Ripples [8]
A/N: I love having free time! Hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^
FROM CHAPTER 7:
“Fine.”
Naoko just looked at the two of them. As Kris got off the car, Naoko then patted Nichkhun.
“Why?”
“Because,” Nichkhun looked at her, “if your father sees him with you at the back, I don’t think you’ll be happy with the consequences.”
~o~
Two weeks has passed since the classroom incident of Kris with Naoko. She would dream about what could have happened if Kris didn’t stop. Everything that her parents did for her will be gone in an instant since she was willing to give herself wholly to him. She shivered about the thought of having doing it with him but she was, of course, thinking of what would happen next.
“Yah, Naoko!” Sungmin waved in front of her, “What’s up with you?”
Naoko just blinked and shook her head. Her best friend was wondering what made her stop writing. She just smiled to Sungmin.
“Nothing, really…”
“Well, Kris isn’t around today. Do you think he’s back to what he was before?”
As Sungmin said that, though, Kris walked inside the room. It was definitely late since it was an hour before their lunch break and it wasn’t the usual him. She wanted to talk to him but she knows that there’s something going on that even she won’t be much of a help.
“Am I a fool to fall for him?”
“Wait,” Sungmin coughed, “You’re in love with Kris? Seriously, love?”
“It’s different when I’m with him. I know that he’s not that ideal guy for everyone but, I don’t know, I just want to see him happy. Well, I want to make him happy, at least.”
“Oh em, Naoko Kujo, for the first time, you’re into a guy for real!”
Naoko closed her best friend’s mouth with her hands. All of their classmates looked at them and began whispering to each other. It was really a new story for everybody because, as a matter of fact, Naoko never had fallen in love for real.
“Could you shut up?”
~o~
Nichkhun sat beside Naoko as they eat their lunch. It was their first time to be on a ‘date’ and, as the rumor spread, Naoko was the new hot topic amongst the sophomore students. Their school was too small compared to others so news spread like wildfire that even the teachers asked her when she saw passing by at the cafeteria.
“I heard you’re falling for someone,” Nichkhun started, “it’s me, isn’t it?”
Naoko just kept on eating and looked away from her ‘date’. He, on the other hand, lifted her chin.
“Don’t tell me it’s Kris?”
She looked straight to him and stopped chewing. He nodded and continued eating.
“I… I’m sorry.”
“No need for you to say that.”
“But, I hurt you, Khun,” she slammed the table, “do you expect me to be insensitive to what I am doing to you?”
“Then, stop falling for him,” Nichkhun looked at her with a very sharp gaze. Everyone present at the cafeteria saw and heard what was happening. She stood up and pushed carelessly the chair. She left him and went on to the rooftop.
“I told you. Stop disturbing my nap.”
“Shut up, I need to talk to you,” Naoko sat beside Kris, who was lying on the floor with a handkerchief on his face. He looked paler and paler as time goes by.
“You know, I hate you for disturbing me. Secondly, if you’re just gonna rant again about him, I ask that you leave right now.”
“I won’t. I just, damn it, I just want to be with you for now.”
Kris sighed and pulled beside him a set of cookies. He shoved it at Naoko’s mouth which she took it angrily.
“What the hell?”
“Eat,” Kris said, as he shoved another cookie, “girls who are depressed must eat lots and lots of chocolates.”
She didn’t complain and she went on eating until she finished all two boxes of chocolate cookies. Kris smiled and stood up.
“I have to go. I have basketball practice.”
“Kris, I…”
“What?”
“Nothing, really… Just, take care.”
“Sure, you too,” he went straight to the door but he went back to Naoko and kissed her full, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
~o~
“Miss Naoko,” a maid came inside Naoko’s bedroom. She was reading a fictional novel and was about to sleep, “Your father is calling you.”
“What is it about?”
“About Mr. Horvejkul.”
Naoko rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to go downstairs but she had no choice. As she entered the living room, her father and mother were there. She knew that this was something serious. The last time that she had a one-on-one with her parents was when she refused to study in Japan for high school. She won that time but she wasn’t sure about this one.
“What is it, mamma, papa?”
“We… That means, me and your mother and Nichkhun’s parents had decided to make arrangements for your engaement. You two will be engaged by the end of the month.”
“W-What?! What the hell did you say?”
“It’s for your own good, Naoko,” her mother said with a big smile plastered on her face, “It’s Nichkhun, and well, I know that you’re so into him.”
“Wait, this is ridiculous. Why are we in a hurry for this engagement set three years from now?”
Mr. Kujo looked composed but Mrs. Kujo’s smile faded. Naoko knew that it was, somehow, connected to Kris.
“I’ve heard the rumors at your school, Naoko,” Mrs. Kujo said, “I heard that you were dating that good-for-nothing delinquent from Geom Saja.”
“W-what? Who?”
“That guy with blonde hair,” Mr. Kujo finally admitted, “Kris, that was the name that I heard.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! Kris is my friend! You should know that since you two arranged me for Nichkhun who, actually, happened to be a student at my school.”
“But,” Mrs. Kujo was in the verge of crying, “I heard you were fighting. I thought the two of you were breaking up!”
At this point, Naoko laughed. Both her parents just looked at each other.
“C’mon, couples fight most of the time!”
“Also, there was this kid from your school who told us she saw you at the rooftop with that bastard. You were kissing with him!”
Now, Naoko was cornered. She wasn’t careful enough to think that there were no other people at the rooftop every time she went to Kris. She fell silent and slumped at the sofa.
“Ha, I knew it! See, I told you, she was with another man,” Mrs. Kujo said triumphantly. But, as she was about to scold her daughter, Nichkhun opened the door of the living room.
“Good evening, ma’am, sir.”
“What, um, what is it, son?” Mr. Kujo asked.
“Why is our engagement by the end of the month?”
“Because,” Mrs. Kujo, who was gripping Naoko’s arm tightly, “Your woman had betrayed you.”
“Um, I don’t quite understand?”
“She was with that son of a devil, Kris.”
“Huh? When?”
“Earlier, at the rooftop of your school,” Mr. Kujo said. Nichkhun smiled which made Naoko’s parents surprised.
“But, that’s a lie, sir,” he said, “Naoko, we did fight earlier, but we were together all the time. I don’t think she was with Kris Wu because she was with me for the whole day.”
Naoko’s reaction was priceless for Nichkhun. He went towards her and held her hand. She blinked twice and turned to her parents, who were dismayed that they were tricked. When Nichkhun closed the door, he put his index finger on Naoko’s lips.
“Thank me later,” he whispered, “Come, I’ll drive you somewhere away from here.”
~o~
“Where are we, Khun?”
The driver stopped at an apartment building. Nichkhun gave Naoko some grocery bags, leaving the girl curious.
“If this is his-”
“Yes, it’s Kris’ territory,” Nichkhun smiled and caressed her cheek, “I know, I’m stupid but, I don’t think I have what it takes to see my Naoko sad and depressed. You need your chocolate anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need Kris, right?” Nichkhun asked her. She looked down to hide her embarrassment, “See? Okay, he lives at the 6th floor, door number 11. And, one more thing, I’ll only be at the 4th floor, door number 9, so that, we can go together to school tomorrow.”
Naoko nodded and rushed to the elevator with the grocery bags. She didn’t know what to do. Mixed feelings started to overwhelm her as she pressed the ‘6’ button of the elevator. She looked left and right and saw a signboard. She, then, went on to room number 11. She rang the bell and breathed heavily.
“Who’s it?” Kris said through the receiver.
“It’s… it’s me…”
He opened the door and Naoko became red. Kris was only wearing his boxer shorts with a very inviting facial expression.
“Ni-Nichkhun said that I give you these,” she gave him the grocery bags, but he pulled her to him. Naoko was startled for a moment but, when she saw her angel smiling, she felt relaxed.
“He didn’t want you to give you these to me,” he whispered to her ear, “He kept his promise that he will bring you here.”
He let Naoko inside and took off her jacket. She took off also her shoes and she was surprised that Kris’ flat was clean and very organized. She saw that even the kitchen wares were properly put on every shelf. She looked around a bit and saw that most of his things were black.
“Are you sure you’re going inside my room?” He asked her, when she stopped at his bedroom door.
“Yeah,” Naoko chuckled, “let me see how it looks like.”
Since she said yes, Kris opened the door and let her in. Naoko laughed at the sight of his bedroom.
“I knew it,” Naoko said, “Outside the bedroom, you’re a neat freak. But, inside, you’re just any other man.”
Kris just shook his head at her statement and hurried to get a shirt. Naoko sat at the edge of his bed and scanned his bedside table. She saw an alarm clock, an inspirational book, and a lamp. She looked at the top of his bed and saw there was a shelf of other books. Fictional, grammar, Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, even French was there. She then looked at his table by the window. Beside it was a couple of speakers and his music player attached to the audio cord.
Kris just looked at her as she scanned through his property. He smiled at the thought that she was like a kid, observing her new surroundings and goggling to every single thing she sees.
“So, what am I supposed to do here?” She asked. She then lied down on his bed.
“I told him that I needed someone to be with me.”
“You’re scared of being alone?” She laughed. He then lied down beside her and hugged her.
“No,” he said whispering, “I’m scared that he will be the first man you’ll be in bed with.”
Naoko’s eyes rounded as he kissed her forehead. She was scared that something might happen but she tried to relax herself.
“Naoko,” Kris said as he buried Naoko in a tight embrace, “I won’t do anything to you. You’re too fragile. All I want is to hear you alive beside me.”
“Kris,” Naoko pinched his cheek lightly, “I’ll never leave you. I’ll do anything just to be with you. Do you understand?”
“You don’t need to tell me that,” he looked at her, “You’re here right now. That’s all what I was asking.”
She knew that he was tired and any moment he will eventually fall asleep. She wanted to close the millimetre gap between them but she didn’t want to do it. She then just closed her eyes as she breathes in what he was breathing out.
FROM CHAPTER 7:
“Fine.”
Naoko just looked at the two of them. As Kris got off the car, Naoko then patted Nichkhun.
“Why?”
“Because,” Nichkhun looked at her, “if your father sees him with you at the back, I don’t think you’ll be happy with the consequences.”
~o~
Two weeks has passed since the classroom incident of Kris with Naoko. She would dream about what could have happened if Kris didn’t stop. Everything that her parents did for her will be gone in an instant since she was willing to give herself wholly to him. She shivered about the thought of having doing it with him but she was, of course, thinking of what would happen next.
“Yah, Naoko!” Sungmin waved in front of her, “What’s up with you?”
Naoko just blinked and shook her head. Her best friend was wondering what made her stop writing. She just smiled to Sungmin.
“Nothing, really…”
“Well, Kris isn’t around today. Do you think he’s back to what he was before?”
As Sungmin said that, though, Kris walked inside the room. It was definitely late since it was an hour before their lunch break and it wasn’t the usual him. She wanted to talk to him but she knows that there’s something going on that even she won’t be much of a help.
“Am I a fool to fall for him?”
“Wait,” Sungmin coughed, “You’re in love with Kris? Seriously, love?”
“It’s different when I’m with him. I know that he’s not that ideal guy for everyone but, I don’t know, I just want to see him happy. Well, I want to make him happy, at least.”
“Oh em, Naoko Kujo, for the first time, you’re into a guy for real!”
Naoko closed her best friend’s mouth with her hands. All of their classmates looked at them and began whispering to each other. It was really a new story for everybody because, as a matter of fact, Naoko never had fallen in love for real.
“Could you shut up?”
~o~
Nichkhun sat beside Naoko as they eat their lunch. It was their first time to be on a ‘date’ and, as the rumor spread, Naoko was the new hot topic amongst the sophomore students. Their school was too small compared to others so news spread like wildfire that even the teachers asked her when she saw passing by at the cafeteria.
“I heard you’re falling for someone,” Nichkhun started, “it’s me, isn’t it?”
Naoko just kept on eating and looked away from her ‘date’. He, on the other hand, lifted her chin.
“Don’t tell me it’s Kris?”
She looked straight to him and stopped chewing. He nodded and continued eating.
“I… I’m sorry.”
“No need for you to say that.”
“But, I hurt you, Khun,” she slammed the table, “do you expect me to be insensitive to what I am doing to you?”
“Then, stop falling for him,” Nichkhun looked at her with a very sharp gaze. Everyone present at the cafeteria saw and heard what was happening. She stood up and pushed carelessly the chair. She left him and went on to the rooftop.
“I told you. Stop disturbing my nap.”
“Shut up, I need to talk to you,” Naoko sat beside Kris, who was lying on the floor with a handkerchief on his face. He looked paler and paler as time goes by.
“You know, I hate you for disturbing me. Secondly, if you’re just gonna rant again about him, I ask that you leave right now.”
“I won’t. I just, damn it, I just want to be with you for now.”
Kris sighed and pulled beside him a set of cookies. He shoved it at Naoko’s mouth which she took it angrily.
“What the hell?”
“Eat,” Kris said, as he shoved another cookie, “girls who are depressed must eat lots and lots of chocolates.”
She didn’t complain and she went on eating until she finished all two boxes of chocolate cookies. Kris smiled and stood up.
“I have to go. I have basketball practice.”
“Kris, I…”
“What?”
“Nothing, really… Just, take care.”
“Sure, you too,” he went straight to the door but he went back to Naoko and kissed her full, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
~o~
“Miss Naoko,” a maid came inside Naoko’s bedroom. She was reading a fictional novel and was about to sleep, “Your father is calling you.”
“What is it about?”
“About Mr. Horvejkul.”
Naoko rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to go downstairs but she had no choice. As she entered the living room, her father and mother were there. She knew that this was something serious. The last time that she had a one-on-one with her parents was when she refused to study in Japan for high school. She won that time but she wasn’t sure about this one.
“What is it, mamma, papa?”
“We… That means, me and your mother and Nichkhun’s parents had decided to make arrangements for your engaement. You two will be engaged by the end of the month.”
“W-What?! What the hell did you say?”
“It’s for your own good, Naoko,” her mother said with a big smile plastered on her face, “It’s Nichkhun, and well, I know that you’re so into him.”
“Wait, this is ridiculous. Why are we in a hurry for this engagement set three years from now?”
Mr. Kujo looked composed but Mrs. Kujo’s smile faded. Naoko knew that it was, somehow, connected to Kris.
“I’ve heard the rumors at your school, Naoko,” Mrs. Kujo said, “I heard that you were dating that good-for-nothing delinquent from Geom Saja.”
“W-what? Who?”
“That guy with blonde hair,” Mr. Kujo finally admitted, “Kris, that was the name that I heard.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me! Kris is my friend! You should know that since you two arranged me for Nichkhun who, actually, happened to be a student at my school.”
“But,” Mrs. Kujo was in the verge of crying, “I heard you were fighting. I thought the two of you were breaking up!”
At this point, Naoko laughed. Both her parents just looked at each other.
“C’mon, couples fight most of the time!”
“Also, there was this kid from your school who told us she saw you at the rooftop with that bastard. You were kissing with him!”
Now, Naoko was cornered. She wasn’t careful enough to think that there were no other people at the rooftop every time she went to Kris. She fell silent and slumped at the sofa.
“Ha, I knew it! See, I told you, she was with another man,” Mrs. Kujo said triumphantly. But, as she was about to scold her daughter, Nichkhun opened the door of the living room.
“Good evening, ma’am, sir.”
“What, um, what is it, son?” Mr. Kujo asked.
“Why is our engagement by the end of the month?”
“Because,” Mrs. Kujo, who was gripping Naoko’s arm tightly, “Your woman had betrayed you.”
“Um, I don’t quite understand?”
“She was with that son of a devil, Kris.”
“Huh? When?”
“Earlier, at the rooftop of your school,” Mr. Kujo said. Nichkhun smiled which made Naoko’s parents surprised.
“But, that’s a lie, sir,” he said, “Naoko, we did fight earlier, but we were together all the time. I don’t think she was with Kris Wu because she was with me for the whole day.”
Naoko’s reaction was priceless for Nichkhun. He went towards her and held her hand. She blinked twice and turned to her parents, who were dismayed that they were tricked. When Nichkhun closed the door, he put his index finger on Naoko’s lips.
“Thank me later,” he whispered, “Come, I’ll drive you somewhere away from here.”
~o~
“Where are we, Khun?”
The driver stopped at an apartment building. Nichkhun gave Naoko some grocery bags, leaving the girl curious.
“If this is his-”
“Yes, it’s Kris’ territory,” Nichkhun smiled and caressed her cheek, “I know, I’m stupid but, I don’t think I have what it takes to see my Naoko sad and depressed. You need your chocolate anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need Kris, right?” Nichkhun asked her. She looked down to hide her embarrassment, “See? Okay, he lives at the 6th floor, door number 11. And, one more thing, I’ll only be at the 4th floor, door number 9, so that, we can go together to school tomorrow.”
Naoko nodded and rushed to the elevator with the grocery bags. She didn’t know what to do. Mixed feelings started to overwhelm her as she pressed the ‘6’ button of the elevator. She looked left and right and saw a signboard. She, then, went on to room number 11. She rang the bell and breathed heavily.
“Who’s it?” Kris said through the receiver.
“It’s… it’s me…”
He opened the door and Naoko became red. Kris was only wearing his boxer shorts with a very inviting facial expression.
“Ni-Nichkhun said that I give you these,” she gave him the grocery bags, but he pulled her to him. Naoko was startled for a moment but, when she saw her angel smiling, she felt relaxed.
“He didn’t want you to give you these to me,” he whispered to her ear, “He kept his promise that he will bring you here.”
He let Naoko inside and took off her jacket. She took off also her shoes and she was surprised that Kris’ flat was clean and very organized. She saw that even the kitchen wares were properly put on every shelf. She looked around a bit and saw that most of his things were black.
“Are you sure you’re going inside my room?” He asked her, when she stopped at his bedroom door.
“Yeah,” Naoko chuckled, “let me see how it looks like.”
Since she said yes, Kris opened the door and let her in. Naoko laughed at the sight of his bedroom.
“I knew it,” Naoko said, “Outside the bedroom, you’re a neat freak. But, inside, you’re just any other man.”
Kris just shook his head at her statement and hurried to get a shirt. Naoko sat at the edge of his bed and scanned his bedside table. She saw an alarm clock, an inspirational book, and a lamp. She looked at the top of his bed and saw there was a shelf of other books. Fictional, grammar, Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, even French was there. She then looked at his table by the window. Beside it was a couple of speakers and his music player attached to the audio cord.
Kris just looked at her as she scanned through his property. He smiled at the thought that she was like a kid, observing her new surroundings and goggling to every single thing she sees.
“So, what am I supposed to do here?” She asked. She then lied down on his bed.
“I told him that I needed someone to be with me.”
“You’re scared of being alone?” She laughed. He then lied down beside her and hugged her.
“No,” he said whispering, “I’m scared that he will be the first man you’ll be in bed with.”
Naoko’s eyes rounded as he kissed her forehead. She was scared that something might happen but she tried to relax herself.
“Naoko,” Kris said as he buried Naoko in a tight embrace, “I won’t do anything to you. You’re too fragile. All I want is to hear you alive beside me.”
“Kris,” Naoko pinched his cheek lightly, “I’ll never leave you. I’ll do anything just to be with you. Do you understand?”
“You don’t need to tell me that,” he looked at her, “You’re here right now. That’s all what I was asking.”
She knew that he was tired and any moment he will eventually fall asleep. She wanted to close the millimetre gap between them but she didn’t want to do it. She then just closed her eyes as she breathes in what he was breathing out.