Baekhyun immediately deflates after he says those rough words. Embarrassment and surprise lines his eyes, and he takes a step back in order to distance himself from you, as if your presence is the reason he had rebelled against his principles. His eyes skim over your surprised face before he mutters something too indistinct for you to understand.

“Baekhyun?” You ask. You want to touch him, but he seems too off-putting. Your hands tense when he looks at you, the ferocity of his eyes slipping away.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “I … sorry,” he says, and before you can say anything more, he adds, “Let’s just get back to the party.”

“Oh … okay,” you nod and follow him back into the crowd. He doesn’t reach for your hand, you notice, and instead keeps his arms at his sides. Is he afraid to touch you? You don’t want to assume anything, but the hesitancy shown in the quirk of his lips is evident proof.

“Stay by my side, okay?” He tells you. “In case … well. Just stay where I can see you,” he says brokenly, his words halting between each syllable. You nod again and let him lead you closer to the karaoke machine, where a couple is happily singing a duet. Their friends dance around them, throwing their hands in the air and hopping on the balls of their feet in time to the music. Baekhyun just smiles at them tightly and weaves through the sea of bodies before he manages to find his friend, the one whom you had met earlier at lunch today.

“Baekhyun!” he greets, and clasps hands with Baekhyun. “Hey,” he nods at you. “You guys having fun?”

“Ah, actually, we were thinking of going,” Baekhyun informs him with a hesitant smile.

“Oh.” His friend raises his brows. “Was it about what happened? That doesn’t usually happen when we have a party here, in fact, that’s the first time, so – “

“No, no, it has nothing to do with that,” Baekhyun insists. “We just need to go, that’s all.”

His friend just stares at him uncertainly before he sighs. “Alright. Well. It was nice seeing you. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“It’s a weekend, remember?” Baekhyun laughs, the past of his old self slowly returning.

“Ah … right … well, have a safe trip home. The alleys get pretty dark because most of the street lights are bust, so you might want to watch your step.”

“Alright. Good to know. I’ll see you,” Baekhyun waves, and with that he gives you a look before walking out of the crowd. You hurry to keep track of him. He had been the one to tell you to stay in his line of vision, and yet look at him, leaving the room so fast that you can barely keep up. He reaches the door just when his foot crunches on something solid. Looking down, he sees that it’s a remainder of broken glass, a piece that must have gone unnoticed. He stares at it before he picks it up and pulls the door open. You shut the door behind you, concealing the music in that condensed room. You follow him down the hallway and into the black night, which is where he decides to toss the glass at the sidewalk as he moves. You watch it roll over the curb before it falls in the sewer and disappears.

“Baekhyun … “ you almost whisper. His steps are too long, and you struggle to maintain his pace. “Baekhyun, are we going home?”

“No,” he says brusquely, but then he pauses. “Unless you want to.”

“Uh … “

“It’s still early, right?” He wonders out loud as he squints up at the sky. Well, that depends if he considers a dark sky as early. “It’s early,” he decides. “We should go get something to eat.”

“Like a dessert?”

“Yeah, something like that,” he agrees. He looks back at you. “Hey, are you going to walk behind me the whole night? I can’t see you if you stand there.”

“Uh … right, right,” you say, skipping forward to place yourself beside him. The back of his hand accidentally brushes your own, and you shiver involuntarily. He walks in silence, the echoes of your footsteps bouncing against the low buildings. His shadow stretches next to your own, his head looking strangely tall, his body looking too thin. You watch your shadow as you walk, finding simple amusement in the way it shimmers underneath the streetlights.