28

"How's the concert?"

I turn my head and see Khittan casually leaning against the wall, watching me splashing my feet inside the pool after the online concert ended.

"It was fun. It's different when you buy a VIP pass. I feel like I'm in the concert for real," I give him a response. He nods as he joins me as well, dipping his feet while looking at the sky.

"We haven't talked since that night," I put on my brave face and ask. Ever since the night when our nightmare connected, Khittan put a distance between us. He purposely avoided me. I want to talk about it. However, I know there is no way I can force him.

That night, he looked tormented. The nightmare affected him so badly. Yug wasn't lying when he told me the facts about the dream. I lost count of how many times he apologized for something that I only experienced in a dream. Sounds ridiculous but that's what it is.

"I don't know how to start. I bet you might think the act is pretentious. I don't know. Your trust is too golden and precious to have and hold," he says.

Well, those notes are true, indeed! I mean, look how we start the whole story of us; him stalking me, he kinda makes me intimidated. He could be a liar, maybe somehow he overheard my conversation in some places. Yet, logically speaking, that will be somehow ridiculous as well!

I guess opening up my heart a bit won't hurt me a bit!

"Destiny is cruel to put us in this kind of situation. Sometimes, I just hope that I wasn't born at all. Having a fact-logical family like mine, there is no room to discuss this matter. My brothers might think that I'm purposely seeking attention from people. My father might think that I made excuses to rebel without a cause. My mother... Well, patriarchal family, what did you expect!" I make a long-ass complaint. Just to light up some mood so Khittan will open up and talk about how he feels.

"So, The House of Sun never changed?"

"Even when pigs fly, it won't!"

"Pigs can fly now, you know?"

"Don't tell me you gonna say they board a plane!" I point out my finger to him. He snickerly laughs and nods.

"That's a lame joke, sire!"

"Wow, you call me sire! Do you agree to be my subject now?"

"I'm always a Franscosian, no matter what!"

"You almost make a loop with your tongue when you spell that out," Khittan teases me. I stick my tongue out while making a mocking face.

"My tongue is fine!" he shakes his head a bit, staring at my face with his hooded eyes.

"Stop it..."

"Why? Am I being rude?" I mock him. He just stuns there. I can see his throat bobbing up and down.

"No... I-"

"What?"

"I might lose control... I don't want that," immediately, I shut my mouth. Again, we both stared at the sky.

"All this time, I thought we hated each other in the past. Turns out to be it's only a partial of the whole story," I say. Khittan sighs as he folds his legs and puts his face on his knees.

"If you have a chance to meet the previous Karin, what do you wanna tell her?" he asks.

"Kill The Crown Prince when she got a chance,"

"Man, that's cruel!"

I laugh.

"I don't know. Maybe, I'll tell her the whole truth. Beg her not to hold a grudge against you so she can alter the future," I answer Khittan's question earnestly.

"So, you wish that we never met?"

"Yes. I have a reason for that,"

Khittan looks depressed.

"I think you got me wrong there, Khit," I stare at him. Now, my position is almost as same as his.

"I wanna stop Karin from having the grudge so you can live at ease. No more nightmares, no more guilt. Just... Live in peace," I explain.

"What about the part of our meeting?"

"I wish we could meet in another situation. Like two strangers who lock eyes on the street,"

Somehow I feel heavy. Watching Khittan gazing upon me with his doe eyes, I wish things wouldn't turn out to be cruel to him.

"Karin, if we met as a stranger, would you fall in love with me if I pursued you?"

That's a good question, indeed!

"I don't know, Khit. People meet unexpectedly. Sometimes, we meet the right people at the wrong time. Vice versa,"

"So, we are two right people who met at the wrong time?"

"Perhaps maybe two wrong people who met at the right time," I twist my words.

"Or, maybe we are indeed destined to meet at such a wrong time, for us. But in reality, it's the right time?" asks Khittan.

"That's what I told you... Stop watching those romantic series! Now, you make a sharp corner and twist all those words just because you're a hopeless romantic!" I playfully smack his shoulder.

"What? I'm not wrong, am I?"

"Yes, but that's cheesy!"

"Don't blame me if you're born to be antiromantic!"

"Excuse me, my romance side is only for the special one!"

"I never saw you act romantic towards Jun..."

And here I am, biting my tongue!

"He's a kid,"

"Now you do realize it!"

I give Khittan a snarky look.

"Come on, you are younger than me too!"

"Five years is nothing compared to ten,"

"Oh... Now you wanna fight? Really?"

So... The night ends just like that. A childish bickering between me and Khittan. I will be lying if I say I don't feel anything towards him now. It seems like every day he shows his quality. Now I'm worried my heart might waver to some other place rather than stick in course... I don't know.

Should I blame the closeness for this? Or perhaps, the air that lingers around us?