But he wasn’t in school the next day. I was hopeful as I walked into the lecture hall but I found the normally occupied seat next to mine was ominously empty. Maybe he was still upset at me. I couldn’t deny that I felt a little twinge of hurt. But maybe yesterday had all been an illusion. Maybe I had imagined his friendship.

            There were whispers when they saw his empty seat. Those who knew we went out together asked me if I had any information. I shook my head and they left in huffs of disappointment.

            I recalled the way he ate the dukbokki, and the smile he had after and doodled mindlessly in my notebook. I felt a hollow ache but chalked it up to ridiculousness. How could I possibly miss someone I didn’t know? It was just a break in the pattern. Nothing much. Just a change that I found disconcerting.

            But the next day, he still wasn’t there. I wished I had his number or knew where he lived so I could ask him if he was alright. I knew he didn’t dorm because then his roommate would have said something so he must live nearby.

            After classes ended, I took a brave walk around the residential area, hoping to run into him. Obviously, that was a stab in the dark, finding a needle in a haystack. I had finished the portrait of him and hung it in the back of my closet. It was a good thing I lived so close otherwise, my roommate would have freaked. Instead, I just prayed my mother would never go search in my closet.

            When he was absent for the third day in a row, I decided that he must have gone away. There would be no excuse and there would be no pining for him. He had wanted a day to experience Seoul and I had given it to him. Now he was done, probably off to another college, another place. And if I knew any better, I wouldn’t think about him anymore.

            But the empty chair next to mine was beckoning. It brought along a wave of loneliness that I couldn’t fend off. I forced myself to fall back into the old patterns. All I had to do was pass classes, and keep drawing.

            It was a particularly nice day. The trees were starting to shed their leaves but some stubbornly held onto their last flowers, the last hurrah before they had to deal with the baldness of three months.

            I sat underneath my tree and crossed my legs. I took out my drawing pad and started sketching. I sketched the light that shone through the patches of green light and caught the curve of a branch as it ascended into the heavens.

            Then I drew the bench. I hesitated. I never included myself in my drawings. But this time, the person occupying the bench wasn’t me. I pictured his shaggy hair and bent over to capture the intensity of him when he sat, when he concentrated. I pictured how he would look if he sat here, reading his textbook. I sketched the long curve of his spine and pictured how broad his back was. By the time the sun had set, I had another picture of Kris completed.

***

            I was so accustomed to the empty seat that when I heard it grind across the floor, I had to look up. It was him and he was back. I looked back down, unsure of what to say. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.

            “Hey, I was gone for three days, and not a single word of concern?” his voice was light, as if he was making a joke.

            I shrugged and continued to draw. I was finally onto another subject. This time, I was drawing the back of the professor’s head.

            “What is this? I think the girl in the first row had more anxiety than you did.”

            I made a violent scribble and suddenly, the bald spot I had concentrated so hard on was colored in. “I didn’t want to intrude. If you wanted to disappear for a while, it was your business. Why should I care where you went?”

            He winced. “Touché.” He sat down and looked at the side of my face. I kept my gaze down but inside, I was burning. “You’re so different,” he whispered.

            I pretended not to hear. Kris cleared his throat and whispered, “I’ll tell you after class if you want to know.”

            “I’ll want to know if you want to tell me,” I responded. Two could play at this game. At my response, Kris broke into a smile so startling beautiful, it knocked my breath away. Thank goodness, I was seated.

            “Kris Wu! Glad to see that you’re back among us!” the professor shouted. Of course he would know Kris. Who else argued so passionately about whether China or Korea had started the war?

            Kris nodded, all business. “Yes sir. And I’ll say the money was only half the issue for General Ming to start the war.” I bit the inside of my cheek to hide a smile. He was back.

            Afterwards, he waited for me again. I hesitated. I had no other classes today. Would that mean I have to spend the whole rest of the day with him?

            “I don’t want to intrude,” he began.

            “But you would anyway,” I finished for him.

            He laughed and once more, all our classmates turned to stare. Kris’ laugh was an alien sound to them. “That’s right. Is it possible for us to go somewhere a little private and maybe hang out?”

            “Are you going to tell me why you were gone?”

            He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on my mood. But it’s not that big a deal.”

            There he was again, playing his little games. I was slightly irritated at him and myself for always falling for it. “Whatever. What if I’m busy?”

            He caught my wrist, an action that nearly made my heart jump out in surprise. “But you’re not. I checked your schedule. Unless you have a secret hot date with someone I don’t know about…”

            “And if I did?” I retorted.

          Kris leaned in so nobody could hear his response. “Then I would have to fight him for your time, wouldn’t I?”

            I blushed brilliantly and he took my hand. My ribcage could no longer contain my heart. My throat was on fire. I could hear the gossip starting, the words milling around us. But Kris paid them no mind and led me out to the campus.

            I walked and led him to the bench. I made him sit down first and stared at him for a while. I had gotten the shadows just right. I grinned. Kris raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

            “Nothing. It’s just,” I took out the drawing and showed him. “I have a pretty accurate imagination.” I stared at him, wondering what he thought. I had never shown my subjects a picture I have drawn of them before and this was scary.

            He sketched the edges I had made and looked up. “You have serious talent.”

            I shrugged. “I try.” I sat down a little away from him and crossed my legs on the bench to face him.

            “Now you promised, so talk to me.”

I want to thank everyone for your support so far ♥

There hasn't been a lot of comments, so I'm wondering how I'm doing. I hope I'm doing okay so far? ^^

Thanks to everyone~ I've been planning this story for a while and I'm writing it as I go but I really hope I can go far. It's going to be a long ride.