History

Chapter 16 // The Encounter

Chen's head rocked with the movement of the subway train as he rode with the back of his skull leaning lazily against the giant window behind his seat. He was so exhausted. Sometimes his job was just way too stressful for him to handle. He loved it too of course. Working as a choir teacher at a middle school had a pretty good balance of pros and cons. He got to be around music all of the time, he taught young people how to further appreciate the beauty of it, and he got to see his students grow and improve their skills. On the other hand, he had to teach everyone in his class how to read and sing at least five songs for a choir concert that he only ever seemed to have a month to prepare for. He was also the only teacher in his department which left him directing multiple classes in three different grade levels. Talk about a migraine.

The new school year had started a couple of weeks ago, but the stress was only now starting to catch up to him. He wasn't going to have a lot of free time anymore so the likelihood of him being able to meet with Sehun for dance practices was slim to none.

He was going to miss his dance lessons quite a bit. He loved the learning process of it and it didn't hurt to get in the exercise too. He would probably never find out if Lay would stop by unannounced to teach him again. He would miss Lay's dancing.

He would just miss Lay in general.

He figured that his interest was unrequited anyway, but it still gave him a certain thrill that he'd never stumbled upon before. Chen loved being around the choreographer more than anyone else he'd ever met. It wasn't like they had that many meaningful conversations but he knew that they both shared a burning passion for music that most people couldn't fully comprehend.

The brunet sighed heavily, craning his neck so that his head could rest against his shoulder instead of the shuddering train. All he wanted to do was sleep but he still had to correct quizzes and cook dinner. He couldn't even take a nap on the subway since the last time he did he ended up waking to an empty wallet.

"Chen?"

He glanced across the train, wondering if someone had actually said his name or if he was just delusional. He must have been so tired that he was hallucinating because sitting opposite of him was the very person he had just been daydreaming about.

Lay's head was tilted as he took in Chen's form, seemingly surprised to have chanced upon him then and there. "Chen?" he whispered again, still not sure if he was calling out to his friend or some strange look alike.

Chen's eyes widened to an almost comical size as he flinched back in surprise, smashing his head into the window painfully. He yelped at the impact, bringing his hand to the already forming lump there and rubbing it awkwardly. His cheeks felt hot and he cursed himself internally for acting so stupid in front of his crush.

'Crush?' he thought in annoyance, 'I'm acting like a love obsessed teenager.'

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Lay asked, face full of concern as he rose from his seat to get closer to his injured friend.

"I'm fine" Chen rushed to reassure him, "You just surprised me that's all!"

"Still, it looked like you hit your head pretty hard."

"Honestly, I'm perfectly fine."

Lay ignored him as he crouched down to get eye level with the brunet, reaching a hand to the back of his head to caress his fingers through his hair curiously. "I can feel a lump! You need ice! What if you get a concussion?"

Chen stared into Lay's eyes as if in a daze. Up close, he could see the darker specks of brown in his caramel irises, his parted lips, and his long eyelashes fluttering delicately in his worry. Then his eyes lasered in on his own and Chen averted his gaze instantly, more heat rising to his face as he tried his best to hide the fact that he'd been staring.