Triangle. |Stray Kids

Thirteen.

A day after the attack, Lino was fully awake. It turned out that a ghost showed up in the hospital, asking Lino for help and the boy couldn't turn him down. He followed the cunning ghost to the graveyard, not knowing what was waiting for him. Not knowing how dangerous that place was for those who could interact with ghosts.

The cemeteries and graveyards are the perfect places for evil spirits, lost ghosts, and those who held grudges and refused to leave this world. They start to lose their humane parts little by little till they are nothing but dark figures who are hungry for human energy. And that's why they attacked the boy, trying to possess him and when they failed, they drained his energy.

Two days after the attack, Lino could move around the house and walk without falling down. That was when he finally called his fiancée, Mia, and told her where he was and that he was sick. Of course, he didn't tell her it was a ghosts' attack. He told her he simply passed out because of overworking himself. But that didn't assure the girl even the slightest.

Right after his call, they found the girl banging on Lilly's front door. Lilly finally met the girl for the first time and Oh girl! She was the definition of beauty. Unlike Lino's sharp breathtaking features, she had the softest features ever. A rounded face with rounded twinkling eyes, a small button-like nose, and heart-shaped cute lips. Her brown bouncy hair brushed her shoulders and her cutely trimmed bangs framed her face. That made Lilly think of what the outcome of this breading will look like. Definitely, mind-blowing.

Four days after the attack, Lino could go back to his work. He was completely fine and functioning well. Only one thing kept him uncomfortable. From the time he regained consciousness, Chris never showed up. Lilly told him about what happened and how their friend saved them both. She told him he came back with them to the house and then left and didn't come back. Lino talked to him on the phone and made sure he was fine. He sounded fine but something felt wrong. He felt like Chris was avoiding them.

A week after the attack, Chris was still not showing up. He passed by only once and it was because he needed something from the stuff he left in Lilly's house for his previous stay. Although it was a short encounter, Lilly could sense how he was cold towards her. During that week, he didn't text her first to check on her as he usually does and when she did to make sure he was okay, he would give her the shortest answers ever.

Lilly sighed loudly and huffed forcefully, pushing all the air out of her lungs.

"What?" Lino asked. He was sitting beside her on the couch in her living room. It was a weekend and they tried to make Chris join them for the night but he just declined, saying he was busy. "You've been sighing for the past hour." Lino whined. He was irritated by her frustrated sighs.

"Don't you think he's doing that on purpose? He's been sulking for a week!"

"Maybe." Lino simply shrugged but never lifted his head from his phone which kept him occupied since he came to Lilly's house.

"That means there is something wrong with him. He didn't come home except that once." Lilly tried to reason. Her voice was strained as if she was getting angry.

"He's home." Lino said and glimpsed at her shortly. "His home."

"Is he that busy that he doesn't even text me back or answer a damn call?" Lilly almost yelled.

Lino gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He didn't want to have this conversation. Actually, he knew what was wrong with his friend and what happened while he was passed out and that pissed him off. Lino knew, but he tried not to take a side and that was hard because he was angry with Lilly.

Lino dropped his phone and looked at Lilly, his eyes now flaring with anger. "Don't be pushy and give him his personal space, Lilly. He'll come around when he feels like he wants to come around." It came out more like a warning.

"Give him his personal space?" Lilly scoffed. "So, he can stray away from us? Don't you know how he keeps things bottled and close on himself?" She yelled.

"Huh!" Lino scoffed. "Looks like you know him well."

"What the hell was that?" Lilly quirked an eyebrow.

Lino breathed in deeply to try and find some peace inside of him but no. He found none. "When the hell will you stop that act of being stupid?"

"What are you tal-"

"The fuck just don't act as if you don't understand!" Lino yelled at the top of his lungs, cutting her words. "He's damn hurt! He's in pain and I'm pretty sure you already know it. You can feel it!" Lino stood to his feet and started passing his fingers through his hair, tossing it in every direction. "When will you stop keeping him around like that? You fucking know he's in love with you. But what did you do?"

Lilly was frozen. She couldn't reply as she felt the familiar feeling of guilt creeping up her body. Lino wasn't making it easier with how he was yelling at her, which was a first from her closest friend.

Lino sighed. "He was broken into pieces when you left. He was even more broken than when his mother died! I thought I would lose him. But then he learned to live with his pain for all those years. He locked his heart and carried on. He buried himself in work and whatever could distract him from you. Finally, he was better. He didn't move on but he learned how to handle himself. But what did you do, Lillian?" He paused to look at his friend who couldn't look back at him. She sat silent with guilt, hanging her head low and letting her tears stream down her face. "What did you do? You came back! You came and let all the walls he built fall but then again, you ignored him."

Lilly was sniffling by then, trying her best in muffling her cries as her friend was attacking her. But that didn't make Lino soften or go easy on the girl. He decided to let her feel a little of what his friend experienced. He watched his friend cry over her for long years and now it was her turn.

"He too was hurt. He was attacked just as I was. And you completely ignored him when he needed you the most. Yes, I was in a worse state but how could you just push him away when he was craving your support? Was it hard for you to ask him if he was okay? If he was hurt? Was it hard for you to hold his hands as you held mine or hug him and hold him close to you as you kept me in your arms for hours?"

Stepping back and rubbing his face, Lino continued. "I don't understand why you are doing this. You love him! I know you do. Then why are you torturing both of you? Why are you not giving up to your feelings?" He asked and waited for an answer but Lilly never lifted her head or uttered a word, angering him more. "You are a psycho, Lilly." He chuckled bitterly. "What world do you want to fix when you can't fix yourself?" He scoffed and walked away towards the door but not before he added a few more words.

"You shouldn't have ever come back."