The next day dawned and Jaebum could honestly say that he had not gotten enough sleep last night. He had only managed to sleep in the early morning hours and he felt like hell. He had spent the whole night searching for restaurants where the food was decent enough and other places where he could take Jackson for their date the next day and had only managed to finish at about 4 o'clock in the morning.

As soon as he emerged from his room, he found Jinyoung in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee and reading his latest favourite book.

"Good morning, hyung." Jaebum let out an unintelligible sound in reply. Jinyoung looked up and took in his friend. "Heol! You look like you're dying, hyung. Well, I suppose after today you might be." He cackled.

Jaebum stared at his friend and wished he had the energy to give back a witty retort but alas, he couldn't. "Go back to drinking your coffee which is as black as your soul, you punk."

"Hey, it's your own fault you know, you could have said no." Jinyoung says sipping his drink and then placing it back on the table.

Jaebum honestly wants to hit Jinyoung. He thinks it's easy saying no to Jackson, does he? He clearly hasn't met the other boy then. He huffs and makes himself a cup of the coffee left in the pot, adding copious amounts of sugar and takes the seat opposite Jinyoung. He slumped his head on the table and groaned. He was feeling cranky and tired and he just didn't want to do anything at all today. The thought of canceling his date with Jackson crosses his mind briefly before he pushes it away. He can just imagine Jackson's big brown eyes sad and tearing up and the tears flowing down his cheeks. The image alone is enough to make him forget about canceling. It's not like he even has the other boy's number anyway.

Jinyoung looks at his friend for a moment in thought before he finally speaks. "Hyung," When Jaebum looks up at him he continues on with what he wanted to say. "Why didn't you say no?"

Jaebum stares at Jinyoung, taking in the question the younger had asked him and trying to find an answer to it. The silence drags on for minutes before Jinyoung sighs and gets up to wash up his cup, having finished his coffee. When he's done, he dries his hands on the dish towel and hangs it back on the drying rack. Finally, he turns to his best friend, "Well?" When the other boys doesn't reply he sighs again and picks up his book, leaving the kitchen to go back to his reading. He had a few guesses as to why the other didn't, or more like couldn't say no to Jackson. But he would wait until his friend figured it out.

Jaebum was still staring at the now empty seat that his best friend had previously occupied. He hadn't actually thought about why he hadn't said no to Jackson when the other boy had asked him out. Actually, it was more like the other had ordered Jaebum to take him on a date and Jaebum found his behaviour weird now that he had time to think about it. On any other person, he would have found it extremely rude and disrespectful and would have said no straight up without any remorse. But with Jackson, he hadn't not only been able to refuse, but he had failed to say anything at all. That was definitely not Jaebum-like behaviour. Add onto the fact that he had barely slept yesterday, searching for good places that he could take the younger boy to for their date. Jaebum didn't do these kinds of things. Not for anyone, not even his best friend who he's known for a long, long time.

But apparently, Jackson was the only exception.

Jaebum was dressed and ready to leave to pick Jackson up for their date. He had put a little effort into his outfit for the evening, he was wearing a midnight blue dress shirt tucked into black slacks and paired off with black dress shoes. Jinyoung had expressly explained to him that the shirt was 'not' dark blue and that if he couldn't describe the colour correctly then he shouldn't have bought the shirt at all to which Jaebum had exclaimed that it was Jinyoung who had bought him the shirt in the first place! Jinyoung had then pouted and began grumbling about unappreciative ungrateful friends for the rest of the time until he had left the house, not forgetting to grab his black wool overcoat as he exited the flat.

And here he now was, at 6:55 pm, standing again in front of Jackson's house. Being there again brought on a sense of dejavu and he remembers that it was only yesterday when his life was turned upside down. This time he doesn't hesitate to press the intercom though and it's answered by the same voice as it was yesterday.

He steps through when the gate is buzzed open and confidently walks up the path to the front door. He rings the doorbell and as Jackson exits the house, Jaebum's breath halts. The other boy was dressed simply, he had on a grey wool turtleneck paired off with black fitted jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a black wool overcoat over the outfit with black, slightly heeled pointed dress shoes with buckles on the sides and his hair pushed back off his forehead unlike yesterday's fringe. In other words, he looked absolutely stunning.

Jaebum's breath whooshes out of his lungs and his voice comes out breathless as if he just ran a marathon when he speaks. "Hey."

Jackson grins at him and Jaebum's heart suddenly begins to race. Whoa, he thinks, grabbing his chest for a moment before he remembers that Jackson is still standing in front of him. He looks at the younger boy who is staring at him a little weirdly with a quirked brow.

"Hi." Jackson finally replies and looks at him expectantly. Jaebum looks at him confused for a moment and Jackson seems to get it because he speaks again. "Where are my flowers?"

Jaebum's eyes widen. , he had completely forgotten about Jackson ordering, he-hem, asking him to buy him flowers when he goes to pick him up for their date. He sheepishly smiles at the younger boy who is now frowning. "I'm sorry, I forgot to buy them." He swears he sees a glimpse of sadness in the other's eyes for a second but when he blinks and looks again, it's gone so, Jaebum shrugs it off.

Jackson's frown straightens out and he sighs, closing the front door. "It okay, just bring them next time. Remember, I love white roses, okay?" Jaebum nods and then they walk down the steps to the seamless cobble driveway. Jackson looks around for a moment and when he doesn't find what he's looking for, he turns to Jaebum. "Where did you park your car? You know you could've parked it in the driveway, right, mother wouldn't mind."

Jaebum stiffens and looks at the other's back. Did Jackson expect him to have a car? Him, who had to work unfavourable hours at a coffee shop just to make sure that he paid his half of the rent on time. Jackson didn't expect Jaebum to be rich like him, did he?

When Jackson received no reply from Jaebum, he turned back around to face the other. Jaebum was just staring at him in silence and Jackson worried for a moment if he had said something wrong. Something he wasn't supposed to say. "Did I say something wrong?"

Jaebum's intense gaze was slightly intimidating, making Jackson's heart flutter. His Jaebummie was so hot when he looked like that. Especially when the intense stare was directed at him. Jackson's inner gay boy swooned and fell on a fluffy bed, grabbing his chest and squealing 'ahh shim-koong!' Outward he showed none of this though.

Jaebum speaking broke him from his thoughts. "Jackson-ah, I don't own a car." He spoke hesitantly. Jackson just sighed in frustration and shrugged, they could take his car then.

When Jaebum told Jackson that he had no car, he tried to gauge what the other boy was thinking but instead, Jackson only huffed and began to dig through his man clutch, which looked like it was from a designer brand, he couldn't make out the logo though. Jackson pulled something out of the clutch, zipping it back up and handing the now recognised keys to Jaebum. "We'll take my car then." Jackson said, pointing to a squeaky clean white range rover.

Jaebum's eyes widened and he immediately protested. "There's no way I'm driving that car."

Jackson looked at him in a deadpan kind of way and Jaebum had to admit that the other's side eye game was strong (and really, really cute) a part of his brain which Jaebum completely ignored supplied.

"I'm not walking." The younger boy crossed his arms over his chest.

"But-"

Jackson cut him off again. "You're driving." He said walking towards the car.

"What if I damage it?!" Jaebum desperately tried to argue and when Jackson stopped in his tracks, he thought he had finally gotten through to him and slumped in relief. He shouldn't have relaxed though, he realises, when Jackson speaks again. He should've already learned by now that things with Jackson are never that easy.

"Do you have a license?" The younger asked.

Jaebum nodded. "Yes, a regular level two. But-"

"Have you ever driven before?"

"Yes but-" When he's cut off again Jaebum wants to scream! Really? Really?

"Then you're driving." Jackson simply states and Jaebum just watches him saunter to the car in disbelief. He looks to the sky and thinks, 'chincha? really? did I do something wrong in my past life to be punished like this?' This, was the person he was going to be dating?

He's broken out of his thoughts when Jackson yells at him to hurry up because he didn't want to stand there all night. Jaebum sighs, resigning himself to his fate and quickly walks over to the younger. He presses the button to open the car and gets into the driver's seat when he notices that Jackson is still standing outside.

The younger is looking at him in frustration and looking expectantly at the car door and then back to Jaebum with his arms crossed over his chest. Jaebum inwardly scoffs and stares at the other in disbelief because Jackson honestly expected him to open the door for him. When a minute goes by with Jackson still standing outside the car, Jaebum sighs and curses ever having agreed to this before he gets out of the car to open the door for Jackson, who gets into the car and buckles himself in, beaming in happiness.

Jaebum gets back into the driver's seat and buckles his seat belt. Before he's even started the car up, Jackson speaks. "I can't believe you left me standing out there in the cold like that, Jaebumie hyung!" Jaebum glances beside him and the other is pouting, smile gone.

He sighs again and apologises. "It's okay!" Jackson is beaming again. "You still opened it anyway. But don't forget to next time, okay, Jaebumie? It's not very gentlemanly to forget things like this."

The beaming smile is directed at him again and Jaebum sighs again. Jaebum can already tell that his future is going to be filled and consumed with sighs, like, a lot of sighing and placating a pouting Jackson all the time.