LUHAN POV

The bus ride on the way to the mall was quiet. Amber sat at the window seat, staring at every pedestrian we passed by or every car that ran alongside the red bus. Xiumin plugged in his earphones and started fiddling with his phone, probably deleting texts or playing games. Five minutes later when we reached our stop, I pulled the cord to tell the driver that we’ll go down. I nudged the two so that we could get going. Amber picked up her backpack and Xiumin was the first to head to the exit.

“Where do you plan to go first?” I asked Amber.

“Anywhere you people normally go to.”  Amber said.

I swear Xiumin cocked an eyebrow at that answer.

The three of us went inside the mall and we were greeted by the coldness of the place.

“Why don’t we grab a snack first?” Xiumin asked.

“Sure, bubble tea and cupcakes?” I said, managing to hide the worry in my voice thinking about Amber.

Fortunately, Amber spotted a shop she seemed to be interested in and was about to leave when she turned around to face the two of us.

“Luhan, may I go there?” she asked.

“Um, yeah..” I nervously said.

“You’re not going to the bubble tea shop with us?” Xiumin asked.

“No.” Amber said.

“Oh, okay.” Xiumin awkwardly replied as Amber started to head to the shop.

“ Just don’t go too far or talk to strangers. Buy some stuff you like or something.. Just.. be careful, okay?” I called out.

Xiumin and I were left alone and we went to the bubble tea shop to get our snacks. We ordered at the counter and found a table at a secluded part of the shop. We both took our seats and placed our food on the table. Xiumin was talking to me like we normally did before and he updated me on the regular group hangouts with the other guys which I frequently miss. Of course I also told him about stuff that has been going on lately and even told him a bit about Amber but I’ve been sure to leave the science-y stuff behind. It was nice to be able to finally talk to him after always being with Amber. This day wasn’t as awkward and as silent as I thought it would be.

AMBER POV

I went to a shop that had clothes and accessories in it. There were clothes for boys, girls and there were even tiny clothes for tiny people they call “kids”.  There were also sunglasses and hats. I went over to the rack of necklaces and bracelets and looked over the available items. I saw necklaces with different chains and pendants. There were silver crosses, anchors, steering wheels, bullets and skulls but only one design really caught my interest.

It was a heart.

Uncle Siwonnie said that a heart is located inside your chest and it is the organ that keeps a person alive by beating and pumping blood throughout his body. I’ve read books that said that hearts would beat faster than normal when you find “the one”.  I’ve read stories where the characters would say that their hearts would “stop beating”  when “the one” smiles at them. I clutched the necklace with my left hand and place the other on my chest.

Do I have a heart?

I looked down at the necklace and said,

“Maybe I could buy a heart.”

I looked at the necklace once again and brought it to the counter. I paid for it and asked the cashier if I could already wear it. She said yes and even offered to help me put it on. She made me stand in front of a mirror while she placed the necklace around my neck. I thanked her and left the shop.

I headed to another store not so far away from the last and went inside. It had sports items such as balls and sports attire. I had always been fascinated with basketball ever since I was a child because Uncle Siwon told me stories of himself back when he was the captain of his school’s basketball team. I went to the display of varsity jackets and rummaged through the rack to find one that suits my taste. I was half-way through the display when another person placed his hand on the hanger of the item next to the one I was holding. I looked up to see who it was and I found out that it was one of Luhan’s friends, Kris. It looked like he was surprised to see me there. I didn’t really know what to say so I just returned to what I was doing when he suddenly spoke up.

“Um, hi.” He greeted me in a very deep voice.

“Hello.” I replied, still looking through the display.

“I’m Kris.” He said.

“Amber.” I said.

“Where’d you get the necklace?” He suddenly asked and I turned to face him.

“At the store three shops down from here.” I said as I looked at him and realized that he was wearing one which looked exactly the same.  I started searching the display again and said, “I see you have one too. Did you get that at the same store?”

“Yeah.” He said as he looked through the rack as well.