. She gave him a faint smile and pulled in closer to him. His heart almost skipped a beat due to how intimate this moment was. They had never acted this way with each other, and he was really wishing the circumstances were different so that he could confess and not have it seem out of place.

   "You know I will always be here for you. I will never leave you." She told him. She meant it, he knew that. He was just hoping that things wouldn't change if Donghae came into the picture any more than he already has.

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Sorry if this chapter is a bit short and super depressing. I hope you still enjoy the story!