The first week into the summer, Mom and Dad proposed a trip out of town. It had been a while since we were on the road and they thought we could use the change of atmosphere for a week. Plus it coincided with Dad's off days.
I would have gladly gone if it weren't for the pottery class that Hannah and I had already enrolled ourselves into throughout summer. Chris, too, had his basketball training camp in the woods. So the proposed family trip turned into our parents' trip.
They were leaving that day, and I was combing my room for the list of things I wanted when a paper airplane landed on the floor beside me.
Raising my eyebrow, I picked up the plane, looked out my window and across the other house.
"Good morning, Yeonie," Lu Han greeted, giving me a little wave.
Ever since the rat incident, something changed with Lu Han. Sure he still managed to find ways to annoy me relentlessly with his words, but "prank-wise", Lu Han had been more subdued. In fact, when I thought about it, Lu Han had completely left my things alone.
"I don't think having a good morning is possible with you around," I said then, grimacing at him.
He grinned without missing a beat. "You're so sweet, Yeonie, as always."
"And didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?"
He pouted.
I had to avert my eyes to avoid his face. Because as much as I didn't want to admit, Lu Han was becoming more good-looking as we grew older. It isn't fair having someone as good-looking as Lu Han as a nemesis.
"Then what should I call you instead? Jiji? Yeonyeon? Yeonji?"
"Hey! Stop murdering my name!"
He laughed, wiping an imaginary tear. "I'll miss your cute expressions, Yeon." Then he moved out of the frame of his window, leaving me wondering what he meant.
Mom reminded us to remember our meals and closed all the doors before going to sleep and to never let any stranger in.
"Mom, we'll be fine," I told her gently, smiling at her. "This neighborhood is perfectly safe."
"I know, I know. Still, Chris, take care of your sister, okay? Check on her as much as you can."
"Mom," I whined. "I'm fifteen, almost sixteen. Perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Says the girl who goes running to mommy for breakfast," Chris teased, pinching my cheeks.
"As if you're any different!" I elbowed his side.
Mom laughed and kissed each of our foreheads. "See you in a week."
"Enjoy your trip."
Dad hugged me and Chris, and then we watched them leave.
"So rat girl," Chris said, leaning his elbow on my shoulder, "are you going to be okay on your own?"
I swat his arms away. "I would survive better without you." I returned to the house and called Hannah. "What's the plan for the day? Pottery class doesn't start until Wednesday, right?"
"Not sure," Hannah said over the phone, her voice gruff. "I'm actually kind of sick."
"Aw, that sucks!"
"Yeah."
"Let me come over then. We can do whatever in your house," I suggested, feeling sorry for my best friend.
"Sure."
So I spent the day there. Hannah had caught a cold and she was too lazy to do something outdoorsy so we stayed in their living room and watched all the decent movies we could catch on different channels.
The sun was already setting down when I decided to go home. The wind was unusually chilly for a summer afternoon, the cold air pricking my bare skin.
I went inside the house, turning on the light switches as I passed. I'm not particularly afraid of the dark, I just like the house well lit. Chris had left a note saying:
I'm off to camp. Call me if you get scared of being alone.
-your one and only amazing brother
Rolling my eyes, I rummaged the fridge for dinner. Too lazy to bother, I settled for ice cream since I ate too much food at Hannah's anyway.
I brought my "dinner" to the living room and watched more TV. And an hour later maybe, after spending the day with Hannah, I realized something. I'm lonely. It was even the first time that I had not heard of Lu Han for such a long time.
Curious, I returned to my room and coughed loudly as I turned off my lights and eyed his window. But as dark as my room, there was no sign of Lu Han from across. For the first time, there was no goodnight from him.
"Psshh. So what. I love the silence," I said to no one and collapsed on to the bed. The next thing I knew, it was morning.
I woke up with an aching head and it seemed that I had caught Hannah's cold. Forgetting for a moment that I was alone in the house, I immediately called for mom. My voice echoed back to me and I had the sudden urge to call and bother Chris.
Before I could embarrass and doom myself to his eternal teasing for being a wimp, I turned to the comfort of my bed and slept in, not even bothering with breakfast nor with turning all the lights off; I have to turn them back on anyway.
Three, five, maybe seven; I didn't really know how many hours I had slept. All I knew when I woke up again was that the light outside my window was turning orange and my body felt like it was on fire.
My hands immediately flew to my forehead, and the heat that pierced my palm right after confirmed my suspicion. Great, Hannah's cold had just transformed itself into an unwanted fever, I thought bitterly.
I tried to sit up but my head threatened to split into two. I groaned and fell right back on my pillow. I just woke up yet I could feel my strength leaving me, my body getting hotter. "I shouldn't have taken that stupid ice cream," I muttered, closing my eyes tightly in hopes of stopping the head-splitting ache.
A few moments later and my tummy rumbled in agony. "Great, what else could happen, huh?" I spoke out loud, challenging whoever was doing this to me.
And just like that, the lights magically went out.
"Wow," I mumbled in disbelief. Whoever was running the systems of fate, that person is plain mean. Like Lu Han. Now that I think about it, where's that guy?
Then I remembered.
I'll miss your cute expressions, Yeon.
Does that mean he was gone as well? Too bad, I would welcome even his annoying presence for company, I thought, and then blamed my feverish state for the thought.
"Now I'm crazy," I whispered, exasperated.
I was closing my eyes when something crashed on the floor beside my bed. Eyes flying open, I found a sheepish Lu Han look-alike getting up.
"Oops?" he said, shrugging it with a grin.
I sighed in relief, mostly because it wasn't a rat and I was just being my paranoid self. Great, am I so lonely that I'm even dreaming up Lu Han in my room? I thought as I stared at the fake Lu Han.
"Wow, I already knew you'd be happy to see me but I didn't know you'd be this relieved," the fake Lu Han said, surveying my room with the remaining light from the setting sun.
"Yeah," was all I said, still thinking he was just my imagination.
That's when fake Lu Han frowned and sat on my bed, his face above me, his eyes seeking mine in alarm as his frown deepened.
I was starting to realize that maybe I wasn't dreaming after all when Lu Han pressed his palm on my forehead, his touch very much real and warm.
"Jiyeon Park," Lu Han suddenly admonished.
I swat his hand away from my forehead. "What are you doing here?" I said, my words all bark but no bite.
Lu Han seemed to realize that as he glanced outside the window. The sun was almost completely gone by then. "Don't you have a flashlight or something?"
Refusing to be beaten though, I asked again, "What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? Now, a flashlight?"
"In the cupboard. Down in the kitchen," I muttered grudgingly, but deep inside, I was just happy that I had someone to bicker with.
He left without a word and two minutes later, he was back and was focusing the flashlight on my face.
"What is wrong with you, idiot?" I managed to mumble, closing my eyes. "You're making my headache worse."
"Please tell me you've at least eaten," Lu Han said, taking the flashlight off my face, his voice-to my surprise- genuinely worried.
"I have," I lied automatically, my mind not quite wrapping on the fact that this Lu Han's priority wasn't about annoying me. But then my stomach just had to rumble.
I heard Lu Han sign. "Get up, Yeon," he said, his voice calm and resigned. "We're going to eat."
The thought of going down the stairs made me hide under the blanket. "But I'm so tired."
"Jiyeon."
"No," I said like a little child.
"Come on, Yeon."
"Noooo."
Lu Han didn't respond and I thought he had finally given up when all of a sudden, I shrieked in alarm as I got lifted out of the bed, blanket and all.
"What are you do...ing?" I asked, faltering when I realized how close his face was when I took some of the blanket off my face.
"Grab the flashlight," he said, totally seeming unaffected, gesturing towards the flashlight that was on the table with his mouth. "We're going down to eat."
"Are you serious?"
He shrugged as if it was obvious. "You said you were tired. Now grab it and so we can go."
I pinched Lu Han's cheek, curious as to how real the Lu Han was in front of me. "Wow, you're really real," I said, looking at him in amazement.
"You're supposed to pinch yourself if you think you're dreaming, dummy." Lu Han finally smiled.
My fever must have worsened since I suddenly felt warm all over. "Put me down."
Lu Han did as told. He grabbed the flashlight and went out of the room first. "Come on, Yeon. Don't make me come and carry you again. Unless, you know, you actually want me to. Then you can keep being hard-headed and-"
"As if!" Despite the heaviness of my body, I was out of the room before he could say another word.
After lighting two candles, Lu Han made porridge and just watched me after as I ate.
"Aren't you going to eat, too?" I asked.
"What have you been doing, Jiyeon Park? You ought to take better care of yourself," he said instead of answering before refilling my bowl.
I shut my eyes and replayed the last few minutes in my head. It really just wasn't possible in my world where Lu Han had always been the villain (well maybe not always). And yet, when I opened my eyes again, there Lu Han was, with nothing but concern in his eyes.
"Eat," he said, his voice gentle.
When I didn't move because I was still staring at the weird specimen before me that was Kind Lu Han, he picked up the spoon. Thinking he was going to start feeding me, I intercepted his hand.
It was at that point in time when the lights magically came back on. And what was so visible wasn't good. I was holding his hand! But more importantly, is Lu Han blushing?
He coughed awkwardly and I couldn't move fast enough, grabbing the spoon out of his hand and eating at lightning speed. And then I choked, and Lu Han laughed as he handed me a glass of water, breaking the awkwardness.
Lu Han took out his phone and dialed a number. I just watched not knowing who he was calling.
"Yo Chris," he greeted and I nearly spat the water on Lu Han's face.
I made an X sign with my hands, using telepathy to tell him not to say anything to Chris. My dumbass of a brother would tease me forever at how I got sick the moment everyone left me.
Lu Han had this amused smile as he talked to Chris. "Never mind. I forgot what I wanted to say. What was that all about?" Lu Han said to me.
"Chris doesn't need to know anything."
He looked at me suspiciously and then his eyes lit as if he just had a brilliant idea. "Sure, but only if you follow all the doctor's orders."
I groaned. "Sure, just please don't tell me you're the doctor."
Lu Han just smiled, his smile bright, his eyes crinkly.
When we returned to my room later, Lu Han fiddled with my phone. I threw the nearest pillow at him since I was already tucked in bed. "What are you doing?"
"I'm saving my number in your phone. It amazes me that we've known each other for years and you don't have my phone number."
"Do I need to? When you're just a house away?" Realizing the implication of my words, I rephrased, "I mean, why would I call you anyway?"
Lu Han just shrugged, happily handing me my phone. "There, I'm speed dial #3."
"3?"
"Your mom and dad must be #1 and #2. So I'll settle for the next highest priority, which is #3," he answered proudly.
"You are so full of yourself," was the only thing I could say, because really, at that moment, I thought that was adorable. I blamed my fever for the stupid thought.
"Seriously though, call me, okay?" He was looking at anywhere but me. "If, you know, you need anything."
I was too speechless to respond.
"Then goodnight, Yeon." He reached out and brushed the strands of hair straying on my face. "Sleep well. Please." He moved towards the window.
"Lu Han."
He stopped and looked back at me.
"Why are you doing this?" I didn't even know he could cook!
A pink tint colored his cheek and he quickly turned away. "Don't misunderstand," he grumbled. "I did this for, um, my own sake. If something were to happen to you, there's no one for me to annoy anymore." Then he hurried to the window without waiting for my response and began his crossover via the tree.
I laughed.
That day, I learned that Lu Han was a liar, a bad one at that. His flustered face was more than enough to give his motives away. It mustn't have been easy given our history, but Lu Han tried. No matter the reasons, I was grateful.
"Thank you, Lu Han," I mumbled, closing my eyes and letting sleep hug me warmly as I realized that Lu Han stayed when everyone else left.
That night, I slept with a smile on my face despite my aching head. Wanna know why?
All because of him.