CHAPTER 033: Vodka And Giggles

    Kris really thought about going to the party. He really didn't want to go, but the fact that you were going, sort of made him give the party a second thought. He just felt compelled to accompanied you, to be there just in case something went wrong.    But then after hours of thinking it through, this question popped into his head: Why do I care? The answer to this question scared him. Because something was off about him. Lately he was starting to care a lot about you and what you did and who you did it with. And that was starting to annoy him and his pride because he told you that he didn't care and yet here he was, caring.            "No," Kris whispers to himself, "I don't care. Never did. Never will." He sits back on his bed and crosses his arms. He's not going to that stupid party. He doesn't need to. People are loud and the last thing he needs is to come back home with a headache from a hangover and his clothes smelling like cigars and drunk teenagers.    But you're going...            "No!" He yells, puffing his cheeks, "I don't care where she goes. She's grown, she can't do whatever she wants. I don't care."    Kris wants to prove this to himself: He doesn't care. Because he doesn't have any special feelings for you. You're just a person with no special meaning in Kris' life. Yeah, that's right. You're irrelevant. Ha, in your face!    Kris jumps when his phone rings. Especially when he feels the vibration coming from under his groin.   He groans in annoyance and answers his phone. "What?!"             "Oh, well, hello to you too, Yifan."    Kris sighs when he recognizes Luhan's voice. "You know, Lu, you've been calling me a lot lately and it's starting to bother me because you always call when I'm in a mental dilemma!"    The boy on the other end of the call snorts, "Really? And what's your mental dilemma this time Mr. Perfect?"            "Don't call me that, idiot."    Luhan snorts again, "Okay then, Ice prince. What is your dilemma?"    Kris shudders at the nickname because it reminds him of you and that stupid reputation. God, just thinking about it makes him angry. How can people be so cruel to you? How dare they?    Wait, no, he doesn't care.            "So are you gonna tell me what's got your in a twist?"    Kris doesn't want to talk about his problems because they're about you and so, they're no longer problems because anything concerning you and feelings is irrelevant. So technically speaking, nothing is wrong. Everything is good.             "Nothing, I'm feeling fine," Kris stutters out. "Anyway, Why did you call, Lu? You've been calling a lot lately."    Kris can basically feel the boy pouting through his phone. "Why? Do you not love me anymore?"    Kris smiles, "No, that's not it. I'm just tired, Luhan."            "Ah, alright. I'll let you rest after I tell you why I called."           "Which is?"            "Nothing, just that my flight has been postponed and now my arrival is a surprise!"   Kris frowns, "What do you mean a surprise?" He sits up, "So, if you're not coming on November, then when are you coming?"    There's a pause, "Are you gonna be mad because I unexpectedly changed my arrival date?"           "No! I mean, maybe... I guess I don't really mind but I find it kind of rude that you're just telling me now, Lu."    Luhan chuckles, "Yeah, I'm sorry. Still, aren't you happy that I'm coming tomorrow now? You won't have to wait for months now!"    Kris gasps, "You're coming tomorrow?"           "Yeah! It was suppose to be a surprise but then I realized that I don't know where you live or how to drive my way around Korea... I also have no one to pick me up so..."            "Luhan, why are you so dumb?"    The boy chuckles, "I don't know, Yifan. I question that a lot, to be honest. Anyway, Can you pick me up tomorrow? My flight gets there at 6 a.m."    Kris laughs. He really misses his best friend. "Alright, I'll pick you up. Lucy is gonna be so surprised."    A thought snaps in his head. Oh my god. Now he has an excuse to NOT go to the party. He has to wake up early and pick up Luhan. No time to party then. How sad. Now he really has an excuse to not care about what you do.            "Cool," Luhan says. "Hey, Nana has been telling me that you're always fighting with that girl you live with." There's a pause on Kris' end, because he hears that teasing tone in Luhan's voice. "But she also told me that you and her like eachother or something like that? Is there something you're not telling me, Kris?"    Kris freezes. He feels his ears get hot and this really weird warm feeling in his stomach.    Luhan laughs, "Helloooo? Anybody there?"            "Yeah," Kris clears his throat. He's about to defend his case because he doesn't like you, but he hears some steps outside his door and decides to put his explanation about why he doesn't like you (he hates you, he would like to add) on hold. "I have to go, Lu! I'll pick you up tomorrow in the morning! Take care! Don't believe anything grandma says, she's crazy and old and everything she says is a lie made up in her head! Okay? Bye!" He hangs up the call and lies down in a very natural position at the same time the door of his room opens.    You pop your head in. "Hey, are you going to the party?"    Kris slowly sits up, looking around carelessly. "Me? Nah, I have to wake up early tomorrow. So no, I can't go. Sorry, I won't be there to look after you, ugly. I don't care about you either way so you're on your own."    You make a face. "Why are you being so mean?"            "I'm not being mean!" Kris yells, then realizes that he's being offensive so he tries to control his voice. "I've never been nice to you, either way."    You roll your eyes, a little disappointed that Kris won't be going, but you try to hide it.           "Right..." You bite your lip. You turn around to leave but then stop, holding the door open so you can ask Kris why he has to wake up early in the first place. "Tomorrow is Sunday," you say.    Kris shrugs, "I have plans."           "I didn't know you did," you say.    Kris shrugs again, "Nothing I do should concern you."    That actually kind of hurts you.           "Right..." You say again, almost a whisper. You don't know why he's being so mean to you.            "Anything else?" Kris asks.    You shrug. "Are you... meeting a girl tomorrow?"    Kris looks away from you, lies back down on his bed and shrugs. "You're asking too many questions."    God, is he being too mean?          "Right," you say for the third time. "Okay. I have to get ready, so I'll let you sleep."    He hears the door close and then he lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.    I don't like her, those are the last words Kris thinks to himself before falling asleep.        ************************       You have an hour to get ready for the party, and you've already wasted 23 minutes arguing with Eunsul about your outfit. Not to mention, 6 minutes more talking with Kris. Which ended in Kris making you feel like nothing.            "How about this?" Eunsul smiles, holding up something that resembles just a piece of cloth.            "I might as well go if I'll be wearing that," you say to her.    Eunsul groans and takes off her jacket and it's then that you see what she's really wearing.    Which is a short black tube dress.           "Wow," you breath, "Are you okay with wearing that?"    Eunsul looks down at herself, "Yeah, why?"    You shrug, "I don't know. It's just that there's gonna be a lot of people in the party and most of them will be kind of drunk and touchy and, and I don't want someone..."         "Harassing me because of what I'm wearing?"    You sigh, "Yeah, kind of. Plus, it's kind of cold."    Eunsul smiles. "Only someone who wants to die would touch me. Trust me. I don't take harassment as a joke. I will hurt them."    You pursue your lips. "Alright, just stay by my side, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."    Eunsul's heart warms up at your words. That's the first time anyone's ever told her that. It's really odd and makes her feel really sensitive.    Her breath stutters for a second.    She smiles at you. "I promise nothing is going to happen to me, Hana. Don't worry about it. Let's just worry about your outfit for now."    You nod and decide to pick up a dress she brought and try it on.    She watches you from your bed.            "You're a great friend, Ice princess."    You look back at her, "huh?"            "Nothing. Now hurry up and try it on!"            **************************         Your parents check up on you when you're doing your makeup. They both laugh because Eunsul looks like she's torturing you when she applies mascara on you.    They tell you that they're going to go out for dinner and ask at what time you're coming home.           "I'm not sure," you mumble.    Eunsul smiles kindly at your parents. "At what time do you want her home? Me and Chanyeol will take care of her."            "Oh," your mom smiles, "You're going with Chanyeol?"    You blush because your dad is giving you a suggestive smile.    Eunsul answers for you. "As friends. Only."          "For now," your mom adds.    Your dad laughs when he sees your red face. "We're kidding! Just make sure to be home by midnight or around that time? Don't drink and do not go home alone." He turns to Eunsul. "We can trust you, I'm guessing, right?"           "I hope so," Eunsul says.          "And your name is?" Your mom asks.           "Eunsul."            "Nice to meet you, Eunsul. Well, we trust you to take care of Hana."    Eunsul thinks that's kind of a huge mistake, but hey! She'll try!            "Yes, ma'am!"    Your dad turns to look at you. "We'll see you later, honey. We're gonna ask Kris if he wants to tag along since he said he didn't want to go to the party."    You shake your head. "He's sleeping."          ************************                 "Okay, all set," Eunsul says, pulling away.    You look in the mirror, observing yourself. You're wearing a black V neck blouse and a red mini skirt.           "You should wear heels," Eunsul mumbles. "I have a pair of red ones and I feel like they'll match your makeup."    You swallow. Your makeup feels heavy on your face, but it looks good and so you try not to smudge it by touching your face.           "I'd rather die than wear heels," you say. "Besides, you're not wearing heels."    Eunsul glances down at her black converse and shrugs. "I like these shoes. It's like a contrast to my y dress. I love it."    You roll your eyes. "Then I will do the same."    You take out a pair of white converse from your closet and pull out a pair of socks.    Eunsul laughs at the Mickey Mouse design on them.           "Shut up, I love cartoons!"    She keeps laughing. "Man, you sure are something. I can't believe I thought you were scary and cool."         ************************                 "Chanyeol's here!" You yell from downstairs. Eunsul runs out of your room in a rush, carrying the bag of clothes she brought with her. "Okay! Just go out! I'm leaving in my car, anyways!"    You nod, "Alright! Lock the door from the inside! I don't want anyone to enter and murder Kris while I'm gone." You glance at her once before going out.   Eunsul grabs her jacket from the floor where she dropped it and almost has a heart attack because you accidentally pull the front door shut as you exit.    She groans because she really wants to get to the party at the same time as you. She hopes that Chanyeol is a slow driver.    As she begins to ascend down the stairs, she pauses. She looks towards Kris' door.          "What an idiot. Just gonna pretend you don't like her and watch her go towards another man," she releases a disappointed sigh and walks back towards Kris' door. She opens it and sees a black lump on the bed through the darkness.           "What's holding you back? Your pride?" She feels kind of stupid for talking to herself, so she decides to pass on the message to Kris.    She grabs her eyeliner and a napkin from her makeup bag and writes down something, setting the napkin on top of Kris' sleeping figure when she's done writing.          ************************         Chanyeol has seen a lot of beautiful things in his life. He's seen stunning nature sceneries to beautiful women that were friends with his sister. He's seen beauty. Period. Yet, nothing prepares him for you.    You were always beautiful. One had to be blind to miss that.    But now. You're what one describes as a female fatale. You look so y it makes him forget how to blink until his eyes water.    He hops out of his car and meets you half way.    You look confident and just breathtaking.    That is until he meets you face to face and then you smile at him with awkward hand fiddling.           "You look..." He tries to search for a word to describe you but can't really find one. "I don't have a word to really describe how you look. You're just... wow."   He looks really nervous, you note.    You shift shyly on the ball of your feet. "Thank you," you smile. "You look good, too."    Chanyeol does look good. Even if he's only wearing a purple T-shirt and a black pair of tight jeans. He looks hot, you think.          "Thank you," he smiles as well. There's a moment of staring and just awkward silence. It feels like you're going on a date with your first boyfriend or something. You expect your parents to be eavesdropping from the door and everything.          "Okay, let's go?" He says.    You jump, "Right. Right! Let's go!"   Chanyeol grins and you both make your way to his car. You sit on the passenger seat and buckle your seatbelt, trying to make yourself comfortable on the seat with the mini skirt you're wearing.    You look towards Kris' window as the car leaves your driveway and you can't help but notice that heavy feeling in your chest. You guys seemed to be on good terms... Why is he being a all of a sudden?           "Was that Eunsul's jeep in your driveway?" Chanyeol asks once the car is on the road.    You sigh, "Yeah. Long story, to be honest."    Chanyeol chuckles. "It's fine. We have a long drive to get to Sehun's house so you might as well let me know. Maybe it'll make this date less awkward."    You freeze. "A date?"    Chanyeol almost swerves the car out of the road. "I mean, if it's okay with you to consider this as a date! I don't wanna make you uncomfortable!"    Chanyeol is blushing from head to toes and you swear to god you can hear his heart beating from where you're sitting.           "I know we didn't plan this as a date but I guessed that it could be like a date because you know, a date can be anywhere the couple goes- not that we're a couple because that happens after a lot of dating- you know the process! You go on dates to see if you guys match well and then you become girlfriend and boyfriend-"   You watch him ramble. It's cute, you won't deny. I