Letting Go [EXO FANFIC FOR D.O.] (discontinued)

Chapter 7: Waiting

I woke up feeling sore from having done absolutely nothing. Maybe crying drained physical strength. I couldn't remember walking to my room after collapsing on the couch yesterday, but I must have at some point to be where I was now. I groaned as I pushed myself up from the bed and was greeted with the sight of a certain torn envelope on the nightstand. The letter was still there, waiting for me to do something. I picked it up and put it in the drawer with all my notes from Baek. Maybe it'll find itself a home there. Next to the empty space where the letter once sat, there was a sticky note.

"Found you passed out on the couch last night. Are you ok? :( We are talking when I get home. No buts. Get some rest today, I'm worried about you."

So it was Baekhyun who carried me to my room. I picked up the note. Read it again. And again. Then I gently placed it into the drawer with the others, silently hoping that Baek would never run out of sticky notes. If he hadn't told me to 'get some rest', I would've gone out again. Would've went off wandering again, maybe go to Xiumin. Maybe find Hwa Min.

Maybe find no one and lose myself in the city.

The notes grounded me to the apartment. So, simply, I decided to stay. The clock told me it was about 10 AM; he was long gone by now. Off to work with Chanyeol by his side. 

At this point, I didn't know what to think about that. On one hand, Chanyeol's a good guy who hangs out with us more than often, who brings us snacks and pays for our meals. On the other hand, I didn't know that much about him. I could only hope that Baekhyun could tell right from wrong.

All I could do now was wait for his return.

After a quick shower, I walked to the kitchen with my phone in hand to get myself some bread. I didn't feel very hungry, so I figured just the bread would be enough. The phone vibrated in my hand and I glanced at the screen. My eyes scanned the number and I clicked the green 'ANSWER' button.

"Yoboseyo?" I took a bite from the bread.

"Hey SooSoo, it's me. I'm calling from Chanyeol's phone. 

I nodded, not that he could see me. I wondered why I didn't have Chanyeol's number on my phone in the first place? Shrugging, I asked him, "So what's up?"

"How are you feeling?"

My eyebrows shot up. I hadn't expected him to call me just for that. "I'm, uh, fine."

He sighed. "Okay, that's good. I'll be home early today." I could hear the smile in his voice and I let out a short laugh.

"Alright, then I guess I'm cooking today."

"Mhm." A pause. "Try to stay inside today, okay?"

What did he expect me to do? All I could say was, "Sure" and after our goodbyes, I hung up with a sigh. Baekhyun thought I was going to do something stupid, no doubt about it. I wasn't sure how to change his mind, but I would stay inside. I looked through the fridge for ingredients for later and scowled at the things we had. I could've done with more, but I'd have to be satisfied with it. 

Falling back onto the couch, I brushed off the bread crumbs from my lap and contemplated what to do. Turning on the tv was an instinct thing, something to fill the room with noise. I flipped through channels absent-mindedly, unsure of the "what now?" a part of me was thinking. All I knew was that I had to wait for Baekhyun. 

I contemplated what to make him for dinner and figured we were missing one more ingredient. I'd only go out for a little bit, I told myself. Just a bit.

I grabbed my jacket, scarf, phone, and keys, and was out the door in a flash. 

Autumn was starting to evolve around us. It was chillier, but more colorful. I couldn't quite decide if I liked it or not. The supermarket was only a couple blocks away, so it wouldn't be a long trip. I wouldn't even tell Baek about it. No need to. 

The glass doors slid open upon my arrival. I walked in and took in the crowds of people scurrying around me, blending into the mass of bodies as one of them. I was just looking for one thing. Near the vegetable isle, I grabbed what I wanted and rushed to the cash registers with short, quick steps. Even though I'd be back home in just a few minutes, I didn't like making Baekhyun worry. Even if he would never know I was out in the first place. 

My head had been down whilst I was thinking and I accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh sorry-" I began to say, and I looked up to see Hwa Min staring back at me. I pulled down my scarf a bit and said, "Hi."

"Hi." She said back. I couldn't help but notice our outfits looked awfully similar. Black wool jacket, gray scarf, boots. She seemed to notice too, but didn't say anything about it. "What're you doing here?"

I held up the plastic bag in my hand. "Just...getting some stuff for dinner today. What...about you?" She didn't have anything in her hands.

"There's a coffee place jointed here, off to the side there." She stretched her arm and pointed over the isles to a destination I couldn't quite see. Her breath smelled like coffee -- that thick, earthy scent -- so I figured she was telling the truth. I nodded and we awkwardly stood there for a while. I wasn't sure what to say. She'd seen me break down, and I had sat there as she cried. We were far in our friendship, trusted each other too much to say too much.

"Is that all you're here for?" I don't know why I lowered my voice, but I did.

She shook her head, her mouth blocked by her scarf. "No. I met Kris."

What was it in that moment that made the world stop? My heart quit beating, my head started pounding. "Oh." Was all that came out. And "oh" was all I could think. "How'd that go?" It was impulse maybe, that made me ask that.

Min nodded just a little. "Good." She didn't meet my eyes.

"I see." I waited for her to continue, because I knew she would. Because a part of me wanted her to. "Would you like to come over to my place for dinner?" The words were out before I realized it. 

She looked up in surprise. "Um, I'd love to." My eyes popped. I didn't think she'd agree after just meeting that Kris guy. She followed me to the cash register and after paying, we walked back together. And we walked slowly, both of us. Maybe we just wanted to save the moment. The silence. How quiet it was with us, even though the cars and people around us were loud. We were stuck in this comfortable mode of not-talking. 

She suddenly stopped walking. Pointed ahead of us with the tiniest of motions, the slightest lift of her finger. Her eyes had this look to them. Of recognition. Of...longing? I didn't like the way they looked. I glanced towards the direction she was pointing in and saw that it wasn't a direction, it was a person. A tall, blond male with an extremely serious expression. He was a good head taller than me, his hands were in the pockets of his long coat, his eyes stared at the crossing sign, waiting for the light to change. It did, and he took long strides across the street.

"That's him." Is what she said, her voice barely above a whisper. And I knew what she was talking about. Her expression softened. "That's Kris."

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[131026] T^T IM SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED THIS IN A SUUUUPER LONG TIME!!!! Since I was in a rush to get this done and published, please tell me if you see any typos! On the side note, SMTOWN Tokyo just happened~ Very proud of EXO, they're gaining so much popularity recently, ever since their comeback. :) EXO, Let's love!