A Bullet to the Heart, ₗₑₑ Fₑₗᵢₓ

26.

⇝ ⇝ ⇝ I stood at the entrance of Felix's old room. It was not what I was expecting. Knowing he left when he was 16, I still expected some childish theme to paint his room. As I entered the room, I anticipated encountering walls painted in a vibrant shade of blue, a snug single bed with crisp linen, and shelves adorned with carefully arranged figurines. I pictured whimsical bedding featuring playful patterns and colourful posters adorning the walls, adding a touch of youthfulness to the space.

His room was surprisingly lacking for a creative 16-year-old - no doubt his parents cleaned his room out when he left. Yet, he still had a double bed with soft cream bedding. The floor was adorned with a plush brown carpet that complemented the rustic wooden wardrobe and drawers. The cream and white walls were lined with shelves, each adorned with a collection of gleaming trophies and medals rather than the more expected figurines.

"I expected it to be more...childish?" I said to him, looking over what his trophies from Taekwondo said.

"It used to be, but my parents wanted it to be comfortable for me whenever I came back home,"

I nodded in understanding, "I see, it's nice that they were prepared for you to come home,"

"I know right," He smiled as he lay on his bed, "It's always nice to know they are ready to take me back if I want to come home again permanently,"

I nodded with a smile and lay down on his bed next to him, my feet close to dangling off the end. I chuckled, of course, Felix's small family would own shorter beds. Not that I minded, things as trivial as this were nothing compared to what I was trained to sleep in. My feet becoming cold throughout the night was not even going to phase me as I slept. Felix laughed too, his head lying on my shoulder.

"Ugh I can't sleep till after food but jet lag is killing me," He complained, his voice soft and full of tiredness.

"You only have to wait a few hours, how about we do something?" I said to him, desperate for him not to fall asleep on me because facing his family alone at dinner would be close to a nightmare.

"Should we play games on my Xbox?" He asked as he peered over me to see if his Xbox was still there.

I nodded despite the fact I was one of those kids who weren't into games growing up so I had no idea what I was doing. As a child, I spent most of my time outdoors, playing football and constantly trying to keep up with my dad. I cherished every moment with him before he had to leave again. Whenever I felt like taking a break and relaxing indoors, my mother would insist that I join in the outdoor activities instead.

"No, the sun is out! You need the sun to survive!" She would say.

Games never interested me, but when Felix was teaching me the controls and talking about his favourite games to play, all of a sudden, it all became interesting and fun. I wanted to say it was just because I liked Felix but the time passed by so quickly and I was laughing a lot.

"Dinner is ready!"

Felix and I stood up and headed downstairs to the dining area - on the table were dishes galore, so many different bowls I could barely keep up. The table was laden with a colourful array of traditional Korean dishes. Numerous bowls were filled to the brim with spicy kimchi, a delightful mixture of fermented cabbage, crisp lettuce, and zesty radish. Alongside the kimchi, there were bowls of impeccably fluffy white rice. Additionally, bowls were brimming with simmering soups, and platters of perfectly cooked meat, creating an mouth-watering feast.

"Sit down, don't eat yet, your dad is cleaning up," His mother said, ushering Olivia to the table.

"Is Rachel here?" Felix asked and I knew he was talking about his older sister who no longer lives with them.