“Minseok!”  A voice behind him calls, and he turns towards that direction.  The person who called is jogging towards him, academic regalia flowing behind.

“Hey.”  He says when he finally reaches where Minseok is.  “Congratulations.”

“You too, Luhan.  Congratulations.”  Minseok replies with a smile.  They just stand there for a while, smiling at each other, as the other graduates continue their celebration.

“So, any plans for the summer?”  Luhan finally asks.  Minseok considers the question for a moment before replying.

“None really.  I have to fix some stuff for the university but aside from that, nada.”

“You’re gonna be busy?” 

“More or less.”  Minseok admits, a sheepish smile on his face.  Before Luhan can reply, a voice from behind Minseok calls their names.

“Crap, it’s Jongin.”  Luhan says, his face visibly flushing.  “Come on, let’s go there.”

“Wait, I still have to look for my parents.”  Minseok replies, scanning the crowd.

“Geez, it probably won’t take a while.”  Luhan replies, grabbing Minseok by the hand and leading him towards Jongin.  “Tell you what, I’ll help you find them later, okay?  Besides, what difference would a couple of minutes make?”

~O~

When Minseok wakes, it’s to an unfamiliar ceiling and for a split second, he wonders if he’s back home.  But then a door opens to his left and all of his hopes are crushed when the man comes in, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, headphones slung across his nape.

“Oh, you’re awake.”  He says, sounding very pleased.

“Where am I?”  Minseok asks, his voice scratchy from disuse.

“In another room.”  The man replies, helping him sit by propping him against some pillows.

“I figured.”  Minseok replies, wincing at the sound of his voice.  Thankfully, the man brings a cup of water to his lips, and he drinks its contents greedily.

“Geez, would you slow down?  It’s not like I’m going to drink your water.”  The man replies, rolling his eyes.

“What happened?”  Is Minseok’s next question.

“You were ill.”  The man replies, putting down the cup on the nightstand.  “And your little boyfriend over there kept banging on the doors and walls until I came in and checked what the commotion was about.  He immediately begged that I helped you even before I managed to close the door, and so, here we are.”

“Oh.”  Minseok replies, trying to will his brain to remember anything.  “I think… I think I heard you two arguing?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Have you even talked to him before that?  I mean, between our first day here and when he begged you to help?”  Minseok asked, playing with the blanket.  The man turns to face him, a thermos and a cup in his hands.

“Nope.”  He replies as he pours something in the cup before handing it to Minseok.  “That’s soup.  Drink it, it’s good for you.”

“But you always talk to me.”  Minseok replies.

“That’s because you’re pretty.”  The man replies, adjusting Minseok’s blanket.  “Men, after all, are naturally drawn to aesthetically pleasing beings.”

“Isn’t everyone?”  Minseok replies before talking a sip of his soup.  “And I’m not pretty.”

“Why don’t you give yourself some credit?”  The man asks with a sigh, before settling himself on the couch inches from the foot of the bed.  “Now, go finish your soup and then get some rest.”  He says as he kicks off his shoes and pulls a blanket over him.  “I’m going to go catch some shut-eye.” 

Minseok watches him sleep.

~O~

“Do you two ever talk?”  Luhan asks as he heats some soup for Minseok.  “You and the man, I mean.”

“Sometimes.”  Minseok replies, not really meeting Luhan’s eyes.

“When?”  Luhan asks, placing the bowl of soup on the dining table.  Minseok reaches out and pulls the bowl to rest directly in front of him.

“Why do you ask?”  Minseok replies, suddenly finding the soup very interesting.

“He didn’t think twice when I asked for help.”  Luhan replies, voice quiet.

Minseok’s silence is enough and a minute after, he hears Luhan leave the dining area.

~O~

“I seem to be doing all the wrong things lately.”  Minseok says, while looking out the window.  The man makes a huffing noise beside him before shifting to sit more comfortably.

“I do not believe that whatever it is that we’re doing is wrong.”  The man says.  “You are merely having a civilized conversation with me.”

“He doesn’t trust you.”  Minseok replies, stealing a glance to Luhan who is asleep on the bed.

“Well, I don’t trust him either.”  The man replies, eyeing Minseok fiercely.  “Maybe you should tell him to go sleep on the floor.”

Minseok breathes a sigh of frustration.  “Why do I feel like I’m missing something very important and very obvious in here?”

“Do you trust me?”  The man asks.  Minseok turns to face him, their brown eyes meeting.  He expects to feel fear, disappointment, or even anger; but he feels none of these.

“Yes, I trust you.”  Minseok replies, the quiet admission surprising even to himself.

“Then tell him.”

“Tell him what?”  Minseok asks, perplexed.

“To sleep on the floor.”

~O~

“You want me to what?!”  Luhan asks, almost dropping the dishcloth in surprise.

“I want you to sleep on the floor.  Or on the couch.  Or wherever.  Just not on the bed, okay?”  Minseok replies.

“Why?!”  Luhan replies, waving his hands around him stupidly.

“Because I can’t sleep with you beside me.”  Minseok replies, and this calms down Luhan.  “It’s uncomfortable.”

“Oh.”  Luhan replies, stunned.  “You should’ve just told me.”

~O~

The first time Luhan met Minseok was during freshman year in high school.  Luhan was the boy with the black anime-styled hair whom everyone liked.  He wasn’t popular, but he wasn’t unpopular either.  He was all smiles, wrinkles appearing by his eyes when he does so; his face practically glowing with every smile.  Minseok was the simple guy, the wallflower.  His other friends went to other schools, which is why he was always alone.  The two never thought they’d even meet but fate had other ideas because during their laboratory class, one Mr. Jung thought that they would be great partners.  Thus, the unlikely pair became lab associates and they’ve been best friends ever since.

~O~

“So, I guess it worked.”  A voice says from the door and Luhan turns to see who it is.  “He’s sleeping like a baby, I assume?”

“Yeah.”  Luhan replies, standing by the foot of the bed currently occupied by a sleeping Minseok, fixing the man with an ice-cold glare.  “What the hell do you want this time?”

“Would you calm down?”  The man asks, running a hand through his hair.  “I’m just here to make sure you guys are okay.”

“We’re fine.  There you have it.  Now, you can go.”

“Not very trusting, are we?”  The man asks with a sly smile.  “I guess Minseok has always been more emotionally open in comparison to you.”

Luhan eyes him carefully.  “You two talk whenever I’m asleep, don’t you?”

“He can barely fall asleep when you’re beside him so he’s taken to sitting by the window and staring outside.  I figured it’s better that he has someone to talk to rather than go crazy watching the moon.”

Luhan steals a glance at Minseok before replying.  “Does he really trust you?”

“He told me he does.”

“Why?”  Luhan asks, resigned.  “How come he talks to you but he just refuses to do so to me.”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t lie to him.”

“I don’t lie to him.”  Luhan replies, gritting out every word.  “You on the other hand…”

“I don’t lie to him either.  I merely omit some things during our conversations, but that doesn’t mean what I tell him aren’t true anymore.  As a matter of fact, I’ve been very frank when we talk.”

“I still don’t trust you.”  Luhan replies, facing the window once again. 

“Right back at you.”  The man replies.  He watches Luhan’s silhouette against the light brought by the full moon before asking, “When are you even going to tell him?”

“Jongin’s his best friend.”  Luhan replies, slightly turning to his left.

“I think it’s safe to say that everyone in this room knows that Jongin doesn’t really consider Minseok to be his friend.  Minseok is merely a means to an end for him.”

“But still, it’s going to hurt.”  Luhan replies.

“Who are you afraid of hurting, Minseok or yourself?”

~O~

Luhan first saw Jongin during their sophomore year in high school.  He was the transferee that everyone was talking about.  All the girls were going crazy over his tan skin, brown eyes, and beautiful smile; but he was the popular boy, and how is a simple guy like him supposed to even talk to the transferee?  The answer came in the form of Minseok’s Literature class.  He and Jongin became seatmates and one day, Minseok invited to Jongin to his place where the new guys finally met Luhan.  It wasn’t love at first sight, but slowly and surely, they made their way from being friends to being lovers.

~O~

Two weeks after that visit, the man once again enters their room in broad daylight.  This time, he’s carrying two boxes.

“Congratulations!”  The man exclaims after locking the door behind him.  He grins at the two expectantly, his dimples once again appearing.

“Uh… do we get to go now?”  Minseok asks, putting down Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.  “Did Luhan finally manage to spill the right secret?”  He finishes, receiving a glare from Luhan.

“Nope.”  The man replies before heading for the kitchen.  The other two occupants of the room follow and arrive just in time to see the man taking a cake from one of the boxes.  Minseok’s further investigation led to the discovery of a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs inside the other box.

“Then what are we celebrating?”  Luhan asks, eyeing the spaghetti and meatballs.

“Your second month in this room.  I’m actually quite surprised that you two haven’t managed to rip each other’s heads off yet.”  The man replies, preparing the cake.

“We’ve been here for two months?”  Minseok asks, surprised.

“I never noticed.”  Luhan says, eyes wide in astonishment.

“Don’t you two keep track?”

“I used to, but I stopped when Minseok got sick.”  Luhan says, grabbing some plates while Minseok helps the man fix the food.

“Well then, come on, dig in.”  The man says, and they do just that.

~O~

Later that night, when the leftover food was already kept in the fridge and the man has once again left them alone, Luhan slips in beside Minseok on the bed. 

“Is this okay?”  He asks the other, his voice merely a whisper.  Minseok gives the question—the entire situation—a thought before giving a slight nod.  Luhan just hums in appreciation and makes himself more comfortable, pulling the blanket to cover them both.

“I never noticed the two months go by.”  Minseok says.

“Me too.”  Luhan replies, his voice melancholic.  “It feels as if it’s just been a couple of weeks.”

“I wonder how things are back home.”  Minseok replies and for the first time, lets the feeling of homesickness wash over him.  “Are they still looking?  Or have they given up?”

“Why would they give up?”

“Dunno.”  Minseok replies with a shrug.

“I think you should go to sleep.  Today’s been exciting, to say the least.”  Luhan replies, fixing the blanket.

Minseok sleeps on while Luhan keeps watch.

~O~

“Are you okay?”  Jongin asks, sitting beside Minseok on the park bench.  Minseok just looks at him and nods his head.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  It’s nothing.”  Minseok replies, giving the other boy a shaky smile.

Jongin’s frown deepens.  “But you and Luhan are best friends.”

“Were.  I knew this would happen.  I always did.”  Minseok says before taking a deep breath to steady his voice.  “But I didn’t expect it to happen this soon.”

They let a few minutes pass in silence, looking at the fountain in front of them.  Minseok was almost going to stand up and say goodbye to Jongin when he feels the other’s hand take one of his own.  Minseok looks up at his friend and is surprised to see the other looking at him too.

“He’s just a , a who doesn’t deserve your friendship.  You’re too good for him.”  Jongin says before sighing and focusing his attention back at the fountain.  “Don’t worry, you’re gonna get through this.  No matter what, I’ll always be your friend.”

Minseok just looks at Jongin as if the other has grown two heads.  He considers the thought of leaving but before he can put a proper sentence together, Jongin talks once again.

“Minseok, do you trust me?”

Minseok takes one look at their entwined hands before saying yes, but he can’t shake the feeling that something is off with the entire situation when he remembers the look in Jongin’s eyes as he answered.