Kris felt like he was falling. He felt less restricted without his ex-bosses breathing down his neck, telling him how to function in and out of stage, like a a toy robot which would only move at the command of the controlling joystick. His workplace made him feel sick, the people around him made him feel sick and he wanted to swim away from the pool of negativity, and that was what he did. He quit his idol life, pulled his life back together and managed to feel more human with his newfound emotions. So when he saw Tao waiting for him outside his apartment, he felt like his stretched wings got rudely shocked with electricity, leaving him to fall under the force of gravity.

    “What are you doing here?” the question came out more menacing than he meant it to be. Tao didn’t look affected by his tone, but mimicked him. “What are you doing here?” 

    “Look Tao, I don’t have time to play games.” he sighed.

    As Kris pulled out the keys to his apartment, Tao immediately stepped in front of him, barricading his door. Kris furrowed his eyes in annoyance. Meeting Tao like this was definitely not something he wanted to do, because after spending a lot of time with him in the past he had a vague idea of Tao’s objective in meeting him.

    “Why did you leave?” Tao whispered quietly. His voice sounded shaky but his eyes were fixed on Kris the entire time, unwavering. The latter remained quiet. Tao repeated his question again, and he took up a more desperate tone. Kris felt his stomach make several jolts, but he managed to keep his face emotionless.

    “Let me in.”

    “I won’t”

    “I need to go in”

    “Let’s talk first”

    “We can do that later.”

    “When exactly will be your ‘later’?” Tao looked like he was on the verge of tears. Kris remained quiet.

    “I want to talk, Wufan-ge. I want to talk now.”

    “I’m tired. We can do this later.” Kris replied after a long time.

    “I’M TIRED TOO.” Tao screeched. He fell to his knees and broke down, sending chills down Kris’ spine. Kris felt even more nauseous at the sight of Tao crying. He tried to hush him, tried to make him stand, but to no avail. Vexed, he tried to think of the many ways he could make the wailing mess move away but he knew that most of his methods would not work for the stubborn guy. Being with Tao was emotionally and mentally draining and he was already physically exhausted. So he decided to leave because he didn’t want to deal with him anymore. He was sick of it. 

        It was that simple, really. He should have thought of that earlier. He just turned around and went on walking towards the elevator so that he could exit the apartment block. He knew that Tao heard his footsteps, which didn’t hush him but instead amplified his crying, which sounded like faint screams from where he was. Yet, he didn’t turn around. With each step he took, he felt his heart feel lighter and his legs felt stronger. By the time the elevator arrived, he sensed hasty footsteps behind him and when he entered and let the sliding doors close, he saw Tao’s face, a mix of betrayal and frustration. He felt nothing but relief.

        Kris flagged a taxi when he left the lift lobby. It seemed that he would have to stay at a hotel for the night before he could go back home.