4 X 7 Dreams

Act 2, Scene 14

"How did you and Violet end up together?" he finds himself asking one day while Hana is curling her hair in the bathroom and he's reclining on her couch, still trying to come up with ways to get back his senior.

Hana sticks her head out of the doorway, curler still in hand. "Her brother is one of our seniors at the university we go to. He had a crush on me, and he figured the only way I would talk to him is if he sent his sister in first. Too bad for him that I lean more towards girls. So I saw his sister, and I was gone. I entertained her brother for awhile, but even he knew it wasn't there, eventually Violet asked me if I heard of this one band we like that's also kind of code for I'm-not-straight, and I asked about her name, and then I told her brother that I'm just not into him, and here we are today."

Krist blinks, sitting up, before sighing and laying back down. "That's not fun at all."

"I'm surprised she had the guts to say anything at all," Hana says, head disappearing into the bathroom once again. "She's just brave like that." Her head appears once again. "Are you brave, Krist?"

Said man attempts to lift his shoulders, but it's hard to do so when horizontal. He settles for throwing his hands up instead. "Not sure. I'd like to be."

Hana hums before going back into the bathroom. "See, that's the issue with you—you're never sure in anything, it seems."

"I'm sure in some things!" Krist argues.

"Really?" Hana asks. "Like what?"

Krist opens his mouth to respond, but then phantom lips are on his and phantom hands are on his waist and I always want to feel like this rings in his ears. "Nothing," he chooses to say instead. "You're right."

Hana doesn't respond.

Krist is about to ask if she's okay, but she beats him to it.

"Are you all right?"

Krist blinks. "Sorry?"

"You changed your answer," Hana states. "Are you okay?"

"I...," Krist licks his lips. "When I was with him, I felt really sure of myself. I felt like I was myself when I was with him, and everything felt endless. I was really sure of things in those moments."

"And you don't want those to be moments anymore, I'm guessing," Hana says from the bathroom. "You want to always be sure of things."

"I thought you said you're not a psychic?" Krist jokes.

Hana doesn't laugh. He allows himself the thought that she at least smiled.

"Krist," she says suddenly, and her voice sounds soft, but he doesn't think it's from the distance.

"Yeah?" he sits up.

"You really just need to apologize for now," she advises. "Thinking about it, he's a rational person. If you just explain the situation, it's likely he'll understand it, much like he understood us."

Krist swallows. "I know, but that's not it. I want to do that and more. I want—"

"What about what Singto wants?" Hana asks, finally stepping out of the bathroom, hair fully curled. "Have you ever considered that he's grateful for the break?"

"What?" Krist's heart seems to be stuck in his throat.

Hana sighs. "Krist," she says, moving to rest a hand on his head, fingers tangling into his hair, "I think... he really loved you, and I think you bursting back into his life like that—the way that you are—what if he doesn't want that?" She runs her fingers through his hair, and Krist watches the way her eyes watch him. "Don't be too much too soon, okay?"

Krist catches her wrist in his hand when she moves to run her fingers through his hair again. "Hana," he begins, making her eyes lock on his, "I love you, I really do, trust me, and I love your advice, but I think," he closes his eyes and sucks in a breath before meeting her gaze once again, "this is something I need to do on my own."

Hana stares down at him, searching for something in his expression, something he isn't sure is there. Whether or not she finds it, she doesn't show it on her face. Eventually, she nods. "Okay," she concedes. "Okay."