Chapter 8
Complicated LoveA/N:
hey guys!! just as promised, i'm updating this week...
so here you go, the new chappie!!
- immaLocket029
For days, Jonghyun would ask Key out so that he won’t have to stay at home and be alone with Onew. At first, Taemin and Minho had suspicions that something wrong was going on with their friends- whenever Onew and Gwiboon meet up with them, Jonghyun and Key would excuse themselves that they couldn’t go because they already have plans made up for that day and the likewise for Onew and Gwiboon.
Of course the new couple didn’t say anything to Taemin and Minho because they didn’t want to be the ones to say it, they had to let Jonghyun and Key do it themselves. For some reason, whenever Onew remembers that Key is with Jonghyun, his mind would be filled with thoughts of his housemate- what’s he’s doing with Jonghyun, what’s he’s eating, or how’s he is right now. Onew knows that he shouldn’t be thinking about different things whenever he’s with his “girlfriend” because for so long, he’s been waiting for her to become his and now that she is, he’s busy thinking of another person. What confuses Onew even more is that he feels mad that Key is with Jonghyun doing God knows what.
“Oppa, are you okay? You’re awfully quiet right now.” Gwiboon tugged on his sleeve pulling him away from his thoughts. He turned his head to his see her looking at him with innocent eyes that sparkle due to the sunshine that was above them. With that just one look, everything was forgotten like it never occurred at all.
“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine; just thinking about something, that’s all.” He smiled as he put his arms around her shoulder.
“Ah, are you thinking about what to get Key oppa for his birthday?”
“Birthday? What birthday?” For a moment, Onew froze in his place as his brain racked itself with what Gwiboon was talking about and that’s when he realized that Key’s birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he doesn’t have any idea what to give him.
“Oh my gosh, oppa!” she exclaimed as she slapped his arm slightly, “You forgot Key oppa’s birthday? How could you? You’re his best friend and his house mate how can you forget?” She crossed her arms as she tried to glare at the puzzled man in front of her.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that a lot of things have been going on my mind lately so I kind of forgot. Can you help me find a gift for him, Boonie?” In order for her to give in to him, he tried batting his eyelashes at her, forcing himself to look adorable. But sadly, Gwiboon only laughed at him hysterically, “Ha-ha! You look so cute, Jinks! Ahaha!!” She was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach as her laughter doubled over. After more than five minutes of laughing, Gwiboon finally calmed herself down, wiping the stray tears from the corner of her eyes.
“Are you done now?” Onew asked as he eyed her seriously.
“Sorry. You have no idea how cute you were when you did that. I’m sorry, forgive me?” now it was her turn to flutter her eyelashes at him, knowing very well that it will work on him. As much Onew want to deny it, it did work and he gave in. “Yay!” Gwiboon squealed as she gave Onew a quick kiss on the cheek.
“So, are you going to help me?” The two of them resumed walking, with Gwiboon holding onto Onew’s arm.
“Oppa, are you okay? You’re awfully quiet right now.” Gwiboon tugged on his sleeve pulling him away from his thoughts. He turned his head to his see her looking at him with innocent eyes that sparkle due to the sunshine that was above them. With that just one look, everything was forgotten like it never occurred at all.
“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine; just thinking about something, that’s all.” He smiled as he put his arms around her shoulder.
“Ah, are you thinking about what to get Key oppa for his birthday?”
“Birthday? What birthday?” For a moment, Onew froze in his place as his brain racked itself with what Gwiboon was talking about and that’s when he realized that Key’s birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he doesn’t have any idea what to give him.
“Oh my gosh, oppa!” she exclaimed as she slapped his arm slightly, “You forgot Key oppa’s birthday? How could you? You’re his best friend and his house mate how can you forget?” She crossed her arms as she tried to glare at the puzzled man in front of her.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that a lot of things have been going on my mind lately so I kind of forgot. Can you help me find a gift for him, Boonie?” In order for her to give in to him, he tried batting his eyelashes at her, forcing himself to look adorable. But sadly, Gwiboon only laughed at him hysterically, “Ha-ha! You look so cute, Jinks! Ahaha!!” She was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach as her laughter doubled over. After more than five minutes of laughing, Gwiboon finally calmed herself down, wiping the stray tears from the corner of her eyes.
“Are you done now?” Onew asked as he eyed her seriously.
“Sorry. You have no idea how cute you were when you did that. I’m sorry, forgive me?” now it was her turn to flutter her eyelashes at him, knowing very well that it will work on him. As much Onew want to deny it, it did work and he gave in. “Yay!” Gwiboon squealed as she gave Onew a quick kiss on the cheek.
“So, are you going to help me?” The two of them resumed walking, with Gwiboon holding onto Onew’s arm.
ONEW
“As much I as want to, I can’t. Taemin said we have to find Key oppa a gift ourselves in order to prove that we are the greatest friends ever.” When I looked at her, she was smiling although the smile itself was painful to look at and I know the reason behind it. It hasn't been that long since we found out about Key's relationship with Jonghyun and to be honest, it really was a shock for the both of us.
Ever since high school, I've always known that Jonghyun is a flirt - be it with a girl or a feminine boy - and with Key, he just flirts with him shamelessly. The two of them are so close to each other that Key would flirt back with him, sometimes it would become too much that we had to stop it and laugh it off in the end. The hugs, the touches, the gazes, and the words exchanged between them over the years, no one thought that they would become real. For now, Taemin and Minho are the only ones who do not know anything about it. And since it wasn't my or Gwiboon's business, we decided to wait until Key and Jonghyun tells them.
"Why does Taemin have to make it like that? He knows that I'm not good in finding gifts. What the hell am I supposed to do now then?" I said, ruffling my hair in almost frustration. With just more than two weeks left, finding Key a gift will become a mission impossible for me. Come on, Onew, think! You have to prove that you’re a great friend to Key and you have to find the perfect gift for him to make everything between the two of you better, a voice inside my head tells me.
I almost tripped with my foot when Gwiboon stopped walking all of a sudden. "Hey, Jinks, I have to go. Nicole just texted me and she's asking me to accompany her with her job hunting. Are you going to be okay finding Key oppa a gift?" she asked softly, pulling me aside of the sidewalk so that we weren't blocking the way. She cupped my face carefully as she looked at me straight in the eyes.
I sighed before answering, "Of course, don't worry about me. Right now, my brain is working overtime to think of something to buy Key and actually I think I'm having quite a few ideas." I chuckled and she giggled.
"Alright, then. Just call or text me if your brain shuts down after working overtime and you can't think of a gift, and then I'll be right over and help you, okay?" I nodded and she kissed me on the lips, my arms wrapping around her small frame and bringing her closer to me.
Everything around us seemed to stop moving, the sounds were blocked and time seemed frozen with that simple kiss. It sounded so cliché but isn't it what a person in love usually feels when they are with the one they love. It felt like that to me, I wonder if Gwiboon also feels the same way. She broke the kiss first and rested her forehead against mine. Because of the close contact, I could clearly smell the inviting fragrance of her shampoo that I breathing in her scent was enough to complete my day. “I got to go, now. Remember, just call me when your brain shuts down, okay?” she kissed me one last time before leaving and waving for a taxi. She got in and waved at me.
The moment the taxi disappeared from my sight, my mind was once again flooded with my thoughts of Key. How is it possible for one person to occupy so much space in someone else’s mind without that person even trying so hard? This isn’t working out properly; I need to straight things out first before doing anything. I kept walking without any idea on where to go. My legs were starting to ache when I spotted a store with bags shown at the front and that’s when the idea came to me. If I remember it correctly, Key was whining and moping when a bag that he’s been waiting to come out cost more than the house we’re currently living in. Since it was a limited edition and there were only a hundred of them available around the world and he had no idea how to get himself one, he became so frustrated that he didn’t even left his room for days.
When he finally came out of his room, I felt so bad for him because he looked like a total mess because one stupid bag. But what can I do? He loves bags – especially designer ones – and being unable to buy that precious bag probably felt like the apocalypse happening to his life earlier than Merlin predicted it to happen. Not wasting any time, I quickly walked over to the store and looked for the perfect bag as Key’s birthday present. Sometimes, it just intrigues me why some people would rather starve themselves to save money in order for them to be able to buy something so useless like bags and whatnots. I mean, it’s just a bag, a branded and expensive bag, so what’s the big deal? You put stuff in it and that’s it. You don’t need so many bags to put your things in because it’s all the same thing. If you ask me, I think people only buy those bags so that they can brag to their friends that they could actually afford it.
But I know Key isn’t that kind of person. If he buys something, he will buy everyone of us at least something so that he won’t feel bad about wasting his money that his parents send him every month. Right now, I’m facing another problem. I have no idea which bag Key would like the best! Everything all seemed the same to me except for their brands: Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Michael Kors, etc. Seriously, a bag is a bag! I kept walking around the store, the strong smell of leather filling my nose. Since I can’t decide what bag to give Key, I gave up and left the place.
Even with that small problem, I’m not going to give up in my quest of finding the perfect gift for Key. I’m still sticking with my idea of giving him a bag for his birthday and I’m going to find the perfect one.
When I arrived home, Key wasn’t back yet even though the sun is almost gone from the sky. He really is spending a lot of time with Jonghyun, isn’t he? Jonghyun’s probably making him really happy. Ever since our encounter at the mall, I haven’t seen Key that much. Well, I haven’t really seen him at that much even before that. What did I do anyway that made him upset? “You are not to control over me, Jinki. I will do whatever I want because this is my life, not yours. Why don’t you just go to your Gwiboon instead wasting my time with your nonsense?” Is he mad about me being with Gwiboon? But why? He knows I’ve been in love with her for years because he’s the only one I can talk to about it.
Now that I think about it, whenever I mention Gwiboon during our conversations, his eyes that were usually filled with happiness would turn glassy and sad. I noticed them a few times but I ignored it because I thought that he was just probably feeling sad about how hurt I am because of my feelings for Gwiboon. Does he… does he have feelings for me? That can’t be it, could it? He’s already in a relationship with Jonghyun otherwise he would have said something to me, or better yet confessed to me. Okay, Onew, just relax and think properly. If Key really has feelings for me, how come he didn’t say anything? Is he afraid that I would reject him? Sure, I love Gwiboon, but has he forgotten that I had experiences with guys too?
If Key has feelings for me all along, then I’m the stupid who kept talking about his feelings for another person in front of someone who has feelings for me! Holy , I am a selfish bastard, aren’t I? But for how long has he been in love with me anyways? Months? Years? Oh great, now I’m feeling so confused with what’s going on. I’m in love with Gwiboon and she loves me, and hypothetically speaking, Key is also in love with me but he’s in a relationship with Jonghyun. Where does that put us then? Especially now, I’ve been feeling strange emotions within me that I couldn’t figure out whenever I think about Key being with Jonghyun. Does that mean I, at the very least, feel something for Key as well? Ugh! This is so complicated!
When I closed my eyes, Key’s face was the only thing I can see behind my lids. Sad, happy, frustrated, mad, ecstatic, and excited, every single emotion I’ve seen on Key’s face kept replaying themselves inside my head. I didn’t realize that out of those emotions, the very expression I miss the most was Key’s bright smile where his dimples would show and he would look like a little kid with his eyes lit up. I haven’t seen that in so long. These days, I can only see sad, frustrated and mad, and it’s all directed towards me. My lids felt so heavy all of a sudden, so instead of getting up from the couch, I leaned back and let sleep consume me. Maybe by the time I wake up, my brain will be sorted out and everything will be straightened out and I would be able to think properly.
Ever since high school, I've always known that Jonghyun is a flirt - be it with a girl or a feminine boy - and with Key, he just flirts with him shamelessly. The two of them are so close to each other that Key would flirt back with him, sometimes it would become too much that we had to stop it and laugh it off in the end. The hugs, the touches, the gazes, and the words exchanged between them over the years, no one thought that they would become real. For now, Taemin and Minho are the only ones who do not know anything about it. And since it wasn't my or Gwiboon's business, we decided to wait until Key and Jonghyun tells them.
"Why does Taemin have to make it like that? He knows that I'm not good in finding gifts. What the hell am I supposed to do now then?" I said, ruffling my hair in almost frustration. With just more than two weeks left, finding Key a gift will become a mission impossible for me. Come on, Onew, think! You have to prove that you’re a great friend to Key and you have to find the perfect gift for him to make everything between the two of you better, a voice inside my head tells me.
I almost tripped with my foot when Gwiboon stopped walking all of a sudden. "Hey, Jinks, I have to go. Nicole just texted me and she's asking me to accompany her with her job hunting. Are you going to be okay finding Key oppa a gift?" she asked softly, pulling me aside of the sidewalk so that we weren't blocking the way. She cupped my face carefully as she looked at me straight in the eyes.
I sighed before answering, "Of course, don't worry about me. Right now, my brain is working overtime to think of something to buy Key and actually I think I'm having quite a few ideas." I chuckled and she giggled.
"Alright, then. Just call or text me if your brain shuts down after working overtime and you can't think of a gift, and then I'll be right over and help you, okay?" I nodded and she kissed me on the lips, my arms wrapping around her small frame and bringing her closer to me.
Everything around us seemed to stop moving, the sounds were blocked and time seemed frozen with that simple kiss. It sounded so cliché but isn't it what a person in love usually feels when they are with the one they love. It felt like that to me, I wonder if Gwiboon also feels the same way. She broke the kiss first and rested her forehead against mine. Because of the close contact, I could clearly smell the inviting fragrance of her shampoo that I breathing in her scent was enough to complete my day. “I got to go, now. Remember, just call me when your brain shuts down, okay?” she kissed me one last time before leaving and waving for a taxi. She got in and waved at me.
The moment the taxi disappeared from my sight, my mind was once again flooded with my thoughts of Key. How is it possible for one person to occupy so much space in someone else’s mind without that person even trying so hard? This isn’t working out properly; I need to straight things out first before doing anything. I kept walking without any idea on where to go. My legs were starting to ache when I spotted a store with bags shown at the front and that’s when the idea came to me. If I remember it correctly, Key was whining and moping when a bag that he’s been waiting to come out cost more than the house we’re currently living in. Since it was a limited edition and there were only a hundred of them available around the world and he had no idea how to get himself one, he became so frustrated that he didn’t even left his room for days.
When he finally came out of his room, I felt so bad for him because he looked like a total mess because one stupid bag. But what can I do? He loves bags – especially designer ones – and being unable to buy that precious bag probably felt like the apocalypse happening to his life earlier than Merlin predicted it to happen. Not wasting any time, I quickly walked over to the store and looked for the perfect bag as Key’s birthday present. Sometimes, it just intrigues me why some people would rather starve themselves to save money in order for them to be able to buy something so useless like bags and whatnots. I mean, it’s just a bag, a branded and expensive bag, so what’s the big deal? You put stuff in it and that’s it. You don’t need so many bags to put your things in because it’s all the same thing. If you ask me, I think people only buy those bags so that they can brag to their friends that they could actually afford it.
But I know Key isn’t that kind of person. If he buys something, he will buy everyone of us at least something so that he won’t feel bad about wasting his money that his parents send him every month. Right now, I’m facing another problem. I have no idea which bag Key would like the best! Everything all seemed the same to me except for their brands: Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Michael Kors, etc. Seriously, a bag is a bag! I kept walking around the store, the strong smell of leather filling my nose. Since I can’t decide what bag to give Key, I gave up and left the place.
Even with that small problem, I’m not going to give up in my quest of finding the perfect gift for Key. I’m still sticking with my idea of giving him a bag for his birthday and I’m going to find the perfect one.
When I arrived home, Key wasn’t back yet even though the sun is almost gone from the sky. He really is spending a lot of time with Jonghyun, isn’t he? Jonghyun’s probably making him really happy. Ever since our encounter at the mall, I haven’t seen Key that much. Well, I haven’t really seen him at that much even before that. What did I do anyway that made him upset? “You are not to control over me, Jinki. I will do whatever I want because this is my life, not yours. Why don’t you just go to your Gwiboon instead wasting my time with your nonsense?” Is he mad about me being with Gwiboon? But why? He knows I’ve been in love with her for years because he’s the only one I can talk to about it.
Now that I think about it, whenever I mention Gwiboon during our conversations, his eyes that were usually filled with happiness would turn glassy and sad. I noticed them a few times but I ignored it because I thought that he was just probably feeling sad about how hurt I am because of my feelings for Gwiboon. Does he… does he have feelings for me? That can’t be it, could it? He’s already in a relationship with Jonghyun otherwise he would have said something to me, or better yet confessed to me. Okay, Onew, just relax and think properly. If Key really has feelings for me, how come he didn’t say anything? Is he afraid that I would reject him? Sure, I love Gwiboon, but has he forgotten that I had experiences with guys too?
If Key has feelings for me all along, then I’m the stupid who kept talking about his feelings for another person in front of someone who has feelings for me! Holy , I am a selfish bastard, aren’t I? But for how long has he been in love with me anyways? Months? Years? Oh great, now I’m feeling so confused with what’s going on. I’m in love with Gwiboon and she loves me, and hypothetically speaking, Key is also in love with me but he’s in a relationship with Jonghyun. Where does that put us then? Especially now, I’ve been feeling strange emotions within me that I couldn’t figure out whenever I think about Key being with Jonghyun. Does that mean I, at the very least, feel something for Key as well? Ugh! This is so complicated!
When I closed my eyes, Key’s face was the only thing I can see behind my lids. Sad, happy, frustrated, mad, ecstatic, and excited, every single emotion I’ve seen on Key’s face kept replaying themselves inside my head. I didn’t realize that out of those emotions, the very expression I miss the most was Key’s bright smile where his dimples would show and he would look like a little kid with his eyes lit up. I haven’t seen that in so long. These days, I can only see sad, frustrated and mad, and it’s all directed towards me. My lids felt so heavy all of a sudden, so instead of getting up from the couch, I leaned back and let sleep consume me. Maybe by the time I wake up, my brain will be sorted out and everything will be straightened out and I would be able to think properly.
KEY
“Hey, thanks for the dinner and the ride, Jjong. I had fun today,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and turned my body to face Jonghyun. He took my hand onto his and held them tight enough for me to feel how warm his hands were.
“No problem. Besides, I had fun, too. Do you want to go again tomorrow?" he asked, his eyes looking hopeful making them as wide as they could. Damn, he's using his puppy look on me isn't he? The longer I just sat there, the bigger his eyes looked to me.
"Yah, Jjong, aren't you sick of seeing my face everyday?" I joked. Honestly, ever since we started pretending as a couple, we've been together everyday, doing things we usually do back in the days and sometimes doing what other couples do. I'm not going to lie, but Jonghyun really do make me happy whenever I'm with him and I can also see that I'm making him happy.
"Nah, I like seeing your face, Key. It makes me remember the good ole days when just the two of us used to hang out even on school nights, not caring when our parents got mad at us for not doing our homework." He chuckled and sighed.
He's right. When we were in high school, we were rebels of the group. The two of us always getting into trouble with the teachers, getting detentions, and then getting yelled at by our parents when we got home because they got a phone call from our school. Those were the best times ever.
It's actually a mystery to both of us how we graduated high school, even with honours when we barely do our homework or listen to the lesson. We even believed that our parents bribed the school to let us graduate but that disappeared when we saw our exam results. It’s Funny how we aced those exams without even studying. Jonghyun and I were laughing our asses off when our classmates saw our exam papers - all of them looked amazed and frustrated at the same that the two laziest students in their class got high marks without studying while they studied weeks before and they still got marks below ours.
Because of that, another rumour came up saying that we cheated using the teacher’s copy of the answers for the exams. So, to prove our innocence, we took another exam and boy it shocked us even more. It was completely different from the previous one yet we still aced it like it was nothing.
"Still, if we go out tomorrow by the end of this week you'll be broke and penniless. In order for you to become my boyfriend you got to have money with your name, baby," I joked, patting his cheek slightly. He laughed and let go of my hand. I kissed him on the cheek slightly before turning around to open the car door and got out. Before continuing to walk inside the apartment complex, I poked my head inside his car and said, "You better call me when you get home, you hear me?"
"Yes, yeobo, I heard you. I'll call you as soon as I get home." I backed off from the car and he drove off. I went inside the building and pressed the button, waiting for the elevator to come. When it did, I almost had difficulty in lifting all the shopping bad I've been carrying the whole day.
“Hey, thanks for the dinner and the ride, Jjong. I had fun today,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and turned my body to face Jonghyun. He took my hand onto his and held them tight enough for me to feel how warm his hands were.
“No problem. Besides, I had fun, too. Do you want to go again tomorrow?" he asked, his eyes looking hopeful making them as wide as they could. Damn, he's using his puppy look on me isn't he? The longer I just sat there, the bigger his eyes looked to me.
"Yah, Jjong, aren't you sick of seeing my face everyday?" I joked. Honestly, ever since we started pretending as a couple, we've been together everyday, doing things we usually do back in the days and sometimes doing what other couples do. I'm not going to lie, but Jonghyun really do make me happy whenever I'm with him and I can also see that I'm making him happy.
"Nah, I like seeing your face, Key. It makes me remember the good ole days when just the two of us used to hang out even on school nights, not caring when our parents got mad at us for not doing our homework." He chuckled and sighed.
He's right. When we were in high school, we were rebels of the group. The two of us always getting into trouble with the teachers, getting detentions, and then getting yelled at by our parents when we got home because they got a phone call from our school. Those were the best times ever.
It's actually a mystery to both of us how we graduated high school, even with honours when we barely do our homework or listen to the lesson. We even believed that our parents bribed the school to let us graduate but that disappeared when we saw our exam results. It’s Funny how we aced those exams without even studying. Jonghyun and I were laughing our asses off when our classmates saw our exam papers - all of them looked amazed and frustrated at the same that the two laziest students in their class got high marks without studying while they studied weeks before and they still got marks below ours.
Because of that, another rumour came up saying that we cheated using the teacher’s copy of the answers for the exams. So, to prove our innocence, we took another exam and boy it shocked us even more. It was completely different from the previous one yet we still aced it like it was nothing.
"Still, if we go out tomorrow by the end of this week you'll be broke and penniless. In order for you to become my boyfriend you got to have money with your name, baby," I joked, patting his cheek slightly. He laughed and let go of my hand. I kissed him on the cheek slightly before turning around to open the car door and got out. Before continuing to walk inside the apartment complex, I poked my head inside his car and said, "You better call me when you get home, you hear me?"
"Yes, yeobo, I heard you. I'll call you as soon as I get home." I backed off from the car and he drove off. I went inside the building and pressed the button, waiting for the elevator to come. When it did, I almost had difficulty in lifting all the shopping bad I've been carrying the whole day.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. Few more steps, Key, you're almost there. By the time I was in front of my apartment door, my hands involuntarily let go of the shopping bags, creating ruffling noises on the maroon carpet on the hallway. I love shopping and all, but sometimes carrying dozens of shopping bags isn't my thing. With almost sore hands, I fumbled for my keys.
Once the door was opened, instead of lifting the bags I simply pulled with me not caring if it created noises. Since the whole house was dark, at first I didn't notice the sleeping figure on the couch until I opened the lights and Onew hyung knocked living daylights out of me when I saw him there sprawled on the couch. He's back already? Huh, that's unusual. He's usually out late with Gwiboon but now he's here sleeping on the couch, probably for hours.
I haven't seen him like this in so long. His face looked so peaceful, rather than the face I usually see whenever he's awake - angry or frustrated. Subconsciously, I walked towards the sofa and sat beside him. My hand raised itself and traced the contour of his face, from his bushy eyebrows, past his nose and to the side of his lips. It's such a temptation not to lean and kiss him when he's like this, and what makes me sad more was the fact that I won't be able to at all in my entire life because I know that he was never meant for me, that all there is between us is friendship and nothing more.
I was about to get up and put my things away when he slowly opened his eyes and he saw me, his low voice stopping me. "Oh hey, Key. What time did you get back? My nap must have turned to an hour of sleep, probably more." He laughed slightly, straightening himself up.
"I just got back. If you're going to take a nap, why didn't you go to your room instead of sleeping here? You could've gotten a cold, you know?" For some reason, it felt so odd talking to him like this without yelling at each other and trying to bite each other's head off. It hasn't been that long but it already felt foreign to me, being all calm and quiet like this with him.
Onew hyung probably thinks the same thing because he just smiled at me instead of saying anything. I frowned a bit, although I can't hide the fact that it made me smile too on the inside. "Did you eat dinner yet?" I asked him.
And again, he didn't answer because he let his stomach do the talking when it grumbled, the silence of the room making loud enough for both of to hear. The sound made us both laugh and I got up from the couch and made my way to the kitchen to start making Onew hyung's dinner. "Why don't you take a shower while cook us some food, hm? It won't take long anyway."
I was taking out all the ingredients I need to make some fried rice when suddenly, I felt Onew hyung hug me from behind. The contact made my heart race, beating on an incredible pace that I was afraid it would jump out of my rib cage, let alone Onew hyung noticing it.
"I miss you, Key. I miss you so much. You have no idea how much those fights upset me," he whispered. As soon as the hairs on the back of my neck rose, the contact between us was gone. When I am sure that he's inside the bathroom, I fanned myself and tried everything that I can to calm my heart. Why did have to do that anyway? What's going on with him? Does he know something that I don't?
After half an hour, our food was ready and was starting to cool down. I heard the bathroom door open, revealing a towel covered Onew with water droplets rolling down his shoulders and chest. He went straight to his room, and somehow, I found myself disappointed and dissatisfied.
While waiting for him to come out, I decided to play with my phone. When I saw, I groaned because I didn't hear my phone ring.
1 missed call: Jjong-pup
, I forgot that he was going to call. Just as I was about to dial his number, my phone rang again showing Jjong's picture that he took during one of our 'dates'.
"Hello? Hey, sorry I missed your call. I didn't hear my phone ringing because I don't have it with me earlier. So, what are you doing right now?"
"Nothing, just relaxing while watching TV. What were you doing earlier anyway that you missed my call?" Even with me on the other end of the line, I could picture his face: his expression on full puppy mode just like earlier when he drove me home.
"Sorry, I was making Onew hyung his dinner." As if he heard me say his name, Onew hyung came out of his room dressed in black sweat pants and loose white tee, his hair still dripping droplets of water falling down on his shoulders. 'Who's that?' he mouthed towards me as he reached the dining table and sat on the chair across mine.
"Jjong" I mouthed back.
"Oh, okay. He's there already? I was planning to stop by a little bit because I don't have anything to do here. But I guess I'll just wait until tomorrow to see you again, huh?" Jonghyun said, chuckling a little bit.
Before answering, I covered the mouth part of my phone and told Onew hyung, "You can eat ahead, hyung. I just need to finish this with Jjong. If it takes longer, I'll just heat up my food later," and then left.
Even though I tried not to look at Onew hyung's face, I still managed to get a glimpse of him. What shocked me though was that he looked mad as he was gripping the table tightly that his knuckle turned white. Why is he mad?
Every time I mention Jonghyun he's always mad. Why? Because he stole his girlfriend and now their dating and I'm 'dating' Jonghyun? Isn't that what he wanted though, for Gwiboon to become his girlfriend? Whatever. Wait, if he's mad that I'm dating Jonghyun, does that mean he also has feelings for me?
"Yah, Kim Kibum! Are you still there or did you already ditched me to be with Onew hyung?" Jonghyun almost yelled on the end of the line.
Ugh! I forgot that I'm still talking to Jonghyun. "Uhh, yeah, I'm still here. Don't worry I ditched Onew hyung for you." I said laughing, loud enough for Onew hyung to hear. I went inside my room and closed the door behind me without turning the lights on. For some reason, the thought of Onew hyung being jealous of me dating Jonghyun actually made my heart flutter because if that’s the case, then my love life isn’t unrequited anymore.
The elevator doors opened and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. Few more steps, Key, you're almost there. By the time I was in front of my apartment door, my hands involuntarily let go of the shopping bags, creating ruffling noises on the maroon carpet on the hallway. I love shopping and all, but sometimes carrying dozens of shopping bags isn't my thing. With almost sore hands, I fumbled for my keys.
Once the door was opened, instead of lifting the bags I simply pulled with me not caring if it created noises. Since the whole house was dark, at first I didn't notice the sleeping figure on the couch until I opened the lights and Onew hyung knocked living daylights out of me when I saw him there sprawled on the couch. He's back already? Huh, that's unusual. He's usually out late with Gwiboon but now he's here sleeping on the couch, probably for hours.
I haven't seen him like this in so long. His face looked so peaceful, rather than the face I usually see whenever he's awake - angry or frustrated. Subconsciously, I walked towards the sofa and sat beside him. My hand raised itself and traced the contour of his face, from his bushy eyebrows, past his nose and to the side of his lips. It's such a temptation not to lean and kiss him when he's like this, and what makes me sad more was the fact that I won't be able to at all in my entire life because I know that he was never meant for me, that all there is between us is friendship and nothing more.
I was about to get up and put my things away when he slowly opened his eyes and he saw me, his low voice stopping me. "Oh hey, Key. What time did you get back? My nap must have turned to an hour of sleep, probably more." He laughed slightly, straightening himself up.
"I just got back. If you're going to take a nap, why didn't you go to your room instead of sleeping here? You could've gotten a cold, you know?" For some reason, it felt so odd talking to him like this without yelling at each other and trying to bite each other's head off. It hasn't been that long but it already felt foreign to me, being all calm and quiet like this with him.
Onew hyung probably thinks the same thing because he just smiled at me instead of saying anything. I frowned a bit, although I can't hide the fact that it made me smile too on the inside. "Did you eat dinner yet?" I asked him.
And again, he didn't answer because he let his stomach do the talking when it grumbled, the silence of the room making loud enough for both of to hear. The sound made us both laugh and I got up from the couch and made my way to the kitchen to start making Onew hyung's dinner. "Why don't you take a shower while cook us some food, hm? It won't take long anyway."
I was taking out all the ingredients I need to make some fried rice when suddenly, I felt Onew hyung hug me from behind. The contact made my heart race, beating on an incredible pace that I was afraid it would jump out of my rib cage, let alone Onew hyung noticing it.
"I miss you, Key. I miss you so much. You have no idea how much those fights upset me," he whispered. As soon as the hairs on the back of my neck rose, the contact between us was gone. When I am sure that he's inside the bathroom, I fanned myself and tried everything that I can to calm my heart. Why did have to do that anyway? What's going on with him? Does he know something that I don't?
After half an hour, our food was ready and was starting to cool down. I heard the bathroom door open, revealing a towel covered Onew with water droplets rolling down his shoulders and chest. He went straight to his room, and somehow, I found myself disappointed and dissatisfied.
While waiting for him to come out, I decided to play with my phone. When I saw, I groaned because I didn't hear my phone ring.
1 missed call: Jjong-pup
, I forgot that he was going to call. Just as I was about to dial his number, my phone rang again showing Jjong's picture that he took during one of our 'dates'.
"Hello? Hey, sorry I missed your call. I didn't hear my phone ringing because I don't have it with me earlier. So, what are you doing right now?"
"Nothing, just relaxing while watching TV. What were you doing earlier anyway that you missed my call?" Even with me on the other end of the line, I could picture his face: his expression on full puppy mode just like earlier when he drove me home.
"Sorry, I was making Onew hyung his dinner." As if he heard me say his name, Onew hyung came out of his room dressed in black sweat pants and loose white tee, his hair still dripping droplets of water falling down on his shoulders. 'Who's that?' he mouthed towards me as he reached the dining table and sat on the chair across mine.
"Jjong" I mouthed back.
"Oh, okay. He's there already? I was planning to stop by a little bit because I don't have anything to do here. But I guess I'll just wait until tomorrow to see you again, huh?" Jonghyun said, chuckling a little bit.
Before answering, I covered the mouth part of my phone and told Onew hyung, "You can eat ahead, hyung. I just need to finish this with Jjong. If it takes longer, I'll just heat up my food later," and then left.
Even though I tried not to look at Onew hyung's face, I still managed to get a glimpse of him. What shocked me though was that he looked mad as he was gripping the table tightly that his knuckle turned white. Why is he mad?
Every time I mention Jonghyun he's always mad. Why? Because he stole his girlfriend and now their dating and I'm 'dating' Jonghyun? Isn't that what he wanted though, for Gwiboon to become his girlfriend? Whatever. Wait, if he's mad that I'm dating Jonghyun, does that mean he also has feelings for me?
"Yah, Kim Kibum! Are you still there or did you already ditched me to be with Onew hyung?" Jonghyun almost yelled on the end of the line.
Ugh! I forgot that I'm still talking to Jonghyun. "Uhh, yeah, I'm still here. Don't worry I ditched Onew hyung for you." I said laughing, loud enough for Onew hyung to hear. I went inside my room and closed the door behind me without turning the lights on. For some reason, the thought of Onew hyung being jealous of me dating Jonghyun actually made my heart flutter because if that’s the case, then my love life isn’t unrequited anymore.
“Really? Wow, never thought that you would be able to do that, Key. I’m impressed. You’re getting better and better everyday, aren’t you?”
“Shut up, , I can do things if I want to. Besides, I think our plan is working though. Ever since Onew hyung found out about 'relationship', whenever I mention your name he’s expression changes drastically like he’s ready to kill. Does that mean he’s jealous?”
“Of course he is! Why do you think he’s acting like that? What else did you notice?" My situation probably amuses him because I could practically hear him snorting from laughing too hard.
“Well, earlier… when I was preparing to cook food, he suddenly hugged me from behind and then he told me he missed me and that all the fights the past few days between us upset him.”
After what I said, Jonghyun’s laughter died and he didn’t say anything. It was so quiet I thought Jonghyun hung up on me and when he did talk his voice was so low and serious. “He… he told you he misses you?”
“Yeah… Oh my God, Jjong… I’m going crazy here because of him… When he hugged me earlier I could my heart beating so fast that I thought Onew hyung could feel it too and now just thinking about it, it’s making my heart beat like crazy again… Ugh!” By this time, I was lying on my bed, literally kicking my feet up in the air clutching my phone because thinking about Onew hyung liking me back is basically me winning the lottery.
“Oh, I guess that’s good then. Uhh, Key, I gotta go. I… I’m kind of feeling tired now. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
I sat up, my breathing slightly heavy and for some reason, I felt like comforting Jonghyun because his voice sounded sad and hurt that it bothered me for a little bit. “Huh, uhh, okay… Good night, Jjong. Sweet dreams.”
“Night, Key. Sweet dreams, too." And he hung up.
Did I say something that upset him? I don’t remember anything that could possibly make him like that. I guess he’s just tired because I know I am. I was about to go to my drawer to take some clean clothes when I remember that Onew hyung was still outside. Changing my mind, I went out of room and went to the kitchen. I saw him there idly playing with his food.
“Why, you don’t like the food?” I said softly, leaning against the door frame with my arms crossed on my chest.
“It’s delicious, as always.” He smiled, the traces of anger from earlier completely gone from his face. I smiled back and went to heat up my food in the microwave. I sat down on my chair and the scene in front of me made me feel so at home, just like years before when everything was so simple and easy; me and Onew hyung eating dinner, talking about random things, laughing. Compared to my memories with Jonghyun – careless and free – my times with Onew hyung were filled with gentleness and smiles. Right now, that’s what it felt like to me as if we were university students again and because of the papers we have to do that we’re having a late dinner.
Ding!
I got up from chair and took my food from the microwave and went back to the dining table. During the whole time we were eating, Onew hyung and I both apologized to each other for acting how we did for the past days towards each other. After that everything was back to normal. For what seemed like hours, we finally finishing eating our food, the air around us felt so light and comfortable compared before where it felt so heavy and suffocating.
I was already washing the dirty dishes when, once again, Onew hyung crept up behind and hugged me and just like how it did before, it made my heart flutter although this time my heart was beating much faster. I can only stand there on my spot unable to move. On my back, I swear I could feel his heart beating on a fast pace. He didn’t do anything, I didn’t do anything. His body being so close to me was making my head spin and if it wasn’t for the sink counter and him holding me, I swear I could fall any minute.
“I was right,” he whispered, his breath tickling the skin on my neck.
“What?” I whispered back, turning my head slightly enough for me to see how close his face to mine was.
“I was right. I guess I do have feelings for you, too, Key.” Our eyes locked and before I knew it, he closed the gap between us and his lips were against mine.
A/N:
how is it?? please tell me... like really, anything, just say something...
(wth, it sounded like i'm desperate, oh well...)
please subscribe or comment!! silent readers, go away... nah i'm kidding...
till the next update people!!
- immaLocket029
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