Common past || Markhyuck

.4.

I was driving slowly through the dark forest. I couldn't believe that for so many years the city authorities still didn't take care of the lighting on its outskirts. I would have to be crazy to let Donghyuck go home in such conditions. Even though the area seemed calm, the truth was that even in the quietest neighborhood it was not always one hundred percent safe. 

There was a stony silence mastering in the car. Each of us was plunged into our private thoughts. I think we both had to compose all these thoughts in the head. Before we have lost ourselves in the conversation so much that we didn't even notice when clock struck the 1AM. We were talking about total crap, covering completely neutral subjects, which we couldn't emotionally connect with our common past. It raised my spirits because it proved that despite the years and individual differences in character, we are still able to get along as in days of yore.

The view outside the window has been wrapped in darkness for a long time now. Donghyuck's words echoed constantly in my head not being able to disappear.

"You know perfectly well that we won't regain all those lost years. We won't catch it up, even if we try very hard," he said quite seriously as we gathered slowly to leave the house. 

"I know it ..." I sighed heavily, pulling the keys out of my pocket.

"But you can make it up for me." I gave him a slightly surprised look. I was happy that at least he hadn't written down our acquaintanceship from the very beginning. The truth was that I was able to sacrifice a lot to get everything back on its old tracks. "I don't know how you do it, but you'll make me forget that you have not been with me for the last five years, do you understand?" He asked quite seriously, showing his old horns. I was glad that there was a little bit of Donghyuck in there, somewhere inside. 

"Oh, look at yourself, you became even more savage than you were before" I laughed, wanting to cheer him up a bit, but I did not succeed. The boy kept his deadpan and it came to me that he really took the uttered words seriously, so I nodded. "I understand," I whispered. "I will try to."

I glanced furtively at Donghyuck, who looked calmly through the car window to the shadows of the trees. It was a terrible change, but despite all that, when we were talking, when I saw his faint smile a few times, my heart was beating like it used to. I could not have expected that at the third meeting he would treat me as his best friend. It all just needed some time. We needed time. 

I parked slowly near the boy's house, shutting off the engine slowly. There was silence in the car.

"Thank you for giving me a lift," he finally said, smiling uncertainly. 

"No problem," I shrugged, struggling to touch him in any way. I didn't want to violate his personal space in no way, because I felt he was very careful about its inviolability.

"Give me your number," Donghyuck said suddenly, holding his phone out in my direction. I took it insecurely. "Now, if you want to escape, you'll be able at least to communicate this to me."

"Okay," I laughed, signing myself as Mark Lee. After a while, however, I found that it was too formal and I just inscribed Minhyung, resigning from the Canadian name. "Voila," I smiled, giving him the phone.

"Thank you," he whispered and grabbed the handle. "See... you" he said hesitantly, getting out of the car. 

"See you," I muttered to myself as I watched Donghuck walk quietly toward the porch.

///

When I walked cautiously into the house, I immediately leaned back against the door, feeling that without it I would most likely fall to the ground. I didn't quite know what emotions prevailed in me - joy or perhaps anxiety. The inner me wanted the words see you not to be merely empty promises. I wanted them to tie in with real intentions for the future.