The low rumbling of the cello drums along her veins. It was supposed to be another typical night. From the saxophone cries to the steady flow of the piano; the night doesn't differ much from any other night, or any other fundraiser. But the boy in the embodiment of a man, humming melodies and drawing tears all at the right moments with the voice she used to listen to at midnight, years back; that's new.

The tunes dance in the depth of his voice, pressing hard at the perfect time, ballads and nostalgic songs filling the air. He was just a boy, really; how long had it even been?

She remembers late nights, sitting up on the roof with him, talking about dreams and passions and their fears. Baekhyun said he feared the future. She remembers, with his downcasted eyes, whispering to the distant cricket calls :

"I don't want to grow up. I don't want to be old."

She remembers laughing at his expense, "It's inevitable, Baek. It's not something you can control."

"I'm going to defy the inevitable. Just watch me." He had smiled, as if he was so sure that he was going to be young forever.

And looking back, she wishes that he'd kept his word. Because looking at the man behind the music now, he barely looks like Baekhyun at 20. He looks like Baekhyun at 29, maturity reeking off of him, with sharp cufflinks and tuxedo ironed to crisp perfection. Without the dark lines of kohl adorning them, his eyes almost look out of place. His lips look the same, even if the words they sing of are no longer about youth and forevers.

He sings of lost youth, broken promises, and love stories that were never told lace behind every word that slips past his lips.

Looking at him now, she finds herself wishing for an eternal youth. But that's useless. Because now, they've grown out of teenage conversations. They've grown out of pictures by the Christmas tree. And she's sure he'd grown out of that baby blue sweater she'd knit for him when they were 16.

The song ends, and the man on the high ground used as an excuse of a stage speaks about the next song being precious with a wide smile. And a few seconds later, the acoustics roll and his face goes back to seriousness.

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

There's a hitch in his voice, and it's only a second later that she takes into note that he's looking at her. Straight on.

But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment
Before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know

She averts her eyes to somewhere else, she barely knows what she's looking at anymore. She downs her champagne and with swift moves she tries to mingle her way through the busier crowds. But she can feel his gaze boring through her, eyes swirling along with her every movement.

I was so scared to face my fears
Cause nobody told me that you'd be here
And I swear you moved overseas
That's what you said, when you left me

She stops there. This...

She looks back up at him. Eye to eye, and it's all the confirmation she needs. He's singing, with his eyes on her. He's singing a song about her, while looking at her. He's singing, about all the things that stopped crossing her mind a long time ago. Except that they're all back. The feelings, the thoughts, the guilt; Byun Baekhyun.

And a part of me keeps holding on
Just in case it hasn't gone
I guess I still care
Do you still care?

You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

She dashes towards the balcony before the song ends. He has a song left; maybe she can leave without anyone noticing. But she gets hauled by the arm by an old friend. One she doesn't remember well; more of an old acquaintance.

And it's about half an hour that she spots him, like a fish out of water, staring at a glass of champagne as if taking a sip would be the biggest decision he would ever have to take. Maybe he's still the Baekhyun she had known?

She thinks about leaving, again, so she glides across the marble floor and makes her way to the hallway. They had rented a mansion for the event, but it could easily pass as a castle. At one point she almost gets lost, but finally at the other end of the hallway she finds a poster that says EXIT with an arrow next to it. She knows it leads to the elevator she had come up on. But there are footsteps behind her, and even after nine long years, she c