Quiet [Book IV]

Not Now

Kai was restless.

Somehow, even though he hated it to the bones, the action of picking up the phone and sending a text message to Jihyo to cancel practice happened. A text. A damned text. Had that been a call, Kai would carry more guilt in his heart once he hears the tone of her voice, disappointed and worried, and he wouldn't be able to handle that.

It was nine o'clock on a Saturday evening and he tossed and turned in bed, hoping to get the sleep he so badly wanted for the past days. In his bedroom, under the covers, was his sanctuary and whenever Kai was feeling down, lying on the soft sheets always made him feel better. But tonight was different because the thought of having Jihyo in his arms while he drifted off to dreamland kept pushing, prodding in his senses, disturbing his peace, and driving him nuts.

He could barely picture a happy place without a girl with light hair, ballroom dresses, ballads flowing sweetly, and blue beanies and mirrored walls. Also, fireflies. Lots and lots of fireflies.

Imagine a thousand lights dancing with you.

Kai finally had enough when the line and her voice kept repeating in his head. The night she said that was also the night he first let her wear his hat, because she didn't wear clothes that were thick enough to protect her from the weather. She was sort of stupid then, really, but it was okay since Jihyo liked wearing it, always mentioned how it smelled like him and feel asleep with the scent.

He was sluggish when he went out of the bedroom and found Baekhyun and Sehun bickering over a videogame in the lounge, totally concentrated on the screen and not paying attention to the K member who loved sleep but couldn't sleep. At that point, Kai just wanted to punch his own face and hopefully knock himself out.

He didn't say anything and made his way to the kitchen, where he found Kyungsoo reading a novel with half a glass of milk in front of him. Thick book and noxious aura aside, Kai thought that Kyungsoo was a kid. If only he didn't take things so seriously all the time and beat people up when the joke's on him.

The short boy threw him a glance before going back to reading. "You look like shit."

"I know." Kai sighed, walking closer and pulling a chair next to Kyungsoo. He sat down as if he was exhausted with the world. "Where are Chanyeol and Joonmyun?"

"Sleeping... or talking to Haeun. The other's probably begging his father not to force him to do things he doesn't want to do." Kyungsoo said flatly and reached for his glass to sip. "What happened to the honorifics? Are you too majestic now to say 'hyung'?"

"Sorry." Kai mumbled. He placed his arm on the table and rested his head on it, giving him a clear view of the front page of the book. Kyungsoo kept quiet. "Survive the Zombie Apocalypse 101, by Han So-ra."

"If you don't mind, I like reading alone. Please leave." Kyungsoo muttered. Kai didn't even budge.

"I thought you liked suspense and romance. Why are you reading this shit?" The younger asked. "The suspense might be there, fine, but how is romance related to a bunch of walking corpses?"

"There's more to it than you think." Kyungsoo answered. "Go to sleep and stop pestering me."

Kai just ignored him. "Have you learned anything from that book so far?"

"I learned that if ever the zombie apocalypse came to life, the safest and most practical act is to leave you idiots and survive on my own." Kyungsoo said with a huff. He then closed the book and placed it next to the glass, revealing Kai's pout of dissatisfaction. "Seriously, Jongin, leave me alone and go to bed."