Lovely Nights || Zhong Chenle

37

I was walking to the schools library to meet up with Suyeon and Sarang before classes when I felt someone unexpectedly grab my shoulder. It was Chenle who seemed to be unusually happy this morning.

"Good morning to you too....?" My words sounded more like a question rather than a greeting. But who could blame me? It was unusual for Chenle to ever talk to me at school.

He looked around and lowered his voice before finally talking to me.

"Do you remember when we were in grade school and we were assigned that one space project?"

I raised an eyebrow confused by his odd question. "Yea, weren't we assigned to study some type of asteroid?"

"Comet." He corrected me.

"Same thing." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Actually a comet is made up of ice, d-" He stopped talking when he noticed my blank expression. "Anyway that's not really important."

"Chenle I have final exams to study for so if you're done wasting my ti-"

"Wait just give me a second." He began to fumble through his backpack, eventually pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "When we did our space project we were the only pair to be assigned a comet, it was the cremant-d7 comet."

I was surprised by how much he remembered but still confused as to why he was suddenly bringing this up after so many years.

"What's this?" I asked as he handed me the wrinkled sheet of paper.

"After a long one hundred and twenty seven year orbit, that is the next date and time that it will be visible from earth." He replied, a smug expression on his face.

I widened my eyes, "Thats this New Years eve! During our senior trip."

"12:02 AM to be exact." Chenle smirked. "Our comet will be visible and we will be at the perfect spot to see it."

Our?

It was such a simple word but somehow it made my heart beat like crazy.

"H-How? We will be on the school trip?"

"Leave that to me." He took back the paper from my hand. "I already have everything planned out." A proud mysterious smile set on his lips before walking away.

I bit my tongue trying to suppress my own smile and hurried off to the library where Sarang and Suyeon were waiting.

"Sorry I'm late, I got a little held up." I apologized while pulling out my study materials from my bag.

It was the week of final exams meaning many students showed up extra early to cram before classes, as well as taking extra tutoring sessions after classes.

To my surprise Yoori also showed up and set down next to me.

"I invited Yoori, I hope you two don't mind." Suyeon looked at me and Sarang.

"Sorry," Yoori apologized. "I'm the one who asked Suyeon if I could join you. I guess becoming friends with Jeno came with the price of having all the girls in my homeroom class not particularly like me."

"O-Of course we don't mind." I forced a smile.

Sarang on the other hand just nodded quietly and looked down at her book. I could tell that she didn't take a liking to her but I wasn't very surprised. Sarang didn't really like anyone. She didn't like me at first and it took a very long time for her and Suyeon to finally warm up to each other. She could be very cold at times but eventually she would come around.