Chapter 6: Phase One.

Kai

"Kai?"

I couldn't believe this. He was calling me. He was really calling me this time and I couldn't believe that this was his voice. I held the phone away from me and look towards the name of the caller to see if it was him but when I saw the name, it said 'unknown caller'.

"S-stan?" I spoke out, clearly not believing that this was him. But why was his phone number so different? What was he doing calling me with a different number? Did he think that I would never pick up if I saw his name pops into my screen?

He then let out a breath of contentment and I could feel his smile grew. "This is Kai, isn't it? Phew... what a relief to hear your voice. I thought I was lost for a second there," What is he talking about? Is he drunk?

"Are you drunk?" I asked, my brows furrowed to why he was playing with me like this. He knows damn well that I don't like going in circles.

"What?! No! Of course not! I think I'm in trouble. But I'll explain more later. I'm borrowing some old man's phone, and he seems to really not like that I'm doing so...,"

I was getting more confused about what was happening. "W-what?!"  My voice cracks to the turbulence that was just growing evermore, and it had me stumbling with my footsteps as I tried to get to the kitchen and get a glass of water for my drying throat.

"I'm so sorry! But... can you pick me up? I'm at some park, and it looks like there's this weird sculpture that shoots water out of it? What was it called?" A fountain.

But seriously, why was he acting this way towards me. Is there something going on? What in the world is on his mind right now? And mostly what was in my mind right now was:

What? What? What?!

After that, he ended the call when the old man whom he borrowed the phone from snatched the phone away from him and I could hear him arguing with the man like they were the same age. My mind was in a haze as I tried to recollect myself after what had happened.

He called me but why was he acting that way? Did he realize he made a mistake, and he wanted to come back? All of a sudden I realized something that Stan often do: pranking.

Was this his way of pranking me? Saying he wanted to break up then do this to surprise me? What the hell even was that?

"What's with all this nonsense?" I gritted through my teeth - trying to suppress the anger that I had if it was true he was doing this to get to me. It was not funny to prank a break up when all I was feeling was hurt and sorrow.

But... Stan wouldn't go that far with a prank. Yeah, sure he would lead me to feel embarrassed with his pranks, but they weren't that too much of a prank. They were usually the small kinds of pranks that would make me feel annoyed but at the same time wants to hug him so tightly for being such an adorable goofball.

Oh my god... what was I thinking? I need to move on from him. We're over now...

So without hesitation, I went on to grab my keys and my wallet from my vanity desk to get where he was at. At the same time, when I wanted to walk out of the bedroom... my eyes stopped to look myself in the mirror and saw how I looked.

It wasn't that bad... just that I needed some shower and clean myself a bit. Which then led me to look down to the wall clock to see what time it was. It was around eleven-thirty in the morning. Looking back to myself... I grumbled out a curse because I was doing something that would make me regret doing.

"Fuck it, I'm gonna take a shower first. He can wait a little longer," I gave up, throwing my keys and my wallet to my bed and went to take a quick shower to make me look more alive. I wasn't going to let him see that I have been crying for a month. It wasn't very nice to let him see me like that, and I am not going to force a pity coming from him. Like he said, 'move on' and so I wanted to do it. I wanted to move on and one way I was doing so was not let him see that I just became a miserable mess of heartbroken lover.

-

When I arrived at the park that he described, I waited for him there and still, there was no show of his familiar face. Little by little, I started to think that all of this was useless and that he wanted to prank me or getting revenge on me. But why? I don't know.

So here I was, wearing a white button-up shirt with black pants and I started regretting that I even showered and wore nice clothes just to meet him here. For an unknown reason, he said that he was in trouble. What kind of trouble? I honestly don't know but the way he said it was for sure sounded genuine and sincere.

Did he kill somebody?

"Ugh... why do I even come here?" I groaned. Both of my hands were covering my face and I rub my eyes groggily from the lack of sleep that I have been through. When they retreated down to my side, I look up to the sky to see what was God even planning for me? Why can't I just go through this without even seeing his face?

God must be crazy to even do this to me.

"Well... we'll meet, and then he talked about his 'trouble'... and then what? Start dating again?" I scoffed to myself - can't even believe myself that we would even date again after that whole burning break up that he wanted.

Even we even date again, what was the point? Everything would be much more awkward and weird between us that it'll be even hard to talk to each other. He even said himself that we don't talk much, we don't see much, we don't spend time together much...

Even sex would be awfully uncomfortable.

He wanted this breakup...

So why was he coming back?

"Shit... I really shouldn't have come... he would be fin-," I let out but then stop abruptly when I heard fast footsteps coming my way like there was a car coming to hit me and run the other way after committing murder.

But then what was expected to be a hit-and-run accident turns out to be a hit and hug accident that surprised me more than I can even imagine.

"Kai!" yelled the familiar rough voice as arms were beginning to wrap around my neck and engulfing me into a warm loving hug that I had come to love over the past year of knowing him. My face froze in a staggered manner with my hand still not hugging him back - my thoughts were running from side to side, thinking that this was not real. The way his scent was promptly captured by my nostrils made me widened my eyes even more. The smell of his cologne was nostalgic.

"Y-yeah?" I began but soon realized that we had broken up and hugging each other would be considered as weird and awkward.

Both of my hands went up to his chest and pushed him away from me with a strong force to have him stand further away from me. I don't want to do this. But I need to because we had nothing left. Why was he doing this?

"What are you d-doing?!" Are you out of your mind!" I screeched which had everyone around us looks up to us with a worried expression. My brows were carved in anger and confusion and I just don't understand what his intentions were.

But even so, he let out a confused sound and looks at me with a big pout that made him look like a kid having his candy stolen away from him. I could feel my heart sunk just by looking at him. However, when took a look at his face again - I was now getting extremely confused.

Why did he look so young? And why was he wearing clothes similar to when he's seventeen?!

"Kai? What's the matter? Did I do something w-wrong? You're scaring me...," He frowned, his pupils were so little, and it just showed that he was panicking and was terrified of my reaction towards his hug. With a determined expression on his face again, he steps forward and grabbed both of my hands.

"Don't say you have forgotten about me?! I'm your boyfriend!" W-what?!

"What are you bluffing about?! Why are you like this?!! Why are you wearing clothes from ages ago?! Are you drunk?!" I asked again, trembling in fear with the way he was acting in front of me. I was beginning to be panicked myself, and it felt like this was more than just a prank.

Stan suddenly groans out a cry and sob louder with his eyes looking at me filled with hurt. "Kai~! It's me! Stan!"

"Yeah, I know you're Stan but-," I paused, staring at him like a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. And I was sure didn't know what to feel at him. When he looked at me in such a way like he still loved me makes me feel so disoriented.

"I was so scared! I felt so terrified...," He then muttered, his body went down to crouch on the ground -acting like a real kid who just doesn't get what he wanted. My whole immediately jerks towards him when I saw him like that. "S-Stan...," Ah shit... what in the name of God is going on?!

"I- I thought that I was lost... or just gone crazy that the world just shifted - made me dizzy all of a sudden...," He continued, and I kept quiet. I wanted to hear what he was going to say because it felt true. He just seems so messed up. "I was on my motorcycle when suddenly it disappeared from below me and all I know was that I was thrown forward into a never-ending hole that landed me here with nothing but myself...,"

What? This doesn't make sense...

"I tried going back home! But the road just looks so different now... and I tried calling for anybody but there wasn't any payphone out here for me to do so. Everything just looks so modern and futuristic. I thought I was seeing things,"

He then looks up at me, his eyes were watery and a tear came running down his left eye. "So I tried borrowing a phone from someone, anybody... even in my mind I felt so embarrassed to be doing so because I'm not good at talking to people. Then I called, I called for numbers that I had in mind but none of them responded to my calls. Even the operator said that some numbers don't exist anymore,"

He called everyone but no one answered?

"So I called you even though it was hard trying to remember your number... but I did! And- And! I was so happy when you answered my call," said the boy? the man? with his usual but longer raven hair as he stands back up and holds me by my shoulder. It felt warm to the touch and it felt amazing.

"What would I even do if you didn't answer me... I could be lost forever!" He exclaimed, staring at me in my eyes - searching for me and hugging me mentally. I almost got lost in his eyes until he started bringing up his hand - levelling it with his height. "Kai? Did you just got taller?" He asked randomly which had me look to his height and do the same thing he did with me. Stan was taller than me... how come he grow shorter?

Wait? He looks young... he wears clothes like he were seventeen... he's the same height as me... his voice was rough but higher in pitch... No way... could it be? Then what about...? Shit, shit, shit... this isn't real!

"Um... hey, do you remember what you gave me for Christmas?" I asked, wanting to make sure that my assumption was real. If it was then...

"Christmas? We're seven months away from Christmas. Why so suddenly? Are you eager for my gift," He smirked, which then had me remember so well what month he was referring to and what year he was meaning. "No... you gave me a house on Christmas...," I replied, wondering off to see his face with realization.

"A house? Where did I even get that money? I think I don't remember that bit too much... did it really happened?" He intrigued, scratching his hair in embarrassment that he didn't remember such a thing.  It was too unreal to be real. "Of course you don't... you're...,"

It was so untrue but it was... he was standing in front of me like the angsty rebellious person he was and it had me stumbling from the fact that he was... that he is... actually standing in front me like this. He is...

He's seventeen.

- - -

W-what??