Unconventional

Chapter Eleven - Separation Anxiety

XIUMIN:

I woke up on Saturday morning with a sense of dread. I knew what was coming today and I didn't want it to. Even the feeling of snuggling in Chen's arms, him kissing me lightly on the lips, my neck, my shoulder and my collarbone did nothing to alleviate the feeling of helplessness I was experiencing. I knew I should've enjoyed it while I could, but I was too caught up in feeling terrible about what I knew would happen later that I couldn't.

We took our time showering together, spending a really long time just hugging each other and kissing, and ate breakfast together, me sitting on Chen's lap. Before I knew it, it was time for him to leave. And I hated it.

"I don't want you to leave," I whimpered, trying to keep the tears from falling from my eyes. Chen pulled me into a tight hug and I nuzzled into his neck, trying to take in as much of his scent as possible, so I wouldn't forget it.

"I won't be gone long, babe. I'll be back Tuesday. It's only four days and we can Skype every minute you're home and I'm not with my boring family. We can even keep it on while we sleep."

"I still don't understand why I can't come with you."

"Because you have to work and I would never subject you to the boringness of one of my family reunions. I'm not even staying the whole time."

"Don't go," I whispered, barely audible. I couldn't stand to have to be away from him for longer than a day.

"I promise I'll be back before you know it. I love you, babe. More than anybody else," he said, starting to pull away from me and I hated the feeling. It felt like we were breaking up and I'd never see him again. And that thought sent the tears falling freely down my cheeks. "Aw, don't cry babe. I'll call you as soon as I get there," Chen said, wiping my tears.

"I love you too, Chen. Always." I was hoping for a deep kiss, one that would make him change his mind about leaving or making me stay here, but it was slow, soft and a little sad, filled with my tears. When we pulled away, I felt even worse than I did before we kissed.

He leaned over to grab his bag, clutching the doorknob with his other hand. He pecked me again on the cheek, my nose and then my lips, smiling that beautiful dorky smile of his. One that I realized in this moment that I loved more than I ever knew.

"I'll be back soon, babe. I love you." And with that, he left. I tried to keep it together;I didn't want him to feel guilty because he wasn't at fault. But as soon as the door closed, my tears came faster and my breath hitched, the overwhelming feeling of being alone taking me over as I almost collapsed on the couch, curling into a ball.

It didn't take long before I was exhausted from all the crying and fell asleep there on the couch.

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When I woke up again, it was to the sound of the TV on and some random drama playing. At first, my mind automatically registered it as Chen snuggling with me, but then I remembered he had left and the tears almost started again.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes and checking to see who it was that had somehow gotten into my house, and saw Luhan snuggling with me, watching the drama. I must've made a sound because Luhan quickly sat up, coming out of whatever trance the show had put him in, and was watching me closely, like I might die at any moment.

"What are you doing here, Lu? How'd you get in?"

"Chen gave me a key and told me to come check on you. He was worried about how you'd be after he left. He was going to give Baekhyun a key, but I don't think he trusted him enough to have a key to his house," he chuckled.