“I think that that Baekhyun guy is bad news.” Jaehyung says as soon as I sit myself on the chair across him in the cafeteria.

“Baekhyun? That’s the tutor dude that teaches Minhwa, right?” Sunyoung replies, eyes still on her phone as she types away on it. The three of us always eat together in the cafeteria on Wednesdays, because that’s when all of our classes free at the same time.

“He’s not just a tutor to Minhwa, though,” Jaehyung snorts, and that makes Sunyoung look up from her phone to scrutinize my facial expression.

“No way,” she whispers. “You have a crush and you told Jaehyung first instead of me? Bummer! So much for sisters before misters!” Sunyoung cries dramatically, scrunching her face up to mimic a crying person.

“Shut your trap, Jae,” I groan. “I haven’t eaten anything yet so I can’t stomach your bull just yet.”

“Bull, my . Just admit it, you lying to me makes me feel sick.” Jaehyung mocks. A sinking feeling hits my stomach and I look at him with newfound anger, wondering what his problem really is.

“What is your ing problem?” I spit back, eyes glaring at him with a look of that says I feel the betrayal. For a moment his muscles tense up and I can see that he’s about to give me a piece of his mind, until Sunyoung touches his bicep warily and that seems to calm him down.

Jaehyung sighs, running a frustrated hand through his freshly dyed black hair.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he huffs, leaning back into his chair. Jaehyung tilts his head backward and closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath. Sunyoung sends me a questionable look, and I look back at her with the same level of confusion she is in.

“It’s just that I don’t want you to get hurt again, okay? He’s friends with Somi and I’d like to think anyone associated with her should at least share the same views as her,” Jaehyung says, propping his chin against the palms of his hands, looking at me intently.

I sigh.

“What views, Jae? She’s a smart girl who knows how to get what she wants. And that’s good for her,” I reply weakly, no longer having the appetite to eat my lunch despite my mood being so great previously because Baekhyun had actually walked me to the cafeteria.

“Whoa, I don’t know about anything that’s going on here, but hearing Somi getting dragged into this conversation is something that I’m not down with,” Sunyoung cuts in. “She’s never good news. Whatever you do, you should know that you should be careful, okay?”

I look at the other side of the cafeteria, and see Baekhyun sitting with Jongdae and Chanyeol and a couple of other guys I’ve never actually seen in the campus. He is laughing with his friends carelessly, hitting Chanyeol from time to time as he tries to stop himself from laughing.

“I know.”

***

If anything, my relationship with Baekhyun only bettered after the dance we shared that rainy night.

For some reason, Baekhyun has decided that he is comfortable enough to be hanging out with me in campus. And is also comfortable enough to be ruffling my hair or patting my back when I’ve listened to his teachings well.

I try to not let it get in my head, but sometimes it’s just hard to stop myself from feeling something, anything, especially when he calls me before he sleeps because he says he needs to talk to someone who wouldn’t insult his opinions to help him tire himself out.

“You’re such a nerd,” I’d tell him when he calls me just to have me listen to him swearing at his computer screen while he plays LoL for thirty straight minutes. “Says the valedictorian,” he’d always say back.

I stop going clubbing or involving myself in anything remotely Minhwa-ish just to spend more time with him.

***

“Boo!” Baekhyun taps my shoulder. I feign surprise at his sad attempt of surprising me from behind, and he feigns a look of hurt by clutching his chest with his hand dramatically before taking a seat across mine.

We are seated right next to the window overlooking the streets of a small and quaint cafe a couple of blocks from my apartment.

“Jongin says sorry, he’s running late because some famous dancer had dropped by his class and it’s chaotic there,” Baekhyun explains, picking up a french fry from my plate casually. I smack his hand away.

“Oh it’s fine,” I smile reassuringly, “We’ve got plenty of time to wait.”

Baekhyun hums.

Kim Jongin is, according to Baekhyun, the only guy he’s ever admitted as a dance prodigy in his life. Jongin is Baekhyun’s high school friend who teaches dance classes for kids and he’d like me to meet him and maybe join one of the dance classes where Jongin is enrolled in to help me rekindle my love for dancing. It’s sickeningly sweet.

“Well don’t you look excited,” Baekhyun smirks.

“It’s not every day I get to meet someone who actually has a clue about actual dancing, okay, forgive me for being nervous and ,” I mumble. Baekhyun’s face softens and he reaches over from across the table to touch my shoulder and pats it slowly.

“Jongin’s a great guy. He’ll hook you up to his class in no time,” Baekhyun comforts me, but I find myself getting even more nervous at the thought of being enrolled into Jongin’s class. What if he’s super talented and his class is super hard and I’ll look like a—

“Hey…” Baekhyun calls out softly, getting my attention. I tilt my head to imply that I’m questioning him.

“Stop overthinking. It looks bad on you. Now go relax those shoulder muscles before I do it for you,” Baekhyun chides, staring hard at my tense shoulders. I immediately relax at his soothing suggestion, limply resting my back against the soft chair.

“It’s raining,” I tell Baekhyun, looking out at the thinning amount of pedestrians on the streets scurrying to any kind of shelter they can find around. “Do you think Jongin would be able to make it if this rain doesn’t calm down?”

“Honestly, I don’t know? But Jongin said he was going to take the cab so don’t worry. Just rest, okay? You look pretty worn out,” Baekhyun replies. His voice is so soothing, almost like a whisper, that I feel myself getting lulled to sleep just by listening to him talk.

“Yeah, rough night. Had to take care of drunkard Jaehyung so I only got a couple of hours of sleep. Really hoped that I didn’t tank that quiz,” I respond sluggishly.

“Jaehyung’s a grown man, he shouldn’t need your help all the time. He could be jeopardizing your future because of his alcoholism before you even realize,” Baekhyun squints at me.

I give Baekhyun a long, disparaging look, before nuzzling myself better into the seat I’m sitting on, leaning my head against the window to let my shoulder muscles relax.

“He’s been with me through the worst times of my life. It’s the least I can do,” I say, closing my eyes.

I see Baekhyun clenching his jaw through my lidded eyes, but I’m too tired to force him to reciprocate what’s on his mind.

“Besides,” I yawn, my eyes still closed. “It’s not like I’m not an alcoholic either.”

“You’re not—”

“Wake me up when Jongin comes, okay?”

***

My dream ends when the asphalt I’m standing on my dreamland collapses, along with everything else surrounding my dream self. Earthquake, I panic. But why is no one else around me shaking as vigorously as I am?

I find myself realizing that it