Two: OF ALCOHOL

True to his words, Chanyeol showed up a few days later, this time with his girlfriend in tow. He had his arms draped around his girlfriend's shoulders, a small smile was playing on her lips as he whispered into her ear, her eyes bright and dancing. 

The cafe was rather crowded that day, even though it was eleven on a wednesday morning, but the school kids were having their Easter break so I wasn't surprise to get more customers than the usual.

Chanyeol spotted me at teh counter and smile widely at me while pushing her girlfriend down on the stool next to him. "Hey Dee, this is Dara," he said proudly, his voice softening, tongue curling around the soft syllables of her name. "We've been dating for two weeks now. She's been dying to meet you ever since I told her that you were the one who manage to shut Kris up." 

"Hello," she greeted. Her voice a pleasant lilt as she smiled to me.

"Hi."

We shook hands after I wiped my hand on my jeans. Her grasp was warm but fragile in mine.

"Chanyeol told me you're sort of a miracle worker." Dara said, her brown eyes gleaming mischievously. "After Kris came back from the Coffee shop that day, he didn't utter a single word about Jessica. Of course, that only lasted a day before he went back to binge drinking again."

I laughed but was interrupted as I caught a hand signalling me from the corner booth. 

"One minute." I told them before heading over the booth to get the order from an old man who seemed to take forever to decide whether to get a blueberry or apple pie. 

When I returned, the two were in deep discussion. Dara's fair head was a sharp contrast to Chanyeol's dark hair, the two were murmuring in hushed whispers. After heading to the kitchen to pass the order to Kyungsoo, I went back out. 

Chanyeol was gazing at me expectantly and Dara looked slightly apprehensive as she played the hem on Chanyeol's jacket as their hands intertwined. 

"So," Chanyeol said, a slow smile spreading accross his face. "We've got a favour to ask of you."

I never like this kind of things. With my mother it was never settled well. 

Dee, I need a favour. Could you tell the handsome man at the door I'm not in?

Dee, I need a favour. Could you please pick up a tub of chcolate fudge ice-cream on your way home?

Suffice to say, I was cautious. And it was with caution and suspicion that I proceed to ask, "What favour?"

I didn't quite like the smirk that Chanyeol cast on my direction. 

"Help Kris get over his break up."

I'd come cross many alarming things in my lifetime, but this had to take the icing off the cake. My jaw dropped, I looked at the two of them like Chanyeol had just proclaimed that they were from outer space.

"Uhm," I let out a nervous laugh. "What?!"

"That's insane!" I declared, still reeling in surprise for their sudden request. "I hardly even know you guys."

"Then get to know us," Chanyeol placed his elbow on the counter, looking at me with a very serious face that made me smile. "We're desperate here Dee. Kris' a wreck, he can't even function like a normal person. We wouldn't have asked you if you didn't have that Breakup Formula."

I suddenly, belatedly, recalled my conversation I had with Chanyeol the other day and I regretted it. Terribly, "That's not even a thing," I said desperately. "Everyone gets over a break up - eventually."

Chanyeol snorted out a sardonic laugh, ""Not Kris, that's for sure. Come one, you just have to help him snap it out of it. Try it out a couple of days, weeks at most. We won't bother you anymore after that."

I hated to admit, but Chanyeol was pretty convincing. Maybe it was his persuasive charm, or Dara's hopeful eyes. Maybe I was doing this more for them than for Kris, who had proven to be a major . Whatever the case was, I could hardly stop myself from giving them a brief nod, effectively sealing the deal. 

"Fine. But just a week and no guarantees."

Chanyeol grinned at me, his eyes lighting up with gratitude and Dara reached accross the counter to give me a warm hug. "Thank you," she murmured in my ear. "You don't know how much this means to us."

Neither did I know how much the week was going to mean to me. I pulled back from her and smiled to the both of them. "Let's just get this over and done with."

Chanyeol's eyes sparkled, "Great! Then let's start this afternoon when you're done with your shift." 

Raising my eyebrow, I shot them a sardonic look. "You're that excited huh?"

The two of them exchange a silent look, one that I couldn't quite decipher. Chanyeol's eyes were gleaming and Dara had a tiny chewed-off smile on her face.

If I didn't know better, I'd say they're trying to set me and Kris up. 

That afternoon, Chanyeol and Dara brought me to Kris' house. I trudged along behind them rather reluctantly, hands shoved in my sweater pockets as I kicked at the gravel bits on the pavement. The two of them were walking silently ahead, throwing backward glances over their shoulders every now and then to see if I'd already skedaddled.

But I didn't, because once I made a promise to someone I tried to see it through, no matter how tough it was going to be. And for that, I blamed the kindness of my heart I'd often ran awry and landed me in the most uncomfortable situations. I didn't know Chanyeol, or Dara, or Kris. I knew nothing about Kris, other than the fact that he's just been dumped and was acting like a complete fool because of it.

And as we neared Kris' house, I slightly grew apprehensive and broke into a light jog to catc up with the couple ahead of me. "Just out of curiosity," I said lightly, when Dara and Chanyeol turned to look at me. "How's Kris like, as a person?"

It was an idiotic question to ask, one that made me feel I was on a blind date. It didn't help when Chanyeol began sniggering at my question, an action that made me feel like punching his arm. Dara on the other hand, looked at me kindly. "Well, He's really nice when you get to know him. A little immature - I mean, all boys this age are, anyway and a little idiotic."

A little? That certainly was an understatement - from my first meeting with Kris, I hadn't exactly gotten the best impression of him. Nodding unsurely, I followed them down the sid