{24}

[TRUTH PT.1]

Three weeks has passed since your last encounter with Luhan. The next day after the incident, you found Kai patting the seat next to him, signalling to come and sit with him. You felt weird at first, probably due to the unfamiliarity. However after you knew that Kai deliberately arranged for you and his partner to switch seats, you were eternally grateful for him to be so caring and considerate.

Luhan at first did not like the change,  or more like was not used to it in your opinion. Since three weeks has passed and none of you did anything to revert back to the situation, you guys sort of made things official.

You and Luhan were not talking anymore.

One thing was confirmed that, your eyes never left Luhan. Sitting at the back did not stop you from looking at him most of the time. It also made you notice things that you would never notice about him at all if you had not changed seats.

You noticed how he tend to slump backwards during History class, probably because he was bored.

You noticed how he always tapped his pen really loudly, whenever the class is quiet, the noise amplified by ten folds.

You noticed how he would concentrate in the lesson, but still draw circles with his foot on the ground.

You noticed so much more things about him, especially his unconscious habits.

Maybe you like this change after all.

But except the fact that you two were not talking anymore.

You did not know how things progressed to this disastrous state, but it had all started when you teamed up with Kai. You felt bad for a moment and almost regretted your decision that day, however the other side of you urged that Kai was your friend.

Helping a friend in need is a friend indeed, right? You hope you were sure.

~~~

Luhan had never thought that things would turn out this way. Never in his life he would thought that he could actually ignore you voluntarily. He might have or might have not missed you incredibly. The inside jokes were gone. The lunch buddy was gone. The seat partner was gone too.

Chio Hyojin was gone, though she was just two rows behind him. He started to regret his decisions and all that ignoring of you was taking a toll on him. He got distracted in class, thinking that you might be watching him from behind. He pretty much had no lunch buddy, now that you were gone and sat beside Kai at another table for whole three weeks.

"It's all goddamn Kai's fault." Luhan muttered under his breath as he eyed at the table at his two O-clock direction, which was the location where you and Kai were sitting at. He glared at the beach boy so hard and grumbling to himself that he pretty much looked like a joke.

There was one moment where Kai did look at Luhan and his glare accidentally that they held an awkward 3 second staring competition, where Kai ended with an uneasy smile which looked so much like a smirk in Luhan's eyes.

With every passing day, Luhan grew grumpier and grumpier, while you grew more and more awkward.
~~~

You and Kai were sitting at lunch one day where you ate your sandwich warily while stealing glances at Luhan who was sitting nearby, alone. It left a bad taste in your tongue that you grew quieter and continued just staring at him, with Kai blabbering to only himself, because you were not paying any attention at all.

Kai noticed that you were so quiet, or too quiet for normal circumstances and looked towards the direction you were staring at.

Luhan, he thought, who was not surprising at all. He knew that you had feelings for him.

You suddenly felt an arm around you, which momentarily distracted you from Luhan, and you realised that the owner was Kai.

"Go talk to him, you guys have been ignoring each other for three weeks already!" Kai started out with a small voice.

"But... He was the one who ignored me first..." You replied with a soft voice, which came out weak and hurt.

Kai's heart felt a pang when he heard that. Being ignored by the one you liked was definitely not easy. Squeezing you tighter, he said, "Then speak to him first. Even he is the one ignoring you, you still can talk to him until he stops ignoring you right?"

You looked at him with rounded eyes, trying to understand what he was saying.

"Behind actions will have reasons, Hyojin. And you will have to find out the reasons and the way is to ask him, clear the mess with him. You got it?" Kai said with a soft endearing voice.

"But I..." You tried to say but Kai interrupted you mid-sentence, "it's the only way to salvage your friendship... Though I think you like him, right?"

"No I d--" you tried to defend, but Kai stopped you again, "I know you do, as much as you would like to deny it. I see it in your eyes, your expressions, even if your words contradict them.."

You wanted to defend a little more, but he left you speechless. You stayed silent in the end. Kai patted your back and said, "Go talk to him okay?"

You only nodded and sighed.

~~~

Luhan's phone beeped as he was going up to class.

Hyojin:

Meet me after last class ends at the usual staircase.

I will not leave until you meet me.

Luhan sighed as he kept his phone away. He would have to escape, anything away from you.

2pm sharp, you rushed out of the class to the staircase and waited for Luhan.

2.10pm, and Luhan was not here yet.

Luhan took his own sweet time to pack his bag, hoping to drag time and rushed out before the bus drives off. He looked at his watch, 2.10pm. Maybe it was time to move off, he grabbed his bags and ran off. He needed to move down to the ground floor, but all the other available staircases were blocked because of reconstructions.

"," Luhan cursed, now he only have the usual staircase to go down, and he would need to go down fast and stealthy enough to not let you catch him.

You saw Luhan trying to pass you and get to the school gates but you were alert enough.

You were only a metre away and Luhan knew that he would need to go really fast in order to not be caught by you. He raced forward, thinking that he passed you, but he felt a force pulling him back.

Heavens were not on his side today apparently.

He was sent tumbling to the ground and cursed as he used his hands to break the fall.

"Where do you think you are going?" Your voice sounded.

"Look I need to catch the bus, you know I'm late! The bus is going to go already!"

"Do I look like I care?"

You pinned him to the wall just in case he escaped again, even though you were a size smaller than him.

"I said meet me here at 2pm! First you are late, and secondly you want to run away? Why are you running away?"

"I-III"

"Why are you ignoring me?"

"I-III...."

"Stop stuttering and answer me! Must we make this so dramatic everytime?"

"I want to do what's best for you..."

"Wait, what?"

Author's Note :