MONDAY

4:58 P.M

“Y'know, I'm not getting any younger over here,” Jongdae sing-songs, twirling his pen around with his fingers. He loses his grip, but he doesn’t bother catching it as it rolls off the table and onto the floor.

Jongin sighs. At this point, he’s beginning to question if the book they’re looking for is in the library to begin with, since he’s been scanning every single bookshelf for the past thirty minutes with no luck. “A little help would be nice,” he mutters as he eyes the sea of students, laptops and cold coffee cups surrounding them.

Every minute without their assigned novel is another minute further from being able to go home and sleep, which makes Jongin want to scream in the middle of the library. Jongdae’s excuse of being too worn out from Phys Ed to work isn’t making things go any smoother, either. Jongin figures that they might as well make do without their book and ditch the whole project when he’s sure that he’s scanned every bookshelf within a ten foot radius.

Somebody spills their coffee everywhere right as Jongin plops back down next to Jongdae, who is making sure to express his investment in their project by texting his boyfriend, Baekhyun, a bunch of red love hearts. Jongin wants to slap Jongdae for not only refusing to help him look, but also for reminding him about his own nonexistent love life - especially on Valentine's Day. 

However, Jongin opts to stare at the empty notebooks and pencils scattered across the table. Somewhere behind them, a group of girls discuss their upcoming Valentine's Day plans far too loudly for Jongin’s liking. He mentally berates whoever is running this godforsaken library for not letting him hear himself think.

Jongin’s eyes automatically drift to the front desk. He’s lucky that he didn't choose to lean back in his chair just now, or else he would have toppled over and cracked his skull open.

Now, Jongin assumes that he might have had a warped image of what a librarian usually looks like, or what a librarian is supposed to look like, but it certainly wasn't anything along the lines of broad shoulders, perfectly styled hair and the most handsome face Jongin has ever seen in his life. A nametag reflects the ceiling lights, but Jongin can’t make out a single letter from his spot twenty feet away. 

In fact, Jongin is so caught up with the fact that he isn’t staring at an old, white haired grandma typing on the computer that he hardly registers Jongdae jabbing his arm.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Jongdae mutters after noticing Jongin’s gaze. He goes on to complain about wanting the time to go faster so that he can meet up with Baekhyun at some fancy French restaurant.

It takes a minute for Jongin to process what Jongdae is talking about, but he doesn’t get a chance to respond before Jongdae loudly curses after losing his round of Candy Crush. Jongin doesn’t even need to check to know that the young man behind the front desk is glaring at them, which basically has him smacking Jongdae’s mouth off in panic. Thankfully, almost everybody around them is either wearing earphones or far too burned out at this hour to tell them to keep it down.

Putting his phone away, Jongdae nods at the man again. “I’m sure he must know,” he tiredly says while toying with his hoodie strings. “I mean, he looks brainy and all."

Jongin averts his gaze and nearly falls out of his chair when he notices that the young librarian has put on a pair of glasses, presumably to help him see better while typing. They look like something straight out of an 80s film, and Jongin hates how long he ends up staring at the way they perfectly frame his face and accentuate his eyebrows. He must have gotten them groomed at some point.

On any normal occasion, Jongin would have used his self-proclaimed extroversion to get up and ask for their book, but he finds himself bolted to his chair instead. His eyes trail back to the bookshelves surrounding them. Even though he knows that their project is on the line, he’d rather risk not turning anything in than walk over and bother the young librarian, especially after a hoard of students approach the front desk with their books.

“I'll do it myself,” Jongin whispers, making his way towards the same bookshelf he spent nearly half an hour scanning. He’s pretty sure he knows every title by heart at this point, but he decides against grabbing a random book under the guise of looking like he knows what he’s doing.

The sound of barcodes being scanned fills the air after Jongin awkwardly rounds the corner until he’s sandwiched between two bookshelves. From his spot, he’s got a full view of the front desk at the center of the room. Jongin barely notices a female student trying to push past him as he keeps his eyes fixated up front. All Jongin can think about is the horrible jokes that he and Jongdae told each other earlier, and how the young man with the glasses must have heard it all.

In an attempt at ignoring the buzzing in his chest, Jongin swipes the nearest book, but he doesn’t bother opening it. To his left, he catches a glimpse of Jongdae practically asleep in his chair, while another student complains about not having enough coffee to make it through their essay.

It’s not until Jongin realizes that he's been standing unmoving for five whole minutes that the thought of asking the young librarian to help them out crosses his mind. However, it takes him a good while to recall what book they were looking for to begin with, and by the time it hits him, the front desk is empty. Jongin wants to slam his head against the nearest bookshelf, because now they’re definitely leaving empty handed, but also because he didn’t just walk up and ask while he had the chance.

“Is everything okay?”

Jongin manages to stifle a loud shriek as he whirls around with enough force to make him dizzy. Surely enough, the young librarian is standing less than five feet away with a look of amusement on his face. A strong whiff of Axe fills the space between them, and Jongin fights an urge to grab onto the shelves to avoid toppling over.

Jongin blinks. “I think so???” he blurts out. “I mean, I just wondered if...I was just...never mind.”

The young man nods. "Alright, then." His name tag, which reads SEHUN, is nearly blinding. “You looked a little lost just now, so I wondered."

Jongin suddenly remembers the book in his hand, but his relief over having an excuse to change the subject is short lived when he comes face to face with a zoomed in photo of a woman's chest. To say that he nearly breaks his wrist scrambling to put it back on the shelf would be an understatement.

Sehun simply nods with an alarming amount of politeness before gesturing all around them. “We're in the  Literature section, so it’s not all too surprising,” he chuckles.

“Sorry, I didn’t--” Jongin mentally smacks himself when he feels his phone buzzing. Jongdae must have woken up from his nap.“I’msosorry--”

“It’s alright, it’s fine,” Sehun says, patting Jongin’s shoulder. Over by the computer room, a little girl accidentally spills her juice box all over the carpet. He quickly excuses himself before heading over.

Jongin ends up standing in the same spot for what feels like forever, until he forces himself to move aside for a foreign exchange student. He makes sure to avoid looking at Sehun talking to the little girl as he flies back to the table, where Jongdae has just awoken from his nap.

“Sometimes I wish this place wasn't so bloody quiet,” Jongdae says, sleep lacing his voice. His golden hair is splayed out in all directions, some of which is sticking to his forehead.

Jongin slides back into his seat with a sigh. He isn’t sure if Jongdae’s fatigue is rubbing off on him, because he thinks he can pick up the faintest smell of Axe still lingering in the air. He dismisses it by retrieving their worksheets from his backpack with the full intention of not completing it.

“Did you ask him?” Jongdae asks. It’s clear that he’s got zero intention of touching the worksheet, which becomes apparent when he pulls up his hood. “The guy, that is.”

Shaking his head, Jongin crosses his legs under the table. “Not yet.”

“Why not???” Jongdae squawks. “We were supposed to finish this ages ago.”

“I was going to,” Jongin huffs, “but-”

“Then why didn’t you?” Jongdae sighs, running a hand down his face. His voice is getting louder by the second, which makes Jongin glad that most students have left the library by now.

Jongin presses his lips together. It takes every fiber in his being not to look at the front desk, but he’s (un)fortunately distracted when he recalls the book cover he just saw. He definitely does not need to see that photo a second time. “I got...distracted, I guess.”

The sound of children’s laughter fills the large room, and a part of Jongin low-key wonders if Sehun could be the reason behind it. He can clearly picture Sehun sitting on the pink couches in the children’s corner while surrounded by kids and stuffed animals, but it’s not like he’s going to walk over and find out. Especially not with his legs feeling like melted jelly.

A teenaged girl walks up and asks to borrow one of the chairs from their table. Jongin is lucky, because her high-pitched voice snaps him out of his trance, just in time to catch Jongdae’s smitten expression as he talks on the phone with Baekhyun. Turning his face away, Jongin nearly screams in relief upon spotting their book on the top shelf. He honestly doesn't know how he managed to miss it all along as he practically flies out of his chair. 

Despite the shelves not looking all that tall at first glance, Jongin ends up standing on his tip toes in order to reach the black book above his head. He's unable to swipe it, though, and since Jongin would rather die than bother Sehun by asking for a stool, he opts to wing it. He's definitely going to receive stares from other students, but he figures that it's a hundred times better than interrupting Sehun's story time session.

Jongin opts to remove his sneakers, mostly because he doesn't want his filthy sole coming in contact with the shelf, but mainly because the thought of making too much noise, and thus having every pair of eyes on him, makes him shiver. However, Jongin should have known that the tiny space between the two shelves wouldn't be in his favor when he attempts to tug his shoe off, only to lose his balance and stumble forward. In the commotion, he scrambles for something to grab onto, which ends up being a handful of books that all come crashing to the floor with loud thuds.

Jongin tries to ignore the random student stepping over him after he gets to his knees. He doesn't get a chance to pick the books up off the floor, though, before he notices a pair of black shoes walking towards him. 

Even though Jongin figures he doesn't have to, he looks up, anyway, and he nearly cries upon seeing Sehun adjusting his glasses with a mild look of amusement on his face. 

Sehun glances at the books on the carpet before sending Jongin a look, almost like a parent confronting their child for misbehaving. "No climbing shelves," he says and, despite his smile, Jongin thinks that his raised eyebrows make him look a thousand times more strict than he already does.

"I'msorryIdidn'tmeanto," Jongin squabbles, nearly tripping again as he scrambles to his feet. In an attempt at concealing the heat creeping up his neck, he dumbly points to the black book above them. "I thought you were-- I mean, I was just trying to...never mind."

Sehun sends Jongin a smile before taking a step forward, and Jongin doesn't know if he should laugh or cry at how effortlessly Sehun grabs it despite only being an inch or so taller. The book is in his hands before Jongin can blink. He soon finds himself ogling the cover art when he feels Sehun's gaze burning holes in his head. Jongin knows that Sehun must be staring at him with a look of exasperation, but he'd rather not look up and find out.

"Jongin, where'd you run off to?" Jongdae calls from his spot by the table.

Jongin looks up just in time to see the something flash in Sehun's eyes. It disappears as quickly as it came, and Jongin mentally slaps himself when he catches a glimpse of Sehun's watch. The library closes in half an hour, yet he can't bring himself to apologize for wasting Sehun's time. Jongdae calls his name again, which has Jongin scrambling back to the table in under a second.

"Okay, so, me and Baek were just talking about some random , and then we like, touched on the subject of marriage???" Jongdae says and, with the library basically empty at this point, Jongin doesn't smack him for talking so loud. "And it's weird, but...I'm kind of feeling it? Is that weird?" He furrows his eyebrows while removing his hoodie.

Jongin watches as Jongdae goes on to fold up his hoodie into a makeshift pillow. "It's your relationship," he says with a little more bluntness than intended. He recalls their principal mentioning something about the air conditioner in the library conking out, because he's at least a hundred percent sure that the temperature has increased by thirty degrees in the past few minutes.

"I mean, I'd be a good husband, right?" Jongdae hums against the soft fabric of his hoodie. "I mean, be honest, I would, right???"

Shrugging, Jongin hums a low 'I guess' under his breath. In truth, all he can think of is getting scarred for life after accidentally walking in on Baekhyun and Jongdae going at it during their camping trip to Manhattan last summer, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, Jongin runs a hand through his hair, mostly in an attempt to ignore the fact that, despite being insufferable majority of the time, Jongdae would make a wonderful husband. Well, that, and the fact that his own love life is as nonexistent as his will to crack open his notebook and work on their project.

Jongin eyes the book on the table with a sigh. Despite the blood, sweat and tears that went into getting it down from the shelf, he can't bring himself to pick it up. Jongdae, being the more ambitious worker out of the two of them (which honestly isn't saying much), begins flipping through it, all while Jongin fights the urge to remove his sweater before he can die of heatstroke.

By some miracle, Jongin manages to concentrate on the tiny words in the book. A part of him wonders if Sehun has read the book, which subsequently sparks the thought of whether or not they should ask Sehun for help with their project, considering he's unable to absorb a single word no matter how hard he tries.

At some point during his futile attempts at looking productive, Jongin finds himself occasionally sneaking glances at Sehun through the pages. He doesn't know what he hates more; the fact that he definitely looks like a fool right now, or the fact that the library is so quiet that you could literally hear a pin drop, which wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for the fact that the pounding in his chest is starting to become deafening. Sehun says something to a little girl with a laugh, and Jongin suddenly wants to thank Jongdae for dragging him to the campus library for the first time in his life.

It doesn't take Jongdae long to pick up on Jongin's indiscreet staring, which has him turning his head aside. A knowing, albeit sleepy grin tugs at the corners of his mouth before he gestures at the book. "I hate to interrupt, but I could really use that not-so-discreet-hot-librarian-shield of yours if you're not planning on reading it."

Jongin nearly gives himself whiplash looking up. "What do you-"

"You ain't subtle, dude," Jongdae interrupts, clearly trying (and failing) to stifle a cackle. The dark circles under his eyes seem to fade by the second as he looks back at Sehun, who is busy checking out a colorful children's book over by the front desk. "What do you say? Wife or no wife?"

Jongin nearly smacks Jongdae's lips off for speaking so goddamn loud all the time. To his dismay, it does little to wipe the -eating grin off of Jongdae's face. "Shuttheup-"

"Now I know why you were so reluctant to ask him for help," Jongdae hums, shaking his head. "Kim Jongin, you never change, do you?"

Jongin doesn't have the energy to protest when Jongdae plucks the book from his hands. A part of him is relieved that they're minutes from being evicted, because all he wants right now is to run outside and breathe some fresh air. On the other hand, Jongin knows that he won't make it to the door with his leg muscles feeling like mush, and he has to focus on mentally launching Jongdae into outer space before he can suffer a meltdown.

Jongdae flips through the first few pages, but he doesn't seem all that interested as he crosses his legs. After shoving the book aside, he nods at the area by the front desk, which is now void of people. "Just go up and talk to him."

Jongin blinks. If anything, Jongdae is just walking proof that non-single people really are out of touch with the real world. "Yeah, I'm not doing that," he mutters, hoping Jongdae will get the hint to just be quiet. 

"There's literally no one there," Jongdae retorts. "What's the worst that could-"

"No way," Jongin groans. A few girls walk past them on their way out, all of whom chuck their empty coffee mugs in the trash can by the door. "Besides, he's busy," he adds for emphasis, gesturing at Sehun typing away on the computer. 

Jongdae chuckles. "Probably looking up your address to see where you-"

"God," Jongin huffs, "just be quiet already-"

"I'm pretty sure he has a wife at home," Jongdae says in a serious tone, only to erupt in a fit of ugly guffaws when Jongin looks like a deer caught in headlights. "Well, that settles it," he chuckles, clapping and rubbing his hands together.

Jongin wishes that Jongdae would take another nap, because he hates the way his voice wavers when he speaks. "That he has a wife???"

"No, that you're officially smitten," Jongdae snorts, to which Jongin responds by kicking him in the shin. "No but seriously, since you won't come to him, he has to come to you, right?"

Fighting the urge to bash his head against the tabletop, Jongin groans in exasperation. He wonders if it's worth moving to a different table to avoid Sehun hearing their conversation, since he hates how exposed he's feeling right now, but he forgets all about it when Jongdae retrieves a candy bar from his backpack. On any normal occasion, Jongin would have told Jongdae to put it away as to not get kicked out of the library. But right now, he really can't be bothered. Not to mention he's probably better off with Jongdae being hauled out the door, anyway.

Jongin barely gets a chance to give their project another try, though, before he narrowly misses catching the candy bar after it comes flying towards his face. Thankfully, Sehun seems more focused on filling in paperwork than paying them any attention. Jongin's growling stomach makes him unable to process the fact that there's no way Jongdae would share his food with him, especially after skipping lunch in the cafeteria. Jongin figures that he gets his answer when he looks up, only to be met with Jongdae's feline grin.

"You looked hungry, I'm just looking out for you," Jongdae says with a wink before reaching into his backpack again.

Jongin barely registers Jongdae saying something along the lines of 'Don't forget to wash it down!' before he's half-assedly catching a bottle in mid-air. It doesn't take him long to realize that the cap has been slightly unscrewed, which in turn results in orange juice spraying all across his face and hair. In the commotion, Jongin somehow manages to tumble right out of his chair, and he's thankful for the carpet beneath them as he hits the floor with a thud. However, the cold liquid trickling down his forehead is quickly forgotten when he notices a pair of familiar shoes approaching their table. Goddamn it.

The chair on top of him is the only thing keeping Jongin from dunking Jongdae into the nearest trash can when he looks up and, inevitably, sees Sehun staring back at him. By the looks of it, Jongin figures that Sehun is either overly used to things like this, or he's simply an expert at faking a calm demeanor. Not that Jongin wants to know, but either one wouldn't surprise him at this point. 

Sehun is silent for a second. "We have a strict no food or drinks policy around here," he says way too politely for Jongin's liking. His glasses are so spotless that Jongin can easily make out his own reflection in the polished lenses. 

"I know, I'm sorry," Jongin croak-garbles, barely remembering to pick up the bottle (and the book, which he must have grabbed on the way down) before being pulled to his feet after Sehun offers to help him up. Jongin is just glad that he doesn't end up stumbling and crashing right into Sehun in the process.

"Don't mind him," Jongdae innocently says. The underlying humor in his tone makes Jongin want to smack the smile right off his face. "He's the clumsy type unless you treat him right." 

"I'll go get something to clean you up," Sehun says, patting Jongin's shoulder. The book lying face down on the floor is soaked and Jongin internally panics when Sehun picks it up.

Jongin fights an impulse to bolt out of the building when Sehun sends him a smile. It suddenly hits him that the library is past closing time right now, but he doesn't get a chance to apologize for holding Sehun back before Sehun walks off towards the restrooms.

Jongdae fixes his hair after a door closes in the distance. "Not to be that person, but..." He sends Jongin a look. "You should've seen the way he stared at you just now."

Jongin sinks back in his chair, all while hoping that Jongdae didn't use the same strategy to woo Baekhyun the first time they met. The sound of a sink turning on fills the air, and Jongin doubts that his urge to leave the building and never return could be stronger than it is right now. Come to think of it, he's just glad that he's free to turn down Jongdae's future offers to study, because he doesn't think he'll be able to walk in the library door anymore without wanting to hide.

"Hopefully he'll be back soon, I'm feeling oddly pumped right now," Jongdae says, eyeing the blank worksheets and stationery on the table. 

Jongin blinks before his jaw practically hits the floor. "No way," he blurts out and vigorously shakes his head. "We're getting out of here the second he-"

"Right after I did you a favor???" Jongdae squawks, only to put his hands up when Jongin stares daggers at him through sugar coated bangs. "Besides, it worked, didn't it??"

Jongin rests his head on the table. In a sense, it did work, because now he knows for a fact that he's officially at the top of Sehun's weirdos-to-avoid list for all eternity. He has to distract himself by making a mental note to take a shower as soon as he gets home, but he barely gets halfway through it before he hears footsteps coming up behind him.

"This was all we had, I hope it's enough," Sehun says after returning with a wad of damp paper towels. His glasses are no longer on his face, but tucked away in his chest pocket. There's something about the lack of them that makes his gaze that much more intense, to the point that Jongin has to fake a cough to avoid screaming out loud.

Jongin tries not to acknowledge that he must look like an ugly, sticky mess right now as he mutters a shy thanks. He sort of expects Sehun to walk away to close up for the day, which is why he nearly jumps out of his own skin when Sehun goes on to ruffle his hair with one of the towels. The gesture is so soothing that Jongin knows he would have dozed off if it wasn't for the blood rushing in his ears. 

Now that they're standing less than three feet apart, Jongin can't help but sneak a glance at Sehun through his damp bangs. A part of Jongin low-key wonders if Sehun works part time as a fashion model, because he's unable to tear his eyes off the latter's groomed eyebrows, spray ridden hair and chiseled jawline. 

In fact, it takes Jongin ten seconds to realize that Sehun has taken a step back and that he no longer feels fingers massaging his scalp. Jongin doesn't get a chance to apologize for wasting Sehun's time, however, before Jongdae says something about Baekhyun pulling up outside. Jongin can only watch as Jongdae quickly gathers his things before excusing himself and flying out the door.

Trying not to think about their doomed project, Jongin finds himself bolted to the floor with Sehun staring at him less than ten feet away. With his heart threatening to burst out of his ribcage and his shoe on the verge of slipping off his foot, Jongin wishes the floor would just swallow him up. Even though Sehun is probably waiting for an apology, Jongin can't bring himself to choke out the words as he eyes the darkening stain on the carpet.  

"It's alright, I'll take care of it," Sehun chuckles, running a hand through his hair. They stand in silence for a minute. "I don't think I've seen you around here before, but I could be mistaken."

Not wanting to scare Sehun away, Jongin decides not to bring up his tendency to avoid schoolwork at all costs. Speaking of which, Jongin wonders how on Earth Sehun can possibly remember every single face that enters and exits the library on a daily basis, but he doesn't comment on it. 

"I haven't seen you, either," Jongin blurts out and mentally smacks himself when Sehun scratches the back of his neck in response. Despite their library being the second largest college library in the state, Jongin fights an impulse to scramble outside before the walls can close in on him. 

Sehun adjusts his name tag. "I just figured that I'd remember seeing someone as adorable as you around, but what do I know," he chuckles, seemingly oblivious to Jongin's surprised squawk as he slides his glasses back on. 

They fall into silence for a few seconds until Jongin legitimately worries he'll die of heatstroke on the spot. "Sorry," he blurts out before he can stop himself. "Sorry for-- I mean, he's like that sometimes, I didn't actually think he'd-"

"It's fine, really, it was nice for something to happen around here for a change," Sehun says, to which Jongin responds by mumbling something incoherent under his breath. "You've got cute written all over you, you know that?"

Jongin blinks. "Was...was that a-" 

"A pun, yes," Sehun laughs before reaching into his back pocket. He holds up the small, black book with a sheepish grin. "I actually finished it last week, I think you'll like it a lot."

Jongin squashes the urge to ask Sehun to recite the entire plot, since he's probably wasted Sehun's time enough for one evening. He's just thankful that he didn't end up needing to pay for the book (and that it's no longer drenched) as he places it under his arm. 

Jongin resumes toeing his shoe back on, only to halt when he notices Sehun watching him. Damn it."Sorry about that earlier, I really didn't mean to-"

"Like I said, it's perfectly fine," Sehun laughs. "We actually had a guy last week who tried to get a book down from the top shelf by throwing a dictionary at it, so you're good," he adds with a wink.

Jongin manages to stifle a cackle in the nick of time, because that sounds precisely like something Jongdae would do. "Okay, fair enough, I guess." 

Sehun gestures at the book again. "Anyway, it's just that it's got a ton of animals in it, and you seem like the type to fall for cute dogs," he chuckles with a look at Jongin's brown hair, which almost resembles a poodle's coat in its matted state.

Fighting the urge to show Sehun photos of his own dog, Jongin erupts in a face splitting grin. It's not until he looks up and notices Sehun's eyes glittering with adoration that he absently runs a hand through his hair, only to regret it when his fingers end up sticking to the strands. Great.

"Do you read to children a lot???" Jongin blurts out. "I mean, you seem like you'd be good at...never mind." Well, then.

Sehun nods. "Sometimes, although most of the time they're the ones reading to you." He's silent for a minute. "Maybe you could consider doing it sometime? I think they'd prefer a cute face like yours over mine," he says with a smile that nearly makes Jongin melt.

That's one way to say less mature and intimidating, Jongin thinks. "My friend calls me 'Baby Nini' sometimes," he blurts out, mentally beating Jongdae up for ever giving him that nickname. "Cause he thinks I look young and...wait, never mind, sorry--"

Sehun sends Jongin a wink. "See? You already have a title for yourself. They'll love it for sure." He nods at the door. "Where'd your friend run off to, by the way? He seemed to be in a rush."

Jongin blinks. He'd forgotten all about Jongdae until now. "He...had to leave," he mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y'know...Valentine's Day plans and all," he blurts out. He wants to sink through the floor, because Sehun's probably dying to go home and spend Valentine's Day with his wife than listen to him ramble like this.

Instead of walking off, Sehun nods in understanding. "Everyone's usually got someplace to be at this time," he replies, checking his watch with a small smile. "Well, most of us, at least."

Sehun goes on to talk about how he promised one of the children that he'd come to work in a pink suit for next years Valentine's Day, at which Jongin listens perhaps a little too attentively. At some point, Jongin catches a glimpse of Sehun's watch, only to realize that the last train departs in less than ten minutes. Even though Jongin wants nothing more than to plop down on the floor and listen, the thought of walking sixty blocks to his house in the dark is enough to make him open his mouth to speak.

"Sorry, I have to-- I mean, my train leaves soon," Jongin mutters, hoping he won't stumble as he wiggles his shoe back on. "But it was nice talking to you, uh...sir."

Sehun nods. "Just call me Sehun," he chuckles. "Study hard now, alright?" He raises an eyebrow in false intimidation. "I'm counting on you."

A part of Jongin wants to give Sehun a hug (mostly as a way of thanking him for putting up with him through all this), but he ends up standing awkwardly in place while Sehun continues to send him that godforsaken smile of his. However, it's not until Jongin worries his knees might give in that he grabs his backpack, mutters a low good-bye and scrambles out the door. 

Sehun must have done a spectacular job at rubbing the sugar out of his hair, since it doesn't make a crunching sound when Jongin runs a hand through it. The breeze makes his cheeks sting as he makes his way down the darkening road, all while he attempts to tame the pounding in his chest. Functioning on ten cups of coffee and three hours of sleep must be taking its toll, because Jongin is unable to shake the smell of Axe that seems to follow him with every step he takes no matter how hard he tries. 

The bench by the platform is probably stone cold, but Jongin pays it no mind as he flies towards it. Although he's most likely scared Sehun away for good, Jongin can't help but entertain the idea of showing up to the library tomorrow to apologize for his and (mostly) Jongdae's antics. A woman walks past with her Pomeranian, which Jongin follows with his eyes. 

Except Jongin wishes he didn't, because puppies makes him think of cute things, and cute things makes him think of the book in his lap, which only makes him think of Sehun. Even though reading will bore him to death before the train can arrive, Jongin figures that he'll do anything to distract himself from his spinning head at this point. Not to mention he might as well take a shot at avoiding detention on Friday for failing to turn in a project.

Jongin doesn't get a chance to open it before he notices something white peeking out from between the pages. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that it's a folded slip of paper, neatly tucked away near the halfway mark. Even with his brain feeling like a pile of mush, Jongin knows for a fact that he couldn't have bookmarked anything past the second page. Did Jongdae actually manage to get this far into the book???

A tingling sensation rushes to Jongin's fingertips when he yanks it out. The cold breeze feels like velvet against his cheeks while his eyes trail across the phone number before him, as well as the words written in equally elegant handwriting.

now that your book is clean, i hope you'll start reading it and find this ~

you seem like the type to love cute things, so i made sure to mark the part where the puppies come in ~ i think you'll like it as much as i did!

and if you're ever in need of assistance with any of your assignments, you know where to find me! 

in other words, i hope to see you soon again ^v^

PS. i was planning on asking if you'd be interested in getting coffee, but i didn't since i didn't know if you were booked or not (i had to, sorry) 

╰(*´︶`*)╯

Happy Valentine's Day! ~

 - SH                    

To say that Jongin comes dangerously close to missing the last train home would be an understatement.