CHAPTER NINE

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CHANHEE POV

Sounding angrily the school bell rang for the last time, blaring through each classroom. It was the end of the day and everyone more or less dashed from their seats in eccentric leaps to get out.

"Do you need a ride home?" I overheard Cindy ask Y/N from across the classroom as I walked by.
"I'll take her." I cut in, feeling slightly bad as I watched her face drop in a slight disappointment.
"Oh okay! Call me though Y/N!" She soon picked up, her hair bouncing enthusiastically whilst she skipped out of the classroom.

"There's a movie drive-in tonight, do you wanna come?" I leant over Y/N's desk, both my hands either side of her sprawled out notebook which she was soon stuffing into her lilac cotton bag.
"Are you asking me on a second date Mr. Choi?" She asked with a sly flash of her pretty teeth.
"Maybe I am." I challenged her attitude, flicking her forehead to clarify the joke before she stood up from her chair.
"Count me in loser." She replied, nudging me with her arm before leaving the room with me behind.

Getting into my car, I pulled the heavy pile books from her arms and placed them in the foot well beside her.  With a sigh, I started the engine up, reversing out with a sure glance over my shoulder. The sky was now overcast, a moody cloud obscuring all of the sunlight prior in the day.

"Are you wanting to go home first? Or do you wanna stay at my place for a while?" I asked boldly, Chanhee Choi what's going on with you?.. I don't invite girls home... No matter how close we are. I shrugged it off, awaiting the girl beside me's reply.
"I'll stay at yours for a while if that's okay with you." She replied, I smiled to myself unintentionally feeling a shift in my stomach as that familiar giggle played like music. You can't be falling for future, you'll only get hurt.

Containing the sigh I was about to release, I tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully - trying to prevent myself from stealing glances of the tranquil girl beside me. Her hair bracing the wind, loose strands getting stuck in the thin coat of pink lip gloss on her lips. Her bonny eyes glistening in the star-like way they always did, her eyelashes fluttering every time she blinked in butterfly jolts. Every stop sign, crosswalk, speed bump I'd take the opportunity to steal a glance - even if it would hurt me, Future was pretty and I couldn't prevent myself from thinking that.

Screeching on to the drive way, my tires came to a halt outside the garage. I opened the car door, dashing around to other side to get Y/N's before bringing her inside.
"Where are your parents?" Her brows furrowed, peering around the empty halls and looking back up to me with her fawn eyes.
"They're working, like they do most of the time." I replied with a short sigh, kicking my shoes off in the porch way as she did the same.

In heavy steps, I made my way upstairs the shorter girl behind me following with a small smile and curious little eyes wandering everywhere when we got to my room.
"So have you got anymore theories?" I patted a space beside me on the bed, where with invitation she sat gleefully.
"I'm about as lost as you." She replied with a sad giggle, "I don't hate it here, but it's not home. Like my Mother, isn't the same Mother that raised me. The only familiar person is Cindy, as much as it is nice here sometimes. I want my phone, I want normality, I feel as if I'm stuck in a place I don't belong." Becoming solemn in tone, she ran another stressed hand through her hair, tugging at the ends rather brutally.
"What have I told you about going bald." I took the hand away from her head and clasped it in my own.
"Listen, I'm sure the universe will bring you back, it wouldn't leave you somewhere you don't belong. Besides, if it didn't bring you back, I'd be pretty sad we'd never get the chance to meet." I smiled with a comforting tug at the corner of my lips. She leant into my torso, enveloping me into a hug with her arms wrapped around my frame warmly. I didn't pass up the opportunity to slip my own around her, bringing her closer and resting her head into the space between my neck and collar bone.

Staying like that for a while, this wasn't helping my situation. I didn't have the strength to push her away, I instead pushed loose strands of hair behind her ear as she stared off into the distance.
"Y/N?" I asked, looking up at me she rested her chin on my chest with a hum causing me to stutter slightly - my stomach was flipping, churning, dropping in ecstatic waves and I couldn't tell you what had brought it on.
"D-Do you want anything?" I stumbled on my words, my face was probably as red as a bell pepper from panicking at the distance between us.

"A glass of water it's not a hassle." She replied thoughtfully, sitting up to my relief and stretching her arms out ahead of her. I sighed in a relieved huff, getting up from my bed.
"Are you coming with me?" I asked as she smiled in response, pulling herself from the bed behind me.

I ran a glass under the kitchen faucet, sliding it over the counter and pouring one for myself.
"What times the drive in?" She asked checking the small pink wristwatch attached to her wrist.
"Six o'clock. So we got some time to kill, we can get snacks from the grocery store before we go." I smiled watching her nod and take small sips from the crystal patterned glass in her hands. Flicking her hair behind the shoulder of her cardigan and finishing the water. I grabbed my Dad's keys from the counter instead of my own, slyly slipping my finger through the metal ring.

Y/N looked at me strangely when I lifted the corrugated metal of the garage door above my head. My Dad's pickup truck sat inside the concrete walls snugly - surrounded by power tools and loose pieces of ply wood.
"Why are we taking the truck?" She laughed, watching me slip open the door, pulling her sleeve over her fingers cutely.
"You'll see." I rolled my eyes, gesturing her to get on the passenger side as we drove to the local grocery store.

Skipping down the aisles in gleeful little leaps, "Popcorn. We're getting Popcorn." She picked up the red foil bag, throwing it into the supermarket basket upon her arm.
"With all my money?" I scoffed watching her fill the basket with more items.
"Who else's?" She mocked my scoff, dragging me to the cashier. She didn't actually put much in the basket, probably with knowledge of me paying. I slipped the cashier ten dollars, before picking up the bag from their grasp.  Y/N smiled, nonchalantly latching on to my arm. "I'll pay you back."
"No you won't." I mocked the chirpy tone she sang in, sighing to myself afterwards as she giggled.

Slamming the doors to the pickup truck, I drove into the woodlands downtown. There was a large screen, the projector currently flickering on and off a white screen whilst people began to pull up. I parked not too close but far enough back so we didn't have to interact with anyone around us. I opened the car handle, Y/N grabbed my wrist looking at me with confusion.
"Where are you going?" Her eyes were wide, worrying I was leaving her for somewhere.
"Well we're not gonna watch the movie backwards." I pulled out some blankets and cushions that were stored beneath the car seats - we keep them for road trips, but tonight was a different occasion. She followed me out the car, catching on as I threw the blankets into the back of the truck creating a comfy space to watch.

"Do you know what movie they're playing?" She asked, watching me climb in to the metal crate.
"It's always random." I chuckled, grabbing her forearm and helping her on to the high-lying car boot. She sat in the opposite corner to me - we were here as friends after all, pulling the large blanket we shared over her frame. The movie began to flicker on, sixteen candles, highlighted in a pretty pink. I smiled as Y/N's eyes lit up beautifully, before turning my attention back to the screen.

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AUTHORS NOTE

hmm.. something about chanhee's changing.. ♡︎( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)

anyways i apologize for the awaited update ! i hope you're having a lovely day/evening wherever you are in our lovely world.

sending my love always...

clover <\3

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