Dull [Book III]

Lost

Soojung place the plastic bowl down beside her and leaned back, body pressing onto the windshield of the black car that was supposed to take her home that night.

Lay had always known her for being spontaneous, and perhaps it was spontaneity that had her instructing him to get takeout, the same spontaneity that made Soojung ask permission to drive, also the one that had her parking in front of the skateboard rink. He was confused of course, but didn't complain and simply nodded when she asked if they could just sit anywhere and eat dinner.

Soojung chose to settle on the hood of his car, although wet with rain and wind blowing coldly over it, she claimed to have found the spot perfect.

"Can we stay here for a while?" She uttered, watching Lay clean their mess up and suddenly dart his sight to her face. "It's just for a few minutes... if it's okay with you."

He copied her pose and leaned on the windshield as well, arms crossing over his chest before shrugging slightly. "I have nothing going on tonight, anyway."

"Thanks for the dinner, though." Soojung said. "I feel like a freeloader every time I eat with you. Let me treat you out next time."

Lay smiled, but didn't look at her. "That's okay. We've barely talked to each other these past few days so you can think of it as a tiny welcome party."

Soojung nodded and closed her eyes, silence blanketing both of them for a while as the road to the rink wasn't usually a bright way for cars. It was dark, except for a few lights here and there, and the smell of rain made it much darker. However, it was the opposite way for Soojung, as she found the place more comfortable in the quiet, no honks or wheels screeching on the ground, no noisy kids or adults walking their way home. Perhaps she was just used to it, seeing the rink and treating it like a second home.

"Do you miss it?" Lay asked. "Skating, I mean. It's been weeks for you."

"I do." Soojung nodded. "But if I got into another accident, it's another problem."

Lay nodded too. "I've never tried it, but is it really that fun? You guys risked your lives for it. You even thought you were going to lose an arm that day."

"I just really love skating. I don't know why, but I do." She shrugged and intertwined her fingers together, placing them on her tummy. "Love doesn't need a reason anyway. You just feel it."

"The same goes for people."

Soojung's eyebrows knitted together and she straightened up for a moment, squinting towards Lay. He just stared at her, as if he wasn't aware of what he just said. "Do you normally do that, blurt things out in Mandarin?"

"Uh..." He trailed off. "Not really."

"What does that mean?" Soojung asked. "The thing you just said."

"'Always be careful.'" Lay smiled, "More or less."

She hummed a response and leaned back again, closing her eyes and letting the cold get to her. Lay wasn't speaking, but she could feel him adjusting his position next to her and lied back, to the point where he could see the sky without moving his head at all.

"How..." Lay cleared his throat. "How have you been, Soojung?"

"You mean, how did I handle the suspension?" She corrected and Lay didn't respond to that. "It was fine, except I moped around the apartment for two days because I had nothing better to do."

"Didn't you call anyone?"

"No, and I didn't answer to anyone either." She answered flatly. "I was in an I-hate-the-world phase and even though it lessened, I'm practically still into it now."