chapter thirty-five

Confessed

Ok...what's with this title?! o.O 

Yeah...Feel exicted about it! XD

Alice started walking. She didn’t know where to head to first. She didn’t have any single idea! Yet, she walked and walked. Maybe she could perceive Lu Han’s aura if she perambulate around the streets aimlessly.

She eyed the streets searching of a clue. A single trace would at least help her.

The apprentice continued walking for about half an hour. Every minute that passed by her foot-steps became from faster and bigger to slower and smaller.

Alice sighed due to frustration and fatigue as she stopped.

Where he could possibly be?

If she had a phone, she would have already called him several times. Is she knew his phone number, she would already search for a payphone and dialed him. But she didn’t. Neither of the two options.

Every minute that passed by, every second that passed by, the girl grew more and more anxious. Her face, and especially her gaze, reflected a worried feeling. Not knowing the person you care whereabouts is really troublesome, almost aching. It gave Alice a fretting feeling she had never felt before.

In that moment, she realized it. Lu Han wasn’t just a crush. Lu Han wasn’t just someone she liked. He was someone she adores. He was someone she loves.

So that’s it? Alice took a deep breath and then smiled as her heart started bumping faster. I love him.

It wasn’t only because Lu Han was handsome. It was because of his nature. Because of his sincerity and simplicity. She had fallen for his small caring acts towards her that little by little she grew attached to.

Alice lifted her gaze ahead and her eyes grew wider with the sight. Lu Han was walking into her direction, but he didn’t seem to notice her.

Lu Han turned his gaze and face her. Alice noticed his crestfallen smile and his wounded look. He was in pain when he said he wasn’t. He was suffering when he said he was ok.

“Lu Han…” Alice walked near him, “Are you ok?”

Actually, Alice asked something obvious to her. He wasn’t ok, yet she wanted to make sure something. Will he hide it? Will he suffer alone?

“I’m fine,” he mumbled with a apparent miserable tone. That’s it.

“You are not fine,” Alice insisted, “You are not fine!” Lu Han’s eyes grew wider.

“Why are you hiding it? Will you suffer alone? Why are you lying when it’s obvious that you are in pain! I don’t get it,” Alice paused for a bit, “Everyone is worried, yet you try to cover it”

Lu Han was out of words. He had avoided all the calls he got from his friends. He hadn’t answered all the text messages he received from his friends after he left. He hadn’t replied any single of them or called back. Yet, he answered Sehun because he didn’t want to worry them, but he lied. He wasn’t ok. He was suffering alone.

“Tell me…What happened?” Alice asked full with concern.

Lu Han sighed as he looked into her eyes full with worry. He didn’t know if he was ready to say those words he heard. He didn’t know if he was ready to face reality. Yet, he tried.

“I received a call from the hospital,” Lu Han paused and then whispered the news, “my mother passed away”

Alice’s eyes grew wider. She didn’t expect that at all. Now she understood his sudden disappearance. She understood his hurtful gaze and gloomy smile. The reason behind it was because of his mother.

That day, after he received the news, Lu Han’s mother burial was held. All the afternoon and part of the night he was there, with her, accompanied her death presence.

He was silent all the time. He had no relatives left, so he was alone in that place.

Even if Lu Han wanted to hold back, he noticed a tear running through his cheek. Just a single one because he was still restraining himself from crying. Even if he already saw this event coming sooner or later, it still affected him like he didn’t have a clue of it.

Lu Han was so deep into his thoughts that he didn’t notice the time. It was already late to go to work. It was already past eleven and he was still sitting next to his mother grave.

Then he started walking back home. And before he even realized it, he bumped into Alice.

“You wanted to be alone,” Alice got near him, “that’s why you didn’t show up, but…” She hugged him making him a bit surprised, but warm. “Lu Han, you were suffering alone and that must have hurt more”

Alice hugged became stronger and caring. She knew Lu Han’s feelings. She knew them perfectly. And Lu Han was astounded.  How? Alice knew exactly how he was feeling. She knew why he wanted to be alone. She knew how empty he was feeling.

“You are not alone. You have the guys. You have Sulli” You have me too. Alice deepened the hug as she buried her face into his chest. “I know it hurts a lot. I know because I had been through the same once”

Lu Han remembered the time they talked about her mother; Alice’s mother. Even if that was a brief talk with ephemeral details, he guessed her mother had also passed away. She had passed through the same as he.

“Maybe you wanted to be alone, but, believe me, that was the worst idea ever. When she died, I was alone. I was friendless. I didn’t have anybody to share my pain. But, in your case, you have friends. You have people who cares for you,” Alice lifted her gaze as her hug loosen a bit, “So…don’t suffer alone”

Lu Han was speechless. Alice had described his feelings perfectly. It was due because she had already experienced the pain he was suffering? Maybe. But that helped him. That helped him to realize he wasn’t alone; Lu Han has friends; Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Tao, Jongin, Sehun, Sulli and Alice will be always there for him to help him. Especially the latter, who demonstrated sincerity, kindness and attentiveness to him. Due to her, Lu Han had experienced a new feeling growing in his heart: love.

Lu Han felt the urge of crying once again, but he contained himself.

He still wasn’t ready to cry yet.

But his gaze, his doe-like brown eyes had a broken and painful look Alice noticed from the begging. She was also aware that he was holding back his emotions.

“I was really worried. Don’t do this again, please,” Alice stopped for a couple of seconds before she mumbled, “I don’t like to see you suffering because I like you”

I like you.

Lu Han was aware that it wasn’t a simple I like you from a friend’s perspective, but from a lover’s side. He was pretty sure of it.

Alice was starting to loosen the hug, but Lu Han embraced her stronger as he whispered. “This is why I felt for you”

Alice eyes widened as her cheeks turned into a visible red color. She was blushing deeply. Had she heard correctly? Had Lu Han just confessed to her? Had he just returned her feelings? She expected him not to hear the last sentence, yet he did. He heard every single word as his heart was beating fastly and fastly with her confession. Lu Han felt happy, glad, merry. The girl he loves had just confessed to him.

Lu Han loosened the hug as his gaze felt on Alice’s eyes. He noticed the sudden change of color on her cheeks and the lost gaze she had. She was indeed confused.

He smirked slightly as he took Alice’s hand softly. “Let’s go back”

Alice’s gaze felt on her hands entangled with his. She smiled as she felt an electrifying feeling traveling down to her spine. She also felt her heart beating fastly. Alice was really contented.

Soon they started walking back towards the apartment hand by hand.

They didn’t realize it was already pretty late. They noticed the streets getting silent by every second that passed by. They didn’t, because they were deep into their thoughts as they walked together. All that they could think of was of each other. All the similarities and differences they had. All what they had small but meaningful experiences they had gone through.

“This means we are dating?” Alice whispered and her gaze felt towards the ground as they continued walking.

Lu Han turned to her and noticed her cute and shy response. “Of course, silly.” Alice bit her lower lip to prevent from smiling, yet she did. She smiled widely.

Lu Han smirked as an idea came to his mind. “Alice?” The mentioned female turned towards him and the moment her gaze lifted from the floor to the boy next to her, Lu Han kissed her fastly; Alice received peck from Lu Han. 

The girl gaze got wider as her cheeks deepened its color. Alice was petrified. Yet, she was jumping in happiness inside her. It was their official ‘first kiss’ as a couple.

He noticed her surprised and cute look as he decided to more. Lu Han kissed her forehead making her wake up from her thoughts.  Alice’s blushing became more visible -even in the dark- if that could be possible.

“L-Lu Han!”

“Yes?” Lu Han curled her hair with his free hand –the other one was still holding Alice’s hand- as he smiled innocently at her. He loved her cute and shy reactions.

Alice bit her lip as she looked away from Lu Han’s tender but playful gaze. She didn't want to complain because she had no reason for. In fact, she loved Lu Han's teasing. It was embarrassing for her but cute at the same time. It was really likeable and lovely. “Forget it!” The girl looked forward and started walking dragging Lu Han, who smirked at her response, along with her. Both walking hand by hand in the quiet night.

After a few minutes they arrived to their destination. Alice didn’t notice before how near they were. It didn’t take her long to recognize her surroundings as she and Lu Han walked.

Lu Han put his hand inside his pocket jacket taking out the apartment key. The moment they were about to enter Alice wondered what his friends reaction would be. They were indeed worried for the oldest so they will obviously we glad to see him again. But she wasn’t thinking about that precisely. She wondered how their relationship will affect them. How they will take the news about them being a couple. Then she realized it. The seven of them were good persons and very supportive with each other, so there wasn’t a proper reason to feel worried about. They will accept her relationship with Lu Han.

But the most important question was… How her relationship with Lu Han will affect her? She was a demon apprentice. Of course, the most affected one would be her, yet she was willing to take that risk. Lu Han is worth of it.

As they entered the apartment they were greeted with six different voices full with questions, concern, happiness, suspiciousness and jokes about the two of them arriving together.

“Where have you been?!” “Why didn’t you answered your phone?!” “ You should have texted back!” “Did you even read the messages?!” “Did you know how worried we were?!” Those were some of the questions, but one stand out among them.

“Why are you two holding hands?” Tao asked with a surprised gaze as he signaled their clasped hands.

Alice gasped. She hasn’t noticed she had entered holding hands with Lu Han. How she hasn’t noticed before? The girl had been so deep in her thoughts that she forgot. But also the way he was holding her made her felt secure, care and loved. Even if it was just holding hands, Alice felt that way the entire time.

She tried to release from his grip, but it only leaded Lu Han to hold her stronger. His grip was dominating, tough yet soft, sweet and caring.

“What do you think is the reason?” Lu Han smirked as he lifted their squeezing hands. Alice blushed slightly. Why he had to be this easygoing? She wasn’t used to it. It made her feel flustered.

“No way!” Jongin gasped, “You guys are dating?!”

Both, Lu Han and Alice, nodded shyly.

Soon the room was full with good wishes for the new couple, cheering and jokes. They supported they relationship entirely. They weren’t against it even with their differences: Lu Han as a human and Alice as a soon-to-be-demon. If they were happy, the boys were happy.

“I’m glad!” Sulli hugged Alice, “Finally you two are together!”

Alice looked at her with a confused gaze. She was perplexed with her sentence. Finally? What did she meant with ‘finally’?! Sulli noticed her puzzled look and giggled as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Hehehehe. Maybe I did notice Lu Han’s feelings towards you before than yours”

Wait. Had Lu Han felt for me before I did for him? Alice turned towards him and noticed him blushing as he faced the ground. He looked adorable! It was the first time she saw him acting like that so ashamed and so shy.

“I actually noticed it too,” Sehun added as he crossed his arms.

“I believe we all did?” Baekhyun wondered as he received different nods from his friends.

“Yep,” Chanyeol answered. Tao smiled as he thumbed up. The latter also was aware of it.

“It was pretty obvious,” Kai smirked.

Alice mouthed a visible “Ohhh” as her gaze turned towards Lu Han, who was turning into a deeper shade if red, again. She might have confessed first, but the one who felt with the other first was Lu Han.

The girl smiled. His response was still too cute to handle. Lu Han was experimenting something similar when he kissed her, when he stole a kiss from her. He was going through a sudden feel of embarrassment mixed with happiness and nervousness.

Lu Han was just there. Standing quietly. He couldn’t argue because those were true. He had fallen for Alice first. Actually, he felt for her the moment he saw her. Not only because her beauty, but also he noticed her pure and honest heart the moment they talked for the very first time. Yet, all this time, he wanted to make sure of her intentions by observing her. And he wasn’t wrong. His suspicions were gone, because there wasn’t anything to be suspicious about her. All Alice had portrait them was sincerity.

Alice sighed as she decided to hug Lu Han, who got surprised with her sudden act. But it only lasted a few seconds. That hug was supposed to wake up Lu Han from his thoughts and it worked. Soon Lu Han was looking at her with a confused gaze yet happiness one. Alice smiled softly and Lu Han did too.

All of the five boys and the angel saw the couple cute act as some mouthed a simple “Awww!” and other squealed “How cute!!”

“Now that I wonder,” Chanyeol said with a thoughtful gaze, “Alice is younger or older than us?”

The mentioned female’s gaze grew alarmed for a second. Yet, she tried to be calm afterwards.

“You’ve never mentioned your age before, haven’t you?” Baekhyun smirked. Alice just shook her head in response.

“Guys! You shouldn’t be asking about that!” Sulli scorned, “You should never ask a girl about her age!”

“I remember the time I asked Sulli about her age and she kicked me so hard that my leg hurt for almost three days,” Kai said as he remembered.

“But that was when we figure out she was way older than us,” Tao added as he nodded his head.

“Just because I’m an angel!” Sulli pouted cutely. Yet she was indeed curious about Alice’s response about her age. She had been suspecting something about her from the moment she had seen the demon’s wings and her sudden necessity of her vital energy to invoke spells. She had a presumption, but she wasn’t sure.

“So are you as old as Sulli?” Baekhyun asked receiving a punch from the angel on his arm. He complained from the pain as he caressed his hurt spot.

“Don’t be disrespectful,” Sehun said as he noticed Sulli’s angry gaze.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Alice giggled softly. She was taking a huge step by telling them her age. Not only she’d be way more exposed than before, but also one of her disguises will be unleashed.

She’s willing to take that risk, because they are trustable. She can be honest with them in that aspect: with her age.

“I’m not as old as Sulli if you guys wondered,” Alice said as her I’m-sorry-if-I-offended-you gaze felt on Sulli. The latter shook her head in response as her gaze got wider.

Not only Sulli was surprised, but also the boys.

 author's note 

» anfsoaneofefnoinsgnmvipowrjgpaofpefpmfonhgwosnmsih09wfmkw!! we made it this far! I can't believe it TT^TT FINALLY THEY CONFESSED! The moment most of us were waiting for(?) 

And if you noticed I never revealed Alice's age before *raises eyebrows* there will be a revelation in the next chapter  :DDD but guys, revealing Alice's age won't be the first surprise I'll reveal. There are more stuff about her which soon will be show! :)

See you soon! -Mostly tomorrow :D yeah because I'll be updating everyday!-