[EXO FANFIC FOR TAO] Coincidences

Part 6

The next day, you were the one to call Tao. You invited him over to hang out for a while at the condo. Just to relax. You tell him that you've had enough shopping around and such, that'd it be nice to just chat and play video games or something. You feel slightly surprised when he jumps at the idea. You tell him that he can stay for dinner since your grandparents had suggested the idea. He's your friend now, right? And we'd like to meet your friends, They had said with warm smiles. 

Tao tells you that there's some rehearsal in the morning, a.k.a. now, so you both agree that he could come in a few hours. You glance at the clock. It's only 9AM. You wonder how long he's been awake.

You sit on your bed, thinking about what to do. Maybe you weren't exactly the most productive person ever. It's hard for you to come up with things to do when you're bored.

Your grandfather sees you as he walks by your room. He asks you if you're bored. You nod your head. He smiles and says he'll teach you a Chinese game. You follow him into the kitchen/dining room. The small table that's there has a small table cloth draped over it. On it are game pieces made of a smooth material. Symbols are carved onto the white side, the other side is painted green, and there are four of each symbol. "Mahjong." Your grandfather says. And he proceeds to tell you the rules of Chinese gambling. "It's not too hard." He tells you. But it takes you about forty-five minutes to finally get the hang of it, and then your grandmother joins so that you can play a three-way game. 

Time flies by and you feel almost like a little kid again, playing games with your grandparents.  Well it's technically gambling... You think to yourself. But oh well. 

Then suddenly it's 12:30. And the doorbell rings. Your grandparents smile knowingly as you get up from the table a little too quickly. You try to walk calmly to the door and you open it slowly too. "Hi Tao!" You say as you see that he's arrived already. His newly-dyed, red hair isn't slicked up anymore Pity, you think. But it's down now, and just reaches his eyes, which stands out in comparison. Those dark, shining eyes that catches the light wherever he goes.

"Hi," He smiles at you. It's a cute little smile that warms your heart. He greets your grandparents as well (polite, as always) and they ask him if he's eaten yet. "Yes, I have. Thank you." He does a small bow here and his smile is warm and friendly.

You tell him to come in and, as he's taking off his shoes, you look at his face for a second. Something seems wrong. It takes you a while to find what it is since, to most people, it would be an insignificant difference. But you can tell. The black circles around his eyes looked darker than ever. 

"Tao.." You say his name in a barely audible whisper. But he turns to face you.

"Hm?"

"How much sleep did you get...?" You try not to sound over-worried. But some of your emotions leak out. It's evident. You know that idols work a lot of hours every day just to practice. Yet you weren't sure what to expect either.

"Oh..." He looks a little sheepish, like he's also trying to make sure you don't get too worried. "Th..Three, fours hours?" He tries to smile it off, like he's used to it.  Your eyes widen a little. Here you were, just a few hours ago, worrying about how to waste time when Tao was up in the morning working, after three hours of sleep.

Your grandmother seems to have overheard the conversation. "Why don't you sleep in the other guest room for a little while? I'm sure my granddaughter won't mind." You nod your head at this idea. 

"No, it's ok, really--" He tries to say. But you stop him.  You tell him he really should get more sleep. Even your grandmother helps you convince him.  He seems a little grateful that you pushed him to it and he gives you a cute little smile.