chapter four Pranks and Walks       ---------------------------

 

 

 

Before leaving my apartment block that morning for the bus, I dreamily sighed at the parking space where Hyejung usually stationed her car (though was gone because she was out using it). I imagined myself one day to be the one using it. Taking the bus to the university, my morning’s entertainment was texting Luhan. I could hear his own words with his voice with every text he sent. Much like himself in person, he somehow always found ways to make every little thing funny.

⌜9:34AM⌟
Yeah I still take the bus. Don’t make fun of me! Anyway I have a joke for you. What's the color of the wind?

I sent to him the first line of a joke I remembered and anticipated saying the second half of it. I was distracted by the bus driver’s choice of a tattoo of a woman wearing a bikini under the sun on his forearm. My phone vibrated in my hand with Luhan’s reply

⌜9:36AM⌟
No clue. Tell me tell me

Biting my lip from laughing out loud, I sent through the text.

⌜9:36AM⌟
Blew

Arriving at the school and stepping off the bus, I automatically made a beeline for the correct building where my classroom was. The professor was still at his desk with a few students already filing in the rows. Walking in the room and approaching the professor with a handkerchief in my hand and tears glittering from my eyes, I ended up walking out two minutes later after pats on the back and a sincere apology for Mittens—my imaginary dead cat—as he accepted my lab report without any problems.

Spotting Yixing across the hall as he waited for me to finish, I gave him a thumbs-up as a sign for good news and he was applauding as I neared to meet him.

“Bravo. I bet you even got bonus marks.”

“I hope so. I worked on that lab report until it was golden.” I tucked away the handkerchief in my bag and pulled out my wallet. Taking out a few bills, I handed them to Yixing. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Folding them, he pocketed the money. “If you need anything else from me other than your professor-lookout, tell me.”

“I will. Glad to do business.”

He shook my hand as a formality to enclose our little deal. If he hadn’t let me known that the professor was acting out against late assignments, I would have failed. Saying goodbye, I turned to leave the school. Despite having been enrolled in that school for well over three years, it still felt somewhat foreign to me with the unfamiliar people passing my sight. I didn’t want to risk seeing what the cafeteria food was like and then ending up hating it, so I figured to myself that I might as well grab a bite somewhere else. Almost making it out the exit, my eyes had automatically darted to a figure in the hallway.

Luhan was standing in a little group with Sehun and Kyungsoo. I almost forgot that he had morning classes and was probably either taking a break or finished with everything for the day. I turned to unwillingly join the line up to the water fountain in hopes to blend myself in with the crowd without standing in the hall and looking like a lost alien. Sehun looked to be telling them a funny story while Luhan laughed along and Kyungsoo stared with incredulous large eyes at him. He was wearing his library uniform and was probably on the way to work.

I wondered how I never noticed Luhan in school. Even if there were the rare days I even came. He would have stood out to me because his presence was just so welcoming. Plus, he was cute.

Luhan pulled his phone from his pocket. He smiled at his screen upon reading what I assumed was the text I last sent with the pun of my joke. Shaking his head to himself, he keyed in a reply. My phone vibrated in my pocket a second later as Luhan stuffed his phone away.

⌜9:52AM⌟
First of all, you still take the bus?

The boy behind me was tapping his foot impatiently and it took me a moment too long to realize I was in front of the line. I excused myself and allowed him to get to the water fountain. Ducking behind the line, I sent my reply.

⌜9:53AM⌟
Really? That’s all you get from my joke? That I still take the bus? I don’t have a car yet.

“Woah, fancy seeing you at school.”

I nearly fell over in a heart attack at the sound of Sehun’s voice suddenly so close. Looking at him, I wondered where Luhan and Kyungsoo had gone and thought that their group probably dispersed while my attention was at the water fountain.

“Did you have a new list for me?” Sehun was grinning eagerly.

Sehun’s job was to yell out an excuse of some sort whenever there was a rare chance that a professor called out my name in class and he would say something like ‘She’s at the dentist.’ I had given him a list of excuses the last time we made the deal. He didn’t get paid often, but he still liked it.

“No, I wasn’t here for that. I had to hand something in, but...”  I glanced behind him, half-heartedly expecting Luhan there. Though he was nowhere in sight now. “You know who Luhan is, right?”

“Of course I know who he is.” He snickered. “We were supposed to stay in tonight and try my new game together, but he said he was busy and already made plans to meet up with you. Thanks for that.”

It took a second for that to sink past my skull. “Luhan mentioned me by name?”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t shut up when I said I knew you.”

I was practically lighting up at that, a smile stretching across my face. “Really? What did he say?” I shook my head quickly, distracting myself. “Nevermind, that wasn’t what I wanted to ask you.”

Sehun blinked, confused. He shifted the book he was carrying to his other arm. “What did you want to ask me?”

I dropped my voice and even looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “What kind of girls does Luhan like?” They were friends so Sehun would have known. Boys might not have gushed about their feelings and preferences towards the opposite gender like girls did, but Sehun had to have a little bit of information.

“Okay well,” Sehun glanced at the ceiling in thought. “I think he still likes shy and quiet girls, um, with nice hair. Nice eyes too.” He shrugged. “Luhan’s kinda picky, I know.”

I had already made a list in my head that I hesitated to check myself in the category. Did I fall under Luhan’s criteria of an ideal girl? But who was I, really? I was questioning myself. I wasn’t really shy. Only with people I don’t know... kind of.

“Why? Are you interested in him?” Sehun asked, leaning forward and nudging my side to tease me.

I pulled a bill out of my wallet and handed it to him wordlessly with my eyes doing the talking. Sehun nodded as he took it, understanding that I was paying him to be quiet.

“If you need my notes for class or something, I’m here,” he offered.

The last time I checked, Sehun’s handwriting looked like the scrawls of a two year old. “No, but thanks. I’ll stick to Junmyeon.” I glanced behind him again. “But hey, I have to go before someone sees me here. Bye.” Ducking, I hurried out toward the exit.

“Bye!” I heard Sehun shout behind me.

Turning to him again, I pretended to air-lock the zipper on my mouth—a silent reminder for Sehun to keep quiet again. The rules of the bet stated that I couldn’t mention it to another person after all.

I didn’t check my phone until I got in one of the buses that lead to my apartment. Luhan had replied to my text.

⌜9:54AM⌟
That was a joke? I didn’t even crack a smile

I scoffed. The last time I saw him, he was grinning at his phone like an idiot.

 

 

 

The apartment was thankfully empty for that night as Hyejung decided to leave after she ate an early dinner. It was five minutes to eight when the doorbell went off. I eyed the door’s peephole to see into the hallway in front of the door and saw Luhan’s figure standing outside with his hands at his pockets. Taking a deep breath and stepping back from the door, I ran my hands down my jeans to absentmindedly smooth it out.

I thought I should’ve worn something simple… but yet not too simple that told him “I expect you to get comfortable around me right away and not be surprised when I fart.” But not something flashy either that said “I’m trying to get you to compliment me.”

I thought jeans and a sleeveless chiffon blouse was good enough and said “I’ll look at least decent right now, not that I like you or anything.”

When I answered the door, Luhan looked up from scuffing his shoes against the ground and flashed me a smile. “Hey.”

“Hi, Luhan.” I noticed it was the first time I saw him in anything else but his uniforms for work. The nice and form-fitted casual blue button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows made me want to smack myself. With much restraint, I kept myself from ogling him out in the open. “Did you find the place okay?”

“Yeah, it was no trouble. It’s so close to the café, actually. I get why you go there.”

I stepped aside and opened the door wider until he stepped inside. “I just have to find my shoes. I’ll be right back, okay?”

He waved me off and assumed me warmly. “Take your time.”

I was dashing to my room without another word and threw open my closet to sort through the boxes at the bottom of everything else. What exactly did he plan on us doing? It might be not enough if I wore flats because my feet were going to hurt if we were walking lots—

“Jinah, you never told me you had fish!” I heard him yell from the living room. Luhan probably found the small little aquarium that was home to two goldfish.

“Because no one brought up the topic of fish in our conversation.”

I could practically imagine his expression as he scoffed at my remark. Bringing out my converse, I pulled them on and laced them up faster than I have ever done before. Even though he told me to take my time, I figured he was being polite to my girly-needs.

“Done,” I said, reappearing in the living room.

Luhan straightened himself out from hunching over the fishbowl. He was jingling when he walked toward the door and it took me too long to realize he was holding his car keys. I felt his eyes burning through my hands when I fumbled over my own fingers and locked the door behind me. It made me wonder for a moment if he knew I was roommates with Hyejung, but decided against it because it didn’t seem like he’s been there before. Hyejung probably never had the courage to bring him to the apartment. After all, I’ve never seen him before the library. Otherwise we would have ran into each other during his visit.

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