Eleven

Minwoo glanced at his watch secretly. He didn’t do that once, but continually, as if the time would change in couple of seconds. It was his day. The day of celebration, yet…he wasn’t as happy as he should’ve been. And Dongwan had tried his best to get a smile at least once, and he had gotten it after numerous tries. His present had been perfect. Nothing beat that.

The main dancer lifted his hand up and looked at the diamond ring on his finger, smiling softly, as he rolled the ring around and let it shimmer from every spot. It wasn’t an engagement ring, if Minwoo didn’t want to, it was just a thing to show that they were heading somewhere someday. Dongwan had said that, and Minwoo had accepted his point of view, since he received the ring.

“Enjoying?” Dongwan asked suddenly.

“Mmm.” Minwoo nodded.

“Then why haven’t I seen a smile on your face since the party began?” The younger lad lifted the head up by the chin and smirked.

Minwoo tried to smile, he really did, but it was difficult when…when the leader wasn’t there. It had been written all over Hyesung’s face once he had entered the apartment. Eric wouldn’t come. Somehow Minwoo had expected that, he had even said that out loud to Dongwan, but he had hoped that Eric would’ve come and showed that there weren’t anything wrong anymore.

“I think I just need fresh air.” Minwoo said.

Dongwan gestured him and let him go, as he himself turned to the maknaes and Hyesung and joined their conversation.

Outside, Minwoo was inhaling and exhaling the air, relaxing himself, when his phone bleeped. He did not hurry to fish it out, but let it bleep over and over again, before he finally dug it out and saw the name on the screen that made his heart jump and then skip thousands of skips.

‘Having fun?’

‘I guess so since you aren’t answering.’

‘I’m sorry…I shouldn’t send you messages…but I want to see you. Even if I didn’t join the fun, I still have a present for you.’

Minwoo texted back, “What kind of a present?”

A minute later his phone bleeped again, and a big smile plastered upon his face. ‘It wouldn’t be a present if I told you. If you have time after the party, you can come and get it.’

Minwoo looked inside the room filled with people he knew, as he turned back to the phone, hesitated for a while and then decided to reply, “What if I can come now?”

¨

Five minutes passed this time and as soon as the message from the leader had come, Minwoo ran out without anyone noticing and got into his car, not even switching off the message app. He could hear the voice in his head say ‘Then come.’

                ***

“I didn’t believe you’d come,” were Eric’s first words when Minwoo stepped inside his apartment.

“Oh.”

“I thought you loved Dongwan.”

“Ah…so coming here would mean I don’t love him?” Minwoo questioned seriously, sitting down to the couch waiting for Eric to join him. “I do love him.”

The leader heaved an inaudible sigh and followed the younger man for a while, before he walked into the kitchen and got them something to drink. Not alcohol this time, since bad things happened due to his very poor tolerance.

Eric damned himself though. His heart was still beating for Minwoo like he was a teenage girl having the thousandth crush on someone. He had never even said he would be able to get over the main dancer.  He had never promised himself he would do so. He should’ve, but he didn’t.

“So…where’s the gift?” Minwoo interrogated impatiently, obviously perceiving that he should get back to Dongwan and the other guests before anyone notices he was gone. “It made me drive all the way from there to here.”

The older man cleared his throat before he dug his pockets and pulled out a small box. Too big for a ring, but too small for a necklace or something. Minwoo did not know where to look as he suddenly felt awkward in the small living room. But once the small box was opened in front of him, the awkwardness disappeared and he let out a gasp.

“This…”

“Yeah…”

“You…”

“Yes…”

Minwoo took the small box into his hands and admired it silently, letting out gasps and sighs. He twirled the box around, before he carefully took the keychain out and held it like it was the most expensive piece of crap in the whole world. He then glanced at Eric.

“You actually bought it.” He whispered.

“Of course I did…at that time…you still were…mine.” The leader’s words turned quieter at the end, but Minwoo still heard them strongly enough.

Minwoo glimpsed at him again, while he put the keychain back to the box and closed the lid quickly. He flashed a grin at the older man, got up from the sofa and announced that he needed to leave now. Eric nodded, stood up from the sofa and followed Minwoo to the foyer, where he was already slipping his feet into the shoes. It was silent, but not uncomfortably.

“They must be waiting.” Minwoo murmured pointing at the door as a sign.

“Yeah.”

“Thank you for the gift Eric…I like it a lot.” Minwoo leaned in for a hug, as his arms went around the shoulders, and his body got closer. “Thank you so much.”

The leader dared put his arms around the waist, and soon he was relaxed, and recalling how it felt to be close to someone you love like that. Minwoo was still warm, comfortable, snuggly and most of all he still…

“Smells good.”

“I always do.”

They chuckled gently – which was sort of warming to hear after so long.

The older man was sniffing again, his lips moving along the nose, as Minwoo felt them under the ear, on the jawline, chin, on the corner of his mouth and eventually on the lips.  Eric’s arms abruptly embraced him tighter and Minwoo’s hands gripped the shirt harder. The lips were pursing, as Minwoo cracked his mouth open and inhaled. Leader’s yearning was paid as he pinned the younger man’s back to his door and let the greed over the lips overtake him and his body.

He would’ve stopped.

But Minwoo was answering.