TRACK 127 | JEALOUS by Nick Jonas

The first time Rara decided to put down all her walls and barriers exclusively for Baekhyun, it motioned to more and more chances and occurrences of the same event. Now they were not only passionate in arguing and bickering out in public, they also had different kinds of passion when they shared the same space, in the same four walls. True to the description of people around them, on the outside, one stood in the red corner, the other on the blue corner; but inside the bedroom, they were in the same boat (or bed, rather)—as there were rare moments or slip-ups or little hints here and there appeared in the eyes of the public, indicating that something had happened the night before. But all the same, Rara and Baekhyun were cautious with their actions because they were selfish enough to deny the world the versions of themselves that they only wanted the other to see.

It was like this for years and decades—more intimacy, more unraveled secrets, and well, more petty fights, but everything that has happened between them was bound to bring them closer.

Eventually, they were eligible for college as they have matured and grown over the years. Now, like ages, degrees in college really didn’t matter because they could have as many as they wanted; time wasn’t a problem. Practicing her skills when it came to the art of fire remained a priority to Rara, just as studies did. The absence of her great grandfather resulted in training alone, but that did not hinder her from improving. Some days, Suho came to the beach, swore not to make his presence a nuisance when she practiced. Most times he was just there watching the ocean or playing with water. He did entertain any concerns Rara had, but his sole purpose of going to the beach still remained the same—just to enjoy the view. Of course, Baekhyun was made aware of this, and to get on Rara’s good side, he agreed. Over the years, Rara has come to master the first two other colors—orange and blue. She was on her way to becoming an expert on purple flames and was fairly good with black ones, but her level of knowledge and skill still did not meet her own expectations.

As a basis for college courses, people focused on which talent or skill bloomed over the years. Baekhyun was a good speaker and he talked in a way that could convince you and if not convince, maybe reconsider choices that weren’t in line with his liking; this skill prompted him to enter the world of business, so he decided to choose a course related to business. Rara, who was passionate about the earth and anything that had to do with life, fell into the category of sciences, so she chose Biology. Since there were many branches of the science of life, she chose an unlikely major, but she decided on it, because she thought it would be a good choice to study one of her weaknesses, and that’s how she ultimately settled with majoring in Marine Biology.

They could go to the same university but there were universities that specialize in marketing and entrepreneurship and some others guaranteed you a good education if you were under a pre-medical course. Rara wanted the best for the both of them, wanted the both of them to pursue their interests, even if they had to separate for a while, but despite having seen her good intentions, Baekhyun, with his unchanging stubbornness and clingy attitude, wanted her around in the same university.

So they settled with a decision that dubiously got approval from Baekhyun. Rara was going to attend the same school as Shinae and two of his brothers in the pack—D.O and Suho. One of the reasons why Rara also wanted to go to this particular university is because her best friend was there too. It was nice to have familiar faces around, especially for an introvert like her. Both D.O and Suho were in the Biology department as well, with D.O majoring in Ecology while Suho was majoring in Marine Biology, which corresponded to their elements. Shinae planned to fall in the same major as D.O, as she loved nature, especially the terrestrial parts. The pack already started a year earlier than Shinae and Rara, so they were to follow the year after.

The universities that Baekhyun and Rara were enrolled in, despite being in the same city, were still apart from each other. As compensation for the lost time, Rara and Baekhyun spend, if not all, but most of their weekends and free time together.

But the distance was not the main problem though.

Though their arguments are usually rooted from small things, these days, they fight about one particular thing—Rara’s friendship with the alpha wolf.

As much as Baekhyun wanted to remain on Rara’s good side, he couldn’t help but take notice of their friendship. He was always hesitant to let her go because even after the years, he still feels a pinch of jealousy over anyone who got close to his mate. Suho was one of those people who just ‘gets’ Rara, just like he does. That’s what happens when you hang out with her all the time; she’s like one of those candies with attractive packaging that got you curious and suspicious at the same time; some sweets that are pleasing to the eyes end up being a disappointment once you open them; they might taste ordinary or bland and not live up to their appearance, but Rara was the kind who already is appealing on the outside and was much more attractive in the inside. While Suho was probably one of those people who was bound to meet Rara not because he was drawn to her, but because he was Baekhyun's alpha wolf, it still didn’t help that they had the same interests in literature and arts—sometimes, Baekhyun even thought they complimented each other so much, they should be the ones being together.

And Baekhyun wasn’t the only one who thought like that; even the students in their university thought Rara and Suho were good together.

People sometimes thought they were a couple unless Rara told them she was already in a relationship with a different person.

Baekhyun kept his envy to himself but sometimes, he truly believed that he turned so green that the Incredible Hulk might mistake him as one of his relatives. To keep their relationship afloat and secured, he had to tone down his possessiveness as Rara tried to assure him that nothing is happening between her and Suho. The idea that Baekhyun would ever speculate her to be cheating on him, especially with one of the persons he considers a brother, was ridiculously absurd.

June 1st of 2001.

Rara was in her Junior year, while Baekhyun was in his Senior year. It was Friday, and this weekend was reserved for just the two of them; Saturday and Sunday was for them to devour.

Baekhyun arrived at the front of their Rara’s university at 5:42 pm, just in time for her dismissal. She was quite busy these days with her research. While it vexed him a little bit to see her walking and talking to Suho towards the front gates, he knew Suho was just helping her out. After all, he was one year ahead of her; he has been through what she was going through. That was something admirable about their leader; he always lent a hand.

“They look so cute together, don’t they?” Baekhyun whipped his head to the source of this remark. It was two girls from the other end of the front gate. The other one giggled. “No doubt. Not too cheesy and not too edgy. Can’t hate ‘em.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes in an attempt to dismiss their statements but he still ended up balling his fists. When he looked at Suho and Rara, Rara’s back was to him and Suho caught his eye. He smiled at Baekhyun, who smiled in return and raised a hand as a reply. Suho pointed at him, gesturing Baekhyun’s arrival, making Rara turn around. She beamed and waved. She said something to Suho, probably telling him goodbye. Suho nodded with a grin and went in the other direction.

As Rara approached Baekhyun, he felt a little more at ease. The two girls staring at them curiously. It was apparent that they didn’t know Rara was already in a relationship.

A smile was plastered on Rara’s face as she faced Baekhyun. “Shall we go? I’m beat.”

Baekhyun took off the books in her hand and her bag off her shoulders. He simpered. “As you wish.” He put his free arm around Rara’s shoulders as they walked outside the campus.

“Hey, before we go to the cabin, can we drop by my place? I need to pick up a few things.” Rara asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

Rara’s place was close to her university. Living in a dormitory was inconvenient for her. While Shinae found the presence of people tolerable, Rara was always the type to avoid interaction as much as possible, and she also couldn’t risk her room