Right Where You Left Me ✔

Chapter 7: "Seventeen Stan" (I).

Kai

In times when I felt that life couldn't get worse... what was worse gotten overwhelmingly worse, and it had me flipping at whoever was making this worse for me. The way he looked so much younger than he is now was just giving me so many memories of what we used to do together. My heart just clenches when he showed so much excitement when he sees me in front of him - looking as unbothered but deep inside I was absolutely dishevelled.

"It's 2026 now?!" He exclaimed, face as surprised as ever and eyes as big as the young teenager he was.  He leans forwards at me with the same surprise face, trying to come up with anything he had in mind about what year it was. "H-how is that possible? I can't even grasp this?!" He added, bringing his fingers up to count the number of years that had passed by. 

I wince when I tried to control myself from smiling at his adorable attitude. How come I never see him this way when I was seventeen?

"I don't know... all I know is that you're here... without a specific reason," I cooed, sighing as I look down to the drink I've ordered. We were at a café which wasn't his because I hate to let his best friend, Felix see him like this. What would he do if he saw Seventeen Stan?

"I think what you mean is that I came here! To a place eight years in the future without any specific reason?" Yeah, it was to understand why he was sent here. Like was there any machine back then 2018 where you could time travel? And why was Stan... Seventeen Stan be the one who was sent here out of all people.

I shrugged, leaning back and grabbing my drink - sipping it nonchalantly. "It is very hard to understand all of this... At first, I thought that you were pranking me-,"

"Pranking you?! I would never do that,"

"I know... something like this could never be pranked, and I've seen enough proof to know you're not and that you're from 2018. But I still think that you'd prank me other times," I spoke, looking at him straight in the eye to know well enough that this wasn't the present Stan. "Your demeanour... your big eyes... your voice... your memories... how you styled your hair... is just 2018 you and here you are... sitting in front of me in 2026," I commented, taking all of his features in with one long scan. I missed looking at his face like this, where he just looks happy and the burning fire of a young soul just makes me awe at him. It was just magnificently serene.

I didn't realize that I was staring at his face for so long that he stared at me as well. Blinking rapidly, I turn away to glance at something else but not before I took a glimpse at him to see he was still staring.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I questioned, glaring at him with an annoyed face. I took my drink again and sip the sweet liquid.

"Oh... no... it's just that 'future' you look so handsome and dazzling...," He let out with his hands under his chin as he stares at me with tender eyes. Likewise, I choke onto my drink and cough out multiple breaths of 'taken aback' coughs while he continues to stare at me with dilated pupils eyes that shone so blazingly under the light.