History

Chapter 18 // The Liar

Kyungsoo had taken off so suddenly and so fast that Zitao had been shocked motionless. By the time he was about to go after his roommate, Kai had beat him to it. The tan male had shoved past him so that he could sprint after his ex.

He really didn't know how to react to that. He wasn't about to start a conga-chase-line throughout the city. No thanks. Still, he really did want to help Kyungsoo. It's what he promised he would do, after all.

He stood there, tossing around his options when something finally dawned on him. He wasn't alone. Obviously, there were hundreds of people in the club, but only one of them made him feel like he was being watched. Maybe it was because said person was literally staring at him.

Kris... Great! He had totally forgotten about him being there.

Tao slowly shifted his gaze so that he was looking at Kris as well, their eyes locked in an unreadable way. Kris was wearing that serious expression he'd had on the last few times they ran into each other.

Zitao wanted to do a large number of things in that moment. Leaving was at the top of the list; however, he was done running. Running was exhausting not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

So instead of fleeing the scene like he normally would, Tao strolled up to the bar and ordered a margarita. He could feel Kris's orbs burning into the side of his head, but all he cared about was getting his drink from the fairly attractive bartender.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for my drink," he answered, not so much as glancing at the dirty blond.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Tao tapped his fingers on the counter, channeling the anxiety he was feeling from just being a few feet away from Kris. He was nervous and frustrated but he needed to relax. He had to start handling his drama like an adult.

In an effort to distract himself, he let his eyes wander over the man that was mixing his drink. He was close to his own height, except more broad. His eyes were big and brown which would normally give someone a childlike appearance, but his eyes were shining with flirtatious charisma. The bartender's hair was short on the side and long on top, styled up in a messy blond, almost silver, fohawk.

He was hot. Very hot.

"Why are you here? I didn't think you liked being around me."

"I came here to help my friend out and now I'm a little parched. That's all."

"You drink alcohol?"

"Most people do. It shouldn't be that surprising."

"Why are you being like this?"

Zitao could feel the guilt creeping up his spine, making himself question (again) why he couldn't act normal around the other. He was still being selfish and stubborn about a mistake he made years ago. Kris didn't even know how he felt when it happened, so why was he still holding a grudge? Especially, when it was starting to feel like Kris might actually have feelings for him now.

'Feelings!? That's ridiculous. He played me then and that's all he's doing now.'

Finally, the bartender was walking over with his drink, a dazzling smile on his face. Zitao couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

"I haven't seen you here before," the man said, his voice light and refreshing.

"I don't usually hang out at clubs... willingly," Tao replied, feeling flustered for no explicable reason.