Lessons From Romance

One Fine Day

Luhan was starting to feel cold now because of his soaked clothes. Comforting Namjoo earlier had kept him warm up till her tears ran dry. They were now sitting with backs propped against the walls. Like the past few days when he received no call from Namjoo, she also didn't talk to him for a long time. They just sat there and that was it.

For a moment he wondered if Namjoo was also upset with him; that he'd intruded on her time alone; that he'd made her cry by spouting stupid nonsense.

Luhan was starting to feel the chills, but he didn't move...couldn't move. He was afraid Namjoo would close the door on him, tell him to leave; go home.

"I think one thing we never tend to learn," Namjoo started so suddenly that he shifted his head to look at her, "is that people leave all the time, but we still let them come into our lives."

Namjoo's eyes were droopy and she suddenly looked tired.

"I placed all my happiness on Kai," she spoke, "but now that he's left, I have nothing."

"That's why you don't do it."

Namjoo slightly tilted her head to look at him, "You should know."

His shoulders rose as he snorted, "Whatever."

A breath of laughter escaped her as she mimicked his, "Whatever."

As if the mood had lifted he lightly laughed before they ended up laughing together.

Luhan ended up spending the night after borrowing some clothes and blankets from the aunt next door. It was totally dark in the room he was sleeping in. It was the very same room he and Namjoo had fought in.

While searching throughout the room he could barely make out any object. For a long while he hadn't slept on the ground, so he was uncomfortable. Shifting and turning didn't improve his comfort much. Suddenly sitting up he grabbed his phone and turned it on. It lit up the room perfectly with its majestic white glow.

Finally taking a look around Luhan slid off his futon when he spotted a photo frame sitting on the table to his right. Curiously reaching for it he held the light closer to the glassy frame. There was a middle aged thin man and a little girl sitting beside him. Without asking he knew that the little girl must be Namjoo and this man her father. Compared to when he met Namjoo who smiled a lot, this little girl was without one; just like the Namjoo he knew now.

Luhan turned when he heard the front door opening and putting the picture down got up curiously to see what was going on. After walking out of his room he turned to look at Namjoo's bedroom door. It was open. Turning to glance at the front door he reached out to slide it open and found the heavenly dark sky lit with white stars above his eyes. The stars looked like pretty beads glowing in the luminous dark. It was such a sight he almost smiled.

When he lowered his head he found Namjoo standing with her back to him. She, too, was looking up at the stars, but unlike him, he assumed she wasn't feeling bliss at the view. How lonely she must feel just watching such pretty things shine when she knew she couldn't share the sight with anyone important in her life.

She must be so lonely...

Slowly closing the door he returned to his room.

Luhan slept the rest of the night tossing and turning till his blanket was nearly removed from his body. When he woke up he felt a sore spot at his lower back and groaned while sitting up. Ruffling his hair gently he slowly sat there with his head falling forward as if gathering himself before finally rising.

Upon stepping out he saw that Namjoo's door was still closed and curious if she was still sleeping slowly opened the door. When he spotted the clean ground he further opened the door to discover that Namjoo had neatly folded up her blanket and futon. Where had she gone?