S E V E N T Y - T H R E E
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
Two days later, I sat in Minho's living room with Newt, Sonya, Frypan, Nari, Minho, Thomas, and Harriet. The rest was busy, so couldn't meet up that day.
Outside it was raining. Hard, with clouds darkening the sky and haze making the garden only half visible.
Minho didn't allow Nari to go outside in the rain. She got angry and was now stomping around until Thomas caught her in his arms. "See, if you go outside, your beautiful clothes will be ruined."
"They'll dry."
"If you slip you'll fall in the mud. Not good." Thomas added. "So I suggest you go outside tomorrow. When the weather is better."
"Maybe."
He chuckled and put her down again, then sat next to me. "There's not much news about the investigations. As far as I know they arrested Aiden and interviewed him like they did to you." He explained. "But my dad said you won't have too worry too much."
"Okay." Relief came as a wave of comfort. "Thanks, Thomas."
"No problem." He nodded. Took my hand. "So how are things here? For sure not bad, is it?"
I laughed. "It's really good, yeah. Luxe as hell."
"Please invite me to sleep here sometime. We don't have a hot tub and sauna in my house."
"You make it sound like it's unusual that you don't have it." Newt raised an eyebrow. "I'd say it's rather unusual to have it."
"That's why I wanna stay." Thomas confirmed.
"I'm not allowing you to stay if it's just for the hot tub, Thomas."
"And for Nari!" A long silence. "And you, of course."
Minho just hummed.
"Then I'll stay with Newt." He rolled his eyes.
"God, no!" Sonya spat out. "I've got enough of you two. At six in the morning I hear you beg for pancakes and Newt asking for cuddles, then you kiss all the time, and I don't even want to know what else!"
I laughed even louder, along with Frypan and Harriet.
"Anyway." Minho got up from his seat. "I've got to pick up my parents."
A day ago, I had asked him if he wanted me to come with him. He had said no and told me he would just be gone for a while, and also had to pick something up for work, so it would be boring for me.
"Will be back in about two hours, all right? Don't burn down the house."
Thomas was offended. "Why's everyone looking at me?"
Minho smiled while putting on his jacket. He gave me a deep kiss. "I love you." He whispered, then gave still-angry-and-stubborn-Nari a hug too, and also an "I love you".
Thomas pouted. "Do you also love me?"
"Sometimes."
"What about me?" Frypan asked dramatically.
"And me?"
"Yeah, yeah. Stay safe and don't sneak out. I love you all!" And he was gone.
We laughed, and even louder when Thomas stole snacks right away (that boy had no shame). Nari wanted to watch She's The Man again, so we did.
I lay under a blanket with Thomas and Nari. Everyone else shared a bigger blanket, except for Newt, who sat on a chair all alone, not watching the movie but trying to figure out how he was supposed to post a picture on Instagram.
"He's cute." Nari whispered Duke appeared on the screen.
"I agree." Everyone said.
Thomas got more popcorn. Some ended up on the floor and I ordered them to clean it up before Minho and his parents came back, which meant the movie got slowed down a few minutes.
We were choosing another movie, when Newt spoke. "Isn't Minho supposed to be back yet?"
I stared at the clock. Two hours ago he left. "Probably a busy road."
But after watching half of Twilight, he still wasn't back. I couldn't deny that that got me anxious. Maybe he got into a fight with his dad? He was lost? The car broke down? A very busy road?
"Minho always drives very fast so he expected to be back earlier." Frypan suddenly announced. "And now it's raining and the road is barely visible. He has to slow down."
That made sense.
"Alright."
"He's cute too." Nari peeped.
"Which one?"
"All of them."
We bursted out laughing. And Newt shook his head, denying everything.
Then the phone went off.
"I'll get it." The blonde got off the couch. He walked to the corner of the room, where the main phone hung, as he motioned for Thomas to pause the movie so he could understand the caller.
I slammed my hand on Thomas's mouth to stop him from moaning into the phone again.
All the color drained away from Newt's face. "Uh, yeah." That's when Thomas stopped moving around and I took my hand off.
We looked at each other before turning back to Newt. He listened to the phone for a long time, his eyes slowly closing in horror.
Panic filled my chest and I could barely breathe when Newt said, "Yeah, we'll be right on our way."
"What's going on?" Muttered Frypan. Newt's hand started shaking, his foot tapping on the ground a few times.
"Thank you." When he hung up, the phone stayed in his hands for a long time. An anxious silence in which he just stared at the floor until Harriet asked what was happening.
"Give me your car keys, Thomas." Newt demanded. The boy did as he was told. "I've got to-."
"What's going on, Newt?"
There were tears in his eyes. Tears.
"I'll explain later. Just... Quinn should come with me."
I got up fast, panicked.
"Where are you two going?" Thomas walked after us. Newt didn't stop walking. He struggled to properly open the front door. Sighed a few times, obviously upset.
"Hey!" Thomas lay his hands down on his. "Tell me what's going on."
Newt blinked.
"Newt."
"Look, I don't want Nari to hear." He bent closer to us. "It's Minho. Something... something happened on the road. He's in the hospital but they don't know if he- you know."
Time seemed to stop. I froze. A long shiver went down my spine and sent goosebumps all over my body. I could feel all happiness be sucked out of me in just a second. Speechless, breathless, unable to move, I watched Thomas yell at Frypan to take care of Nari and not to panic and that we would explain later. That we would send them a text.
"Come on." Thomas was the one that got me to walk, yet I couldn't even feel my feet move. I didn't register I got soaked by the rain and that Newt started Thomas's Jeep.
"I should've come with him," I realized, staring straight forward. "I should've-."
"No, we're not doing this 'it's my fault' act." Thomas cut me off. "Newt, drive faster."
"What, you want the same thing to happen to us?!" He was too upset to talk normally; he nearly yelled the words.
I flinched. Swallowed deeply.
"Sorry." Newt apologized when he realized what he said. "I just mean... we don't want the same- yeah, you know."
"I know." I said, voice shaky.
"Do you know what really happened?" Thomas asked Newt.
"Slippery road, driving too fast, bad sight, two cars."
I took a deep breath, tears begging to fall.
"He's still alive, right?"
A silence.
"Newt?"
Newt held into the wheel tighter. Breathed in and out. "They're resuscitating him."
"They're doing what?"
"Don't panic. Please, just stay calm. I'm sure it will be fine. Minho's healthy. The doctors are well these days."
It didn't give me the reassurance it was supposed to give me. All this happiness. All our safe moments were ruined in my mind.
My heart was pounding in my ears and the world around me got blurred by tears and dizzy by my nervousness. My hands were sweaty and my lungs had a lack of oxygen. This couldn't be it. Our story wasn't finished.
Minho couldn't die.