Bruised
Bruised and Ruined
Luhan lives his life scheduled because it is how his mom told him so to avoid being in a rush.
By six in the morning, his alarm clock will blare on in his room and he would struggle to get up and leave the comfort of his bed.
By seven, he'll be riding a train to his university.
Thirty minutes passed seven, he'll be on the usual lecture hall until twelve noon. Spend his hour-length lunch break in the cafeteria with Sehun and Jongin and get back to the lecture hall until five.
Normally, by six in the evening, he'll be back on his dorm and sometimes calling his parents to check up on them in China.
By seven he'll be slump on couch munching on whatever available food he can get while watching T.V. then after finishing dinner, he'll clean up, wash the dishes, take a shower, brush his teeth then he'll be on his room about an hour later.
By ten, he has his essays that nearly due, homeworks to be passed tomorrow, read notes that he thinks the professor will get them to answer on papers or orally the next day finished, he'll pushed himself back on his bed and sleep soundly.
The history repeats itself the next day.
"Luhan, want to come with us later?" Jongin asked him while munching on a waffle.
"Where?"
"There's a new club and Kyungsoo wants some fun because after all, finals had ended." Sehun answers instead.
He considers this. Tomorrow is Saturday, which means, Luhan does have a plenty of hours with 'laze around on my dorm' and they have a point of finals being over and it's time to keep their eyes off books once in awhile. "Sure."
"Great! Maybe later at eight?" Jongin said a bit excitedly as Luhan sees it.
"Yeah. Sure."
It was loud. And noisy. And hot. The typical scenes you'll imagine when you are at a club at night. Their group settles on a round couch for six and not even a minute had passed, there are already girls trying to sit on their laps. Luhan stands up. He do flirt. But not more like in a Jongin-way (which means kissing and something more Luhan doesn't want to think).
He takes a seat on the counter and calls up on a barista.
"What can I get you?" She asked. She. Maybe it's why this club gets famous because he noticed all the barista are females.
He simply says his drink.
She watches her made his drink and places it in front of him after awhile. She settles not far from his left and starts cleaning some beer mugs. She's pretty, he thinks, with fake smiles though. He sighs and drinks.
"Hi." A girl with long hair, wearing a bit too less clothes than necessarry, sat beside him. He sees the barista from earlier glance at them before turning back on cleaning the mugs. "Want to dance?"
"No. Thank you." He declines as politely as he could.
"You're no fun." She accused.
"I am." he answers and watches her roll her eyes on him and walks away, probably to flirt to another guy.
"That's new." he hears on his left and realizes it's the barista from earlier.
"Which?" he asked.
"You. Rejecting an offer from someone like her."
"Oh. Was that not suppose to happen?" he asked, a faint smirk making its way on his lips as he drinks up again.
"Yeah. That's a first since this club opened two weeks ago. Perhaps you're gay?" She says all too casually.
"No. I don't think I am."
"Did I offend you?" She asked.
"No. No, not at all. You're not the first to asked." He answers and smiles.
She smiles back and didn't say anything more until Luhan finished his drink and places out a cash beside his empty glass and gets back to where his friends were to ask them to go home.
But somehow, he wishes to see her again.
It happens.
It was Jongdae's birthday and he treats them all with a drink and a bonus of girls. He waves off the girls who tries to kiss him as politely as he could and Yixing comments it is why people think he is gay.
"Why don't enjoy being a bachelor?" Yifan said through the loud music blaring in the club.
"I don't think kissing with random girls is enjoyable." He sighs and gets up. "I'll go to the bathroom."
He didn't wait for any answers before making his way. Out of the corner of his eye, he swear he saw a girl slap someone.
He finished his business on the bathroom and realized he is a bit weary.
He walks out and hears shouting.
"Leave me will you?!"
And he finally looks to the direction to see her. There is a man grabbing on her right arm that looks drunk. And his hold seems to hurt.
He walks closer, "What seems to be the problem?" He asked the man while pulling her away to his back, keeping a gentle hold on her wrist.
"I don't get it why she doesn't want to do it when I said I'll pay whatever amount she wants." the man answers and he is definitely drunk.
"How many times should I tell you I worked as a barista?! Is your brain sized the same as birds?! Or yours are even small-"
He shushed her gently because the last thing he wanted is for the man to asked for a fight.
"Sir. She works as a barista. There are a lot of other girls in there who will probably be more willing to accept your.. uh.. kind.. offer."
"Whatever. Just don't keep her tounge too sharp." he walks away, holding up on the walls for support.
He sighs in relief.
"Why didn't you punch him?"
"What?"
"That is what normally happens when a girl is being harassed." She says. No trace of the incident earlier.
"I'm not the cliche savior of a girl being harassed in a bar by a drunk man who'll punch someone without having to talk about things first. And why your tounge is so sharp for a cliche character of all this?" he explains.
"Because I'm not the cliche girl being harassed in a bar by a drunk man who'll start being all scared." she mimicked him.
"I see." he said and laughs it off. Then he realize he is still holding her wrist. "Oh sorry." He says and releases his hold.
"No worries." she says and smiles.
They start to walk back, her heels clicking every steps and he takes in what she is wearing. "Why do you have to wear something like that if you guys only work as a barista?"
"It's on the rules. Target customers are guys so we still have to wear thing like this."
"What about when going home?"
"I have spare, more decent, clothes."
"That's good."
"Are you worried about me?" She asked teasingly, and although he knew she's teasing, it seems to be right.
He just smiles and shakes his head. "Luhan."
"Oh. Jinah. You're not from here, are you?"
"No. I'm from China."
"I always thought you have an accent."
"Yeah. Can't rid of it easily."
Only the faint sounds from the main bar is heard and it keeps getting louder as they walk back.
"Why do you work here? Aren't you suppose to be a student?" He asked as he opens the door for her.
"I stopped. My family needs extra income to continue living." she answers non-chalantly. "I don't really like school anyways. With papers due to be passed and grumpy professors all the time." she added.
Luhan thinks Jinah is a good actress.
The third time they meet is not in the club.
Luhan is buying some necissities on a supermarket near the station he rides because he remembers his stock of ramen is running out. He figures to buy some fruits because he can't really remember the last time he ate something with real vitamins and then he saw her, with a girl slightly tugging on her floral skirt while pointing on the stack of green apples.
"Unnie ~ I really want one! Please? Please?"
"Lenny.. that is sour. You won't like it." He hears Jinah explain before kneeling so that she is at an eye-level with the girl, "We have red ones at home but you're not eating those."
Luhan thinks he likes Jinah in floral dresses.
"I don't like eating those because we didn't buy it. And it's not our home unnie! Don't call it like that! Mommy and Daddy were not there so you can't call it home!"
"Lenny! We've been over this! You only have me. They left us!"
"They didn't! He just took us away from them!"
Luhan starts to panick. Is he even allowed to know something too private like this? He can here sobbing from the little girl and Jinah is quite.
Before he realize it, he's walking towards them. "Hey." He said as he kneel next to Jinah, the kid stare at him with red eyes and tears-streak cheeks while Jinah stared in shock. "See this?" He holds a coin for the girl to see and he did a usual trick a friend from China thought him.
The little girl forgot she's actually in the middle of crying and just focused on what he is doing.
"Can you find my coin?" He said as he places his hand in front of the Lenny. She holds it and look at his palms and even between his fingers. "You can't find it anymore."
"But why?" she asked and he smiles.
"Because," He said as he moves his hand swiftly, "I bought an apple."
Lenny grins and takes the apple from him. "Thank you Mr. Magician!"
He ruffles her hair a little before turning to Jinah whom, still staring at him. "Hi."
Jinah remained quite.
"Unnie! Do you know him?"
"I am a friend-"
"No. I don't know him. Let's go?" Jinah stands up, tugging Lenny as she leaves.
Luhan somehow wishes Jinah will turn to him and give an apologetic look so that he can also hope the next time they meet, he can get an explanation.
But Jinah didn't.
He is back at the dorm about an hour ago, Luhan really thinks he should start doing his essay he forgot to do last week which is due tomorrow because it's his major but there he is, sitting on the couch, head thrown back and staring at the old dotted ceiling.
It's not in his mental schedule, really. To be sitting there and doing nothing except of thinking someone he met in a club twice and once in a supermarket. Is it even possible? To feel abandon? They just met, and he is a little bit too sure that it's only her name, and heck, he doesn't even know her surname for crying out loud but then Jinah managed to squeeze herself inside his schedule without both of them knowing.
"This is not happening." He tells himself, "This just can't."
Luhan pushes himself to his bedroom and starts his schoolworks though part of his brain can't forget a retreating back and words like
'i don't know him'.
"What's up hyung?" Sehun asked one lunch time.
"What?"
"You've been quite these days." Sehun drinks his coke before he continues, "Don't even try denying it or say it's just about the exams coming up because you always save time for that things."
He just shrug it off and continued eating. Save time for it? you guys dont really know whats up.
"Is it about the barista at the club you've been checking out whenever we go?" And really, Luhan want to wipe that smirk on his Jongin's face literally.
"I'm not- I don't-" and he sighs. "Her name is Jinah. How do you know?"
"We just happen to know, maybe."
"What about her hyung?"
"Nothing. There's nothing about her." Luhan says nothing more.
What is there to say anyway? Nothing, really.
Luhan finds himself in the club the day after Jongin and Sehun told him what happened in the club yesterday. He takes his usual seat and waits for her to go to him to atleast even ask him his order. He even shrug off the other barista.
"The usual?" finally.
"You remember my drink?" he asked and there was that tense air hanging between their unsure stares.
"Maybe."
"I'm not here for drink."
"I see. Then what for?"
"Are you serious about you not knowing me?"
Jinah remains motionless.
"I heard the little girl with you that day came here crying with bruises all over her body."
He didn't get any reply nor any emotion.
"Fine." He said. "Fine." and repeats.
He stands up and leave.
Luhan tried his best to erase all the 'think about Jinah' in his mental schedule but failed at it miserably. It's like you are trying really hard to find a good schedule during enrollments but it just so happens that it is the only one available for you. You don't like it, but you can't do anything about it either.
And so Luhan is there again staring on nothing thinking of what ifs instead of reviewing for his Statistics quiz tomorrow.
'what if i go see her again?'
'what if i told her i didn't like the feeling of her pretending not to know me?'
'what if-'
"This is insane!" He growls at himself and closes his eyes. He lets out a long sigh and stops himself from pulling his hair off. "Why should this frustrate me?!"
The next morning, his friends, classmates and even his professors were surprised because he showed up late to class and with a score of 77 out of 100.
"You didn't get perfect this time, seriously? Hyung, my score is higher than you!" Chanyeol snaps on their way to their next class.
Baekhyun hits Chanyeol on the back of his head, "You only got 78 points Chanyeol, stop being so proud."
"Atleast." Chanyeol answers as he rubs his head. "Ya. That hurts."
Luhan hears Baekhyun said sorry and was glad the two didn't push about the matter. He just can't explain 'i was thinking of this someone the whole night that i fell asleep while doing so'.
And so he decides—with a little pleading from Sehun and a bit pestering from Jongin—to go with them at the club because there is this girl Jongin likes to see again.
"So where is this girl then?" Luhan asks Jongin whose looking everywhere.
"She not here yet, maybe." and the almighty Kim Jongin is pouting.
"You're not going to the barista?" Baekhyun asked.
"What?"
"Sorry hyung. Jongin can't help his big mouth." Sehun explains.
"So?" Baekhyun asked again.
"I don't know. I don't- I'm not sure what will happen."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"It's just that- I'll talk to her." and so he stands up and went to his seat and waits.
"What can I get you?"
Luhan notes her stiffness and he's sure he is so much the same. Feeling awkward and anxious.He didn't answer and just stares at her. Taking in the details of her pretty face. Luhan always thought Jinah is pretty.
"You're not here for drink again? I'll go to other cus-"
Jinah pauses as he gently held her left cheek, "What is this?"
Jinah steps back. "What is what?"
"Did a guy slapped you?"
"Look, Luhan, I am working. It's against the rules to just-"
"I'll wait after your work is finished then."
A/N: So. Here I am updating when I should be actually studying for my prelims like. Seriously. This will be Two-Shots. Because. I just. Just Because. And can you guys leave me a comment so I can atleast know what do you think about them? Just, anything. Thank you for subscribing! Next update will be two weeks from now (not yet sure though) but If lucky enough, maybe next week?
I am seriously in love with this ship and it actually hurts me to know there are only few shippers. But I guess small (crack)ships are the ones meant for me.
Thank you ~ ♥
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