“THE END.” She claps to herself.

She’s been muttering the story while hugging her feet, head leaning on the couch and eyes fixed on the ceilings. Sometimes, she pressed her eyes like she’s sleepy, although she said she’s not.

The alcohol effect is weird on her.

“Is that it? What kind of ending is that?” I’m sitting beside her while also leaning on the couch and facing her.

“The real ending is no fun.”

“So you’ve been lying this whole two hours?” I fold my hands. “I should’ve slept, duh.” I turn away and close my eyes.

“Everything I said is the truth.” She sighs. “I don’t know the ending. I woke up after 2 years. Is that even an ending?" Something inside actually aches to that.

"You know I was kidding, right?" I tell her in a soft voice. I look at her. “You’re off for three, I recall. What happened, then?"

“I needed some therapies.” She takes few gulps of the beer, then sighs, again. “I still have something to share about that.”

“If you don’t want to hear it, just sleep, I don’t care.” She always acts like I'm an outsider to her. Am I, though?

“But... I’m touched that you’re silent when I was bluffing about the hill thing. I don’t care even if you weren’t listening, but you let me share. Thanks a lot.”

I grin, slightly. “Fyi, I was listening.” I clear my throat. “I’m the messenger of your latest doctor. I’m kind of obliged to know every detail, right."

“I wasn’t telling you in much details, I think.” She smiles. “But with your carefree personality, I know this is an internal breakthrough for you.”

“Huh?” For someone with bomber jackets and sweatpants every day, she’s shockingly too conceptual.

“I mean, you’re originally not the type who wants to know the details about other people, right? Or maybe about everything. So I figured, that willing to care about my injury must be so much for you.”

“Ugh... pretty ok deduction?" She's drunk, I should just buy anything she said. "But, it’s not that I solely don’t want that. I’m a very devoted person once I decide to do something.”

She flashes her eyes again.

I know I’m awesome the more you know me.

“And that’s why, I choose not to care about other people’s lives. So I don’t have to be too devoted.” I add.

“Well, thanks, for being devoted to my injury.”

“You’re not going to talk about the after-two-years?”

She opens her watch and shows me her wrist. But since it looks normal, I tilt my head, confused.

Then, she turns the wrist.

I’m seeing a slash wound, circling the bottom of it, like, when one attempted suicide with a knife but didn’t succeed...?

“Who did that? It’s not you, right?” I pull my back away from the couch, in instant. “Did something happen to the guy so you.... chose this?”

“I-I don’t know, but that’s not the case!” She yells.

I blink few times. “Ok... chill, ugly.” I drop myself back to the couch and stare at the ceilings.

She sighs. “The hill girl paid a visit and gave me this, when I was still unconscious.”

I turn to her. “Did that prolong your unconscious period, maybe?”

“How could I know that? I couldn't feel a thing.” She puts her palm on her forehead then her hair, in frustration?

There was a brief silence..... then I start hearing sobs.

“Hey... d-did I do something wrong?” I put my hand on her shoulder. “Did I annoy you?”

She wets her lips, and sighs.

“I.... I think I know...” She murmurs.

“Huh?”

“I think I know why she did that to me.”

“Let’s go to my room, you’re really drunk.” I grab her arm, about to support her to stand. But she shakes her head and releases my grab, weakly.

“I think I know why everyone avoided my questions. No one’s willing to tell me what happened to him!”

Oh God—

Something inside aches again to that.

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

I believe she’s very drunk, by now. I feel like I want her to have some rest.

“He fell too. I’m sure about it. He never visited me. Even once”

WHAT? Ok, that’s new to me.

She’s crying for another guy, but.... my heart’s also crying with her. Kind of.

I can see clearly that she’s still in pain. It's really huge. I feel really bad inside, thinking about how hard she's been trying to hide all that from everyone.

The more she cries, I feel both of my hands want to pull her closer to my chest.... and I don’t fight that urge.

I start caressing her head.

And we stay that way for a while.

---

“Thanks.” She breaks away from the hug.

“Ah.... ok.”

That feels too quick by the way.

“Do you have milk?” She asks.

“Huh?” I furrow an eyebrow. “Nope. Why?”

“Are you sleepy now?”

I gulp.

In the middle of a gloomy night, a guy’s asked that question by a girl in a totally hot outfit—not to mention that the guy picked it himself.

Oh wait, did I touch..... things... when we were hugging?

My eyes are focused at my palms for they’ve started to produce cold sweats.

“OUCH!” She kicks me!

“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?” I shout. More like panic. Isn't she drunk right now?

“I SHOULD BE THE ONE YELLING.” She’s glaring at me while sitting straight; no longer leaning on the couch.

“YOU WANNA DIE EARLY?” She lets out a sigh, a really loud one, then slams her body back to the couch. “How dare you tremble like—“

Eh? So I was trembling?

“Just, whatever you’re thinking, it’s NOT gonna happen.” She really emphasizes her tone.

“You, go sleep in your room! I’ll figure out how to sleep here.” She blurts.

“You know I can’t do that. You sleep inside. I’ll sleep here.”

“JUST GO ALREADY.”

I bite my tongue. “Uh... ok..” I push myself off of the couch then fix my clothes.

As I’m about to walk to my room, she mumbles, “The later the night gets, the weirder the thoughts you have.”

“What?” I turn to her. She made a point.

“What are you waiting for? Go.” She groans.

But again, she halts me. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have any long pants I can borrow? These shorts you bought are uncomfortable and—“ She pauses. “Unsafe.” True that.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Duh, you want to lend me one or not?”

I roll my eyes. “Be right back.”

---

I’m thinking of lending her a shirt too, because I think her outfit is not comfortable for a night sleep.

“Here.” I put my beloved white t-shirt and black sweatpants beside her, who’s currently acting like a drained dracula after being exposed to the sun for too long; she’s still leaning her head on my couch, eyes closed.

“You can wear these by yourself?” I ask. Hold on, what’ll I do with that?

She slowly opens her eyes then places two fingers on the zipper of her jacket.

I twitch my face. “I-I’m going inside.” I jet off to save a life—mine... of course.

“Xiao Gui.” She mutters.

“Yes?” I turn to her, in reflex, so I happen to witness the tube crop top—my pick is hot—wrapped on her skinny body, showing her tanned skin and some slightly-four-or-six-packs abs that twerks every time she breathes.

She’s looking at me with that familiar hazy eyes; I’m replaying the moment when we’re having that thing in front of the auditorium.

I press my eyes shut and turn myself away, in instant.

“Haven’t thanked you properly. So, thanks, a lot.” She says.

“Ah... yeah, see ya.” I bite my bottom lip then jet off, for real.

---

I’m having a hard time to even hold the handle of my door.

But I manage to open then close it, thankfully.

I drop my body on my bed; I can’t seem to keep it standing because my heart is punching my chest now, as if it intends to hurt me although I feel very very hot instead, everywhere.

Maybe I should get changed.

My feet bring me to walk to my wardrobe, really slowly. I’m quarelling internally with my own brains that can’t stop popping the picture of her in the crop top; at the hall and at my living room.

I shake my head to brush it off, trying to remind myself that I love my mother with all my heart. I always do this everytime I’m wondering weird stuff about girls, and, it works. I think.

I drop my body back on the bed and shut my eyes. I should try to have some sleep. By the way, can she?