Chasing You

Chapter Nine

Cold War

Luhan glanced at the clock and saw that it was past lunch break. After staring shortly at the entrance door of the cafeteria, he diverted his gaze to his close pal with brown eyes. The atmosphere seemed familiar, and he knew that this happened before. Sehun had this familiar expression on his face previously and as a longtime friend, Luhan immediately noticed it. Yes, it was a given that Sehun had a frigid facial expression and with that, it was hard to tell or to see what he was currently feeling; unlike now, you could say that he was bothered by something. He looked irritated and disturbed than usual. Luhan had been improving in translating his friends' facial expressions and what was hysterical was that it always had something to do with Ah Reum. Who knew that their worlds revolved around her now? They usually talked about the brunette more than anything.

It was past lunch and still, Ah Reum had not come.

It was not only Sehun who caught Luhan's great facial expression translation. Yixing started acting awkward three days ago, too. The always-smiling boy was acting like he was guilty of something, and Luhan just got interested in what that thing might be. He tried asking Yixing, but the boy said that he just imagined things. Luhan refused to believe him and after that, the topic almost died until now. Yixing knew something and Luhan could feel it in his bones. Being suspicious of his friends was something he had never done before, but he was enjoying it. Luhan was enjoying it by being the bridge for everything when in the first place it was Yixing who had started this. So, he liked Ah Reum for Sehun. With his very little interaction with Ah Reum, he saw the sincerity. That alone made him vote for Ah Reum. Not that Sehun was a prized possession that could be won, but sometimes, you could not help think that way.

"Is this how you always treated each other when you fight?" Luhan asked, getting tired of the silence between the three of them. Sure, boys didn't talk as much as girls, but they were never the quiet ones, too. The stillness was deafening, and it bothered Luhan.

Sehun did not even bother to look at him as his he responded, sounding uninterested, "What?"

"Ah Reum hasn’t visited us at lunch for three days. That's 72 hours and counting if you include today, Sehun! She even ignored you when we passed by each other in the hallways when she was talking to Seulgi," Luhan stated his observations and based on the initial reaction Sehun gave him, he knew that Sehun noticed it too. Yixing's look of guilt did not miss Luhan's eyes and judgment either.

"Must be busy and must not have seen me," Sehun replied. "Besides, this isn't the first time something like this happened," he added.

He was affected and with that, Luhan wanted to laugh, but to spare himself from getting on Sehun's bad side he tried his best not to chuckle or snort.

Sehun and Ah Reum should date already. Seriously, Ah Reum was the only one who could make Sehun sulk like this. No one had ever managed to make the Oh Sehun this irritable other than his very own best friend, Park Ah Reum. If Luhan did not believe in Sehun's intentions, he would assume that Sehun was just dating Da Eun to divert his attention from falling in love with Ah Reum.

Luhan smirked at his friend. "That's funny. When it comes to you, no matter how busy she is, she always comes, and she always notices you."

"A little space won't hurt," Sehun said, focusing on nothing.

"So, you did fight?" Luhan asked, quite surprised.

Sehun shrugged his shoulders. "Last time I checked, we're fine."

Luhan frowned and said, "Apparently, you are not."

"Just shut up," Sehun growled.

Luhan rested his arms comfortably on the table. "So, what's the reason for your quarrel this time?"

"We are not quarreling," Sehun replied, glaring at Luhan in the process.

"Yeah, but, you had to have been."

The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes, getting annoyed of Luhan's constant interrogation for the nth time. "It is something that doesn't concern you," he answered.

Luhan gave him an it's-your-loss look. "If you keep saying that forever, then we won't be able to help you if you ever need any."

"This problem doesn't require some helping. Because, honestly, we've talked about it the last time and it's just her choice to ignore me," Sehun explained. "I don't own her life, and her life is not me. She can do whatever she wants, and if she needs me, I'll be here."

Luhan didn't seem to be convinced. "Maybe she's confused right now. She's thinking about whether to stay with you or not."

Luhan got Sehun thinking on his statement. Sehun tried to find the right words to say. He knew what to say, but he could hardly voice it out. Suddenly, he was speechless. Ah Reum had always stayed, and they promised to be friends forever. Sehun stared at his surroundings and saw how people passed by and went off, just like that. He promised her that he would make every day count for their friendship. After he promised such a big thing, she just ignored him. He was asking himself if there was something he didn't ask her forgiveness for that could be the reason she was snubbing him, but he couldn't remember anything. If Luhan or Yixing could read his mind right now, they would be ecstatic because without a doubt and with full sincerity, he missed his best friend.

"She doesn't think about those things," Sehun said, glaring at Luhan again.

Luhan just chuckled nervously. "It's just a guess. You don't have to look at me like that."

"Stop putting ideas in my head, okay?" Sehun ordered irritably.

Sehun could live without his father. He was all right without much supervision from his mother. Seo Ah could not control her little brother, but Sehun's best friend was a different topic. Luhan sensed the fear and he knew Yixing felt it too, judging by the sudden look of interest on his face. Luhan couldn't blame his friend for the amount of dependence he had on his best friend, whom he claimed he was not in love with because Ah Reum was always there every time and whenever he needed her. Her presence made him depend on her too much and get used to the life wherein someone would always help him, console him, be with him, cry with him, stand for him, laugh with him, and the list went on. Luhan made a grave expression because he was about to ask a question that required an honest answer.

"Can you imagine a life without her?" he asked.

Sehun looked at him and muttered, "It never crossed my mind."

"Because you know that she will always be there?" Luhan asked.

Sehun smirked, shaking his head, and thinking that Luhan was wrong. "No, because a life without my annoying, little best friend would be empty."

That answer just made Luhan and Yixing smile. Although it's friend-zoned, you could still tell how much Sehun valued Ah Reum. Luhan considered himself defeated. Sehun just gave him his best answer and Luhan could not ask for anything after that. The blonde-haired boy was severely satisfied with his best pal's answer. Luhan wondered if Sehun would describe Da Eun as amazing as that, but before Luhan could compare the pros and cons of Ah Reum and Da Eun, his attention was caught by Yixing's quietness.

"You seem quiet, Yixing. Something wrong?" Luhan asked.

Yixing shook his head. "Nothing. I just... "

"Just what?" Luhan trailed.

"Nothing," Yixing replied.

"Okay. If you don't want to talk about it."

Yixing waved his hands in midair and defended himself. "No, it's not like that. I just don't think that it is an important topic to tell," he said.

Luhan narrowed his eyes. "Just like I said, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

They did not need to know what happened to Ah Reum the other day. Yixing was aware that it was not necessary to tell anyone since it would not do anything and he was assured of Sehun's answer earlier. It was all he needed to know that Sehun wanted Ah Reum in his life as much as Ah Reum did in hers. As a friend of Ah Reum and Sehun, he could just wish that these two's friendship would always be there that no matter what comes their way, they would overcome it together. Yixing knew that Ah Reum would eventually go back to being normal since for her also, a life without Sehun was empty.

…

Yerim wanted to eat quietly, but she couldn't help the urge to ask Ah Reum a few questions. To start with, Ah Reum was having lunch with them, for three days straight, without going to Sehun's table anymore. That had never happened since she met Ah Reum. Whatever happened, she always visited Sehun every lunch period. Seeing Ah Reum eating so quiet was like a new image for Yerim. She could not help but observe the brunette for days. Yerim could tell that Ah Reum was taking her life too seriously, and it was not the Ah Reum whom she had met back in freshmen year wherein she was very carefree and energetic. But Yerim thought that the reason for the lesser energy Ah Reum had now was not because of Sehun alone but because the brunette was also growing up. Yerim eyed Sooyoung, and she seemed to be having the same state of mind as her. Sooyoung was also noticing Ah Reum's gloomy atmosphere and eternal silence.

"You seem to be lying low," said Sooyoung.

Ah Reum dropped her fork and looked at them dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Yerim shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the same time. "Three days have passed, and you are still not talking to your best friend."

"We fought longer than this," Ah Reum stated. "I remember one time it lasted a week," she added.

"But you said you two already talked about it," Sooyoung reminded; her voice was squeaky.

Ah Reum disregarded her utensils completely and lay back on the chair. She focused her eyes on the table and not on her two friends. At first, she shrugged her shoulders before saying, "Well... I just thought that I should learn how to survive a day or a week and more without him so, in the end, I won't be hurt too much. Like, it would only be normal for me to barely see him around."

That sounded so different. It was so not Ah Reum. Even Seulgi glanced at Ah Reum after saying that. The girl whose hope never faltered sounded conceding now. What happened, they all wanted to ask. What caused Ah Reum to say those words? Ah Reum gave them a sad smile that was telling them not to think about it because everything was in her control. Would everything change just like that? Were ten years of friendship that easy to penetrate? They wanted to find out the source of Ah Reum's sad smiles and passive attitude. As the brunette's friends, they wanted to do something.

Ah Reum noticed the look of concern in her friends' eyes. "Don't worry. We are still friends and will always be."

They did not know if they would be happy with that statement or not. Sehun and Ah Reum were friends and would always be. Ouch. That must have hurt on Ah Reum's part. Everything could be easier if Ah Reum could just forget about her love or if Sehun would just accept her feelings.

Love was supposed to be a happy feeling and not the kind of feeling that would cause you to cry because of that person over and over again. To be loved by the person you loved, that was the only thing Ah Reum wished for since forever, but the world was not about love and love only. There were still many things out there that could be enjoyable. Being single was not entirely boring, and everyone at their table knew it. They were still in high school and had a lot ahead. They could experience more things in the future, and they did not need to rush.

One and a half years in high school was not enough to experience every happy and sad moment, but it could be memorable if they would make every day count. It was too early to think of this.

Yerim nodded. "So, do you wanna go shopping?"

"For what?" Ah Reum asked, uninterested.

"Dresses for the Winter Dance," Sooyoung answered.

Ah Reum tried to remember what the date was as of now. "Isn't it too early?"

Sooyoung gasped and shook her head quickly. "No way. It's three months from now."

Ah Reum rolled her eyes. "Precisely."

"You don't sound excited," Yerim commented, frowning. "That's odd because you were so excited about this dance weeks ago," she added.

"It's just a dance," Ah Reum replied.

Yerim was shocked and exclaimed, "Woah! Did I hear that just right? You are not excited about the dance?"

Ah Reum's eyes widened at her friend's reaction. "Of course, I'm excited, but I don't think I need to show it."

"Have you gotten a date?" asked Sooyoung.

The brunette shrugged. "I don't need one." Ah Reum sounded so bitter at that because weeks ago, she asked Sehun to be her date for the dance and he just rejected her, which she did not think much about, but the pain, the pain was somehow still there.

"How about you, Seulgi?" Sooyoung asked as she turned to face the ice queen.

"I can go with Ah Reum," Seulgi answered.

Yerim hit the table. "What? Please go out with somebody else this year, Seulgi. For a change."

"I have my own set of rules," Seulgi replied coldly.

"You always go with Ah Reum," Yerim whined.

"No one said it's prohibited."

"But this is our second to the last Winter Dance!" Yerim exclaimed again.

Seulgi smirked. "Perfect. Then I'll have the chance to change my partner next year."

"This is hopeless," Yerim groaned.

Ah Reum laughed at the interaction of her friends in front of her. "Come on, guys. You should stop pestering Seulgi."

Seulgi glanced at her. "I can handle this just fine, Ah Reum."

"If you say so."

"Ah Reum?" Sooyoung called.