Fifteen
Before All The Longings
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He saw him the moment they stepped inside the venue. Even among all the tall people in the room, his eyes manged to spot him standing at the other side of the room from the entrance. He was glad when he and Baekhyun being led to another room but he should have said no to the after party. Now he just wish that 'he' won't see him.
"Liking what you see?"
Joonmyeon smiles at the deep voice, thanking the taller fro the drink he had offered to get. "Well, everyone is so handsome and pretty, not liking means I am jealous and I am not jealous!" He gets a laugh and notices one missing boyfriend. "Where is Baekhyun?" He sees the other's eyes sparkle at his question.
"My agent is talking to him. She said she likes his look."
His eyes widen at the information. "Are you sure?"
Joss nods. "I was just introducing him to my agent and she complimented on how good-looking he is and the next thing I knew I'm being shoosh-ed away. 'We need to talk in private', she said." He watches the elated face turn into a doubtful one and he pats the small back. "Don't worry, he will be fine. If you don't trust her, trust me. You trust me, right?"
Joonmyeon looks at the taller in the eye. It has been around two weeks since the two dated and although he knows a Medic student named Joss, Baekhyun knows the person himself. It wasn't like Joss appeared out of nowhere and asked Baekhyun to go out with him. They hung out with a mutual friend and eventually knew each other. And the younger might seems carefree but he knows what he's doing. "I trust Baekhyun." The taller smiles.
"Good enough for me." Joss drinks his water, watching his peer sipping some of the wine he had brought for him before he gets a glance back. "What?"
"You are not drinking?"
"I'm the one driving us here, remember?" He gets an awkward smile from the smaller. "Besides, I have Baekhyun and you to look after. Those drinks are tempting but you guys are more important."
Joonmyeon's cheeks feel hot and he is sure it isn't from the wine. Is there a shop somewhere selling a Joss because he would like to have one.
"So, back to earlier... How do you want me to help?"
He frowns. "Help with what?"
"That guy you have been eyeing. Do you want me to be your wing-man or do you want me to get his number for you?" Joss sees the black brows still knitted while looking at him. "That guy over there. He was at the fashion show too, right? I saw you were looking for someone when we entered the room and you were staring at him all these times."
Joonmyeon swallows the lump in his throat, eyes fix at the too familiar man that is in the taller's line of sight. Was he that obvious? Yes, the Chinese male was at the show, and yes, he was looking for him when they stepped into the room but it was to make sure that they won't bump into each other, not because of the reason Joss is thinking.
"He is handsome, I must tell you. I saw a lady with him but I don't think she is hos lover or anything. Do you want me to ask about her too?"
"Ah, no. Don't. It wasn't anything like that. I am not interested in him or..."
"Hey, it's fine. You don't have to be shy about it."
"No, Joss. It is not that. I..."
"I saw how you look at him."
He stiffens at the soft-spoken words, lips tightly shut as sincere eyes are looking straight into his own.
Joss smiles a little. Baekhyun told him how his older friend had never dated before but he didn't expect this kind of clueless. "You know eyes never lie. And I don't know what was on you mind when you look at him but I know it wasn't hatred."
Joonmyeon breathes out. He did hate him before, with all his being, when his mother found out about what happened 'that' night but it all disappeared when the house was empty and Sophia couldn't be contacted anymore.
"Because, how can you hate someone you just met?"
He blinks at the realization. Right. The taller doesn't know, just like everybody else.
Joss stares at the fair face with big eyes that keep blinking every few seconds. It seems that the smaller really didn't know he was staring at the other person with that kind of feeling. He probably thought it was because the male is such a looker. "Hey."
The voice snaps him back into reality and he fixes his gaze at his friend. "Was I... really like that?" He earns a nod a smile.
"I don't know it was 'love at first sight' or what but you looked at him with such curiosity." Joss lifts his chin to look over the direction where the male was last seen. "He is still there, but now there's another lady with him. Do you want me to charm them away so you could talk to him?"
Joonmyeon scoffs, shaking his head. "Do you want to get scolded by Baekhyun later?"
"I'm sure he will understand if you tell him that it was for your love life."
"It is not and I am fine." He turns the male around. "How about we look for your boyfriend instead? Which way did they go?"
"But..."
"No 'but'! Lead the way." He hears a loud sigh amist the chattered crowd and follows the broad back as they amke way through the see od people. He admits, after that night the Chinese male's name came out from his little sister's mouth, he couldn't stop thinking about how fate loves playing game with their lives and his theory was proved when he saw him with Bella and Grace tonight. But Joss' words made him realized, the game is a dangerous one.
He closes hsi eyes, shifting his head slowly back to the front before opening them and stares blankly at the drink in his hand. When he saw the tall male at the runway, his mind kept bugging him to remember where he saw him before and then he spotted the smaller alone across the room before the same tall male approached him with drinks.
"How about this one?"
"His face is too manly for his body. How about him?"
"Too buffy."
He sips his drink, letting the two ladies drown in their own conversation about a model Bella need for the men's appareal. The collection is finished and although it is a small one, Bella said it is fine since it is an introduction, just letting the world know about it. If the response is good, then they can put more designs in the next collection.
"Hey."
A poke on his arm makes him turn to his side and sees Grace looking at him, with Bella nowhere to be found. The older's expression tells him not to worry about the other but he doesn't have a good feeling about what to come.
"I saw Joonmyeon." Grace sees the small flinch before she watches her little cousin finishing the drink in his glass. She was contemplating whether to tell Yifan about it or not but her curiosity got the best of her. "That guy he was with is one of the models, right?"
A server passes by and he stops the male, taking another glass of the bubbly drink with one hand and puts his empty one on the tray with the other hand. He tried so hard not to be in the Korean's male line of sight, hoping what would work with Grace and Bella too but apparently it didn't.
She breathes out looking at the drinking male. She doesn't know to stop her cousin or to let him gulping down one glass after another. Drunk Yifan might spill something more than just a name after seeing the real person tonight but if that happened, Bella would be in the know too and she doesn't like that idea.
Yifan chugs down the alcohol like it was plain water, raising his hand to gain the attention of another server for a refill, only for his arm to be lowered down by his cousin that is looking at him with a headshake.
"I think you have enough." Grace puts the empty glass on the server's try when the male stopped by, couldn't be thankful enough when there is a glass of water among the few alcohol and empty ones. She smiles at the server before the male walks away and places the water in front of the younger. "We are going back soon. You should sober up."
"I am not drunk."
"I know. As much as I want you to be, I have my responsibility as the oldest one. So drink up."
The words make him think, and he grabs the glass and sips the content a little when his mind has reached a conclusion. 'That' name won't be coming out from his mouth tonight. Bella doesn't question him as much as before but that isn't something he should be happy about. She has her won way of finding things out without involving him at all.
"Bella..." Grace fixes her gaze at the younger. "She said Joonmyeon's mother's death has something to do with him." The taller turns to meet with her eyes and she purses her lips. "She said it is only a theory but the way she told me, it was like, she almost figuring out everything. Yifan, won't you tell me what happened between you and Joonmyeon?'
His mind rewinding back to the conversation he had with the little sister. The male stopped living at the dorm and came back to the house after the mother's death. How can he be the reason if he was away? What other things that Bella found out?
Grace breathes out as the younger shifts his gaze away from her and at the glass of water in his hand. It was a week after that 'incident' when her uncle hid Yifan at their house as he tried to make the 'rumor' disappear that she first heard the name. She was drinking alone at the balcony and the younger came. She thought nothing at first, but then it got her curious after a few more times but Yifan suddenly stopped drinking and she had forgotten about it. Until the wedding party.
Yifan empties his glass and walks away, ignoring Grace's voice that is calling for him. He was doing great the past year. Work kept him busy as that was all he ever think of. But now, everyone around him keep saying the Korean male's name, wanting to know what really happened between them while feeding his brain with stories about the male's life. How can he not be thinking about him even when he doesn't want to?
He slowly approaches the squatting male, the lighting of the surrounding area just barely allows him to make out the broad back as the male keeps coughing. "Are you okay?" He earns a nod with a hand flailing weakly, telling him to go away. Somehow his gut is telling him the same thing but he can't really leave an ill person like this. "Do you want me to get someone?'
"It's... fine... I..."
Joonmyeon's breath gets taken away when the male turns to face him. The expression on the Chinese male is probably what he looks like right now. He manages to grab the male's arm as he's losing his balance and carefully helping him to stand. The alcohol stench is stronger now as the taller faces him before pulling his arm away.
"I'm fine. You can go."
He really wants to believe that as he also doesn't want to stay here any longer but the taller is coughing again before turning around and throwing up. Did the other really has to drink that much tonight?
A hand gently on his back and Yifan really want to push it away but his leftover energy has gone in the drain together with that last content of his stomach. He tries to collect his breath as the hand is still rubbing his back. Of all the people at the party, why him?
"There's a bench over there. Let's get you sit down."
He just follows, no nod or headshake as his left arm being put over a small shoulder while his wasit being supported by a warm hand from the back. He plops down on the stone seat, leaning all the way back as he keeps his head up, peeking at the night sky before closing his eyes again. Better, much better.
Joonmyeon stares at this drunk male for a moment before pursing his lips, one hand taking out the extra tissues he had saved earlier. "Do you want me to get Bella and Grace?"
Something soft touches the corner of his mouth and Yifan moves his head to the other side, away from the hand and shaking it weakly with his eyes still closed. "No, don't. I'm fine now. You can go." He doesn't want to see the other's face. With his mind still muddled up like this, he is afraid it would create something he is not ready for.
"Stop being so stubborn."
The words are harsh but not the tone. He feels the presence of the other standing up before it completely go away and he sighs in relief. He just wanted to go away and not hinking about anything when he chugged down all those drink without Grace or Bella trying to stop him. He got what he wanted but it came with a price.
"Hey."
His eyes instinctively open at the familiar voice and he gathers all his strenght to lift his head up, doesn't understand why the Korean male is back standing in front of him again.
"Do you have any change?"
The question got him baffled but his mind is too tired to do any thinking and he slips one hand inside his jacket, taking out his wallet from the inside pocket and gives it to the male.
"Thanks."
He watches as the male runs away and he doesn't know if he was just got mugged or what before he sees a vending machine on the other side of a building and the male stops in front of it. He watches the small figure fumble with the machine before the other turns around and is walking back to him.
"It sells hangover drinks too. Though only two kinds but still... Probably because all the different events being held here." Joonmyeon takes a seat and carefully putting the bottle of drinks between the two of them. "I didn't know they have this flavor."
Yifan blinks a few times, taking in all the light surrounding the bench and trying to focus his sight at the said drink inside the small hand. Peach oolong tea. Sounds weird. He looks down at the other bottle and manages to identify only the mineral water packaging, can only assume the smallest of the three is the hangover drink while clueless with the last bottle.
"Do you want to have a taste?"
He glances at the offered drink before shaking his head, watching the other taking a sip before grabbing the mineral water and tries to open it, suprising himself when he couldn't do it. He literally has no energy left to even open a bottle.
"Ah, sorry." Joonmyeon grabs the bottled water and opens it for the taller, watching the other drinking it. He shouldn have done that first but was too excited at the peach oolong tea that he completely forgot who actually paid for all these drinks. The small change he had only enough for the water but he wanted to buy the hangover drink just in case and he ended up buying another two more.
The water clears his throat from the aftertaste of vomitting and Yifan gulps it down a few more times, letting out a big sigh of relief as his hangover goes away a little. He leans back against the cold stone bench, head tilited up with eyes closed. He needs to sober up before returning inside.
"You shouldn't drink so much."
He takes a deep breath at those words, eyes still tightly shut. If 'he' wasn't here, he didn't have to.
"You wouldn't want the same thing happened again."
That gets his eyes snap open, head whipping to look at his side. "I wasn't drunk! It was because..."
"I know. It was the drink. All of it. Even the drinking water." Joonmyeon sighs, the image of a water dispenser sitting next to a bowl of fruit punch is vivid in his mind. Dozens of opened alcoholic cans and bottled were scattered on the table and he thought nothing of it. Stupid.
Yifan bites down his lower lip hard, trying to get rid of the memories from 'that' night from filling his head. He knew that senior was a bit crazy but no to that extend. He focuses on the male when a ringing tone comes from his side and watches as he answers the phone.
"Hel... oh, Joss."
He stares blankly as the conversation continues with a small smile slowly forming on the other's lips. He doesn't know if it is because he is still drunk that he can't hear anything else after that but it is probably the reason why he can't make out the words coming out from the small mouth no matter how hard he stares at those lips. He doesn't like being left out like this.
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