Chapter Text
Junmyeon sat on a bench outside of the hotel, thinking. There were just too many emotions running through him; anger, betrayal, annoyance, hurt... He pushed away the last one, denying its existence. What did he need to be hurt over? It’s not like they were close. He only went on one date with… him.
The brunette furrowed his brows and bit his lip, peeling off some of the dry skin. ‘I can’t let him get to me. All he did was play a game with me, and now that I know the truth, Yixing can’t do anything more. It will be fine.’
“Hey, there you are.” Minhee walked over with two glasses of champagne in hand. How she managed to sneak them past everyone was beyond him, “I got this for you. I found out about Yixing and figured you’d probably need this.”
He hesitated before taking the glass. He was no stranger to wines, but it was usually done in the privacy of their own home at dinner or perhaps a sip from his parent’s glass at a restaurant.
To hell with the logistics of it all. She was right. He needed something to take this edge off.
“Thank you.” Junmyeon poured back some of the drink in his mouth. They sat in a comfortable silence, looking up at the stars. “I guess it’s not all bad. Maybe he and I can become friends. Then we can run the school government in peace.” It was a nice sentiment, even if he knew it was unlikely.
“Yeah, maybe. Maybe this is a good thing. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Junmyeon downed his drink and set the glass aside, “I don’t trust him. But his dad is now partners with my family. That makes him like family too. It would only be beneficial if we could trust each other. But…
“…It’s easier said than done.”
“Precisely.”
“Well, you’re Kim Junmyeon. If anyone can make anything happen, it’s you. Give it time; I’m sure you’ll be best friends soon enough.”
“Thank you, Minhee. Honestly.”
It surprised Minhee when he hugged her. Junmyeon put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in. He needed some kind of comfort. It made her heart skip as she wrapped her arms around him in return. He sat there holding her, trying his best to feel something.
Perhaps it was his confused emotions, perhaps it was the alcohol, maybe it was both, but when he saw Lay walk out of the hotel to spot them, something took over. Junmyeon did what he never thought he could muster up the courage to do. He kissed her right on the lips, making sure Lay saw.
Minhee’s eyes widened before closing. Junmyeon had one eye peeked open on his target to see his reaction.
“Making out and underage drinking instead of participating in attending to the guests? I never thought you were that much of a rebel.”
Junmyeon broke away and glared at the offending party. “I guess I’m just feeling especially brazen tonight. I wonder why….”
“It’s all good to me.” Yixing leaned against the building pillar, “I just came out here to tell you that my dad wants to talk to you. You shouldn’t keep him waiting.”
“Oh, of course.” Junmyeon cleared his throat and quickly stood up, soberer than he had hoped to be. “If you’ll excuse me, Minhee. Let’s talk more later.”
She gave an understanding nod with a disappointed smile as he walked off. Yixing lingered, glaring down, “We’ll probably be busy for the rest of the night, so don’t wait up.”
He followed Junmyeon back through the entrance before she could get the last word in. Something about him gave Minhee a bad feeling. She wondered what kind of person he was. This time it was her turn to down her champagne.
----------
Baekhyun and Chanyeol spent most of the night and morning enjoying each other. It was about ten A.M. when they laid content after a morning of debauchery. Never in a million years did the brunette think this would happen, but after letting the humiliation pass over, he thought how glad he was that it did happen.
He lay there holding Chanyeol’s hand, staring at the inked markings on his arm, tracing the black lines with the finger of his free hand.
“I like your tattoo.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s sexy. When did you get it?”
“When I turned thirteen.”
“Whoa… Is there any special meaning behind it, or did you just like the design?”
The raven-haired male paused before responding, “It’s a symbol representing the organization my family runs.”
“Oh.” Baekhyun wasn’t sure how to respond and found himself awkwardly silent as he realized it was a gang-related tattoo.
“You hungry?” Chanyeol rolled towards the edge of his bed and sat up.
“Well, you gave me a workout, so yeah,”
The other boy chuckled, “Good. You can take a shower, and I’ll get us something.” He threw a towel at Baekhyun, who was still in bed.
He laughed, both weirded out and impressed at the same time at the sudden hospitality, “Well, as long as you don’t plan on poisoning the food, I eat just about anything.”
“Good to know.”
Baekhyun got off the bed. He watched as Chanyeol opened his closet, pulled a shirt off a hanger, and tossed it at him, “I’ll take you to get a new shirt today. You can wear this til then.”
“Well shit,” He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the tall male’s kind gestures. For a moment, he thought it was some ruse and didn’t completely trust the calm. But the storm never came. It was as if Chanyeol was a different person after their time together.
Baekhyun showered, allowing the warm water to refresh him and clean him off. As he stood there, letting the water fall on him, he wondered how this would affect their school life. He wasn’t ready for this… whatever it was, to be public knowledge. Everyone would scrutinize his decision to get involved with Chanyeol. After all, he spent most of the time trash-talking the other boy.
‘I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.’ He thought.
As he dried off, he looked at himself in the mirror. There were hickies all over his neck and chest. Baekhyun knew he’d have to use the cover-up he got for occasions like this. He secretly liked how it looked and smirked at the image looking back at him. Every time he woke up from a night with someone, he felt like he had an unkempt sex appeal, even after a shower.
The smell of food pulled Baekhyun from admiring himself and putting on his clothes. He was curious as to what Chanyeol had gotten them. He was surprised to see all kinds of breakfast options on the kitchen island; breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, orange juice, sausage, bacon, eggs… Nothing was missed. He sat at a bar stool and waited for Chanyeol to be seated before digging in. Baekhyun didn’t have high expectations, but this was surprising.
“It’s really good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” They ate silently for a little bit before Chanyeol continued, “You’re so quiet. Usually, you don’t shut up.”
“I don’t know what to say. We’re usually at each other’s throats but now that we’re fucking...”
“Ask me a question.” He took a bite from his plate of food.
“Hmm.” Was he allowed to ask anything? “What do you usually do on the weekends?”
“That’s easy. I work.”
“What do you do for work?”
“Normally? Doing whatever my parents need me to do. Making sales, collecting money, business stuff.”
“Oh. Are you close with your family?”
“Very. You?”
“Sorta? I like them, but my brother is the academic and gets most of the attention. My parents don’t care what I do as long as I don’t cost them a lot of money.”
“That explains a lot.” Chanyeol huffed an amused chuckle.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re reckless and attention-seeking.”
“Gee, thanks.” Baekhyun bitterly shoveled food into his mouth.
“I like that about you. You know how to have fun. You seem like you’d be able to adapt and fit into my lifestyle easily.”
“I guess that’s a good thing, then?” He questioned, not knowing if he should really take that as a compliment.
“It is for me. I can’t be with just anyone.”
“I still don’t understand why you want to be with me. I doubt we have much in common.”
Chanyeol shrugged with a smile and continued eating, “You piss me off.”
“But isn’t that everyone?”
The taller male snorted, taking their empty plates to the sink. “You like to argue and are a good fuck.”
“So, what you mean is that I’m not boring.”
“Exactly.”
“What can I say? I don’t like to be bored. Sitting back and letting life get away sounds miserable.”
Chanyeol walked behind Baekhyun, kissing his cheek, “We both need some excitement in our lives.” His hand rested at the top of Baekhyun’s neck, pulling his chin back so he could kiss his lips, “Alright, if you’re done, let’s get out of here.”
-
Chanyeol held onto Baekhyun’s hand and refused to let go, dragging him down the street and forcing him to stay close by.
“You know, my arm is bound to break off at this rate. Could you let up a little, please?”
“Only if you promise not to run off.”
“Why would I do that? You owe me a shirt.”
Chanyeol successfully pulled Baekhyun into a store before finally letting go, “Shop til your heart’s content.”
Baekhyun looked around, realizing he was in a store with only luxury brands. He nearly gasped when looking at the prices. “I- I can’t have you buy me something like this; it’s too much!”
“You’re mine, and I’ll buy you whatever I want.”
“Well… here.” He grabbed a plain grey shirt from a rack that looked similar to the tarnished one.
“Try it on.”
The shorter male awkwardly headed to the fitting room. Carefully, he put on the shirt and examined himself in the mirror. He could feel its quality, but the look was just okay. Definitely not worth the 350-dollar price tag.
A knock on the door got his attention. He opened it to see Chanyeol with a few more shirts in hand, “Try these on.” He barged in and hung some shirts on the wall, waiting. Baekhyun looked amused as he took off the grey shirt in front of him, barely breaking eye contact.
Chanyeol grinned, handing him a dark red and black button-up shirt. He tossed it on and turned to face the mirror as he buttoned it up. The taller male put his hands around him and stopped him mid-way, “That looks good, now this.” He took a black jacket off a hanger, spun the brunette around to face him, and helped Baekhyun into it. Tightening the jacket’s belt around his waist, he stepped back and admired him a little.
Baekhyun was surprised by Chanyeol’s good taste. Not only did it fit well, but damn, was he looking like a whole-ass meal.
“This is too much, Chanyeol. I can’t let you get this for me.”
“I’ll get it for you, and you’ll wear it for me at a party I have to attend.”
“What kind of party...” He inquired while changing out of the top and trying on the second one the other male picked for him.
“One that isn’t legal but is fun. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“No, you’re Byun Baekhyun. You’ll fit in well.”
“Well, I do enjoy a good party. As long as there are drinks, I’m down for anything.”
He finished trying on the garments and put his clothes back on. They made their way to the counter for Chanyeol to pay. He felt so strange letting his once enemy buy him such expensive items, but he wasn’t going to complain. Baekhyun could use him for at least this much if they were going to mess around anyway.
Why the hell not?
They made their way out of the store and back into his car.
“Oh, one more thing.” Chanyeol pulled a necklace out of his pocket. Baekhyun knew he did not see him purchase it.
“Did you… swipe this?”
Chanyeol motioned for him to turn around so he could put the necklace on him, and he complied.
“Trust me; they aren’t going to miss one necklace. I thought it would go perfectly with the outfit I got you.”
Baekhyun felt a rush of excitement and turned around to face Chanyeol with a small grin on his face, “That’s hot.”
“Hot? What happened to your ‘moral compass’?
“I think you fucked it out of me, and it broke.”
Chanyeol laughed, kissing Baekhyun, “Good. You don’t need one when you’re with me.”
----------
“Kyungsoo, your friend is here!” His mother’s voice shouted from downstairs.
He had spent the better part of the hour pacing back and forth, nervously waiting for Jongin to pull up. Now that he had, Kyungsoo made sure to look himself over in the mirror -for the hundredth time that day- and ensure he was decent.
He mentally thanked Baekhyun for letting him raid his closet that week in preparation. Of course, that didn’t come without the cost of telling him details of “the kiss.”
Kyungsoo rushed downstairs but forced himself to slow down so as not to look desperate.
“Okay, honey, have fun but don’t forget it’s a school night, and you need to be back by ten.”
“I will.” His mother gave him an embarrassing hug and kiss on the cheek that made him groan.
Jongin only smiled, not saying a word until they walked to his car.
“Awe, you’re a momma’s boy, huh?”
“Sh-shut up!”
They took their seats before Jongin planted a kiss on his lips, “It’s cute. Here I got you these.” He handed Kyungsoo a bouquet of roses, “I wasn’t sure if you even liked flowers, but I figured formalities for a first date wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“Thank you, they’re nice!” The shorter male blushed, holding them close to his chest. He was so happy as they drove away that he hadn’t even noticed his mother watching the whole scene from the kitchen window.
------------
Sehun lay curled up on the leather couch under a cozy blanket as he and Luhan watched their show in peaceful silence. The boys found a new series to watch. It sounded interesting enough and was a great help with taking their minds off what happened in the bathroom at the hotel. This became a weekly ritual since the day they met and arguably one of the more serene moments in Sehun’s life.
-
Two weeks.
Time felt frozen for Oh Sehun as the rest of the world continued to spin. Teens laughed happily and skipped down the school halls with their friends. It’s funny how the world seemed so happy and bright while the young boy felt so numb.
‘It must be nice...’ He thought bitterly.
Sehun sat in his last class for the day, staring out the window. The teacher droned on and on, but nothing she said stuck. He hadn’t done homework in over two weeks, and none of the teachers had the heart to lecture him about it. Not after the trauma he went through of losing his parents. All he could do was sit and stare blankly into the abyss.
His attention was drawn to a couple of kids whispering loudly and laughing as the teacher stepped away for a moment.
This was all wrong. He just couldn’t do it anymore.
Sehun could feel a buildup in his chest like he was suffocating. He needed to leave and fast.
The teen got out of his seat, ignoring the questioning looks from his peers and rushed out the door. Running through the halls, he shot out the entrance and off the campus as fast as he could. School was almost over, but the sun hadn’t quite set. The light was blinding, and Sehun could hardly see where he was going, but he had to run anyways. His feet refused to stop. He needed to go somewhere far, somewhere no one knew him, and no one would find him.
The boy ran past the streetlights that told him to stop. He didn’t care if a car hit him. He hoped that it would.
No such luck. The only answer he got to his prayer was loud horns and angry drivers yelling profanities at him.
Sehun could feel his calves aching for him to stop. His chest pounded, and he could barely catch his breath. His body pleaded with him, but he just couldn’t. He didn’t want to hear, see or feel anything anymore.
But eventually, his will lost against the limitations of his body.
It was finally getting dark, and he didn’t know where he was.
Perfect.
He stopped in front of a small building he had never seen before. The name “Lulu’s” shone brightly in a bold neon-red color above the window. By the way it sounded and smelt, he didn’t have to guess it was a local bar.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been caught dead in a place like this. Hell, he had never even tasted alcohol, but something told Sehun that it was exactly what he needed to forget everything and let go. The thirteen-year-old walked in feeling a bit overwhelmed. People were loud and laughing, but it was a different atmosphere than he had experienced at school. Somehow, it was a kind of lightheartedness that he wanted to join in on.
Sehun walked up to the counter, took a seat, and awkwardly asked for a drink.
“… And what kind of drink are you looking for exactly?” The person at the counter scoffed while he cleaned some glasses without even giving Sehun a second glance.
“Something strong, I guess.”
The bartender stopped what he was doing, looked up, and finally met his eyes for real this time. He was very pretty for a male. His soft strawberry-blonde hair fell in light waves. His eyes glistened, and he looked so innocent. Too innocent to be a bartender.
“Uh-huh. Sweety, I think you are in the wrong place. You don’t even look a day over fifteen.”
“One could say the same about you.” Sehun looked him up and down.
He was shorter than Sehun and looked a lot daintier. The nametag on his shirt read “Lulu.” Not the kind of person you would expect to run a bar.
The bartender smirked up at him. “Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment. But now you must go. I don’t serve minors; regardless of how cute they are, come back when you’re of age.”
“Lulu, right? Look, I have tons of money. I can pay you whatever you want. So just for one night, can you help me out?” Sehun looked like a sad, desperate puppy, and Lulu couldn’t help but sigh.
“I’m sorry, but no means no,” he said, tapping the teen on the forehead. It was a playful gesture, but Sehun couldn’t help but feel dejected. He slumped out of his seat and walked out the door. Although it was to be expected, it still hurt. He was hardly ever denied anything, and when he really needed something, he couldn’t have it.
Sehun walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. He didn’t know where he was, but that didn’t matter. A couple of blocks away, he could see the river. He made his way toward the edge and sat down against a tree.
The city and streetlights in the distance seemed to gleam with life. Even the night felt more alive than he did.
‘Why can’t I wake up from this nightmare? All I want is my parents back.’ Sehun felt tears begin to brim in his eyes and roll down his face.
He hadn’t cried when he heard the news that his parent’s plane had crashed. He didn’t cry when he was told that the bodies couldn’t be found. Hell, he couldn’t even cry at their funeral. He had been numb this whole time in disbelief—a walking zombie.
Why now? Why, weeks later, at an unknown spot, at a random time, had he just begun to cry?
He missed them so much. Sehun didn’t even know how to feel anymore without them. Just one more chance to hear their voices again was all he needed.
He closed his eyes, buried his head in his knees, and cried. The sting of guilt struck him hard.
Everyday moments that he once took for granted resonated in his mind. Sehun prayed over and over to let this all just be a bad nightmare. He wanted to open his eyes and be back at his house, reliving the many times when his mother would caress his hair while he laid his head on her lap.
Or when his father would offer to help him with his homework. He would do anything and everything to get that time back. To spend one last moment with his parents, finally, say goodbye, and send them off properly.
What did he have now?
He didn’t even know where they were. He only knew they were gone and would never see them again. He couldn’t even give them a proper burial.
Sehun sat there for what felt like hours. He cried so hard until his head pounded, and there were no more tears left. His eyes were red and swollen, and his nose was stuffed up. He probably looked horrible, but it was the furthest thing from his mind. He curled up in a ball and drifted off to sleep from exhaustion.
It was well past midnight when Sehun came around and felt numb again. The cool night air hit his neck, and he felt a chill, reminding him that he was still living this hellish nightmare.
The teen opened his eyes, and the city lights still shone in a bright blur.
Enough was enough. He couldn’t do this anymore.
Sehun walked up the path to the bridge.
What was the point? He couldn’t go back home. His aunt and uncle took him in, but their house felt empty. They were so different from his parents. They hardly ever spoke to him or his cousin. They were too absorbed with all the work that his parents left after the crash. His cousin, Junmyeon, tried his best to cheer him up, but what could he possibly ever know? He only cared about getting good grades to please his emotionless parents.
No, he couldn’t go back there.
When he walked far enough up the bridge, Sehun pulled against the cool metal railing. He stood there looking up at the stars. He prayed one last prayer to whoever was up there listening that when he let go, he could join his parents, wherever they were.
Finally, he looked down and swallowed hard. It was about a seventy-foot drop. Heights never made him nervous until now. He gripped tight and told himself that he had already made up his mind. He will do this.
Sehun pulled himself over the railing and held the bars behind him. He closed his eyes tight, trying to remember everything he could about his past. He began to cry again as he started to relax his hands.
“STOP!” A voice in the distance yelled.
~
Luhan had just finished washing the dishes and emptying the trash before finally locking up. The nights were starting to feel long and draining these days, but this bar was all he had. He didn’t hate his work, but it had left him feeling exhausted in the end. He decided to take the rest of the night off from his “extra” work to rest and buy some necessities for his bar and home. He looked forward to the nice long bath at the end of his journey.
Luhan got in his car and started it up. The clock on his dashboard showed that it was already 12:47 am. The only store open now was all the way across town. Crap.
“Okay, let’s get this done as fast as we can.” He spoke to himself before backing out onto the street and driving off. He turned up the volume to the radio and started singing along to some old tunes. It wasn’t much, but Luhan enjoyed these rare moments he got alone.
He was making his way up the bridge when he saw a figure in the distance. He slowed to see a kid sitting on the edge of the railing, looking down at the water. It was all too clear what was about to happen next.
The young adult parked his car on the side and rushed over as fast as he could. Luhan never considered himself a hero. He led a life of too much sin to ever be considered a saint, but even so, this was so wrong. He knew that if he didn’t intervene, the image would haunt him for the rest of his life. He already had enough guilt on his conscious, and he didn’t need to add this to the list.
“STOP!” Luhan cried out as loud as he could. His voice seemed to break the kid of his trance. The boy turned around to see who was yelling and made eye contact with Luhan. As he drew closer, Luhan remembered the face from earlier. His eyes widened with surprise as he finally caught up to the boy.
“Please don’t do it.” Luhan could see the tears in the kid’s eyes as he waited for a response.
Sehun was now reluctant to jump. He didn’t think anyone would come by, much less try to save him. He struggled to meet the eyes of the young bartender.
“Wha-What are you doing here?” Sehun stuttered, flustered, not knowing what to say.
“One could ask you the same thing.” Sehun looked down, not knowing how to reply. The only response was more tears welling in his eyes.
“Look, I know we’re strangers, but there must be another way. Please come down from there. I’ll help you figure it out, whatever it is.”
“I… can’t.”
“I knew something was bothering you when you walked into my bar. I just didn’t know how bad it was. If I did, I wouldn’t have turned you away so easily. I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but at least let me help you out somehow. I won’t leave you until I know you’re safe.”
Sehun knew there would be no way he could kill himself while an innocent person was watching him. He just nodded his head and climbed back over the railing.
Luhan reached out and grabbed his hand to help him down. “My car is just right there. If you don’t want to go home, we can go somewhere else.”
“Anywhere is fine.” Sehun barely managed to say.
He may not have known the bartender, but a sincere and concerned look in his eyes made him feel comfortable. He followed him to the car and buckled his seatbelt in the passenger seat.
The car ride back was short but silent. Sehun didn’t know what to say. Having someone witness his lowest point felt a bit awkward and slightly embarrassed. The car finally stopped in front of the bar from earlier.
“Well, we’re here. Home sweet home.” He gave Sehun a small smile before leading the way to the bar’s doorstep.
Luhan opened the door and let them both in. He followed him down a hallway and up the flight of stairs above the bar. The apartment was tiny compared to his parent’s or cousin’s house but comfortable. It was decorated with modest furniture and had everything a person needed who lived alone.
“Ah. Sorry for the mess. I didn’t expect to have anyone over tonight.” The bartender said while moving a pile of mail off the couch and onto the coffee table.
It wasn’t a mess, but he must have felt a bit insecure by the impromptu visit. In a flash, he had gone to the kitchen and come back with a glass of water. Sehun immediately took a long gulp after letting out a shy “thank you.”
“Seems like you haven’t had anything in a while. If you’re hungry, I can make us some food.”
“Umm…” Sehun didn’t know how to reply to all this sudden hospitality.
“Don’t worry; I’m hungry too. It’s not a problem.” Luhan tried reassuring Sehun.
“O-okay.”
“Oh! I almost forgot.” He suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “I’m Luhan. Most people refer to me as ‘Lulu,’ but you can call me whatever you want.”
“I’m Sehun.”
“Okay, Sehun, I am at your service. Anything you need, just ask for it.” He gave the teen a friendly pat on the head.
Sehun felt curious. Why is a random stranger being so nice and caring? He watched as Luhan made his way to the freezer and looked around for a minute. “You like pizza? That’s all I have right now. Actually, I was on the way to the store when I found you. Good thing I decided to do that tonight instead of putting it off.”
He chose to ignore that comment, “Pizza is fine.”
The young bartender was very chatty. As their pizza cooked in the oven, Luhan used the time to tell funny antidotes and tales of the crazy encounters he had at his bar.
The teen listened attentively. For once, he was able to focus on something. Of course, the previous events never left his mind, but the numbness he felt from the past few weeks was fading into a calm lightness. Luhan did his best to over-animate and even act out some of the scenes from his stories in an attempt to make the boy smile. It was working more than Luhan realized.
Once the pizza was done, he let it cool a bit before cutting up slices for them to devour. Luhan walked in with a couple of plates in hand, sitting down couch,
“Oh, I was gonna start a new show. Wanna watch it with me? I’ve heard only good things about it.”
“Sure.” Something about watching a good show sounded just like what he needed.
They sat on the couch together in peaceful silence as it played, laughing at the funny parts and staring in shock at the intense parts. Sehun was glad for once to feel something. He looked at the older male realizing that he wouldn’t have been able to experience this if it weren’t for him.
“What is it? Do you need something?” Luhan inquired.
“Ah no… just…thank you.”
The older guy smiled down at him; it was the first time Sehun had felt his heart skip a beat over someone.
“You’re welcome. You can sleep on the couch if that’s comfortable enough for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be out of your hair by the morning.”
“No need to rush. Stay as long as you need.” He patted the boy’s shoulder and got up from the couch, “I need to sleep. It’s already 3 am. Are you gonna be okay?”
“Yeah… I will. Thanks.”
-
“Sehun, it’s getting late. You have school tomorrow, no? You should go.”
The teen sat up and faced the older male, “How can I leave after what happened? What if you need me?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m an adult. I can take care of myself. You, on the other hand, are a growing teen and need your sleep so you can concentrate on school. Don’t make me the reason your grades slip. Otherwise, you can forget about hanging out here.” Luhan made sure to remind Sehun of their age difference to keep boundaries despite the younger boy’s attempts to push them.
“But you never know; you might need me if something happens. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch!” Sehun gave a cute pout and clung to his arm.
Luhan laughed. No matter how grown-up Sehun tried to act, there was no getting past the fact that he was still a teen.
“Sehun, I’m serious.” He pulled his arm away, breaking free from his grasp, “You need to sleep in your own bed. It’s not appropriate for you to stay here.”
The boy grew sad and pulled away, “Okay.” He walked to the entryway to put his shoes on.
“Hey, don’t be like that; there’s always tomorrow. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll give you a call if something does happen before then.”
“I know, I just…”
“I’ll be okay, and you’ll be okay.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”