The tumult state of the city caused by the myriad of people walking along the patterned concrete pavements keeps Kris awake. Usually, he would feel drowsy at this time of the day & would need a bottle of energy drink or two to keep him alert especially when he drives.

He has now walked 2 blocks from his condominium & walked past different people. The elderlies sauntering about, adults briskly walking with a briefcase & smartphone against their ears, some even have kids tagging along them. He also came across students laughing & bickering in the middle of the street. Some of them were even reading books whilst walking & listening to music. He still can’t fathom how these people can focus on reading, listening, & walking at the same time since he himself is not good at multitasking & prefers doing things one at a time.

✺ ✺ ✺

“Kris”

“Kris!”

“KRIS!!” 

After aggressively shaking Kris, he immediately took off his earphones. “What?!”

“We passed our finals, weren’t you listening?”

Kris looked around the room & realized that everyone else was screaming except for him & Junmyeon who was still waiting for his reaction.

“What?”

“Are you deaf? WE. PASSED!” it took a while for his brain to process what Junmyeon was trying to convey.

“Really?! We passed!!!!” they both high fived each other like everyone else & headed out of their classroom to tell their gang the good news.

“GUYS WE PASSED! WE DID IT!!” Kris jumped in glee as Lay walked towards them

“SO DID I!! YEAAAHH!”

“Omfg congratulations BenBen! I knew you could do it!” grabbing Kris' hands, Tao pulled him closer for a smooch.

“Get a room you two!” exclaimed Baekhyun in jest. “Anyways, congrats bro. You too Lay & Junmyeon” 

“Congratulations to you too, Baek.”

“Graduation party here I cooomee!!” this time, it was Lay who jumped in glee.

That night, Kris & Tao decided to stroll in a nearby park at 2 am.

“It’s over. It’s finally over.” Kris lied on the grass & gazed at the twinkling stars in the wild blue yonder.

“I’m glad it’s over for you.” Tao lay beside him & held his hand “Wait for me, okay?”

“I will..” He tightened his grasp “..No matter how long. But knowing you, it probably won’t take long.” What he said made Tao snicker a bit.

“BenBen?”

“Hm?”

“Do you love me?”

Kris’ glance shifted to Tao whose eyes did not leave the navy blue sky.

“Of course”

“Why?”

Kris turned to the stars once more.

“Hmm... let’s see... You saved me from misery.” There was a short pause before he continued “You brought back my smile when I was on the verge of giving up. You were there for me when everyone else wasn’t… & most of all…” He pulled him closer by his shoulder “I love you because you gave my monochrome life a splash of colors.”

“Pfftt... really?”

“Yeah...” he leaned in to kiss Tao under the bright moonlight. “...really.”

The next day, everyone was getting ready for the party that was going to be held that night. Though it was a post-graduation party, everyone was invited.

A myriad of colorful lights flashed here & there. They played modern music in a deafening volume & they’ve even added a disco ball on the ceiling. The place that was once a gym, transformed into a nightclub overnight.

Lay was right, a lot of seniors got drunk but Tao couldn’t see any sign that people were gonna bang soon. 

Initially he hung out with Sehun & Luhan since Kris was busy chattering with his friends & teachers. He didn’t want to be an outsider. However, Sehun & Luhan all of a sudden wandered off, leaving him all alone, but thankfully, Tao spotted Kyungsoo who was silently filling up his plate with every piece of dessert on the table.

“Hey Kyungsoo!”

“Oh hi there Tao. Where’s Kris?”

“He’s busy right now, mind if I hang out with you for a while?”

“Sure, why not” they both headed out of the gym to escape the clamor of the school body & sat on the grass. “So how are you & Kris?” Kyungsoo asked as he took a bite of his chocolate mousse.

“Oh, we’re good.” He waited for a response only to realize that Kyungsoo was too busy eating.

“Say, what do you think of long distance relationships?”

“I think it’s stupid & not great at all.” He took another bite & chewed carefully before continuing. Tao just watched him eat. “Most of them don’t even work out unless both are committed to each other. But in my opinion, at this age, I don’t think you should commit yourself to a person to that extent yet, because I feel like if a person does, he or she is gonna miss out on so much— I mean, you only live once, might as well go all out before really committing. Why waste time on long distance when there are loads of other people around.” Tao remained silent, waiting for Kyungsoo to talk more. “If you’re truly meant to be then both of you will find your way back no matter how impossible it may seem. Also, what’s the point if the physical aspect is not there? The whole point of a relationship is to love & be loved. It’s a time for couples to show & express their love for each other before committing. How will someone from the other side of the screen express their love for you? Words won’t suffice no matter how much you sugarcoat them. I feel like some couples only agree to a long distance relationships for the sake of saying they’re in a relationship.” The words that came out of Kyungsoo’s mouth made Tao think about it thoroughly. Kyungsoo might be an irritating nagger at times, but sometimes, his words of wisdom can be surprising in Tao’s opinion.

“By the way, are you friends with that Junmyeon guy?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Won’t Kris leave after graduation? He’s gonna be replaced by someone else in your dorm room.”

“Yeah I know.”

“Aren’t you worried? You two are gonna be in a long distance relationship soon.”

“Why should I be? I trust him & Junmyeon's gonna be with him anyway.”

“You trust him but should you really trust him? That is the question.” With a bewildered expression, Tao looked at Kyungsoo.

“What are you trying to say?” Tao asked as he watched Kyungsoo take off the mini marshmallows that were once placed on top of the chocolate cupcake.

“I’ll be vague. You can figure out the rest. Just don’t trust people too much alright? Because some people, no matter how colorful they may seem, are actually covered in dirt. Most people are just too blind to see it.” He patted his back & went back to the gym, leaving Tao perplexed.

A/N: Another updaaate! I was actually planning on updating tomorrow instead of today but meh. The next update will either be tomorrow or next week ;u; I guess I'll also leave this chapter as it is for now since idk what to write for this chap ;n; Please do comment about what you guys think ;u; Thank you~