On Time
On TimeOne-shot 140430 started; 140622 finished
Her hands trembled as she held the brick of a Chemistry textbook open to Chapter 14. Her head spun as the words her eyes bore into ended up flying over her head. With a fried brain, there was not much of a choice.
She just couldn't understand the words, the concepts, the figures and tables... nothing.
She was frantic. Her final exam was the next morning. 8am.
9:00pm.
7 more chapters to go.
--
His legs were about to collapse. His reflection in the practice mirror wasn't him at all.
Hair and shirt drenched with sweat, face veiled with the faint shadow of intense sleep deprivation— exhausted and desperate eyes stared back at his own.
The heavy rhythm of his group's song knocked around his already spinning head as he barely pulled himself up onto his feet, grabbing and emptying his water bottle as he stood.
His group members came to him with weak smiles, gave him firm hugs and pats on the back. Supportive as always.
"Hang in there, Luhan-hyung!" "You'll see her very soon," they would say as they reached the last of run throughs of EXO's solo concert program.
At the thought of her, he was determined. Ready to continue, ready to fight his weak body. Just to see her.
But... he still had a day to go.
--
Her exam, it was charging at her. Impossible to avoid.
She was the one tied to the railroad tracks, her trembling eyes watching the speeding locomotive trek its way towards her.
She could only master the ways to untie herself from her bindings and stand tall to face the train with all the strength and confidence she could muster. There was nowhere to run away—within walls. All she could do was push the train away. Conquer it. Dominate.
But there was no way if she hadn't mastered the knots and rope in the first place. She had to master her course's material first. Rate of reactions, acid-base titration equations, equilibrium constants, molecular compound properties... there was just too much information to cover.
And she was late. With so much to study and yet so little time to do it, she had little chance to catch up, let alone to think straight.
9:30pm.
6.5 chapters to go.
She couldn't make it.
--
The heavy bass shook its way into the depths of Luhan's soul as he danced and sung with a renewed determination. Around him were his eleven bandmates, practicing their voice and steps with an equal passion, their concert director watching with a firm gaze, scrutinizing but satisfied.
It was the last song. Rehearsal has been going better than expected. Everything ran smoothly, and they were ahead of schedule.
Luhan's head still spun when the last beats boomed throughout the room and their managers and concert director applauded with warm smiles. But he had forgotten his lightheadedness a while ago. His head spun for Miyeon. If the staff had noticed their efforts, maybe they could—
"We're done early, and we won't need tomorrow's rehearsal. All the steps and synchronization was spot on, and your voices were strong and precise. Get some rest, and relax tomorrow. Great work, boys!" the director announced, smiling with the managers while quietly left the room.
His smile couldn't have been any wider. His rejoicing shouts were joined by those of his bandmates as they jumped up and huddled together in celebration.
Their managers were going to get the vans to bring the boys to their dorms as Luhan hurriedly packed up his bag and ran a towel that Lay handed him through his sopping wet hair.
They were done. Early.
And he could go to her one night earlier and spend a whole extra day with her.
He could make it.
--
Miyeon's beginning to understand the concept. Ah, so the pH=pKa at the half titration... look at the graph and the titration curve... here.
The information was beginning to make sense, and her head finally cleared to a state of comfort.
But she was behind. She still hadn't touched about a fourth of her own study guide, and she desperately needed to rest for her exam.
She was late.
Now, with 4 chapters to go. But it's 10:30pm.
And she needed to sleep very soon. 11:00 the latest.
--
The 12 members of EXO scrambled into their respective vans excitedly, despite their weary and sore bodies after an extensive day of practices.
Luhan couldn't hold in his happiness. He would turn and chat with his band members with an energy he never knew he had, and his worn out friends would only smile and wave him away to close their eyes and sleep.
But he couldn't sleep. He wanted to see her, no matter what horrible condition he was in. Whatever strained ankle, whatever sweat-stained shirt and heavy dark circles under his sunken eyes... he'd do anything to see her.
Even after his shower and change of dry clothes, he still looked longingly out the window, hoping to arrive soon and see her. His love. His one and only.
--
Why can't time move..
Slower --- Faster
--
One concept led to the next, the monstrous dominos of unclear information finally knocking themselves over one by one.
And she had made it.
11:00pm.
She had understood her entire study guide, with extra confidence on top of her gained knowledge. She was ready to kill that test. Untie those binds, and stop that speeding train.
With still quaking fingers, she fumbled to put away her pencils and books and pack her small bag for her exam.
Alarm clock set, books neatly put away, she finally caught her breath only to hear the faint chime of the doorbell.
And a frantic knocking.
She froze. *Who..? No way—*
The door opened, and her breath caught at the sight of a smiling Luhan.
Her heart never stopped from her recent hours of harsh studying, but it did.
Her hand still on the doorknob, eyes meeting with Luhan's happy but weary ones, she could only mutter, "How—"
Luhan gently guided her back, closed the apartment door, and pulled her in a sweet, warm hug.
"We were done early. I don't have rehearsals tomorrow. We're done, Miyeon."
He pulled away, and their warm gazes met. They smiled.
Miyeon pulled Luhan back and buried her face in his warm sweater.
"I was about to die... my brain is fried..."
Luhan chuckled and raised his hand to ruffle her hair.
"At least you made it, right? You'll kill that test for sure."
"Yeah...," she mumbled into his sweater.
"Let's get some rest, huh?" Luhan said before leaning down to leave a sweet kiss on her forehead.
"Of course," she replied, smiling. Her cute yawn afterwards made Luhan chuckle and ruffle her hair again.
--
Isn't there something called perfect timing?
Because now we're...
on time.
Comments