Thirteen
Before All The Longings
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The ride to their university is filled with silence as Joonmyeon glances occasionally at the driver. He hasn't seen the younger for a week but then he just showed up like that in front of his house. He doesn't know if it is just him or the taller has become a little bit thinner than before.
"Do you..."
Joonmyeon turns his head fully to look at the younger.
"...want to get some breakfast first?"
His dad reheated the leftover curry from last night and made fried eggs with veggies and his stomach is about to explode but he nods anyway, knowing from the look of the taller's face that he isn't really want to have some food but more of spending time with him.
Chanyeol stops in front of the cafe just outside the university. It is the only one out of the many that open this early and his stomach feels like pushing everything back up at the thought of rice and soup for breakfast but he is hungry.
Joonmyeon declines the offer of a sandwich and nods at a fresh squeezed juice instead. He watches the younger head toward the counter before walking to an empty table at the back corner of the cafe. The big clock hanging above the counter catches his eyes and he breathes out when his eyes fall on the male waiting at the counter.
As Chanyeol knows his class schedule, so does he and when his own class starts at nine, the taller's Monday classes start at eleven and it is only just past eight. There are so many questions in his mind as why would the younger wanting to meet with him this early when they can just have lunch together like before.
Chanyeol stops at the table with a tray in hands, putting the whole thing down before placing the cup of fruit juice in front of his senior. He takes a seat and starts eating his chicken sandwich, eyes trying not to meet with the older's.
"Have you talked to Baekhyun?"
He chews slowly, swallowing and takes another bite before shaking his head.
Joonmyeon takes a deep breath, doesn't understand what is going on inside the younger's mind. He is okay with Baekhyun dating so why is he distancing himself from his best friend? Because he has feelings for him?
Chanyeol swallows the last bite of his sandwich, sipping some of his coffee before looking straight at the older sitting across him. He still doesn't know how to explain his feeling about Baekhyun dating even though he gave his best friend his blessing through Joonmyeon. He still need time to sort his mind before he can talk to the smaller properly again, if that ever happen.
"Chanyeol."
"We should get going." He stands up, walking away with his leftover coffee when Joonmyeon does the same. He unlocks his car, getting in and starts the engine as soon as the older shuts his door. Joonmyeon never stopped glancing at him all the way to the student parking lot and he knows he owe the older and explanation on his behavior today but he doesn't know how.
"Would you stop talking to me if I started dating too?" Joonmyeon turns to his side, wanting to see the younger's reaction at his question.
"No."
"Then, why is Baekhyun any different?"
"I... don't know." Chanyeol stares at his steering wheel. He has been asking himself the same question over and over but he still doesn't know why it is so hard knowing and seeing Baekhyun together with that Medic senior.
Joonmyeon slings his bag over his shoulder, one hand at the door handle. "You are his best friend." He has been solving the problems between the two since forever but he can't do anything now. Chanyeol needs to settle this by his own. "Don't do this to him."
Chanyeol watches as the older gets out from his car and he sighs at the silence that fill his surrounding. He has to see Baekhyun.
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Grace pulls out one of the empty chair, taking a seat in front of her cousing that is eating her restaurant's best-seller pasta. It is a recipe he got from their grandmother but with a little twist of her own so the taste is something the male is familiar with and she can't help feeling proud when Yifan complimented the dish when she first started the business.
"Did you get a new chef?"
She nods slightly at Bella that is glancing up at her, trying to figure out what is her purpose of coming here. After that night, she hasn't seen or spoken to Yifan as the younger looked so mad after knowing the fact that she somehow knew about Joonmyeon. She turns to Bella. "Don't tell me you came here just to eat."
Bella smiles, wiping and sipping some water. "Your sixth sense is amazing!" She leans back to her chair, eyes fixed at the older. "There will be a small fashion show this weekend and I got invited. Do you want to come along?"
The news makes Grace's brows furrow. "Are you asking me to come with?" She gets a nod. "Why?"
"Because I like showing off?"
Grace rolls her eyes at that.
"It will be fun. Plus, there will be amny handsome people. Maybe you would find someone that doesn't dislike you and you won't have time to meddle with Yifan anymore. How about it?"
The words are making her grits her teeth but at the same time it is enticing. She has never been to such event before.
Bella smiles at the small nod coming from the older before making herself comfortable in her seat. Now for the real reason she dragged Yifan to eat lunch here even though she has work related to that fashion show to do. "Joonmyeon."
Yifan flinches a little at the name, the fork on his right hand almost slipped out but he manages to collect himself before Bella or Grace notice it. He sees his cousin's widened eyes as she gives the woman her full attention before he continues to finish his meal. He doesn't care.
"He's a nice guy. Tall men magnet."
Grace's brows furrow. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"Whenever I see him, he is either alone or with some tall guy. I only know two though, but still..."
She blinks at the information, mind recalling the encounter she had with the said younger at the mall that one weekend. Joonmyeon was with someone that is even taller than Yifan, even just slightly, which is a rare thing. She turns to look at her cousin that has finished his meal and busying himself with his phone. Is Yifan going to act like nothing happened with Bella talking about Joonmyeon freely like this?
"I haven;t found out why 'our' tall guy is mad at him as eh won't tell and I can only do so much but I know he has a family problem so big that whatever happened between him and Yifan is just like a speck of dust in a vast desert." Bella falnces to the only male in the group and she smiles at the ignorance Yifan tries to put up. No reaction means she can continue.
Grace doesn't like the smirk on the pretty face.
If Yifan doesn't care and doesn't want to listen, he can just leave but he is still sitting here beside her even after all the rambles she told Grace about Joonmyeon. Maybe it is to keep her from saying something that somehow connected to the secret he keeps with Joonmyeon but like him, she doesn't care either. Bella looks at Grace. "I'm going to find out about it. Do you want to join?"
Yifan stands abruptly, ignoring the smirk Bella has at his sudden reaction. He walks away without saying a word as Bella won't listen to it anyway but he has had it with her nonsense. Joonmyeon won't tell. He won't.
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He steps inside the pool area, eyes searching for one small junior of his before he spots him sitting at the bleachers, looking straight at the many students swimming in the pool. He walks towards him, poking the younger's shoulder before his presence finally being noticed.
"You said you would call first." Baekhyun clears the empty spot beside him from dust and focuses back to his front when his side is being pressed a little by the older. "Oh! He won!"
Joonmyeon throws his gaze at the direction of the other end of the pool and sees a few guys high-fiving each other before a familiar face catches his eyes. "Am I allow to see your boyfriend half- and wet like this?" He hears a gasp before a slap lands on his arm and red colors the fair face. "I'm just saying."
"You must never been to the univeristy pool either."
"Well, not 'never'. But I must say, your boyfriend is bringing me places I have no reason to go to before."
Baekhyun doesn't like the side-eye the older is giving him.
"But there are places that only you he would bring, right?"
He slaps the lean arm harder this time. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He watches as Joonmyeon rubs on the sore spot before looking at him. "So, are you coming to eat with us?"
Joonmyeon shakes his head, declining the offer Baekhyun had made over a text while he was in class earlier. "Sophia has the day off so we are going outside to eat tonight. I would invite you but apparently you already have a date."
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. The older will never stop teasing him at this rate. He breathes in, his mind playing the scene he saw earlier today. "I saw you came with Chanyeol this morning."
Joonmyeon turns his head to look at the younger properly.
"I am glad that he is still talking to you."
"Baek..."
"How was he?"
Joonmyeon breathes out. "He is fine. Maybe a bit thinner. Are you going to see him?"
"He didn't even reply my text. Let alone want to meet me." Baekhyun purses his lips. This has been in his mind and he doesn't know how to handle it. "Was I wrong, hyung? Going out with Joss hyung?"
This is one of the reason why he wants Chanyeol to talk properly with Baekhyun instead of just ignoring his best friend like this. He doesn't know it is because the smaller is dating or because he is dating a guy but either isn't a solid excuse to abadon the friendship they built over the years. "Is Joss making you happy?"
Baekhyun nods shyly. When he and Joss told that roommate of his, the younger was ecstatic, saying how they make a cute couple. The male even offered to switch room with his childhood friend before changing his mind seconds later as he doesn't want to rush every morning from the Medic School to their Art one.
"Then you did nothing wrong. I am not blaming Chanyeol either as I understand why he acted like this but if he really can't accept the change in your life, he should talk to you, not just disappear.
He shifts his attention to the pool, Joonmyeon's words replaying itself in his mind. Joss really treats him well but he misses joking around and being silly wiht Chanyeol as they are 'sharing one brain cell', quoting their other friends. He looks around and notices Joss isn't in the pool or anywhere near it, where some of the guys are still hanging around the body of water. "Oh, hyung. Did you see where Joss hyung went to?"
"Right behind you." Joss leans forward and puts his chin gently on the small head before Baekhyun's able to turn his body around. "Only now you remember your boyfriend?"
Joonmyeon tries so hard not to smile cheekyly at the title his peer used on himself as the watches Baekhyun's eartips turning red in color while trying to shake Joss' chin off his head. Such a lovely couple. He hates it.
"Are you ready to do, Joonmyeon?"
"Ah, Joonmyeon hyung isn't coming."
He nods when the taller is looking at him in question. "I'm going to dinner with my family. Thank you for the invite, though." He stands, following the other two as they ready to leave. He lets them lead and glances at the pool one last time before exiting the place. "I heard you're a star swimmer. Did you win any competition before?"
Joss smiles. That title is still following him even though he hadn't enter any competition for the last three years. "I did but it was during our freshman year. Now just for exercise as I have a work coming up. Oh, that reminds me."
Joonmyeon puzzles as the taller is staring at him with big eyes.
"Are you free this weekend?"
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