Black Soda Drink [exo]

I

I opened the door and my heart fluttered but my eyebrows furrowed. Kris was leaning his arm against the doorframe, towering over me like always. His hair was tousled, his eyes were lowered. Except this time he looked different. Different enough to make me worry.

“Yuan,” he muttered with a nod.

There were only two people in the world who called me that and his raspy voice made me take a step back. He walked past me into my apartment and I almost apologized for my brother’s mess if not for the fact that I was more worried about Kris right now.

Speaking of my brother…

“Yixing isn’t home yet. You can wait here if you want.” I clasped my hands together as he took a seat on the couch. He always sat on the right side and I always made sure to avoid that side. “I was just about to make some breakfast. Do you want any?”

He shook his head and rubbed his eye with the base of his palm. There was a short moment of silence.

“Then how about some coffee? I know you don’t always drink it but—“ I clamped my mouth shut. I wasn’t supposed to know, but I’d been eavesdropping on Yixing and Kris long enough to know that Kris would much rather drink Cola than coffee.

He patted the spot next to him. “Come sit down.”

I stepped around the remote that my brother had left on the floor and slowly sat down beside Kris. I didn’t think I’ve ever been this close to him before. My heart started racing again.

Up close, he looked even worse…which made him look even better to me. Jeez, what was wrong with me? His blond hair was sticking up at odd angles, his eyes were bloodshot and puffy (did he sleep at all last night?), and his complexion was pale. I wanted to put an arm around him but I barely knew him aside from what Yixing told me about him. It would be awkward.

“Is something wrong?” I hesitantly asked when he stared at the ground. His eyes looked empty. I’d never seen him like this before.

Of course, I rarely ever saw him. Whenever he came around, I always hid in my room. But he was my brother’s very-really-extremely hot friend, so what else was I supposed to do? I knew the guy code enough to understand that boys didn’t date their friend’s sisters so I didn’t have a chance in the next million years even if I tried.

Just then, a tear rolled down Kris’s cheek and I nearly surged forward to wipe it away. I stopped myself just in time, digging my nails into my hand, as he looked to the ceiling and took a deep breath.

“Yuan, you’re coming to live with me.”

“What?”

No. No, no, no. Why would anybody think that that was a good idea? Were my ears failing me already? Maybe I was dreaming. But the half-moon indents on my hand proved otherwise. I was not even a drinker but maybe I broke into my brother’s alcohol stash last night and drunk myself silly.

Yeah, that had to be the only logical explanation.

“You should start packing your stuff. We’re moving over to my place this afternoon.”

I laughed because what else did a girl do when her crush of nine-and-a-half months invites her over to his house? Permanently!

I stood up, nearly feeling the tears in my own eyes. “Where’s my brother? He’s going to be real pissed when he hears that you’re playing some stupid joke on me.”

“It’s not a joke. Your brother’s…”

The remote stared back up at me and the buttons made a face that seemed to mock me. They must’ve known about my crush on Kris, too. It wasn’t like him to be a jerk about these things but what did I know about him anyway?

“Your brother’s dead, Yuan.”

My hands balled into fists at my side. I really must be drunk or drugged. I knew my brother had some affinity for alcohol, and maybe I had some problem where my dreams and nightmares were too real.

The living room was spinning and I took a seat again, this time a bit farther away from Kris. “Please stop lying to me,” I said. “It’s not funny.” My voice cracked at the end but I held my breath to keep from crying.

Kris’s face suddenly appeared right in front of me and his hands were heavy on my shoulders. “I’m not joking!” His eyes were wide and I could see the despair in them. That was when I knew that he wasn’t kidding at all. This wasn’t a dream or hallucination.

“What do you mean by dead?” I squeaked out. It was a stupid question but dead could mean brain-dead or clinically-dead, so my brother might still be in the hospital right this minute.

Kris’s fingers were digging into my shoulder blades but the look in his eyes was much more painful. “I watched him jump off a bridge. I watched the paramedics pull him out of the water. Yixing’s dead.”

I gulped and he did, too. I forced my lips to move. “I can live here by myself. I just graduated and I’m pretty sure I can find a job soon. There’s no need for me to move in with you, but if I need anything, I can always call you, right?” I pulled out my phone. “What’s your number?” My hands were shaking. In reality, I actually knew his number but I would never tell him that I found it by going through Yixing’s phone.

“Go pack your things. Yixing said this apartment isn’t a safe place for a girl to live alone in. He’s already stopped paying the rent last month.”

“But I can—“

Kris fixed me with a level stare. “I’m not letting my best friend’s sister live by herself in this shady area. You’re coming with me.”

I only nodded because I knew I would cry if I spoke anymore. I was an ugly crier, and even in times like this, I was vain enough to hold back my tears.

Finally, Kris’s hands slid away and he leaned back against the couch. “Have some breakfast. I’ll wait for you.”