𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ˢᵛᵗ

thirteen ♬

I was dragged back into the empty room, leading us back to square one. He ran over to the same chair he was sitting on previously, letting his legs dangle like he's on a swing. Upon seeing that I didn't follow him all the way inside, he gave me a disappointed look. Eventually giving in to those sad puppy dog eyes, I went and grabbed chair to pull up beside him. Silence ensued for the next few minutes, neither of us brave enough to strike up a conversation first. Although he was the one he insisted we come back here, it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything unless I spoke first.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" I asked, glancing over at his side profile. His eyes were staring at floor i front of him, a soft smile playing in his lips. I never noticed his sharp features until now; the way his jawline curves, the small dip where his nose and mouth meet or the mole on his cheek. It caught me off guard when he suddenly turned to face me, giving his classic signature smile.

"Thank you," His voice was soft and tired, the alcohol wearing off and exhaustion setting in.

"For making this birthday so memorable."

"It wasn't just me you know," I mumbled, looking away from his sparkling gaze.

"Seungkwan helped out a lot too."

Without warning, his hand slipped into mine, gripping it tightly. My body tensed up at the sudden contact, then relaxed a moment afterwards. I gave him a confused look, as I was unaware of what he intended when he did that. His glossed over face remained facing forwards, ignoring my presence. He must still be drunk after all, I thought to myself. I was about to say something when Seokmin cut in.

"Let's just stay like this for a while."

He dropped his head into the crook of my neck and shut his eyes. A few nuzzles later, he'd finally settled down. Gentle snores escaped his mouth, which was hung open slightly. To think he was so tired that he'd fall asleep on me like this. I don't think he's going to remember anything that he did tonight, and quite frankly I hope he doesn't. It's dangerous territory that we treaded here; anything further and I might've misunderstood.

The clock on the well ticked away mercilessly, going from 10:45 to 11:22 in what felt like seconds. It was difficult to keep still for so long, but I was desperate not to wake the boy. A friendly face popped their head through the door, one that I was just thinking about.

"What are you still doing here?" Jeonghan asked as he walked over to where the two of us were seated. I brought a single finger to my lips, signalling for him to be quiet. He saw Seokimin's sleeping face and immediately dialled it down.

Jeonghan offered to take Seokmin back to his room, to which I agreed since it would be difficult for me to carry him there. He carefully scooped up the boy, delicately placing him on his back. I linked Seokmin's arms around Jeonghan's neck, making sure he wouldn't fall.

"I'll be right back," He whispered, walking out the door. The room felt empty, like all the life was sucked out from it. On several occasions, I'd been alone or by myself and under other circumstances this would've been normal for me. However in this moment, for the first time I felt lonely. It's been forever since I've laughed with friends and enjoyed myself. And now here I was, sitting in a hollow room which once held an uproar of laughter, quickly replaced with a deafening silence. It reminded me that all good things do come to an end at some point.

All I could do was wait for Jeonghan's return.

It didn't take long before the ravenette peaked his head to find me. I was still seated in the same seat as before, and looked up to meet his gaze. He walked over, hands fiddling with the hem of his grey T-shirt as he occupied the seat next to me. The air felt tense, knowing that Jeonghan had unanswered questions he wanted to ask me. We hadn't spoken about the time I'd visited the hospital and I could tell that he was itching to question me about it. It's not that I didn't want to tell him about it, but so much happened in between then and now with the exams and the birthdays. There just wasn't any time. But now seemed as good a time as ever, so I spoke.

"She did it again," it came out a lot quieter than I imagined.

"I guessed as much," He replied. Neither of us were looking at the other, and it was more comfortable that way. Jeonghan had been there since the beginning, his family looking out for me since the very first attempt. He never liked my mother, but just like me; he doesn't blame her either. He knew the importance of my father in my mother's life, and how it destroyed her to lose him. That's not to say he excused my mother's wrongdoings; in fact, he made his dislike for her very clear. That being said, he did have an understanding of why she acts the way she does, so he never questions it. It was something I heavily respected about Jeonghan. He had opinions but he knew his place.

"Do you think she's capable of changing?" I asked flippantly, not expecting a response.

I heard him heave a sigh, clearly containing his frustration over my situation.

"Honestly," He began. "No. I don't think so."

Strangely, the cold response offered me comfort. It reassured me that I was okay to think that way too, because others do. I felt it was time for a topic change and I think Jeonghan caught on to my feelings when he asked his next question.

"You and Seokmin seem to be close these days," He teased whilst finally facing me. A cheeky grin played upon his lips as he gave me knowing eyes.

"It's not like that," I denied, playing along to his playful demeanour.

"And what would it be like exactly?" He poked fun at me, over emphasising the word "like" to irritate me. "I saw you two holding hands."

"I'm glad you noticed," I rolled my eyes because I knew he'd never let me live this down. "Don't worry, we're just friends."

"That's what they all say," He provoked further, having fun with my reactions. For him, it was easy to get me riled up and flustered, as if it was his hidden talent.

"Don't tell me you're planning on replacing me with him?" He gasped, feigning offence. I knocked his arm with my fist, laughing at the absurd question.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, recovering from the laughter whilst Jeonghan continued. "I could never replace you."

He slung his arm around me shoulder, pulling me in for a friendly side hug.

"By the way," He started, his tone laced with seriousness. The sudden shift made me think he had something important to bring up.

"Your hair is greasy. When did you last wash it?"

I pushed him off, furrowing my brow as I gave him an icy stare. He on the other hand, was giggling nervously. Half from enjoying annoying me, half from being scared as to what I was going to do.

"Do you want to die?" I hissed, ready to fight him. He got up and ran away, me following on his tail as I chased him into the night.