In You (A BounPrem AU)

XVI

Sam, Fluke, Earth, and I are all hanging out at Fluke's since the two wanted to hang out with Sam and I after we've finished our finals.

Fucking finally.

The exams were fine, I guess. I mean, considering the time that I've been spending studying, I think I did good. For once, I felt confident with my exams. Usually, I'd be damned for sure that I did badly with tests but this time, it feels different.

I guess getting kicked out of your place has its perks somehow, huh?

Speaking of getting kicked out, I've got four more days to figure things out. I've told Sam about my situation and she has offered a space for me but since she's still living with her parents, I can only stay there for a week - while they're still away on a business trip. After a week, I'm practically homeless.

Sometimes, I wonder if being homeless is going to be my thing forever.

Transferring from one house to another is getting really tiring. I never felt like I'd settled in a place where I could feel at ease - where I could call it my home.

Can't help but feel like a stray cat - wandering from one place to another. Only settling somewhere for some time, or until the people feeding me get tired of me and eventually stop caring.

"Hey." Earth snapped me out of my thoughts, plopping himself beside me, a bottle of beer in one hand and the other handing me a new one. "You've been spaced out. What's up?" He asks, a bright smile plastered across his face. The ever-glowing Earth. His cheeks are flushed, probably because we've been drinking for about a few hours now.

"Uh, nothing. Sorry." I shake my head, gulping down the cold liquid. I'm not much of a heavy drinker but I could hold my alcohol.

He chuckles. "You've always been like that." He comments and my eyebrows scrunched together.

"Like what?"

"Apologetic over nothing." He shrugs his shoulder, still smiling. Earth and I may have a four-year age gap between us but one thing's for sure - whenever he talks to me or tries to comfort me, it works. Something about him and his aura is just so calming. Reassuring. He's just not judgmental - though he also wouldn't tolerate anyone if they are in the wrong. He's really the type of friend that a person should have. A good listener.

I shrug my shoulders, too. Now I feel bashful. "I'm sorry."

"See?! There you go again! Sorry over nothing." He laughs, smacking my arm playfully. We fell into a fleet of laughter that eventually died down. We quietly watched Sam and Fluke play Mario Cart, both of them sitting on the floor, directly in front of the large TV screen. Fluke throws in a curse from time to time and Sam would just laugh so loud in return.

The four of us are all a bit tipsy by now. Not a worry in our minds since it's just Friday night and we all don't have anything planned out for the weekend. We decided to just chill here and whatever tomorrow brings, only then we'll think about things.

"How, um- how are you and Boun?" I hear Earth ask, his voice just barely above a whisper and for good measure, too. Between him and Fluke, Fluke's the one who doesn't want to talk about everything that happened. And I know all too well that he doesn't want me to associate myself with Boun anymore. So when and if he finds out that Boun and I are talking again, all hell would break loose, most probably.

My eyebrows rose at Earth's question. Though I'm not too surprised. He could read anyone like an open book. "How'd you.. know?"

He shrugs his shoulders again, probably for the hundredth time this evening. "I just do." My head tilts to one side, curious as to what he means and then he sighs, rolling his eyes lightly. "Okay, well, you're just different whenever you're talking to him, okay?"

"Different?"

"Yeah. Different." I felt my heart jumping to my throat. Suddenly, my arms are clammy. "Don't worry! Not a bad different.. You just seem... worry-free. Somewhat." He tried to explain as best as he could. I tried to process what he said, taking another swig of the beer in my hand.

"Hm."

"Don't think too much about it. I didn't mean it in a bad way. Take it as a.. you're different in a good way." He reassures me, arm now slung across my shoulder as he giggles. "Well, maybe it's a bad thing, coming to think of it." He murmurs as Fluke almost throws the gaming controller against the wall in rage. For the 5th time in a row, Sam won the round. We all laughed at his reaction. He's the oldest among us four and he's also the most competitive one, that's for sure.

"Bad thing how?" I ask, wanting to crawl back into our conversation.

"Psh. Prem, you know why it's a bad thing." He says. And I do. I really do. Nothing good would come between Boun and I but just like a magnet, he easily draws me back to him. He isn't doing anything, no not really. It's me. I am the one who slowly wiggled himself back to his life, really.

And that is pretty risky.

"I just.. missed him," I say. I'm not too sure if I meant to say it out loud but I did. I mean, loud enough for Earth to hear. Our two friends are still oblivious to the conversation that we are having here at the back.

"I know you did, sweetie." He says. Gently patting my head as he laid his head on my shoulder.

"But I also know that I shouldn't. I couldn't but I still.. I still came back to him." I added on, my voice wavering at the last sentence.

I wonder if the hurt would last forever.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'd be able to forget about everything and just move on with my life as one should.

I couldn't.

No matter how many more people or circumstances try to pry me away from him, I just end up finding myself drawn back in.

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Just a lil update to fill ya in. Idk if I like this chapter but here ya go!! Happy weekend!! ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ