[CONTENTID1]Chapter 16[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]How is it always the loved ones that look away from you[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Luhan politely greeted a woman in her mid-thirties as his eyes wandered scrutinized the interior design of the clinic -- he couldn't help but be mesmorized by how the white furniture complimented the pastel blue walls so well.

"How can I help you, dear?"

"I'm here to see Doctor Wu Yifan, does he happen to be here right now?"

Wu Yifan, or Kris, was not an unfamiliar name in Luhan's life. A good friend of Sehun's back in the day, he was the only reason why Luhan was standing inside the well-decorated clinic seeking information.

Kris, the tall guy who girls used to swoon over, had been well known as a student for hisgood looks and basketball skills. Luhan knew him as well... knew him a little too well, in fact. How could he not know him well when they'd shared something back in high school? It was a secret that nobody knew. Sehun? Maybe he had no idea either. It was almost impossible for Kris to tell him.

"I apologise, sir. It seems like Doctor Wu won't be here for the next two months."

"May I ask why?" 

"He in Japan for a business trip, sir."

"Oh... If that's the case, could you possibly pass along a message for me?"

"Yes, sure."

"Once he gets back, can you tell him to call me as soon as possible? Tell him it's an urgent matter." Luhan stated as he handed her his card.

"Thank you for helping..." He smiled at her before exiting the clinic.

The sun was sweltering hot although it was barely ten o'clock in the morning. He figured there was nothing to do since he was on a long holiday, being both unemployed and a recent university graduate. Christmas shopping sounds good! He thought as a broad grin spread on his face. Yes! Nothing was better than retail therapy.

_

"Luhan! We're finally free from assignments and lectures, hooray!" Kai screamed at the top of his lungs as he latched onto the deer-eyed boy, startling him with a warm embrace.

"There, there, boy." Luhan laughed, patting the sunkissed boy's hair softly. "It's been a good 2 minutes now, will you get off me, pretty please. You're as heavy as a pregnant pig. I think I might break a bone or two." 

Kai broke the hug, not because of Luhan's request but because of a furious looking Oh Sehun standing a few metres away from them with his arms crossed. Luhan was still oblivious to his presence as he chuckled lovingly at Kai, unable to tell how tense the atmosphere had become.

"Lu, I thought you said he wasn't able to come." 

"Well, yeah. He's busy and my parents are abroad anyways." Luhan stated matter of factly, shrugging like he wasn't affected by no one attending his graduation ceremony -- which was, of course, a big fat lie.

The conversation he'd shared with Sehun the night before tugged at his heart. He was really looking forward to Sehun being there as he watched Luhan go on stage and receive his diploma but to no avail -- the doctor said his schedule was fully packed so he wouldn't be able to come.

How sad... and then Luhan's parents, out of nowhere, informed him two days before the ceremony that they couldn't come and they were sending apologies. Their company was fighting for a new branch to be opened in Dubai so they had a lot of meetings to attend. Luhan dismissed them quickly, saying it was fine because the company was far more important than his graduation day. They could always select a new date to celebrate, right? 

Do you really think so, Luhan?

He refused to answer the question that lingered in his head. No one cared anyway.

"Hmm, really...? Mind explaining that?" Luhan snapped out of his thoughts when Kai began talking, his gaze following the boy's pointed finger.

Luhan's bright smile instantly dropped when he saw the lean figure standing a few feet behind him. If looks could kill, Luhan would definitely be dead by now, judging from the piercing eyes that stared at him.

"S-Sehun..." Luhan gasped quietly. How on earth did the doctor make it there? 

Well, duh, by car.

"Hello, graduates. Am I interrupting something?" Sehun calmly greeted the stunned boys, eyes never seeming to leave Luhan's face. Luhan looked anywhere but his husband. He was worried -- what if Sehun's mad?

"Oh, hey! Actually, no." Kai gave him a brief look of acknowledgement.

"Luhan, I'll see you later! My parents are here." Kai excused himself in the midst of awkward tension.

Luhan was feeling bewildered inside, nearly having a heart attack when Sehun moved forward and wrapped his arms around his fragile body, congratulating him with a warm embrace and a millisecond kiss to his spouse's forehead. 

Even if it was only half a second, everybody had already whipped their heads around and looked on at the affectionate scene initiated by the school's flower boy and his surreal looking husband with awe. As expected, only a minute later, Twitter was filled with newly-captured pictures of Luhan and his husband, buzzing about how good they looked together.

"Congrats, Luhan." Sehun said hastily, breaking their hug but still sliding an arm around Luhan's waist.

Luhan felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. They might look like a happy couple on the outside but only they knew how fake it was. They were fooling everyone; everything was only pretend.

"S-Sehun... Let go of me, please. Everyone's looking at us." Luhan whispered miserably, hiding his flushed face against Sehun's broad shoulder out of self-consciousness. His anxiety grew the more he could feel all of the eyes on them. Luhan didn't even care about the arms around him, all he cared about was getting away from the unwanted attention. His grip on Sehun's jacket tightened, shoulders shaking uncontrollably from his panic attack.

Sehun kept his calm expression steadily; he'd dealt with many of Luhan's panic attacks before but still looked worried as he gently guided Luhan out of the hallway. He bowed to a few professors on their way out, Luhan clinging onto his arm and face still buried in his neck. Some onlookers looked guilty while others were clearly worried.

Kai had been standing in the corner, silently watching them because he knew that Sehun was an experienced doctor and obviously knew what he was doing. Luhan once told him about his past and his constant panic attacks back in high school but Kai had never seen it with his own eyes until today. Luhan had even said that they'd stopped a couple of years ago.

As he eyed the couple, he couldn't deny that they looked good together just like everybody said. Sehun and Luhan literally looked like a match made in heaven. Did he ever stand a chance in feeling so blessed?

Luhan woke up, his head feeling dull as his vision spun. There was a jacket draped over him, shielding him from the bite of the air-conditioner. He turned his head to the side and saw his husband driving, unaware that Luhan was already awake. Luhan closed his eyes again, trying to soothe his mind and stop the headache.

Only five minutes later did he remember why his head hurt, why he felt so sick.

The graduation ceremony.

The stares.

The panic attack. 

But the rest was so blurry.

"What happened?" Luhan asked groggily, fingers massaging his temples.

Sehun seemed startled by Luhan's voice, thanking the heavens that they were stopped at a red light. "You had a panic attack." He replied shortly, his eyes scanning Luhan's features, taking note of how pale he seemed.

Luhan groaned loudly, feeling his headache turn into a migraine. It was as if he could only feel pain pounding against his skull. It had been a while since he'd had a migraine and he had no idea how to deal with it.

Sehun glanced at him worriedly. "Here, take these." He handed the sick boy a water bottle and a packet of paracetamol with his left hand, eyes still focused on the road.

Luhan only whimpered softly, eyes shut tightly as he fought the throbbing in his head.

Sehun checked on him several minutes later and saw that Luhan was already asleep, wrapped in his black jacket. He sighed in relief before continuing to the penthouse.

_

Luhan smiled at the bittersweet memory as he spooned chocolate mint ice cream into his mouth. Really, even after a few years, he still wasn't used to receiving attention. But what could he do? The last time he got a panic attack was when he broke down after knowing Sehun had left with his girlfriend, which was roughly 6 years ago. He had no clue why he'd had the sudden panic attack -- perhaps he was under too much pressure.

Next to his chair laid stacks of bags from designer stores. An Armani suit -- his parents always threw a formal party for Christmas celebration and he was expected to look his best. A bracelet by Cartier, which wasn't on the shopping list but he still bought it because it caught his attention. Obviously, he needed to buy it or else he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully. Several pieces of new clothing from luxurious brands; all thick and warm as the weather grew colder.

Truth be told, he wasn't the type to spend his money unwisely, it was just that everything was on sale so I have to have it all, it's so shiny and pretty. It was one thing that Luhan and Baekhyun had in common, the reason they clicked so well.

"You bring those two shopping together and an hour later, you can already hear your bank account crying. You can, however, be proud of yourself for being so brave in daring to tag along with them." 

Their only reliable source was Kai since he'd gone shopping with them and in a snap, half of his bank account was drained! No, Luhan and Baekhyun didn't spend your money for their themselves but on Kai himself, picking out all kinds of suitable things. Of course he was thankful for their taste in clothing but he'd lost so much money in an instant.

"Good thing I can reuse all of these paper bags! Tsk, such a waste." Kai snorted as he picked up a paper bag with 'Versace' across the front.

"First of all, we aren't wasting your money. Secondly, you dress like you're homeless. Be thankful, you little ." Baekhyun snapped, turning his head to look at Luhan for agreement.

Luhan only nodded quietly because, well, Kim Jongin did dre