Opposites attract, they said. [SeKai]

Luhan's Arc - Part Four

Just like that, Yixing and I slipped into a routine. I would drive him to and from school everyday, and in exchange, he walked me to and from every class, and sat with me on every lunch break. Two weeks passed like that, and I found myself adapting to his constant presence around me, learning to take his idle jokes and teasing in stride, while he learned to keep his mouth shut when he found that I wasn't particularly in the mood.

I got used to his wide array of bright, fruity scents and his colourful attire, which made it almost impossible to be invisible in the hallways when we walked together. People would stare and gossip, and I would try my best to ignore it, even when we were called a myriad of synonyms of seizure boy and that quiet kid. Yixing on the other hand, simply didn't seem to care, or even notice.

Despite all that, I never really got to know much else about him. I didn't know if he had siblings, or parents for that matter. I didn't know what his life was like. I didn't even know what his hobbies were. Every conversation we had was shallow and surface-level at best, and almost always initiated by him.

I was okay with that.

Having Yixing around was a good distraction from my own sordid thoughts. No matter how I spun it, there was really no harm in keeping him around. We would graduate high school in a few months and probably never see each other again, anyway. For the same reason, I figured it was probably best not to get too close, no matter how curious I was about him.

Not even on this particularly gloomy day, as he quietly, stared out the car window while I drove him home.

After an eerily quiet ride, I pulled into his now familiar driveway, turning toward him. He continued to stare out the window listlessly and I couldn't help but admire the side of his face, the sharp contours of his features, and his bright, albeit somber eyes.

Catching myself, I cleared my throat. "We're here."

He snapped out of his reverie, looking around. "Right..." He went to reach for the door handle, but hesitated, retracting his hand. "Actually, do you think we could hang out some more?"

I raised a brow. "Hang out?"

"I don't feel like going home yet. Come on, there's this dope gelato place just a few blocks away."

I paused, mulling it over. I thought about going home to an awkward dinner with my parents before eventually locking myself in my room as usual. Then I thought about spending a little more time with a certain loud, annoying, somewhat flirtatious classmate who seemed to be having a particularly bad day.

Needless today, one was slightly better than the other.

"Okay. Let's do that."

He blinked at me in genuine surprise, "Wait, what? Just like that? I thought I'd still have to emotionally manipulate you to agree."

I shrugged, barely stifling a smile. "What? I like gelato."

"Wow? You actually like things apart from books? That's a first," he chuckled, and I couldn't help but notice the way his slumped shoulders lifted a little, his expression lightening up ever so slightly.

I figured I could tolerate him some more, if it meant he'd feel a little better.

_

As I swirled my tongue along the deliciously cold, sweet dessert, I couldn't help but notice Yixing's gaze burning into me. I rolled my eyes when I found him staring at me quietly, amusement and something more dancing in his gaze.

"You weren't lying," he said teasingly, taking a bite of his own cone. "Why didn't you tell me you liked ice cream so much? I'd have brought you here earlier."