you are close friends with Chanyeol; you guys enjoy each others' company very much and both of you are passionate about music... but things seem to take an interesting turn for the both of you...
Found a pair of floating sneakers... Rocking back and forth from where she was hanged... Decomposing body...
Those cruel words kept going round and round in my head; I was barely able to pay attention to what our parents were talking about. I did not need to be on the spot to see that atrocious scene with my own eyes, to feel nauseous and frightened; I could practically see the whole picture in my head already...! And as much as I knew myself, it would have probably been better if I had been there to see it, rather than leaving it to my own distorted imagination.
"-hear that!? And here I was almost going to bet my leg that it was a bombing attack...!" I heard Uncle say in the distance.
"-know...! This world is becoming more dangerous by the minute!" I heard mom exclaim in the distance.
"- kids came to see us after all...! Such an experience would have left you lads scarred forever!" I heard Auntie in the distance.
I could not utter a single word. I made sure to be alert so that, if ever my name was called, I could actually gather up some courage and will power to retain my tears in, and respond. But thankfully enough, no matter how slow and long the ride had been, we had finally reached home. Along the way, I did feel Chanyeol glancing upon me from time to time and, out of worry, he kept asking me if I was alright. Knowing that I was not, and aware of the fact that Chanyeol knew the answer to his question too, I nevertheless kept comforting him with a simple nod and smile. I knew that if I happened to simply open my mouth, so much as a centimetre wide, to verbally agree with him, I would have broken down in tears right that instant. That was just how weak and sensitive I truly was...
As Chanyeol parked the car and turned off the engines, we all got out and each carried their own backpacks, along with a box containing our picnic stuffs. As everyone was walking towards the front door, I stayed behind with Chan who was taking the last box out and closing the car trunk. As he walked towards me, he smiled comfortingly and gently kissed my forehead. At that instant, I weakly grabbed on to his jacket as I lost control over my eyes and let some tears run down my cheeks. He wrapped his unoccupied arm around my back and stroked it, while I mustered all the will power I could to stop the tears from rolling down again and ease the sharp pain I felt in my throat. I eventually managed to stop whimpering. I felt his soft and gentle lips on my foreheadonce again, but I felt too pitiful to look him in the eyes. So, I simply smiled and wrapped my hand around his waist as I took a step forward.
When we came in the kitchen, we saw everyone (with the exception of Eric who was putting all the unused things back in the cupboard) taking a seat around the table, taking a moment to gather all their thoughts. A few minutes later, when the silence was just about to become awkward, Auntie proposed to have some tea and relax. Of course, the usual conversation between the women arose, with Mom telling her to not bother and tire herself about it. And as usual, the men settled down this little discussion in their own way.
"Actually, some tea would be the most welcome right now. We surely had quite a rough time today, hehe", said Uncle as Dad nodded in agreement.
Hence, Auntie went to boil the water as Mom was taking out the cups. Eric also agreed to have some tea. He should be feeling tired too, after such an adventure. I kept looking at that jovial and heart-warming scene that was going on, and could not help to think about the contrasting atmosphere that had surely already taken over at the poor girl's house. Why could everyone's life not be as calm and happy as ours...? Why did things have to take such a loathsome turn!?
"I-uh... I think I'll have a quick shower... I feel quite heavy and slow...", I managed to let out, although I quickly threw a glance at everyone as I said those words. I did not bother about Mom and Dad's reaction as I have been over at Chanyeol's as long as I can remember,and I have, many a times, worn his clothes.
"Of course dear! Yes, I understand how you feel right now, and a good bath will certainly be relaxing. Go ahead-"
"Oh come on, can't you wait till we are home to do this ?" said Mom.
As much as I was sure that she was not going to mind me having a bath here, I was just as sure that she was going to say something something like that. Before asking to have a shower, I had thought about holding on everything that was going on in my mind and bearing with it till we got home, but in the end, it was just as if I were queasy; vomiting everything out was always better than retaining it in your throat for thirty minutes.
"Oh let her bathe, will you ? And it's not like it's the first time that she is doing it here, hehe. You go ahead and have a bath dear. Chan, give her some clothes to put on", smilingly said Auntie.
I smiled, nodded thankfully and made my way to the bathroom while Chanyeol was following me. As soon as we were out of the kitchen and out of our folks' sight, I felt two strong arms wrapping up around my waist and hugging me tightly. Again, I could help but sob. What had that poor girl gone through, what ever had been done to her, under what circumstances had she been found, what was actually going over at her house... All of this was swirling constantly in my head, so much so that it was even beginning to ache a little.
"I know it must be difficult for you to accept that", whispered Chanyeol as he rubbed my arms. "I am here for you. I will be with you and help you with that, okay ?" he said as he lightly kissed my forehead again. "For now, go on to the bathroom; I'll bring you your clothes in a moment okay ?" he finally said as he let go of me, turned me around and comforted me with his warm and comforting smile.
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I was really lucky to have found Chanyeol; I was really lucky to be able to watch his soft and warm smile each and every day of my life. I wonder why was there not more people like him: why could there not be a Chanyeol in each household of the world ? His simple smile would be enough to make you think twice before taking any drastic measures. Or better, he would be able to talk you out of any rash thoughts you have had, so that you would not end up making any drastic decisions itself!
This time around, instead of simply smiling back at him, I pulled him in and whole-heartedly pressed my lips on his soft cheek, thanking him for having supported and reassured me, as always. A big smile grew on his face, enlightening the whole atmosphere; for a while, I almost forgot why I was so depressed...! But as I entered the bathroom, the whole Dark Ride incident came flashing back in my mind...
By the way guys, this is Chapter 61; 61 being Chanyeol's number in EXO!! Thank you for your immense support and unconditional love...! MUAAH♡♡
