Why did Sehun break up with Saera?

It was the summer of their third year together, and it felt like just any other summer they’ve experienced. Saera managed to get into a summer tutoring programme which required her to teach mathematics to underprivileged kids at foster homes. Sehun, on the other hand was just being the same old Sehun during summer- dance practices with Jongin, helping out his mother at home, hanging out at the mall whenever he got too tired of his house.

The only difference this time was that both Saera and Sehun never bothered to make time for one another.

Saera was always busy at the foster home during the day and preparing for her classes during the night. That got her tired, really tired during the weekdays and come the weekends, she would spend her free time catching up on lost sleep. Her priorities changed- what was once Sehun’s place was then replaced with the tutoring programme, and maybe she was just too tired to notice or even care.

Well, if she had to admit, Sehun did try to make things work. He did wait for her at the foster homes just after his dance practice. He did bring her something to eat- some days it was ddukbokki and on other days he might have enough to fork out a bento set, whenever he had the time. He tried spending as much time with her at her house during the weekends accompanying her at home, but after a while, Sehun just got tired.

His eagerness and excitement to meet her was just not returned. Saera usually got too tired to even feel excited whenever she saw him. She would nonchalantly thank him for his visits and his food, and would sometimes deliberately ignore him whenever he paid a visit at her house. Sehun felt as though he was taken for granted and unappreciated and at that moment, he thought he deserved someone better- someone who would treat him much better than Saera did, someone who would love his visits and his food, someone who would appreciate the sentiment.

And that was also the summer Sehun met the other someone, the ‘deserving’ someone.

“So, are you saying that freaking Oh Sehun now works at freaking Beansbins?”

Saera watches her co-worker stare back at her with eyes as huge as saucers.

“Yes, Luhan. Sehun works at our favourite café,” Saera sighs, removing the plastic containers of what’s left of their lunch.

“But… but why? Why that café? Why Beansbins? Is he stalking you, Saera?” Luhan questions enigmatically with hands flying everywhere.

“Of course he isn’t. We’re over, remember? We’ve not talked for three months now, and he’s clearly moving on and so am I. And he’s not stalking me, Luhan. You need to stop overreacting,”

Sometimes, Saera feels as though she is the older between the two. She is more rational and calm and collected while Luhan, on the other hand bursts like a lively picture at every chance he gets.

“The odds are definitely against your favour, my little dongsaeng. So what now? You can’t possibly go to Beansbins anymore now that he’s already working there. Imagine the things your heart would do to you every time you see him,” Luhan places his elbow on top of the wood table, leaning his chin on top of his palm as he sighs into space.

“I am alright, Luhan. Seriously, till when am I going to avoid seeing him? We even go to the same university,”

Saera feels a hand pulling on her arm. She turns towards the male with a sigh.

“Don’t use that against me, Cho Saera. You did not stumble upon one another for three months and suddenly he’s intruding your personal space. He’s working at our favourite café, our sanctuary. Why does he even work in the first place? That brat doesn’t look like he knows how to even write a job application…”

Saera bites her bottom lip, eyebrows scrunched as her thoughts wander. It is true though. Sehun never really needed to work, so why the change now? Is he short of money? Was his father sacked from work? Was he kicked from home? What if he had no place to stay and had no money, hence the part time job-

“Earth to Cho Saera! Hello!” She blinks as she Luhan waves his hand too near her face.

“What?” She pushes him away and gets off the stool, walking towards a nearby station to fetch a bouquet of roses.

“Tell me again in detail- how did he react when he first saw you? When he called out your name?”

Saera leans against the wooden counter, filling her thoughts with images of Sehun. “He um… when he called my name and realised that it was me, he just… stared at me for quite a bit. And I stared back, probably because I was shocked and surprised,” The corner of curves upward in a faint half smile as she recalls the way his eyes stared into her a while ago.

“He called my name again and when I wanted to get the drinks, our fingers somewhat… touched and I pulled away. Sehun practically pushes the drinks to me and I took it and I left really quickly. And when I… when I looked back, he was still staring at me,” Saera ends her conversation with a quiver in her voice.

“Wait, what? You looked back? Cho Saera, did you actually take another glimpse at your godforsaken ex? Why would you do that?”

Saera shrugs, clutching onto her cup of caramel latte from the café earlier. “What did I do wrong?”

“That gives Sehun the impression that you want to have a last look at him, that you can’t settle with what you saw earlier on. Do you know what that does to guys?”

The rest of Luhan’s words float by as Saera stares at the paper cup, sighing as she takes another sip.

The caramel latte tastes oddly better that day.

It is true though- Saera had no idea the things she does to Sehun’s head when she took that last glimpse yesterday.

It keeps revisiting his mind the way she turned around, the way her ridiculously round eyes stared back at him, the way her lips were pressed tight as though she was suppressing a frown, the way-

“Oh man, you’re done for,” Sehun snaps out of his thoughts when he feels a tap on his shoulder. Jongin slips into the seat next to him at the campus café and flings his backpack on the table.

“What do you mean?”

“Just look at you. You already look hopeless with your grades and your new job and whatnot, and when Saera miraculously appears after three months, you just… exude hopelessness, you know?”

Sehun scratches his head in frustration as he lifts his head from the peripheral vision of his hardcore calculus questions. “You’re such a terrible friend, Kim Jongin,”

“What can I say, man. I’m just telling you the hard truth. That’s what best friends are for, Oh Sehun,” Jongin steals a fry off his tray but Sehun feels too troubled to swat his hand away. Before he knows it, Jongin gobbles up the rest of his French fries and he doesn’t even budge.

“She bought two drinks yesterday, Jongin,”

“So what are you saying?” His best friend replies, mouth still full with fries.

“I know the caramel latte is for her, it’s just the green tea latte… do guys drink green tea lattes in general?” Sehun questions as he slips the pencil to the back of his ear.

“Wait, hold up,” Jongin tugs at his shoulder forcefully (and if Sehun’s in a better mood, Jongin would’ve earned a punch in return for being goddamn annoying) making him turn towards him. “So you think Saera’s got a new guy? And that she’s seeing him, hence