In the end, even after leaving Sehun’s with the claim that I felt tired, I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t know why. It wasn’t like I was too hot or cold; too hungry or too full; too excited or too lethargic. I just couldn’t sleep.

Tossing my sheets away from my body for the umpteenth time, I stormed out from my room and to my kitchen. I grabbed a glass and blasted tap water into it until it was overflowing onto my skin. As I gulped it down, I paced the room. It seemed that the problem may have been in my own restlessness. I couldn’t help but wonder if Sehun was feeling as restless as I was. Taking out my phone, I was about to call him when it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t have his number. I could have just gone down and knocked, but really I didn’t want to be skulking down in the middle of the night with the intention of actually going inside and talking to him. That's where I drew the line.

As I thought about this, I noticed that there was a small message alert in the top corner of my phone. Sliding it down, I saw it was a quick message from my best friend. He wanted me to call him when I had the time. I checked the time, it was just before three. It’s not like I was busy now. Would it be rude if I called him at this hour?

Before I had even answered the question myself, I had dialled him. My pacing continued as I listened to the ringing and hoped he would answer. I twirled a loose strand of hair absently around my finger as I waited, growing increasingly worried that it had been a poor error on my part to call so late. On the tenth ring however, the ring was cut-off before it could finish. I heard what sounded like a deep sigh.

“Hello?” the familiar voice croakily answered, clearly having just woken up.

“Hi, it’s Mira. Were you sleeping?” Well, that much was obvious really.

“Mm…? Mira? Hi… No, no, not sleeping…just dozing.” He could barely stifle his yawns as he said this.

“That’s good then,” I replied, not wanted to let him know just how terrible a liar he was when he was sleepy. “I can call back another time if you want?”

Another yawn. “No, no, it’s fine. Is everything ok?”

Was everything ok? I really didn’t know how to answer that. On the one hand; I didn’t hate it here anymore – I might even like it. On the other hand; I couldn’t explain why I had lied to my father’s secretary like that, and the whole evening I had spent with Sehun was a bit of a mystery to me.

“I think everything might, maybe, be ok,” I honestly replied.

He sounded a little more awake now. “What? You might be ok?”

I sort of felt bad for waking him up now for something like this. “I’m not hurt or anything like that, just a little bleh,” I quickly clarified.

“How is the volunteering going then?” he sounded like normal now.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” I thought about the situation I was in, not that it could really be considered 'volunteering'. “I thought I was getting somewhere with this one kid whose parents I really wanted to meet but it seems like he doesn’t get on well with them. He might even hate his father. It seems like he might be missing school because of it as well.”

“He sounds like a tearaway in the making. How old is he?”

I almost said ‘the same age as us’ but then I realised I would have to make this part of the story up. “He’s about seven. But he’s a good kid. Very full of himself and a bit grumpy when he doesn’t get his way, but he’s also warm to be around.”

“And he’s seven?” he clarified, clearly wondering how I could know that much about a seven year old.

“Yeah. He’s my favourite one here.”

“Maybe I can meet him sometime.”

“Maybe.” That would never be happening in this lifetime.

There was a silence. I didn’t know whether he had caught the slightly higher pitch my voice reached when I had answered him there. Speaking to him like this, it made me realise just how much I missed him.

“Do you want to meet?” I asked spontaneously.

I heard a fumbling on the other end of the line and the sound of an alarm clock being lifted up. “Now?” he asked incredulously.

I laughed out loud, “No, I meant tomorrow or whenever you’re free.”

“Oh,” he sounded relieved. “Ok sure. I have school in the morning, but afterwards do you want to come round for dinner?” He knew better than to ask me to go out to a posh restaurant with him. But at the same time, I didn’t want either his father or my own to know we were meeting. No doubt I would get in trouble for it.

“Actually, would it be ok with you if we just walked around the park together?”

“Uhm…sure. If that’s what you want to do.” He sounded more than a little hesitant, but was willing to go along with me all the same.

“Ok, I’ll text you the address. Let’s say…meet at six?”

In all sincerity, he sounded pleased by this, “Sure, I’ll see you there.”

“Oh, and please don’t tell anyone that you’re meeting me. Not even your father.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He was so honest that I knew he wouldn't. And he hadn’t even asked the reason for the secrecy - definitely a best friend!

I began heading back to my room, “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

The next morning was a real struggle for me to actually get up. After my phone call, I had managed to fall asleep reasonably quickly but that still didn’t change the fact that I had only slept for four hours that night.

Yawning as I left my home, I dozily made my way to the elevator, dragging my schoolbag along the ground behind me. I could honestly see today being another taxi day at this rate.

When the elevator doors opened, I made to get out but there was something there blocking me. Looking up slowly, I saw Sehun looking at me as if I was a talking bear.

“Are you coming to see me?” he asked, a small smile forming.