Even as your body betrays you, your mind denies it.

*

“From the first moment I saw you, I know you are the one for me. Butterflies dancing in my stomach and my mind clouded with only you.” Changhyun walked forward. A shade of pink tinted his white cheeks.

“Your name flows in my veins at the same exact moment. And my heart, beating for only you.” He took one step forward to the smaller boy. Jonghyun tried to ignore the prickling of burn on his fingers when it touched Changhyun’s shoulders.

“Please be mine, Cha- Juliet.”

Jonghyun bit his lips.

A loud laughter boomed behind him, courtesy of his stupid dance team. Jonghyun hold the smile that threatening to creep on his lips. Their compromise situation somewhat make him felt amused.

“Hold up Mr Romeo, you need to deliver your lines with more emotions. Like people in love.” Chanhee said as his hands waved dramatically up in the air, like some manic movie director. Jonghyun rolled his eyes.

“I said I don’t want to do this.” He groaned. Eyes shifted from the paper in his hand to the so called Juliet in front of him. “And you - why did you a Juliet?”

“I had to, it is for my literature project, a modern Romeo and Juliet. Nobody else want it and we don’t have any female in my group.”

“Ask Chanhee hyung to help you practice the lines. He’s eager.” Jonghyun pushed his chin up to the direction of Chanhee, only to realize that he just few inches apart from Changhyun face. He retracted a bit, to dismiss the clench in his chest.

“No, no, no, no. On thee beautiful summer day~~, I am your Shakespeare. I directed your play, not to throw some peasant lines.” Chanhee shouted it out and it sound more like a choked dolphin in marine circus.

What a disgrace to literature world.

“Minsoo hyung can help right?” Jonghyun said, as he lazily passed the Romeo script to Changhyun. Changhyun’s fingers brushed against the back of his hand. Jonghyun felt the skin where it touched vibrated like been shook with electricity. Or it just his imagination.

He choose the latter.

He rubbed his eyebrows slowly as his brain made a remembrance of a few weird incidents happened to him in this few months. Or to be exact, since Changhyun happened. It was weird.

It is because of Changhyun?

He dismissed that absurd thought with a slight shake of his confused head, eyes started to focus on Niel when he saw the pair of thick lips moved to response.

“Minsoo is sleepy and me – I have to take care of sleepy Minsoo. Or you can waste your time and beg Byunghun there to help you in which I am positive the result will turn out negative.” Niel mumbled as he shoot a look at Jonghyun.

“Why don’t you just continue to help him?”

Jonghyun groaned. Like hell he going to say that he unable to do it because when he stand in front of Changhyun, his body started to do extremely weird things - like his palm started to sweat and he thought he got palpitation – heart beating irregularly, body felt hot and he doesn’t felt well- like he was down with fever. Might be he probably down with fever, though.

Jonghyun breathed out and make a mental note to take medicine once he got home.

“I don’t want.”

“Jonghyunnie, help me.” Changhyun looked at him, eyes moist- pleading. Damn, that was a foul play.

“I.don’t.want.” Word by word slowly left out from his mouth.

“Please, Jonghyunnie~~.” Changhyun tugged the hem of Jonghyun’s shirt and pouted, eyes went crescent and cheeks puffed out.

Well, who can say no to that?

“Fine, just because you say please.”

Jonghyun stomped his foots and grumpily snatched the script from Changhyun, without warning papers started to fly to the ground.

If his friends pay attention enough, they will see the faint smile tugged on the corner of Jonghyun’s lips.

“Say, who is the Romeo in the real play?” Niel interfered, eyes fixed on Changhyun who stumbled to pick up scattered papers on the floor, cheeks crimson red. A question out of pure curiosity.

“Sungjae.”

The dance room was silence, saved for Niel, who nodded his head and throw a knowing glance at Minsoo – who grin crept up on his sleepy face at the same exact moment, the background music from Byunghun’s video game, and Chanhee counted 123 in his head and a knowing smirk on his face- before a loud sound screeched in the small room.

“YOOK SUNGJAE?!?!?!!?”

It was Jonghyun.

Chanhee smirked, the room erupted with laughter as Jonghyun desperately talked to Changhyun something sound like pleadings of “it’s dangerous” “you shouldn’t play the role with him” to a mandatory command of “change your role” “I will talk to Mr.Park”.

There goes the subtle Mr Jerk in Denial so called Best Bestfriend.

**

“What’s with Jonghyunnie?”

Jonghyun ears perked up at his best friend’s voice asked for his condition. From his peripheral vision, he can saw the others shrugged off their shoulders indicated that the also has no idea and a pitter pattered of Changhyuns walked towards him.

Seconds later, his back met with a touch of warm hands. It burned his skin where it touched.

“Hey.” Jonghyun can heard a quiver in that voice from behind him “What’s up? Wanna share it with me, Jonghyunnie?”

“Nothin’.”

“You angry with something.” Changhyun voiced out. A statement rather than a question.

“Hey, you can ta-“

“I AM OKAY! IS THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND?” Changhyun has not finish his sentence when Jonghyun voice boomed throughout the cafeteria. A few curious eyes snapped towards their table, voices whispering – eyes telling.

Since the first day they met each other, they has never argue or having any disagreement from neither Changhyun nor Jonghyun. Changhyun as always all smileys whenever, wherever – despite Jonghyun cold demeanor or when Jonghyun at the time of him where he suddenly went ice cold towards everyone – Mister Best Bestfriend was not an exception.

Nobody know why or have any slightest idea why Jonghyun acted like that. It just happened and they somehow has gotten used to it or have to gotten used to it. No one ever tried to ask him.

If they noticed lately that the said times of him happened more lots than before – they didn’t ask.And Jonghyun so relieved of that because he – himself do not have any explanation of why it happened.

It just happened like that one day after they won the dance competition and everyone was happily celebrated the occasion and suddenly the next day Jonghyun went distant and became hot-tempered than his usual self. He gave cold shoulder to everyone, especially Changhyun and when he walked out from practice room, he bumped his shoulder to Sungjae’s when the latter came to practice room with flower in one hand, smiled like an idiot to Changhyun – like he did every time he congratulated Changhyun when they won.

Changhyun also never questioned out when one day Jonghyun walked past him and went back himself- without waiting for Changhyun whom has drama practice with drama club, in which Yook Sungjae was the club president. He didn’t talked to Changhyun for approximately 2 days and 11 hours 16 minutes just because he heard from people that the play Changhyun in had a kiss scene of the Changhyun.

Jonghyun thought it was a stupid stupid idea to stage a play of Trojan War: Patroclus and Achilles. And it stupidest when Changhyun played Achilles and Patroclus played by a prick – none other than Sungjae. Damn whoever idea it was.

Literally, he has nothing against Sungjae – the boy never did him wrong. It just that his whole body and heart suddenly reacted badly towards the boy and he did not know the reason why. He, himself as clueless as a newborn puppy.

Or that what he assured himself.

He was not jealous. He was absolutely not jealous like what Chanhee whispered to him one day when the bossy elder noticed he thrown another tantrum – because Sungjae joined them at lunch. He just mad.

Apparently it was an understatement for them that lunch time was for their team, so he hate it when something or rather someone tried to fit in most obvious way to flirting with his own best friend. Most of the time, he mad at Changhyun because the latter paid no mind to the situation and just let it happened.

Best friend should stayed and faith to their silent agreement, right?

So, Chanhee’s point was totally wrong. Wrong in many level. He doesn’t jealous. Choi Jonghyun did not do jealous because he did not has reason to.

But that Lee Chanhee has a thick skull, it hard to tell him that he was wrong.

It was the end of their second year, he ran away from people because it was too hard to ignore people talking about how Sungjae’s extravagant way proposed Changhyun for prom.  

Jonghyun skipped his last class and spent the rest of the day in their dance practice room – body drenched in sweats, heart beating hard – as hard as it calmed down the weird tug that made his heart clenched painfully against nothing. When he dance, it made him forgot whatever tried to mess with his mind and heart.

His body slowly felt at ease.

Sadly, it just for a short while – he broke from reverie when Byunghun and Chanhee barged into the room, in excuse of ditched their last class.

“Oh the jealous lover boy is here. How obvious.” Chanhee chirped when their eyes met.

“What?”

“I said the jealous best friend is here because he is so much of a jerk trying to deny his own feeling. Ops, I forgot you only understand ignorant grammars and words.”

“ off, hyung.” Jonghyun said through his gritted teeth as Byunghun thrown disapproving look at Chanhee.

“Why? Because it is true?”

“I said off.” Jonghyun eyes was red when he picked Chanhee by his collar. The older just smirked back in returned.

“You want to punch me? Then punch! It is not going to change the fact that you are so much a stupid trying to deny his own feeling. Open your eyes open your heart – then you will see what happens around you.”

At that, Jonghyun scowled and thrown Chanhee to the foor. How he wished he punch the latter so that it can wiped off the devilish smirk on Chanhee’s face.

“Consider yourself lucky because you are older than me. And for the last time, keep it in your thick skull that I, choi Jonghyun is not in love with anyone especially my own best friend. I will never.”

Jonghyun scoffed when Chanhee just looking at him with amusement on his face and a murmur of “I hope someday someone will remove that stick up your .”

He was about to retort back when a soft hey drummed in his ear – a very familiar voice. He doesn’t need to look to see his best friend leaned againt the door frame, bag hanged on one shoulder.

With a smile on his white complexion, Changhyun pulled his hand, grabbed Jonghyun’s bag on the bench as he waved goodbyes to both stunned Chanhee and Byunghun before made their way out of the tense aired room.

“Right now, I am so mad at you for ditching me alone in the last class. And are you just picking fight again with Chanhee hyung?, because I can senses it. Your eyebrows going to meet in the middle if you keep that stoic face most of time.”

Changhyun’s words did not even get in his mind as the other talked about how his day went without Jonghyun.

Tell him, who can concentrate when your best friend’s red pouty lips moved as delicately as he spoke and his eyes gleam and shone brighter than the sun. It was even difficult to hold himself from pinch that fluffy cheeks because Changhyun was just adorable.

At that time, he just want time to freeze so that he can indulged in the beautiful moment and gazed at the precious creature in front of him. Just him and Changhyun.

Their friendship was so precious and he did not wanted anything come in between to jeopardize it.

“-we can stop by right?Jonghyunnie?”

Changhyun light touch on his arm brought him back to reality. Changhyun was looking at him with those shining eyes he adored so much.

“Urmm..yes?”

“I want ice scream and you not even paying attention to me.” Changyun pouted. Nose scrunched cutely. Oh, how he wanted to tip that nose with his fingers. In friendly ways, of course.

“I have a better idea.” He gave Changhyun his 1000 megawatt smile. The latter raised an eyebrow to him – asking. “How about you and me, in my house eating the new pints of Haagen Dazs that my mom just bought. We got cookies and cream in store.”

Jonghyun wiggled his eyebrows only to face with a blinding smile he ever saw and a small warm hand pulled him by arm and urged him to walk faster.

“Jonghyun quick. What if Yumi noona eat the ice cream before we reach your home.” Changhyun mumbled as he paced forward in fast manner. Tugged the smiling Jonghyun along with him.

“ Aish this kid. You will be fat before prom and no one going to ask you out.” Jonghyun avoided to look at Changhyun as he bit his inner cheeks.

“I am not going-” Changhyun’s voiced been muffled in the evening wind, but Jonghyun heard clearly the words after that.

“-because you are not going. As usual.” Jonghyun thought the pink that tinted Changhyun’s cheeks make him beautiful.

At the moment, Jonghyun forgot all the things that messed up his mind.

He forgot he was in rage.

He forgot about Sungjae.

He forgot what Chanhee said to him.

And he wished, that he will forgot the tug at the bottom of his heart.

**

A/N: Chapter 2 for you guys. I was extremely busy nowadays and I stole time in between my working time to write this. I hope you enjoy it.

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And  I am sorry.