Skin And Carnivals

The Art Of Jealousy
Please Subscribe to read the full chapter

CHAPTER 044: Skin And Carnival Dates

         "You can't just do that out of nowhere! You need to give me a warning, Yeol!" You hiss at Chanyeol outside the classroom. He steps aside to let students come out since he was sort of blocking the way.           "I had to. How long were you going to wait before you decided to tell him that we broke up?"   You puff out your cheeks. "I don't know. Maybe after winter break..."   Chanyeol rolls his eyes, "Winter break is in a couple of days. It might sound short but that's a long time. Be thankful I said it."           "This is weird...." You mumble.   Chanyeol smiles and he pats you on the head, "It's even weirder for me." He then sighs and you notice for the first time since your breakup that he looks tired, "I'm just trying to make things right because I know I intervened with what you and Kris could have had."            "That's not true-"            "Save it," Chanyeol chuckles, "I get it. You're trying to make me feel better, but it's true. I wasted your time. My time- everyone's time. I held you back and probably stressed you out for no reason. I'm sorry."    Some people are giving you odd looks and you wonder if any of the boys or Eunsul, even Kris, are still around and are hearing the conversation. However, one glance around and there's no one you recognize. Kris and Luhan must have walked home....    You look at Chanyeol. "Why are you being so emotional right now?" You raise a brow because it's unexpected to have this conversation outside the classroom door.    Chanyeol shrugs, "I don't know. I just feel like a jerk all of a sudden. Since the moment I kissed you that night on your balcony, I should have said sorry to you. I should have talked it out later with you, instead of give you false hope while I liked another girl." He shifts his weight to his left foot. "I'm sorry I kept hurting you. I don't understand why I was so overprotective that I thought that the only way to keep you safe was to make you my girlfriend when I didn't like you and at the end, all I did was hurt you. I'm sorry."    You feel like you wanna cry. "You wanna know a secret, Yeol?"    Chanyeol looks up at you, eyes glossy and ashamed.            "I don't regret you being my first kiss."    Chanyeol tilts his head to the side.            "I don't regret falling in love with you either," you continue.   Chanyeol smiles because you're smiling and it's contagious.          "I also don't regret ever meeting you. Ever." You're smiling but you feel like your voice might crack any second.    There's the thought of Chanyeol meeting you that fated day in the school's library and helping you and talking to you. Talking, for the first time with someone that wasn't there to accuse you of being just the ice princess. Chanyeol who helped you grow and get out of your shell. There's the Chanyeol that wasn't a bully and offered his hand towards you when people would usually just pretend you didn't exist. There's the Chanyeol who overlooked the rumors and your shy demeanor and kept asking questions because he wanted to know more. There's the Chanyeol that just made sure you felt loved.              "Thank you," you say. It's honest.    Chanyeol smiles, "You welcome. And thank you, too. For kissing me...." He frowns, "Well, for kissing me until I realized that I was being a blind idiot. I'm sorry for everything."    You shrug, "That's okay."    Chanyeol smiles now and there's a moment where he looks at you and wonders why he's in love with Yuri, and he asks himself if he had tried enough, would he have fallen in love with you?    Does it matter now?    It's selfish that he's asking that question. Because he tried to keep you to himself and all it did was hurt you both. Having those thoughts is selfish from his part.             "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" He asks.    You nod, "That would be nice."          ***************       You would have denied a ride home and gone with Kris instead; however, you're sure that Kris and Luhan have probably taken the bus, like they usually would. Especially now since no one wants to walk when it's freezing outside to the point a water puddle has turned into an ice ring.    However, as you're looking out the window of Chanyeol's car- with Chanyeol humming to a song on the radio by some popular pop artist- you notice two figures walking down the street. One taller than the other.           "Chanyeol, stop the car!" You smack the boy on the thigh.    Chanyeol frowns, "What- no!"   You pout at him, "Please! I need to get off!"            "It's freezing!" Chanyeol hisses. "Why would you want to get off?"    You roll your eyes, "Kris is walking down the street! I wanna walk with him! Stop the car so I can get off."    Chanyeol glances at the side of the street and he pursues his lips when he sees Kris and Luhan walking together. "I could just tell them to get on? You don't need to walk home."           "No, because if we're walking we will be more forced to speak to eachother."    Chanyeol sighs but eventually he stops the car a couple of meters behind Luhan and Kris. "Be careful," he says when you begin to get off. You nod your head and are about to close the door but Chanyeol is apparently extremely stubborn and overprotective at the moment and he tosses you his large black coat, which he was just wearing.    Chanyeol is only left with a green sweater that reminds you of moss. "You're gonna get cold," you say.    Chanyeol scoff, "I have a heater in my car and a car in general to get to my destination faster. Unlike you, who's planning on walking all the way home when the weather is the same as Antarctica."   You smile, "Thanks, Yeol."    The boy sighs, "No problem."          *****************             "Guys!"    Luhan turns around, "Is that Hana?"    Kris pauses his step and looks behind him, where he sees you jogging towards Luhan and him. He frowns. He thought Chanyeol would give you a ride since he saw you two talking.    His palms sweat at the memory of the words, "We broke up." They're just so heavy on his mind.           "What are you doing here?" Luhan asks before Kris can.    You pause to catch your breath. "I was walking behind you guys the whole time but didn't realize it was you two until now."    Kris clears his throat and looks forward, beginning to walk when you and Luhan start too. He wants you to look at him. But you're too busy talking to Luhan.            "I thought Chanyeol was going to take you home. You know, like always."            "He had to do something," you respond to Luhan.    Kris wonders why you and Chanyeol seem to be on good terms after your breakup. It doesn't make sense. His relationships didn't end in good terms. Well, that depends if the definition of bad terms is strangers because that's exactly what Kris and all his girlfriends identified themselves as at the end.           "That coat is big on you," Luhan notices.    You smile at him, lifting up your arms to prove that indeed, the coat was too big since it covered your hands completely. "It's Chanyeol's," you say.    Luhan sighs because you're unknowingly not helping yourself.    Kris grips the strap of his backpack harder and he looks at you right in the face for the first time, feels like just glaring at you. But then he sees the way your cheeks remind him of cherry tomatoes or the way your nose is pink from the cold. You look so little wearing Chanyeol's jacket.           "Your hands look cold," you tell Kris.    Kris glances at his hands and the way they've turned white at how hard he has been gripping the straps of his backpack. "Oh," he mutters, "Yeah. It's winters, after all. That's what happens... A person gets cold."    Luhan makes a face and he really, really, really, really, really x1000 wants to laugh at Kris like a bad but great and true best friend should but he decides to instead help his buddy out.              "Are your hands cold, Hana?" He says.    You nod, "I mean, yeah."   Kris glares at Luhan. Don't you dare-           "Give me your hand, I'll hold it."    This traitor.   You chuckle, "Thanks but I'm pretty sure I can just put it in my pocket."            "No, no, no," Luhan smiles, "I insist. Pleaseeeeee!"    You frown because Luhan seems to be up to something, though you can't pinpoint exactly what. You would think that he would try to hook you up with Kris but making you hold hands with him is not helping Kris and you get together.            "Sure?" You say, handing him your left hand, which he takes immediately on his. You smile because your hand is almost as big as his.             "What are you doing, Luhan?" Kris then asks and you turn to him. He glances at you for a brief second before looking back at you and Luhan's hand together. God, he hates how he feels like a bitter old man. "Let go of her hand," He continues.    You laugh, "Nah, it's cool. My left hand is getting warm now."   Luhan smiles, "It would get warmer if I had bigger hands but I guess I'm pretty average."    You nod, almost in understanding.    Luhan is an idiot, so he continues. "However, size does not matter. It's the way you use it." He winks and then you feel him rub the center of your palm with his index finger as you're holding hands. You pull your hand away with a creeped out shudder, accidentally pushing yourself towards Kris.    Kris grabs your arm to stop you from colliding completely towards him. You smile at him, "Sorry, Luhan creeped me out."    Kris sighs and he looks at Luhan who's laughing like a maniac. "Did you rub the inside of her hand again, you creep?"    Luhan laughs harder.    You glare at him.            "I knew he would do that," Kris mumbles as his best friend looks like he's running out of air from laughing so hard.    You turn to Kris, "Why didn't you stop him?"            "I don't know," he says. "Was it too creepy?"           "I feel violated," you confess, though you can't help but smile just a tiny bit. It makes you even happier to discover that the corner of Kris' mouth is curling up.             "How are you?" He asks, without even processing that he has asked. You're taken a back by the question and so is Kris.             "I'm good," you say, "Why do you ask?"            "No," he rubs his hands to create some heat, looking away from you, "It's just that you're barely home lately and I've been wondering, is all."   You look at the sidewalk in front of you. How many minutes until you get home? 10? 20? How long can a conversation last? Hopefully forever.            "I'm great," you say, honest. "I've never been as happy as I have been today."    That's a bit of an exaggeration but then again, not really.    Kris tilts his head in wonder, "Why's that?" He feels serene, just having your attention and listening to your voice or knowing that you're directing your words at him.            "I don't know. Events from today," you look back at him. "Everything is just falling into place."    Oh. Oh. You broke up with Chanyeol. Is that what you mean? He tries his hardest not to be happy.           "How about you?" You ask since he doesn't look like he'll ask you anything any time soon. "How are you?"    I'm scared and confused. And genuinely infatuated with you and just became brave enough to admit it to myself.           "I'm great," Kris replies. He then chuckles, "it's weird that we're having this conversation when we live in the same house."    You smile, "I know. Now it's kind of awkward since we haven't talked in a while. Remember back then when we first met how everything we said came out so easily."    Kris crosses his arms, "Ah, of course. How can I forget our first meetings?"            "You can't," you say. "Remember what you said to me?"    Kris' lips tighten.   You chuckle, "So you do..."    Kris laughs, "All I remember is that you said I had chicken legs because I slipped on the floor you left wet after coming out of the shower."    You gasp because he does remember your first conversation and also because you weren't the only one to offend him. "You said I had an IQ of zero! That's messed up because I have a really high IQ."             "You said I shouldn't mess with you and that I should mess with someone my own size," Kris laughs and you cringe when he says what you told him. "Like a giraffe or the Eiffel Tower," He says, "That's a direct quote."    You swing your arms a little, "Did I say that?"    Kris nods, "You did. But I'm pretty sure I said worse things. I think I even called your s fun bags."    You frown and then you remember how he had offended you. Good thing you have those fun bags to make up for your stupidity.      "You did!" You gasp out, "Man, you deserve a punishment. You were super rude before."    Kris holds his hands up In defense, "Hold up! I'm pretty sure you called me a little afterwards so we can say we're even."    You want to defend yourself but you're pretty sure you said that. However, "Your insult was worse because it disparaged me as a woman saying that I didn't need intelligence because I had physical assets. That's ed up, Yifan."    Kris can't deny that. "Yeah, I'm sorry. That was ed up. Especially when you're the smart one out of our relationship. It's hypocritical."    You raise a brow, "Our relationship?"    Kris looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah, I don't know..."            "Our frenemy relationship," you try to help him because he looks awkward. You wonder if by saying that you're taking a step backwards.    Kris surprises you when he says, "No, not that kind of relationship. Much more. A different type of relationship."   You want to scream and diE.             "What relationship?"            "One that I'm slowly coming to terms with. It'll progress, eventually." His cheeks are red when he looks at you. "I promise."                "Guys! Do any of you have the keys!" Luhan yells from where he's standing on the porch of the house. You look back at Kris but the boy isn't looking at you anymore. He's walking towards Luhan with the house keys in his hand.          ***************               "Don't do another trick of those anymore," Kris tells Luhan once they're inside his room.    The shorter male laughs. He loves how everything is flowing. He loves the way Kris reacts. "What trick?" He asks, just to rile up his best friend.    Kris glares at him, "Don't act stupid. You know what I'm talking about. And you better stop, Lu."   Luhan throws him a cheeky smile, "Oh really? What are you gonna do about it?"    Kris stares him down from where Luhan is sitting on his bed. "I'm gonna do many things. So stay away, Lu. And stop playing with my feelings."   Luhan snorts, "Ooh! I'm so scared!"   Kris sighs because it's obvious that Luhan just knows how to play around.             "I'm serious," Kris interrupts. "I'm gonna do something about it."    Luhan stops the teasing and looks at his best friend, a little taken a back but a confused smile on his face. "Wait, what?"   Kris nods and he lies down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm scared but I don't want this opportunity to pass me by. What if I hesitate and someone else comes and takes Hana from me. It already happened once with Chanyeol and I don't want that to happen again." His tone is serious and Luhan wants to laugh to ease the thick air.    Luhan instead pats Kris on the head. "You said some pretty messed up stuff that day at the ice cream shop, though. You literally yelled at her and told her that she was delusional for thinking that you liked her- which at the end is true because you're obsess with her. You also called her an idiot that falls in love easily. You made her cry, too.
Please Subscribe to read the full chapter
Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
Galaxyboo_
#1
Chapter 16: I'm coming again haha
MartinaN
#2
Chapter 52: Been on a long break from this story, it's good and if it was on paper it would have been a real brick.
MartinaN
#3
Chapter 34: Started to read this story yesterday, must admit that it affected my night. Had a hard time sleeping, couldn't stop reading. You are a painter with words, just as in the story about April. Love your way to describe people, you make it possible to me to visualize everyone, even Nana and Papa. You are a great writer, keep up the good work.
Galaxyboo_
#4
Chapter 66: This is so good I had a good laugh
Galaxyboo_
#5
Chapter 16: Aww I like eunsul already
cheonchoni
#6
Chapter 55: This is one of my comfort fanfic hehehe I just can't stop giggling no matter how many times I've read it xD
cheonchoni
#7
Chapter 33: I could sing praises to Hana for how mature and calm she approached this subject with chanyeol. Let's be honest, this is HOW we wanted to act when we're in this kind of situation. Literally an ideal one. Hana you're amazing. I love her character.