Faint Whispers

Chapter 7

The party ended. Kris and Luhan walked home together. Sehun and his gang had already left earlier. Chen also went off with Baekhyun when Kris came to pick Luhan up.

"Did you enjoy it?" Kris asked Luhan, the two of them strolling along the quiet street.

"I made a new friend. He is a transfer, his name is Chen. And he has a cousin called Baekhyun. He is also a transfer." Luhan told him everything that happened, but excluding the part where Sehun spoke to him, he felt that Kris doesn't need to know.

"You seemed to enjoyed this party without me." Kris said in a sad voice.

"You also enjoyed the party without me." Luhan countered back.

Kris laughed as they walked on.

"You want to study with me before you go to work tomorrow?" Kris asked.

"I have to work extra tomorrow. Because I went to the party today." Luhan sighed.

"I'm sorry I made you work extra tomorrow." Kris said.

"It's fine, really." Luhan said.

They walked in silence. It was practically midnight and there wasn't a single sound. Only the crickets and occasional after-winter winds. When they finally reached Luhan's house, they waved goodbye.

"See you in class, hyung." Kris said.

"Yeah." Luhan replied.

Luhan watched as Kris left. Then, the door opened. Perfect timing. Luhan thought to himself as he stared at his half-drunk father, not surprised at all.

"Where the hell did you go?" His father asked rudely.

"I was at the party, I told you yesterday." Luhan replied, not afraid of him at all.

"Get in. We have some news for you." His father said and stumbled in the house.

Luhan followed, putting off his winter fur coat at the coat hanger. When he entered the living room, he saw his mother sitting there, with faint tear stains. He hurried over to her.

"What happened?" Luhan asked her worriedly.

His father took a seat on the nearest sofa and looked at them.

"We're divorcing." His mother sobbed.

Luhan looked at his father who was busy drinking his another can of beer.

"How could you do that?" Luhan said, sitting straight up.

"I don't love your mom, Luhan. Why should I stay?" Luhan's father replied cold-heartedly.

"But umma still love you." Luhan said.

"You're too young to know about love. And I won't allow you to be with Sehun, nor Kris." His father said.

"I don't love them." Luhan said.

"I know you still have the keychain Sehun gave you." His father said.

"What did you do?" Luhan is now afraid.

"I threw it." His father said like it was nothing.

Luhan ran out to the rubbish chute and stared at the black bags of rubbish in disbelief.

"How could he?" He mumbled to himself.

Luhan knew he look unsightly, digging through bags and bags of rubbish. It's disgusting and filthy but it's night time, no one would notice.

"Hey."

Luhan looked back in fright. Kris was standing there, one hand in his pocket.

"You haven't left?" Luhan asked, emerging out from the pile of scattered rubbish.

"What are you looking for?" Kris asked.

"A keychain." Luhan stared at the rubbish.

"Is it so important?" Kris asked.

"Yes. And my dad threw it away." Luhan said and returned to ransacking.

"I'll help you." Kris said and rolled up his sleeves.

"You'll get dirty, Kris." Luhan stopped him.

"I don't know how important this is to you but I'm still going to help you. I can't possibly let you ransacking the whole rubbish alone. It's past midnight." Kris said reasonably.

Luhan sighed and nodded. They spent a good 15 minutes searching for Luhan's missing keychain, the one he never thought he will lose.

"Is this it?" Kris held up a deer keychain.

Luhan's face beamed and he took it.

"Thank you Kris!" Luhan exclaimed.

Kris smiled as he watched Luhan beaming at an object that seems so worthless to him but so priceless to Luhan.

"You should go home. I'm so sorry for having you find this for me." Luhan said.

"It's okay. I'll get going now, bye." Kris left with his hand in his pocket again.

Luhan pushed opened the heavy door. He watched as the sight of the staircases overwhelmed him. He took a deep breath. Sehun is up there. Each steps were shaky and hesitant. Because he isn't ready to speak to Sehun one-to-one yet, not when they aren't so close anymore. He finally reached the last step and before him is the door that leads to his future. The atmosphere was so dramatic that Luhan is scared. But he had to face Sehun sooner or later. When Luhan wanted to turn the knob, he froze.

It is raining right now, and dark. He wondered if Sehun had an umbrella, or is he even there at all? But his hands didn't obey him and he opened it. The rain was loud, it hit onto the concrete floor heavily. He saw Sehun in a distance with a familiar neon green umbrella. Sehun was staring down the roof. Luhan doesn't have an umbrella with him now and he mentally cursed himself for not lending one from the staff room back down.

"Sehun!" Luhan called out, standing under the little cement protruding out from the door, making it a little roof.

Sehun turned and saw him. Then he ran over.

"Thank you...for coming.." Sehun stammered nervously.

"What do you want to say to me?" Luhan asked.

"I just....hyung...I..." Sehun hesitated a lot and kept staring at the ground.

"Sehun?" Luhan asked.

Sehun took a breath and look at him.

"Hyung, remember the keychain I gave you?" Sehun asked.

"Yes." Luhan took out the keychain from his pocket.

Sehun stared at it like regaining back the memories he had lost.

"I'm glad you still kept it." Sehun smiled a little.

Luhan just watched Sehun's movement quietly.

"Hyung.." Sehun mumbled.

Luhan waited for him to continue.

"Our childhood love isn't broken, hyung." Sehun looked up at him.

"You really think we can be together?" Luhan asked, not really mean it.

"For this 11 years, you met him and lost all feelings towards me?" Sehun asked.

"I don't love Kris, Sehun." Luhan said.

"Don't deny it! I saw everything! You are all smiles with Kris and always with him. You never approach me. You knew very well I'm there right in front of you. You even promised that you'll wait for me but you got another guy and dumped me. After all I did." Sehun said and fake a laugh.

"Sehun, no." Luhan said.

"I'm so stupid to continue waiting for you when you already have another guy much more better than me." Sehun said.

"Sehun." Luhan croaked.

"Don't look for me any more." Sehun said and wanted to leave.

Luhan grabbed his arm and put the deer keychain into his palm. Then, he turned to leave. Before Sehun could say anything else. Sehun stared at the closed staircase door and then at the keychain in his hands. He just made a mistake. A grief mistake.