Two minutes ago:

(3) missed calls from Luhan

I stared at my phone’s screen as if I was waiting for my eyes to adjust and to actually see no missed calls in reality.

“Helloooo, earth to Jinah.” Taekyung snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I hadn’t realized I froze in the middle of the staircase until I looked up and realized where I was. “What?”

“I asked what time it was,” he reminded, continuing to lead us up the stairs to the fourth floor. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Seeing my hand shake, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket after glancing at the time. “It’s 1:15PM.”

“We’ll pretend you didn’t just zone out for a second then.” Laughing, Taekyung reached out to pinch my cheek to which I shoved him away for.

I showed Taekyung how to properly fold his clothes after I comaplained that he should have done them the day before. Half-heartedly, I listened to him explain to me where he wanted me to put away his box of plates. He handed the box to me and sent me on my way while he worked on folding the rest of his clothes.

I practically walked down the stairs in a daze, wondering if I even saw correctly. Did Luhan call? Three times while I was busy carrying things into a massive truck? Did all my grief suddenly turn into insanity that I started seeing his name on my phone screen again? It hadn’t been that way in a long time.

Before I could even think about heading down to where the truck was, I pushed open the door to my apartment room with Hyejung. I needed to confide in her ASAP.

Hyejung noticed that there was something wrong as soon as I walked through the doors. She looked up from her phone as she lounged on the couch. “Did something happen?” she asked immediately. Instead of looking concerned like I thought, she looked oddly excited at asking me that.

“Did you know that I saw Luhan working at The Mad Hatter?” I decided to begin with that. Huffing out a breath, I put the box of dishes down at the floor beside my feet before I did anything crazy like toss it out the window.

“You what?” Hyejung sat up immediately, her eyes wide. “Did he talk to you?”

I had my hands on my hips. “Well, yeah. He was the one who checked out the luggage bag for me.”

She slapped a hand over her forehead. “Did he say anything? Did you?”

“Not really.” I shook my head. “He said, ‘Have a nice day.’”

“Have a nice day? He’s being such an right now!” Hyejung was kicking at the air as if Luhan was there.

“Wait, why is he an ?”

“Because he hasn’t said anything even though I know he’s still, like, in love with you,” she explained as-a-matter-of-factly.

“He’s obviously not!” I began to protest.

“He is! I don’t know what’s taking him so long to say anything.” Hyejung returned some of her attention to her phone and tapped furiously at the keys.

Almost kicking over the box of plates when I turned to head out, I realized I still had the responsibility of safely taking it in the truck. I picked it up off the floor. I eyed Hyejung suspiciously. “What are you doing? You’re not calling him are you?”

“No, I’m not gonna call him.”

“Sh-Should I call him? He called—” When Hyejung started pointing her camera at me again, I automatically shied away. “Quit it, weirdo!”

“Hold still.” She positioned the phone in the air. “I’m trying to get a shot of you with that box.”

“What? Why?” My head was spinning at the confusion. Was she starting a collection of stalker paparazzi photos of me?

“I’m helping. Don’t worry about it.”

“Helping what? You know what? Nevermind.” I turned to leave the room to take the plates outside.

I half remembered where Taekyung told me to put them and placed it where I thought he said so. By then, the truck looked like it was almost ready to leave. I got out of the way while someone else dragged in a mini fridge. My hand itched against my phone, just busy wondering if I should call Luhan back. If he tried to call three times, it must have been important—

“Jinah, hold on to my guitar.” Taekyung came in to interrupt my thoughts before I could put them into action. I held out my arms automatically while he handed me a guitar in its case. Taekyung craned his neck to glance around the inside of the truck.

“Are you almost ready to go?” I asked, placing the guitar carefully down beside me and holding it up by the top.

“I think so… Wait, I forgot!” He dashed back into the building frantically. “Watch over my girl!”

I knew that by ‘girl’ he was referring to his beloved guitar that he left in its case by my side. I stood beside it to keep watch as Taekyung said. Left alone in the curb as the other workers re-entered the premises again, my thoughts inevitably wandered back to Luhan.

Maybe he was calling to finally tell me that we were over. That he didn’t see a future with us. Why else did he take so long to try and contact me? That thought made me not want to call him back. It would be easier on me if he ignored me like he was so good at doing lately.

And then there was the ring. Thinking about it after my visit at the store had my head pounding against my skull. That could have been our ring. I wouldn’t mistake it for anything else. If he was wearing it, did that mean something? Though if it was on a necklace, it couldn’t be it. I felt stupid for lingering on the matter when obviously, Luhan had already forgotten it.

I gazed at my own hand where my ring was still in place where it belonged around my finger. It was even more stupid if I kept wearing the thing around if it had no value now and how it also treasured painful memories. Memories I was supposed to push away by now. It’s been too long. It was almost unhealthy to keep it.

My thumb rotated the ring around my finger and I watch the sun glimmer off its dull plastic surface. I breathed in and then out. I should take it off and hide it somewhere I would never look. I took hold of the band firmly, gripping it and telling myself that I could pull it off because—

There was pressure on my back that felt like I’d been pushed, instantly disrupting my thoughts. Before I fell over completely, there were arms that shot out from behind me to keep me in place. I was taken aback, the breath quite literally knocked out of me.

“Jinah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Luhan?

I blinked, still trying to comprehend what was happening. Silence dragged on for a moment. As soon as he released some of his grip, I turned to confirm that it was really Luhan.

And it was.

But what was he doing? There was pain that twisted his features and I wanted to hug him, tell him everything was fine even though I didn’t know why he was upset.

“You can’t leave for America,” he said.

“What?” I thought he’d bring up our last conversation as to why he hadn’t mentioned anything at the store. Not… America. Not about San Francisco. The last time I mentioned going back was weeks ago. Where would he ev