‘, I’m so sorry, Jongin,’ Luhan’s voice sputters over the speaker.

Jongin closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to curb the rising pressure in his chest. He’s standing outside their favourite record store alone, taking shelter from the rain. ‘That’s fine, hyung,’ he says tersely, immediately regretting the harsh tone. Hopefully Luhan couldn’t discern it from over the phone.

‘I just landed this new internship at the local hospital, and I volunteered to work overtime last night. I just got up and… You know that it takes over an hour to get there by bus,’ he explains, apologizing profusely, ‘I really overestimated myself, I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be making excuses.’

‘Don’t worry about it. I understand how tough med school is,’ Jongin replies, checking his watch. It was already three in the afternoon, and he had been waiting at the meeting point for forty-five minutes, unable to reach Luhan’s phone until now. ‘Anyway, I haven’t even left the house,’ he lies.

To Jongin’s chagrin, Luhan hears the heavy downpour over the phone. ‘You’re lying. I can hear the rain,’ the older boy says.

‘Bad connection,’ Jongin lies again, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

‘Fine… Whatever you say,’ Luhan concedes, ‘And I’m really, really sorry, Jongin. Thank you for being so understanding. Rain check?’

‘Yeah,’ Jongin assures, looking up into the sky and wondering how long before the rain lets up so he can head back home. ‘Sure, hyung.’