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It must be because mom just barged in so suddenly. And...I’m probably hungry. I should hurry down for dinner before she tears the house down.

He strode back to his desk and gave the envelope one last stare. Sentences from the letter continued to run through his head.

“The way you bite your lips when you’re in deep contemplation.”

“To put it in the simplest of terms, I fell hard. For you.”

Sehun gave his drawer a hard shove and stormed out of the room.

“Damn it, Luhan.” He muttered under his breath.

Sometimes, it to have good memory.

Chapter 26:

“Luhan, how many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn’t be drinking things like hot chocolate before dinner?” Mr. Xi scolded.

Luhan scowled at his dad’s somewhat public reprimand in front of Sehun’s parents. He hated being put in the spotlight by his dad. What child wouldn’t? Reluctantly, he listened to his dad and put down the mug of hot chocolate. Mrs. Oh approached the table as she placed the last dish onto the drying rack.

“It’s fine, Mr. Xi, it’s fine. I’m already so grateful I have someone else who drinks hot chocolate in this house.” Mrs. Oh grinned as she leaned against the kitchen counter, her apron still tied around her back. She took a sip of her own cup of hot chocolate and let out a satisfied sigh. “I need a little more chocolate in my life!”

Luhan smiled as he placed his empty hot chocolate cup in the sink and let tap water fill it up. It was nice to have someone fending for him in the house. It had always been him and his father and consequently, only the rigid yesses and no’s, aside from the rare moments that Luhan’s late mother was mentioned. It always struck a painful chord in Luhan’s father’s heart, and Luhan hated to do that to him.

“Jja, let’s all eat dinner!” Mr. Oh announced as he made an appearance in the dining room wearing his matching checkered pajamas. He took a seat at the head of the table and everyone followed suit.

“Oh my god, where is my son again?” Mrs. Oh said annoyed.

Lay sat at the table staring at his mom blankly as she began her usual speech that Lay named, the “Sehun-is-not-committed-to-the-family” speech.

At this time, Sehun walked down the stairs to see everyone seated around the table chatting happily. His eyes wandered to Luhan and he watched as Luhan smiled at something his mother said. All the food was left untouched and there was one empty seat left just for him, ironically right next to Luhan. He inwardly groaned in irritation. When his mom spotted him, she quickly beckoned him over.

“Sehun! Hurry up, you sloth!” She scolded. “Everyone’s waiting for you to start eating and my food is getting cold!”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Oh. We don’t mind waiting, we’re guests!” Mr. Xi laughed heartily. “I’m sure our Luhan doesn’t mind either, right?”

Luhan smiled vibrantly, his face lighting up as he replied to Sehun’s mother.

“Of course not, Mrs. Oh. We’re supposed to eat together anyway!”

After all, watching Sehun’s mom call Sehun a sloth was pretty funny.

“Jja jja, now that everyone’s here, let’s start eating.” Mr. Oh announced, picking up his chopsticks. He immediately went for the seasoned bulgolgi, one of his favorite dishes.

Sehun promptly took his seat as Luhan reached out for a piece of the seafood pancake placed in front of him. Sehun instinctively reached out for a piece as well. Mrs. Oh grinned mischievously as she watched Sehun and Luhan mindlessly munch on their pieces of pancake together.

“You know, Luhan...” She stared at him dreamily. “You’d be such a good husband and son-in-law. Have you ever thought about our Sehun? I know he can be a pain in the...neck and he never says what he really thinks, but inside, he’s actually really sweet and sensitive.”

Luhan, who had stopped mid-chew to listen to Mrs. Oh, began to choke on his pancake.

“Mom!” Sehun complained, mouth half-full. “What nonsense are you saying?”

If it hadn’t been his mom talking, Sehun would have substituted the word, nonsense, with something more “appropriate”. Mrs. Oh shot Sehun a deadly glare before turning back to Luhan with the sweetest smile she could muster. Sehun never knew his mother could smile so wide.

“Besides, Sehun hasn’t brought anyone home since that girl in elementary school and I’m starting to think he’s gay.” Mrs. Oh paused carefully to formulate her words.

During her pause, Sehun began to choke, to the point where tears were threatening to form. His mother always managed to embarrass him, but this was over the top. The worst part is that his mother wasn’t done talking.

“Of course, I don’t mind his ual preference at all. Actually, I would be really happy if his partner was you. That way, I’d know that our Sehun is in good hands. I mean, given that Mr. Xi doesn’t mind taking in my son. That’s always the troubling part!”

Mr. Xi smiled.

“I stand by anything my Luhan stands by, Mrs. Oh. Don’t worry about me!”

Sehun, who had finally recovered from his choking bout, gave his mother an unamused look.

“Mom, there’s no way I would marry Lu--”

“Sorry, Mrs. Oh. Sehun and I really don’t have any chemistry together, and I don’t think it will change anytime soon. We don’t have any feelings toward each other...like that. I would have loved to be your son-in-law, though! You would be the best mother-in-law ever.” Luhan said with a confident smile, his voice raised to override Sehun’s comment.

“What?” Sehun unconsciously blurted out, flustered by Luhan’s cold remark.

Everyone at the table turned to look at Sehun with quizzical expressions on their faces. Sehun realized he lost control of his composure.

. I didn’t mean to say anything.

A sharp tang of pain spread through his body and he inhaled a short breath. He suddenly felt his heart constricting, like something was squeezing it tightly. Outside, Sehun looked completely fine, but inside, he agonized over his own emotions over and over until the best of the pain faded and turned into a numbing, throbbing pain.

No. Luhan still likes me. I’m sure of it. How could he get over me so quickly?

He turned to face Luhan who managed to keep a stoic expression the whole minute Sehun was silent. Luhan’s “Ignore-Sehun” mission had been going so well, and he definitely wasn’t planning to abort the mission so soon. At least, not until Sehun spoke.

“Really, Luhan? We don’t have chemistry together?” Sehun scoffed, his lips forming a small smirk. “But what should we do? I think we have a lot.”

He watched as Luhan’s expression turned into one of surprise, and then worry.

“‘We don’t have any feelings toward each other like that’....Hm...” Sehun’s voice trailed off. “But that isn’t what you wrote to me in your letter!”

Sehun’s small smirk of sarcasm turned into a provocative pout as he watched the color drain from Luhan’s face. Mrs. Oh watched the two with an undying interest to see what would happen next. Mr. Oh, although aware of the current drama going on, continued to eat his meal as if nothing was happening. Mr. Xi, with a worried expression, continued to eat as well. After all, young love affairs weren’t any of his business.

“I really didn’t believe in love at first sight that much back then, but when I saw you, everything changed. I fell hard. For you.”

“Y-you!” Luhan stuttered, his pale face turning the brightest of pinks.

“I fell for the way your body moved when you listened to music through your headphones...wait, what was next? Was it the tantrums or the math problems?” Sehun paused and pretended to think. “Oh right, it was ‘the way your eyebrows would scrunch when you were concentrating on solving a math problem.’”

“Oh Sehun, who gave you the damn right to read the letter?” Luhan raised his voice as his humiliation turned to anger.

Luhan’s outburst did nothing to stop Sehun. Sehun rose to his feet. Luhan followed suit, chair scraping harshly against the wooden floor. The other adults at the table watched silently as the scene unfolded in front of them, Mr. Xi shocked, Mr. Oh speechless, and Mrs. Oh who was the only lowkey excited one at the table -- besides Lay who actively continued to eat his dinner.

“Luhan, honey, please forgive Sehun and his temperamental behavior!” Mrs. Oh blurted out in an attempt to save the situation. Her words were spoken in vain. No one heard her.

“I fell for the small temper tantrums you would throw at yourself when you thought no one was looking...the small smiles I noticed you hide when your friends bickered about pointless things with you. The way you would bite your lips when you’re in deep contemplation...even that arrogant smirk you shot at girls who swarmed over you after school, I couldn’t help but fall for it too.”

“Oh. Se. Hun. Stop. Now.” Luhan clenched his jaw and his face was beet red.

Sehun found Luhan’s reaction...not unpleasant. He was rather...cute. But no one else had to know that he thought that.

“I don’t want to stop now though?” Sehun said menacingly with a little joking tone in his voice.

“ Oh Sehun!” Mr. Oh’s voice boomed across the table. “Stop while I ask nicely.”

Sehun ignored him and continued his staredown with the furious boy. Luhan, who could not take it anymore, raised his hand up in the air.

“Luhan, what are you --” Mr. Xi called out worriedly.

Before anyone else could process what Luhan would do next, he swung his arm and slapped Sehun across the face.

A huge silence proceeded, followed by Luhan’s slam of the bedroom door and sounds of study books being thrown to the ground. Sehun, stunned, slowly brought his hand up to his left cheek where the stinging and throbbing sensation still resided.

Lay, who had finally finished eating, got up from the table holding his empty bowl and used chopsticks. As he trudged over to the sink to put the dishes away, he stopped by his hyung and patted his shoulder.

“It’s okay, hyung. I never liked him anyway.”

With that, Lay left, leaving Sehun and Mrs. Oh at the dining table. Mrs. Oh could only sigh as she got up from the table and gave Sehun a pointed look.

“Wow, good job, Sehun, good job.” She said with a hint of sarcasm laced with disappointment.