School continued, life continued. Everything was the same, at the same time it was not.
Hannah, Lu Han, Kai and I still sat together at lunch, and near Thanksgiving, even Chris took permanent residence on our lunch table. I tried to shoo him away but I realized that he was actually being a softie because lunch was his way of spending more time with me since he was leaving home soon.
Everything was awkward at first, what with me and Kai dating, Lu Han going along with it and even attempting to tease us, Hannah laughing at his failure, and Chris behaving unnecessarily like an older brother. But then someone would slip out of their 'role' in our table, and we would laugh. Bit by bit, we overcame the wall of awkwardness around us and fell in sync with each other.
Near Christmas, Kai officially became my boyfriend. He even asked me in the presence of my parents. You would think we were getting married with the kind of surprises he was throwing.
Lu Han, on the other hand, got really popular in our last year in junior high. For some reason, the girls flocked wherever he went. And with his natural playful aura, the girls just won't leave him alone.
But even with his popularity, there wasn't a day where he failed to set up a prank for me. It had become a daily tradition for us. There were even some days when I had actually looked forward to it.
Really, I couldn't have asked for a better last year in junior high. I basically had everything I wanted. But then again, I shouldn't have thought that. I shouldn't have tempted fate to try and mess with me again.
It was when we were nearing the end of the school year when I felt that things were suddenly changing again. Hannah got busy with her afterschool activities and without her, Lu Han didn't like tagging along with my dates with Kai. It was also becoming obvious that Chris and Kai were getting busy preparing for college.
I was thinking about all these things when Lu Han climbed his way through my window one week before the end of the school year.
"You do know I have a door, right?" I said, standing up from my desk and went to open the said door in an exaggerated manner.
Lu Han chuckled and let himself fall backward on my bed. "Relax, Yeonie."
"You know," I said, crossing my arms together, "you never did stop using that stupid nickname."
The side of his mouth quirked up into an amused smile as he stared at the ceiling. "And who told you I would ever stop using it?"
"Fine, whatever," I said, waving off the topic. "So what's up?" I dragged the chair from the desk to the side of the bed and perched myself on it.
It always amazed me how much different we were now compared to the us several years ago. If Hannah was my girl best friend, Lu Han had certainly become her boy counterpart.
Lu Han told me about all his fangirls, how they were all asking him to be their date on the Year-End Dance, the dance held at the end of the year for the senior classes in junior and senior high school.
"So, whose invitation did you accept?" I asked, curious as to who might have possibly caught Lu Han's eye.
He just shook his head and then rolled sideways, propping his arm against the bed so he can set his head on his palm.
"Oh come on, there must have been at least one girl out there whom you like," I insisted.
He chuckled. "There is, in fact, a girl that I like, Yeon," he confessed.
I jumped out of my seat and sat on the bed beside him. "Really? Do I know her? Tell me. Is she cute? Is she kind? Is she our classmate? Is she-"
His chuckle turned to laughter. "Sometimes I love and hate the workings of your mind, Yeonie. Because you've always been so naive and innocent."
"Hey! We're getting off-topic here! Who's the girl?"
Lu Han sat up and suddenly looked serious. "Are you happy, Yeon?" he asked instead of answering, totally throwing me.
"What? That's still off-topic," I answered.
He shrugged. "Are you happy?" he asked again.
Realizing he was very much serious, I answered, "Very," just as seriously. "Just like how I said I would be. Remember?" I thought back to our conversation at the treehouse when he asked me if liking Kai would make me happy. Though Kai was only a part of the reasons now.
A distant look crossed Lu Han's features as if he was trying to remember as well. "Ah," he said, recalling it. "Because of Kai."
"Not entirely."
He didn't seem to hear me as he got out of bed and returned the chair to my desk. "Well, listen, Yeon. I have something to ask." He seemed to be nervous.
I motioned for him to go on.
"Will you-" He hesitated and then shook his head. "It's about the dance, um... will you go to the Year-End Dance with me?" he said in a rush.
I blinked at the question. It was certainly a simple sentence and yet one that I couldn't answer without considering many factors.
First, there was Kai who, I was pretty sure, would ask me as well. Second, there were Lu Han's fangirls who would bury me alive if they would see me with him at the dance. Third, there was my heart. For some reason, it had beat rather loudly after Lu Han asked his question.
"Uh-" I said, stalling.
Lu Han smiled then, but why do I feel that he wasn't really smiling? "It's okay, Yeon. I already know your answer."
"I didn't even answer yet."
"I could already see it in your eyes. It's okay. It makes sense anyway that you're going with Kai."
Did he also see my hesitation?
"Be my practice partner then," Lu Han said, taking out his phone and fiddling with it for a second. Before I could ask what he meant, a soft melody was already coming out of it.
I watched with wide eyes as Lu Han offered me his hand. "For the Year-End Dance. For practice."
"You mean now?"
"I don't think there would be another chance," he said, his tone wistful.
I squinted at his hand suspiciously but put my hands in his nonetheless. "You're acting weird, you know?"
Instead of answering, Lu Han pulled me into the middle of the room, and just like that moment once upon a time in the beach, minus the awkwardness, Lu Han placed one hand on my waist, the other gently holding mine.
We waltzed around, with Lu Han's eyes never leaving mine. That goes to say that my eyes never left his as well. As the melody reached its end, Lu Han immediately let go of me.
"Something wrong?" I asked. Lu Han was being uncharacteristically out of character if that made sense.
Lu Han smiled and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Thanks, Yeon."
"For what?" I asked.
"For the dance."
"You're not welcome at all. You basically forced me into it," I joked and grinned at him.
Lu Han didn't grin back. He just looked at me, like really looked at me, as if trying to memorize every detail of my face.
My cheeks were starting to warm under his scrutiny when he suddenly blinked as if realizing what he was doing and turned around.
"Have fun with Kai at the dance, Yeon," he said, and then he began climbing his way towards his room.
Kai didn't even ask me yet. I wanted to say. "Wait Lu Han, what does that mean? Are you not going?"
He shrugged. "I might or I might not. It depends whether I could think of an epic prank for you at the dance." He finally grinned and I sighed in relief because he looked like he was back to normal.
"Hey! Don't you ever embarrass me during the dance! Or else-" I said, giving him an empty threat.
He just laughed. "Alright, Yeonie. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Lu Han."
The night of the dance came, but Lu Han didn't. In fact, he didn't come to our recognition as well. In addition to that, he disappeared for the whole summer that followed.
My heart ached, not knowing why he disappeared. It ached even more when I thought back to the last night that we talked, thinking I could have done something to ask him to not go had I known he would be leaving. Because how dense could I really be? Why couldn't I pick up that something was wrong that evening?
No amount of thinking brought Lu Han back though. All I could do was to wish every day that he would return.
All throughout that summer, it was what I did. I kept looking out of my window, hoping his curtain would one day lift and I would be able to see his grinning face again.
All throughout the summer, I waited, waited and waited. All because of him.