Chapter 37: Date

After your encounter in the lift, Luhan brought you to Hongdae for a date. You recognized the area from your first shopping experience here. After alighting from the bus, Luhan guided you around the area.

"Have you been here before?" Luhan asked you.

"With Lay," you replied, "I sort of bumped into him and he brought me bag shopping."

"Why am I not surprised? Lay's an expert when it comes to bags."

"How long have you guys been friends? You seem extremely close."

Luhan pondered for a moment, "Since Middle School I think. Doesn't matter actually since we'll be friends for long time."

"All of you were friends since middle school?" You grew curious.

"More or less," he shrugged.

"That means you're friends with Baekhyun too right?" You questioned him.

Luhan grew tensed at the mention of Baekhyun's name, "How did you know Baekhyun?"

"Bumped into him at the clinic. He seems like a nice person."

"Yeah he is. Why? Do you have a crush on him?"

"Just attracted to his personality that's all. Why? Are you jealous?" You raised a brow.

It was evident that Luhan was blushing. He's entire face was red and you were sure that he was definitely jealous.

The both of you continued roaming around the streets of Hongdae, occasionally stopping by any interesting shops. You played around with some of the props used by the store owners and quickly left the shops when you were caught.

"Oh my god that was hilarious!" Luhan couldn't stop laughing after the both of you were kicked out of the fourth shop.

"Did you see here face when we nearly dropped the mannequin? It was priceless!" You added in, in-between your laughter.

Luhan nods his head in agreement as he continued laugh, "I'm beat! Let's get something to drink."

Grabbing your wrist, Luhan pulled you towards him as he casually slips his hand into yours. You looked at him in bewilderment but didn't pull yourself away.

"It's a date, remember?" He smiled.

You nodded your head and allowed Luhan to direct you around the area till you stopped in front of a bubble tea shop.

"I used to come here often with my best friend. He said he'll work here one day and if he did, he'll pay for my drinks...I wonder if he actually got a work here," Luhan's voice trailed off as he pushed open the door, "Ladies first."

You laughed at his silliness and entered the shop.

"Welcome to Tea Leaf!" A voice of a teenage boy greeted you.

Luhan held onto your shoulders and guided you to the counter.

"Good afternoon, may I take your order?" The teenage worker looked straight at the both you with a bored expression.

"Ya, is that how you treat a customer?" Scolded Luhan.

The boy turned to Luhan and rolled his eyes, "You're an exception, XIAO LU."

You noticed the boy stressing on the last to words and you couldn't help but to give Luhan a confused look.

"Your girlfriend?" Asked the boy as he smirked at you.

"She's my date so leave her alone," Luhan gritted his teeth while the boy simply shrugged his shoulders.

Although there's a counter separating the boy and both you and Luhan, you still feel awkward being their topic of discussion. You noticed that the boy and Luhan have a bit of resemblance and they might just pass of as brothers if not twins.

"Seriously though Oh Sehun, be nice," at the mention of a new name, you figured out that Luhan was referring to the boy behind the counter.

"I am nice," says Sehun as he wipes the counter top, "So, what can I get for you?"

"Roselle Iced Tea would be nice," you placed your orders.

Sehun nods his head as he keyed in your orders.

"Sugar level?" He asked without looking up.

"50%."

"Tapioca pearls or Roselle pearls?"

"The latter please."

"What about you son?" Sehun looked up for a split second.

Luhan rolled his eyes at his best friend, "Red bean Milk tea. 70% and call me son again and I promise you, you won't be able to walk tomorrow."

"Luhan!" You gently hit his arms, "That wasn't nice."

Sehun smiled victoriously as he keyed in Luhan's order.

"He wasn't even nice to begin with."

Sehun stuck his tongue out in hopes to annoy the other boy.

Luhan's eyes widen as he lunge towards Sehun, "Why you brat! I seriously question what Daeun sees in you."

"Don't drag my girl in. Speaking of which, your girl's drink is ready at the collection counter," Sehun pointed to the counter near the doors.

Surprisingly, it was fun meeting Sehun. He can be quite bratty but you were one hundred per cent sure that he cherish his friendship with Luhan. You spent some time with the two boys before you were joined by Sehun's girlfriend, Daeun.

The girl was fun to have around. She's funny and knows how to lighten up the mood, some traits you were definitely lacking in. Being around Daeun, you couldn't help but to feel like as though there're three boys around you instead of two. She's so laid back and you wished that you could've met her earlier and maybe the both of you and Yejin could become friends.

But it was all too late. You soon realised that it was already night time and it was impossible to spend more time with Sehun and Daeun, let alone to get to know more about her. As soon as you and Luhan left the bubble tea shop, you yearned to spend more time with Luhan. At that moment, you regretted the time you ignored Luhan.

Luhan noticed your sombre expression. He gently jabbed his fingers to your ribs and gave you the most innocent looking face, "I have an idea. Do you see all these stalls? Why don't we get something nice for each other? Once we're done, we'll meet at the park at the end of this road. What do you think?"

"Sounds great," you smiled at him.

Before going on your separate ways, Luhan pulled you in for a quick hug, "I'll see you in 30 minutes?"

With your head pressed to his chest, you could hear his heart beating at such a fast pace. Nodding your head subtly, you freed yourself from his embrace and explored the street stalls alone.

Walking down the street, you were amazed to see so many unique accessories being sold at a much cheaper price. You stopped by each stalls in search for the perfect gift for Luhan. You were looking at some things at one of the stalls when Luhan crept behind you, "Got anything yet?"

"Go away Luhan. This is meant to be a surprise!" You gently pushed his away.

"Fine! Just so you know, something from this shop caught my eye," Luhan winked before leaving you alone to shop for his gift.

"By the way!" He shouted, "I've already gotten yours!"

Luhan held up a pink paper bag in the air and you rolled your eyes at his silliness before shifting your attention back to the stall.

"Your boyfriend seems nice. You look great together," complimented the stall owner.

You blushed as you thanked the lady.

"Here, he might like this. It sort of fits his style," the lady handed you a pair of silver bracelets, "And it comes in a pair."

You looked at the two bracelets in front of you. You pondered for a while before making up your mind, "I'll get these then. How much?"

"Since you're the first couple tonight, I'll give you a 50% discount plus a box to keep these babies," you paid for the bracelets and thanked the lady for her kind service.

As promised, you met Luhan 30 minutes later. By the time you reached the park, Luhan was already sitting under a tree. You watched as his back rise up and down, showing his steady breathing.  You fought back the tears that was about to fall, replaced them with a smile, and walked towards Luhan.

"Hey," you tapped his shoulders.

Luhan looked up and pats on the empty space next to him, "Here."

He handed you his cardigan to cover your legs, "Thanks."

"So...” his voice trailed off, "We heard some shouting just now. What happened?"

"Ouh," you paused for a moment, "I actually have something important to tell you but I don't know how to put it into words."

Luhan turned his body to face you, "What is it?"

"I--"

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?" Luhan had shock written all over his face, "What do you mean by you're leaving?"

You remained quiet.

"Yuri? Please, tell me. Why are you leaving? When? Where?"

"Tomorrow, I'm going to Australia to further my studies."

"What about our finals? The summer trip to Jeju?"

"I'm not going Luhan. I honestly have no idea right now. But the least I'd like to do is to complete my finals and to graduate with all of you by the end of summer."

"Is this goodbye?" He asked with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

You shook your head in response, "Here, this is for you."

Luhan took the gift your bought for him and opened the box, "Yuri."

"It says there, till we meet again. Goodbye is not forever Luhan. I'm won't be leaving permanently. At least not yet. I'll be there when we sit for our finals, and I'll be there for graduation as well. But after that, I'm not sure when we'll ever meet again. If we're fated to meet each other in the future, then we will. When and where? I'm not sure but we will...hopefully."

Luhan grabbed your wrist and helped you to put the bracelet on before handing you your gift, "Here, it's yours. I thought it'll look nice on you so I bought it."

Gingerly, you unwrapped the box and opened it, revealing its content. It was a round silver pendant necklace, "It's really beautiful."

"It is, isn't it? I have one for myself too," Luhan revealed the necklace that was hidden in his shirt, "With this necklace, I promise that I'll wait for you...no matter how long it takes."

"Thank you Luhan. But please, try not to wait for me. You've waited long enough and I've disappointed you over and over again. I'm sorry."

Luhan remained silent as he took the necklace from you and secured it around your neck. Taking this chance, you wrapped your arms around him, giving him a hug, "Thank you for everything."

"I'd do anything for my Tinkerbelle."