“Not in a million year.”

“What’s so hard about approaching him and talk to him? It’s not like you’re the one whose apologizing.”

“No it’s not, but it’s like I’m the one who want to make up, and that’s worse!”

Annisa knew somehow, it’s hard to get into her best friend’s rock hard head. She shouldn’t have tried it in the first place. It’s been three days since that ‘neurotic pist’ incident, and everytime Jasmine had to gather with her group for discussion, the girl chose to shut until the end of the discussion. Actually, there was one person who begged Annisa to talk to Jasmine about this problem. Annisa told the person straight that it’ll took all the forces of mother nature to make it happen, and that person who begged her was one of Jasmine’s research group member, Adilla. Annisa could understand that, with both Jasmine and Sehun in the middle of a coldwar, their research task were kind of on the edge, well not kind of, it is on the edge.

Knowing that pursuing Jasmine to take truce with Sehun would be useless, Annisa went back to her reading, while jasmine still furiously searching for books on the rack. That afternoon, being a good student, both Annisa and Jasmine were forced to go to the library to look for an autobiography book. They have a report they had to finish and it was due for the next day, which means that tonight they have to pull an all-nighter in order to finish it, which also meant that Annisa will spent a night at Jasmine’s apartment, again. Blame the professor who give this task in the last minute.

“Chanyeol tried to apologize in behalf of Sehun, you know.” Snapped Annisa.

“I heard him from the bathroom” Answered Jasmine, finally took three books off the rack at once. “He should stop babysitting his friend. Let his antisocial brother mingle with other humans.”

“I don’t think Chanyeol is babysitting Sehun.”

“Oh really? Do you think Sehun would have any friend if Chanyeol didn’t drag him everywhere he goes?” Well, Jasmine got her point there. “Even then I still didn’t see him like really talking to anybody, except with Chanyeol.” Jasmine continued while taking a seat beside Annisa. Hearing Jasmine’s statement Annisa put down her book.

“Yeah, I can’t believe there’s acually people as quiet as him.” Annisa mumbled.

“See?!”

“You must’ve really got into his nerves a couple days ago.” Annisa added, Jasmine’s must’ve done something so irritating until Sehun who usually never give a damn about things had to say mean things like that. Annisa then returning the book to it’s previous position and read it again. Jasmine only shrugged hearing her friend’s notion.

“By the way, just so you know, yesterday Adilla came up to me and asked me to talk to you about Sehun. That’s why I talk about this to you.”  Hearing this, Jasmine who was just about to read, put her book down in an instant.

“Why didn’t she say it to me?” This time, it was Annisa who put her book down and gave her friend a look.

“Like you would listen.” Annisa said, Jasmine suddenly has no word.

“I . . I would!” Jasmine answered with a stutter.

“Yea, you would listen but I know you won’t do anything about it.” Again, Jasmine was left with no word since everything Annisa said until then was true. Jasmine might want to listen but that didn’t mean she was going to do anything about it. Felt lost in the conversation, Jasmine chose to read again, this time she tried to concentrate more.

“Our research is a big project, you know how much it contributes to our final GPA, right? Don’t you think if you didn’t stop your stupid cold war with Sehun your final score would be a mess?” Annisa, being a friend who knew Jasmine so much, tried to lure Jasmine by using her weakst point, GPA. She knew so well that as a perfectionist down to her bone, Jasmine will not allow any speck on her already perfect GPA. Right after saying those thing Annisa could see that her friend’s thick wall of ego started to crumble, Jasmine’s eyes had started to gone out of focus. Annisa chose to continue, “Most of all, we have group member’s scoring!  What if because of your problem with Sehun, Adilla and Kevin gave you a low score? Hm?”

Jasmine let out a big desperate sigh and closing the book she was reading with a loud thud as a response for Annisa’s words. “You really want me to make up with Sehun, don’t you?”

Annisa just smiled and answered, “More or less.”

“You know I  wont do it, right?”

“Jas, I’m not asking you to make up. I just want you to . . . you know, be professional. Like, it’s you and Sehun’s problem only, don’t bring it when you’re woking with your group. You’re score is not the only one that’s in stake here.” Annisa tried to explain again.

“But he’s always on my opposing side, that annoys me!”

“Then don’t give a damn. Or if there’s two different ideas, take a vote, choose whose better. And if you lost in the vote, don’t explode.”

Jasmine growled in frustration, she gazed upward and rest her head on the book rack behind her. Annisa had a positive feeling that Jasmine, being as perfectionist and as selfish as she is, still have a human heart within. If she succeeded in persuading Jasmine this time, that meant Annisa might be having a power as strong as the mother nature.

“I hate admitting defeat.” Jasmine mumbled in a low voice, showing that she really felt like she was in the corner.

“You’re not admitting defeat, you’re just adjusting to a new battle.” Annisa patted Jasmine shoulder before finally getting back to her reading, she has nothing more to worry, she knew Jasmine would definitely do what she just said.

“I hate that you’re my friend, you can make me do things.” And so did Jasmine, also getting back to hear reading. Even Annisa can’t make Jasmine and Sehun to take truce, at least she managed to make Jasmine to tame her ego.

“That’s why I’m your friend. I’m the only one who can do it.”

***

The semi-open cafetaria was unusually hot that afternoon. Chanyeol kept fanning himself with papers he got from the previous class. Even though that day he already chose a loose HBA t-shirt the hot air seemed to like him since even fanning won’t keep the heat away. Meanwhile Sehun being as quiet as always, sat in front of Chanyeol, calmly scrolling his phone screen up and down even though his sweat started to drip down from his sideburns.

“So damn hot.” Kevin, their Chinese classmate protested while doing the same thing as Chanyeol, fanning himself furiously.

“Thank you.” Snapped Chanyeol out of nowhere. He got a soft punch from Kevin for that, Chanyeol just laughed.

“What do you guys want to eat?” Hee-Young was undoubtly having lunch with those three guys from her class, she gathered her shoulder-length hair and made them into a ponytail. Kevin was looking around at counters to see variations of food he could eat, but the heat prevent him from choosing the right one.

“Oh wait a sec, I need this heat to get away first.” Kevin ansered, trying hard to keep the heat away.

“Chanyeol?”

“Maybe later. Sehun?”

“Whatever you’re eating.” The cold guy answered without taking his eyes off the phone screen. Chanyeol jokingly put his hand to cover Sehun’s phone screen. This action made Sehun finally lift his head. 

“I already said I want to eat what you eat, right?” He said this while throwing Chanyeol an annoyed look.

“Put your phone down, we’re having lunch.” Kevin and Hee-young automatically stopped whatever they were doing when the tension between their two friends suddenly rises. It was the first time they heard Chanyeol said things that sound almost like an order to Sehun.

Sehun was silence for a few seconds before he harshly grabbed Chanyeol’s wrist and said, “I’m so damn tired with your orders.” He then got up and left both Hee-young and Kevin with their mouth open. The forever BFF Chanyeol and Sehun was actually having a fight and it happened in front of them.

There was a hot tingle started to crept up under Chanyeol’s skin, but he quickly curled his fingers into a fist to hold it. His face stone-steady, cold. His once bright complexion suddenly turned rigid, he sealed both of his lips before any curse could come out of it. His patience had run thin.

“Maybe . . . maybe Sehun needs to be alone.” Said Hee-Young, tried to easen the heavy atmosphere. Chanyeol didn’t say anything for a moment until he suddenly smiled and nodded to both of his friends.

“Yeah, I think he is.”

He would have to wait, he just had to conceal.

***

Annisa never thought that lightning was a scary thing. Whenever it flashes, shocking the sky with its million volts of electricity, she would look up, and see for a split second, the black coal sky would turned as bright as day. That’s why everytime there’s a storm, she wold seat to the nearest and biggest window she could find to witness the flashes playing right before her eyes. Like what she did now from Jasmine’s window. The town was just being washed by a huge rain almost an hour ago, and left the sky above with a small crumble of thunder and leftover flashes of lightning.

“Jas, do you believe in magic?” Out of nowhere, without any forewarning Annisa suddenly asked some random things. Hearing this random question, Jasmine immediately raised his head and moved her focus from laptop, to her friend.

“What on hearth did you just said?”

“Do you believe in magic?” Annisa repeated while turning her face to Jasmine while closing the curtain behind her. Hearing the question again Jasmine frowned in confusion.

“Did you just hit your head or something?” This time Jasmine chose to ignore her friend’s question and return her attention to the report she was working on.

“No. Just curious.” Annisa answered. She also didn’t know excactly why suddenly she asked those things to Jasmine. Maybe because from Jasmine’s apartement window she could see the small alley across the street which she never visited again. When the lightning flashes it illuminated the dark alley far below, deserted and bleak. The incident that happened to her in that alley was still unexplainable. She might almost never talk about it, but actually, when she had nothing to think about, she still tried to look for the lost memory, repeating the scenes on that day again and again inside her head. And the result was always the same, nothing, it’s like the film of her memory was being cut out. The weird thing is she was so sure something happened. What could it be? Magic?

“You’re just stressed out. Go out and get some air.” Jasmine suggested, not moving her eyes away from her laptop screen, with her hand still busy typing. “Are you done with your report already?”

Annisa sighed and returned to Jasmine’s bed sluggishly where her laptop and unfinished report awaited her. “Only the conclusion left but I’m so freakin lazy to continue.” Then Annisa grabbed one of the pillow and hugged it tight.

“It’s 30 minutes past midnight, we still got many times if you want to rest or eat something.”

Closing her eyes and weighing Jasmine’s suggestion for a moment, Annisa finally put the pillow down and got up from the bed. “I think I’m just going to get some air.”

“Okay.” Jasmine finally raised her head from the screen and opened her glasses, “Take your time, I’ll call you if you’re not going back in an hour, okay? You still got a report to finish.” She reminded.

“Okay, mom.” Annisa rolled her eyes and talked in a sarcastic tone, Jasmine just laughed. After that Annisa took a white knitted sweater from her bag and put in on. must be a bit chilly out there since rain had just poured.  She didn’t change her pants since she’s already wearing a knee-long tight jeans.

“I’m going, see ya later.” Said Annisa before she close Jasmine’s apartement door and went on her merry way. That time she decided right away that she was going to visit the pool. Jasmine’s apartment got a great outdoor pool which located on the third floor, and they also had a good lighting on the pool area.

Annisa excitedly came out of the elevator when she reached third floor, and immediately welcomed by the sight of the night pool outside illuminated by soft yellow lighting, just behind a glass door in front of her. But before opening the door, Annisa tried to peek outside. Since there was a lot of foreigners staying in Jasmine’s apartement bulding, she didn’t want to came out to the pool just to find a couple making out or doing other things which Annisa didn’t have to explain. Seeing nothing weird, the girl finally opened the glass door and breath a heavy cold air outside.

After the heavy rain, the sky above her somehow still filled with thin layers of dark cloud, left by the previous storm clouds before them. The crescent moon peeked behind it, not able to hide itself behind the clouds with its soft  glow. Annisa found peace for a moment and decided to walk toward the pool’s edge. She took off her flip flops and played with the water’s flat surface.

It was when Annisa was about to squat that she saw a smoke. Soaring from the open seating area not far away from the pool. She didin’t see there was another person out there before, because the seating area was not entirely visible from the glass door. That person was seating with his back on Annisa. He seemed like working on something because there was a laptop in front of him. He was a total stranger to Annisa until the guy in that black-white striped sweater coughed. Annisa recognized the voice, and later the broad shoulder that seemed tired, and finally the bit-messy jet black hair she knew all too well. Chanyeol. Annisa almost forgot that him and Sehun was living in the same apartement building as Jasmine.

The girl contemplated for a moment. Should she say hi? Or should she stay still and pretend like Chanyeol wasn’t even there? Annisa put her flip flops back, and walked to the seating area slowly, afraid that her rubber flip flops would squeak. Chanyeol smoked, Annisa never knew about this. Whener he was near, the smell of smoke never lingers, only a faint odor of his soap, cologne, and sometimes his shampoo, which proof that he never smokes during the day. Annisa wondered what is it like to smell Chanyeol after he smoke, that was why the girl braced herself to give this encounter a shot, she’d decided to greet him. Don’t ask how was her heart beat back then, obviously out of control.

“Chanyeol?”

The said guy turned his back, looked a bit shock because his eyes widened. But it didn’t take long until the shocked face turned into a pure happy face. Annisa could see the way his eyes almost looked like wincing when he smiles, and that line of his ever-bearing white teeth. Called her cheesy but that smile was the very first thing that brought Annisa to all this crush thingy.

“Hi! What are you doing here?” was the first question Chanyeol asked. He put the cigarette he was smoking beside his laptop. Annisa unconsciously stopped walking and stood still in her position a few meters from where Chanyeol sat.

“I’m just looking for some air.” Annisa answered, tried not to look tense. “What are you doing here?”

Chanyeol pointed at his laptop screen and then shrugged, “Aren’t you suppose to work on the same thing?”

“Haha yeah, I kinda left it unfinished.” Said Annisa, rubbing her hand together because the wind started to blow. “Sehun’s not coming with you?”

“He’s a smart , he finished a couple hours ago.”

“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll just go back.” Annisa felt really stupid, she didn’t know what else to talk about so instead of looking for another topic, her nervousness made her give up.

“Now?” Asked Chanyeol, he combed his hair to the back because the wind kept blowing it away.

“Umm, yes?” Annisa hesitately answered. Within herself she couldn’t stop cursing. For a moment she could see Chanyeol fell silent before the guy finally stood up, closed his laptop and put out his cigarette.

“Since we’re here already, want some coffee?” Chanyeol walked up to Annisa with laptop and phone in his right hand. Not until he stood excactly in front of Annisa that she actually realized Chanyeol was very tall, and was a little bit intimidating. Her own height was around his neck.

Flustered by the sudden invitation, Annisa could only nod. Chanyeol gave a small smile and showed a gesture that signaled Annisa to get out first.

“But wait, I left my wallet.” Annisa suddenly turned to face Chanyeol behind her, she forgot she didn’t bring her wallet with her, because she didin’t expect to see Chanyeol on the pool, let alone having a coffee together with him.

“it’s okay, my treat.” Smoothly, Chanyeol put his hand on Annisa’s right shoulder and made the girl turn back front before he pushed the elevator’s button. When both of them got into the elevator, Annisa had to manage her breathing to prevent hyperventilating near Chanyeol. And when she did that, finally she could smell the smoke, the somehow earthy and burned scent brought a weird sensation for her, it was like Chanyeol wasn’t always as childish as he always been in class.

“So you’re staying at Jasmine’s room right now?” Asked Chanyeol suddenly after they go out of the elevator, automatically heading to the main exit of the building.

“Yeah, we’re both still working on the report.” Annisa answered while tried to hide her fingers under her sweater’s sleeve. She didn’t thought going out on midnight especially after it rained could be this chilly.

“And she’s okay you leave her alone?” This time both of them walked slowly on the pedestrian, heading for the 24 hours convinient store nearby.

“She’ll call me in an hour.”

“She’s like your Mom.” Chanyeol let out his deep soft chuckle after saying this.

“Well, yeah she’s been my Mom since we were in middle school.” Annisa also laughed at this. Within their BFF relationship, Jasmine always had a role where she wanted everything to be alright, not only for herself, but for Annisa too. That was why whenever there’s a deadline, Jasmine was a walking and living reminder for Annisa.

“So you’ve been friends since middle school?”

“Pretty much. What about you and Sehun?” Asked Annisa when they finally reached the convinience store.

“Hmm.” Chanyeol pushed the door open with his back while giving the expression that looked like he was thinking. He frowned, then aswered “Forever?”

“Forever is a very long time.” Annisa said jokingly. Both Annisa and Chanyeol walked straight to the coffee machine inside the store, ignoring the greetings from people behind the cashier, lost in their own conversation.

“Indeed.”

“How long is forever actually?” Automatically without being asked, Annisa took Chanyeol’s laptop and phone from his hands, she knew he had difficulties taking the cup for the coffee. He thanked Annisa before he took the cup.

“Hmm.” He was thinking again. “Very long. Hot chocolate of cappucino?”

“Cappucino.” The girl answered and thinking to ask no further question about either Sehun or his relationship with Sehun. Chanyeol seemed to be a bit reserved, Annisa felt, when she started to talk about Sehun and how long their friendship had been. She won’t talk unless Chanyeol mentioned it.

“But . . .” As they walk through the counter to take some lid, Chanyeol started to speak again. “Do you believe in forever?”

Is it a trick question? Annisa thought. She looked at the figure she adored lately who was standing right in front of her, pouring two cups of cappucino. She was trying to look into Chanyeol’s big eyes, she wanted to know what was hidden beneath it. Realizing that his question hadn’t been answered, Chanyeol let out a smile, he raised only the right corner of his mouth. His hands still busy stirring the cappucino and the syrup. “Do you believe in forever, cha?” He asked again.

“No I don’t.”

“But do you believe in magic?” It was a peculiar thing, when Annisa looked straight into the dark orbs of Chanyeol’s eyes. The world seemed to halt, and some blurred images started to flashes inside her head.

“I do.” Annisa said to herself that tonight, is going to be one hell of a night.

(to be continued)

Writer's note:

This might looks like they have no connection at all, but it'll come on the next chapters! Happy reading!