Jongdae walked through his apartment door, exhausted. He slowly took his shoes off and set his keys down on the table by the entrance and stood there for a few moments, the weight of the day settling heavy on him.

“Jongdae?” he heard someone call.

He rubbed at his eyes and sluggishly went towards the voice. “Yea,” he said. “It’s me.”

Minseok poked his head from the kitchen, body hidden by the wall separating it from the living room. He smiled once he saw Jongdae and waved him over. “Come taste this,” he said before disappearing again. 

He dragged his feet towards the kitchen, rounding the corner to see Minseok cooking dinner for the two of them. He rested against the wall, watching Minseok add some seasoning to the skillet in front of him, mixing it with a wooden spoon, and then scooping up a bit of it, bringing it over to Jongdae. 

“What is it?” Jongdae asked, blowing on the steaming food to cool it down. 

“It’s supposed to be a mushroom risotto,” Minseok said. 

Jongdae chuckled. “Someone’s been watching the Food Network.”

“Just try it,” Minseok said. 

Blowing on the spoon again, Jongdae took the bite. His eyes instantly closed, the warm sensation of flavor revitalizing him and washing away the fatigue laced in his bones. He groaned, the taste dancing all across his tongue.

“This is amazing,” Jongdae said, opening his eyes.

“Good!” Minseok said, returning back to the stove. He slightly turned his head towards 

Jongdae. “Long day?”

    Nodding, Jongdae went to take a seat at their kitchen table, resting his head on both of his arms. “Like you wouldn’t even believe.” 

    “I’m sorry,” Minseok replied.

    Jongdae shrugged and lifted his head enough to give Minseok a grin. “It’s fine. Not your fault anyway.”

    “Still,” Minseok said, shutting off the stove. “I don’t like seeing you like this.” He grabbed a few plates from the cabinet behind him and went to place them on the table. Jongdae sat up straight while Minseok set the table, two sets of dinnerware being arranged in front of him.

    He returned with the skillet in his hand, smiling down at Jongdae. “Hopefully this will make you feel better,” he said with a nod, before scooping out a healthy portion of the risotto onto his plate.

“This really does look amazing,” Jongdae assured Minseok. “Thank you.”

“No biggie,” Minseok said but there was a small smile creeping onto the corner of his lips. 

Returning the skillet back to the stove, he returned with a bottle of wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. He quickly uncorked the bottle and poured both of them a healthy serving before finally sitting across from Jongdae for dinner. 

They ate, Jongdae unloading his day from his chest and Minseok listening, content to be a shoulder of support. They sipped on wine, laughed happily, and caught up after being separated for hours. The dinner ended up lasting close to two hours but they enjoyed each other's company enough that it didn’t feel that way as the conversation carried on. 

Jongdae leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach after his third helping of Minseok’s cooking. “If I eat more, I’m going to regret it,” he said. 

“No one told you to keep going,” Minseok said with a laugh. 

“I know, but it was too good,” Jongdae said. “I’m going to have to take some to work tomorrow.

“Please do. There’s plenty left.” 

Together, they cleared the table, washed the dishes, and packed away the extra food in the fridge, making quick work of tidying up. As Jongdae was wiping down the table of any crumbs, Minseok yawned, arms stretching up over his head.

“I can finish up, if you want,” Jongdae offered.

“You sure?” Minseok said, stifling another yawn.

Nodding, Jongdae said, “I’m almost done anyway.

Minseok lazily rubbed his eyes, another yawn escaping him. “Alright, I’m off to bed. Good night,” he said, waving as he walked away.

“Good night,” Jongdae said back. 

He watched as Minseok headed towards the bedroom door, closing it behind him with a soft click. Jongdae set the rag he was using on the table and sat in the chair, staring at the shut door for a long while.

For the second time that night, he buried his head in his arms, groaning as he did so. “,” he muttered to himself.

The pair had known each other for years. They met back in high school and were fast friends. Their relationship carried through all the way into college and even after. It only made sense that they move in together while they settle into life. 

It had started off as that. Just friends.

But as the story always goes, one of them begins to fall in love.

And that one was Jongdae. 

He was shocked at how easily his feelings for Minseok changed. A part of him wanted to explore it more but the other part, the part that was scared, buried everything and hid it away. If he ever expressed himself fully to Minseok and ended up being rejected, not only would that break his heart but it would make things incredibly awkward. They still had to finish out the lease on their place.

So he kept his mouth shut and pretended that Minseok cooking for him was nothing more than just a nice gesture and the kind smiles meant nothing, were nothing, made him feel nothing.

He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to keep up the lie. Jongdae hoped that his feelings would go away and he’d view Minseok as nothing more than a friend but it didn’t seem like that was going to be happening any time soon.  

He stood up  on tired legs, stretching his back while he sighed. Jongdae left the kitchen without cleaning anything else and headed over to his bedroom, right next to Minseok’s. Flopping down onto his bed, Jongdae quickly fell asleep, not even bothering to change out of his day clothes.

Jongdae dreamt of Minseok greeting him with kisses and soft touches, rosy cheeks and soft lips floating across his mind. 

 

---

 

    He woke up the next day, mouth dry and eyes crusted over. Rolling out of bed, Jongdae sighed, forcing himself into the restroom. His body felt even worse than it did last night and he desperately needed a hot shower.

    Shuffling over to the bathroom he grabbed his phone off the nightstand before he exited his room and heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Loud bangs of pots and cabinet doors being slammed shut. 

    “What is going on?” he muttered sleepily to himself. When he was standing on the edge of the kitchen, Jongdae found Minseok erratically moving around, opening every door and drawer possible, a giant mess of food and plates scattered on their island.

    Minseok was whispering to himself, words frantic as they came out.

    “Are you okay?” Jongdae asked. Minseok yelped and turned around, throwing a mug that he had been holding towards his roommate. Jongdae ducked with a scream, the white mug shattering on the wall behind him. He looked with wide eyes at the pieces sprinkling on to the floor before turning his gaze towards Minseok. “What was that for?!” he yelled. 

    “What are you doing here?” Minseok asked, pointing a finger at Jongdae. 

    “I’m going to the bathroom, you weirdo,” Jongdae said, standing up. “I liked that mug.”

    Minseok stared at him in alarm, chest heaving up and down. 

    “Are you okay?” Jongdae asked for the second time that morning.

    “Who are you and where am I?”  Minseok asked.

    Out of all the things Jongdae expected Minseok to say, it definitely hadn’t been that. He stood in silence for a bit, the shock of Minseok’s words sinking in. “Are you sleepwalking? Do I  need to take you  back to bed?” he said, beginning to walk towards Minseok.

    “Don’t come near me!” Minseok yelled, grabbing another mug from the island separating  him. Jongdae stopped and raised his hands in surrender. 

    “Okay, I won’t. Just don’t throw anything else,” Jongdae said. There was an unhinged look in  Minseok’s eyes and he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Was he the one still sleeping?  “Talk to me, Minseok. What’s happening?
    Raising the mug even higher, Minseok said, “How do you know my name? Where are my parents? Where am I?”

    “You’re in the apartment. You’re home,” Jongdae said, hands going to shield his face.

    “This isn’t my house,” Minseok said while shaking his head. “Where are my parents?”

    Jongdae was in disbelief. He looked around to see if this was a prank,  if cameras were going to pop out any second and laugh at his confusion but nope. It was just him and an incredibly scared  Minseok standing alone.

“Your parents are probably at their house,” Jongdae said,  starting to worry. “Minseok,  you live here. And I’m Jongdae.”

“I don’t know who you are,” Minseok  said.

That stung, he couldn’t lie.  “I’m your-  I’m your roommate.  Your friend?”

Tears sprung in the corner of Minseok’s eyes. He lowered the mug back to the island and buried his head in both of his hands. “I don’t know you. What’s going on?” he said, over and over and over. Jongdae  could see his growing frustration and Minseok began to shake severely. 

Panic started building up inside of Jongdae. “I know you’re confused. I am, too, but I promise that you are safe. I’m not going to hurt you, okay?” Minseok didn’t respond, only kept whispering to himself. “Can I come closer?” 

He didn’t get a response which wasn’t exactly approval but it also wasn’t a rejection so he stepped slowly towards his trembling roommate.     He grabbed his phone from his it’s  place in his pocket and unlocked it, quickly pulling up a picture of the two of them.

 It was taken at a friend’s birthday party. The two of them had already had a few drinks at this point and were holding each other close,  Minseok smiling at the camera and Jongdae looking at his best friend, an unmistakable trace of love in his eyes. 

    He held the phone up for Minseok to see. “This was taken a few months ago. I can show you the time stamp if you want.”

    Minseok’s eyes slowly looked up, unwavering as they took in the photo. He studied it for a long time, a mix of emotions washing across his face as he processed the truth of Jongdae’s words. He held out one of his hands, a silent plea for Jongdae’s phone, which the latter happily complied. The confused man zoomed in and out of the photo, absorbing every inch of the photo before he set it down on the counter. 

    “I still don’t understand what’s happening,” Minseok said softly.

    “I can help,” Jongdae said, his steps a little more confident. 

    His roommate nodded absently. “I woke up thinking I was at home- my parent’s home,” Minseok corrected. “But my room doesn’t look like what I remember it to be. The last thing I remember was coming back home from school,” he said, starting to choke up,” but I don’t think I’ve been in school for a long time.” 

    “That’s right,” Jongdae affirmed.

    “How old am I?” Minseok asked.

    “You’re 26.”

    Minseok let out a breath.  “Wow.”

    Finally reaching Minseok, Jongdae took his hand gently, causing the other man to jump. He  rubbed tiny circles on the smooth skin of his palm. “Let’s go sit down. I’ll try to help you remember.”

    The two of them went to sit on the couch where Jongdae did his best to fill in the holes missing from Minseok’s memory. He told him about their friendship and how they met. He told him about their high school graduation and their college years, horrifying Minseok with some of the things they used to do. He caught him up all the way to their 20’s and the day they signed the lease on their apartment, both of them having no idea how to pop champagne and creating a giant mess on the living room floor. Jongdae tried to pull up as many pictures as he could to show Minseok he wasn’t a creepy kidnapper spinning a giant lie. 

    By the time Jongdae brought the story up to the  present, Minseok looked even more distressed.  

    “How can I not remember any of this?” Minseok asked. 

    “I have no clue,” Jongdae said. “We should probably go to the doctor.” 

    “Yea,” Minseok said, staring at the last photo Jongdae showed him, still bright on the phone screen. Jongdae had taken a selfie, with Minseok standing in the background, holding two iced coffees, sipping the straw of one of them. “You have a lot of pictures of us,” he said.

    His cheeks instantly began to heat up and Jongdae quickly pocketed his phone. “We do a lot of things. Memories, you know,” he said.

    “Yea,” Minseok said again. “Let’s go to the doctor.”

 

---

 

    The doctor’s visit proved to be unhelpful. They spent most of the day waiting for tests, scans, and anything else that would give them an answer as to why Minseok’s memory was wiped. After hours and hours, they were told that there wasn’t anything wrong with him and that they should go home and wait. 

Sometimes, these things happen.

Minseok was inconsolable on the ride home.    

He shook with sobs in the passenger seat, face drenched with tears. Minseok clung to his chest as he cried, face contorted with agony. Sobs mixed with gasps for air filled the car while Jongdae could do nothing except drive.

“It’s going to be okay,” Jongdae said in a small attempt at comfort. “We’re going to figure  it out.” Minseok only cried louder. 

 

---

 

    What seemed like hours later, Minseok finally calmed down. The two of them sat on the couch, staring blankly at their living  room wall. Jongdae was stiff next to his roommate, unsure of what kind of boundaries were now in place. Had it been as it normally was, he’d be cradling Minseok and wiping away his tears.

    But Minseok technically didn’t know who he was and Jongdae was sure he wouldn’t want a stranger doing that to him.

    So there he sat, as still as could be.

    “Thank you for driving me to the hospital,” Minseok said. 

    Jongdae took a second to respond, gulping before saying. “Sure. Of course.” 

    A giant silence followed those two phrases and Jongdae wondered what was running through Minseok’s head when the latter got up and went to the kitchen. He began rummaging through each of their cabinets and drawers, looking agitated in his search.

    “You okay?” Jongdae asked, rising from the couch.

    Minseok sighed, two of his fingers rubbing his temples. “I wanted a drink but I have no idea where anything is.”

    Despite the situation, Jongdae couldn’t help the giggle that escaped from him. He ignored the glare coming from the other man as he slid past him to a cabinet on the right. He grabbed two wine glasses and went to retrieve the bottle from their pantry. He set both of them down before opening the drawer to find the bottle opener. 

    “Movie?” Jongdae asked as he grabbed everything and headed back towards the living. He heard Minseok’s muffled footsteps behind him. 

    “It’s hard to believe I was once as familiar with this place as you are,” Minseok whispered as he sat on the couch again. 

    Jongdae quickly opened the bottle and poured the two of them a glass. He grabbed the remote and began scrolling for a movie (a comedy, preferably), and shrugged his shoulders.

    “You’ll remember,” Jongdae said, trying to sound both confident and nonchalant. As  if  things like this happened to everyone. 

    “Will I though?” Minseok asked.

    Turning over, Jongdae saw the other man wringing his hands together, a cloud of anxiety shrouding his shoulders. Without hesitation, Jongdae reached over to grab one of Minseok’s hands, soothing the tension away with his thumb. “Yea. And if you don’t,  you don’t. Might be for the best.”

    “What? Why?”

    “I’m not sure you want to remember how your first kiss went,” Jongdae said with a smirk, earning him a smack from Minseok.

    “This is serious!”

    “And I’m very serious about your first kiss. It was so bad. Even for middle school standards.”

    Jongdae chose a random sports comedy and the two settled in to watch. About ten minutes in, Minseok spoke from next to  him.

    “Was it really that bad?”

    Before he could help it, Jongdae threw his head back and laughed, dangerously swishing his glass back and forth. Minseok looked in shock at first before joining, quiet chuckles at first that formed into big belly laughs. 

    The two of them laughed until their stomachs were screaming and tears had formed in their eyes, the tension of their situation slipping away with each breath. 

 

---

 

    Every day, Jongdae told Minseok stories of his life (including his first kiss).

    “You’re right. It’s just as bad as you said,” Minseok said, grimacing.

    “Told you.”

    He told him every detail he could remember, anything that would make Minseok’s memory come back, but it didn’t. Minseok remained the same. 

    It wasn’t all bad though. Minseok and Jongdae had been best friends before all of this so it was easy to slip back into what their relationship had been. Despite technically having just met Jongdae, Minseok easily became friends with him all over again.

    “You’re going to regret throwing that out,” Jongdae said as Minseok shoved a navy shirt into a trash bag. 

    Scoffing, Minseok shook his head. “I can’t believe I’d wear something like that. It’s ugly.” 

    “That’s one of your favorite shirts,” Jongdae said.

    “Doubt it.”

    “Just like you doubted the first kiss story?”

    Minseok paused his attack on his closet.  “Okay, maybe I’ll keep that one.”

    What remained mostly the same was  Minseok’s love of cooking. He’d been doing that since he was little so his skills were still there. Muscle memory carried him the rest of the way. Jongdae would come back home to a table full of food, desserts, and wine.

    “How are we affording this if you aren’t going to work?”

    “I have no idea how to do my job, so that’s a problem for when my memories come back. Just come try this,” Minseok said, holding up a spoon.

    He rolled his eyes but Jongdae always tried it with a smile, exclaiming loudly how amazing the food was. Minseok blushed, muttering that he wasn’t good yet but Jongdae always protested. 

    It was easy like it always was.

    Which is what made Jongdae’s feelings so much worse. 

    He’d never do anything to take advantage of Minseok, ever, but some tiny part of his brain wondered if this could be a fresh start. He could use this as a blank slate and ask Minseok  on a date and their relationship would be more partners than it had ever been friends, at least to Minseok at this moment.

    But if Minseok ever remembered, what would he even say? Would he realize that he actually never had feelings for him and take everything back? Even in Minseok’s current state, who’s to say  he’d even agree to a date?

    And all of it left him reeling. 

    Maybe they were simply never meant to be anything except friends. 

 

---

 

    He laid in bed one night after Minseok had tried his hand at homemade sushi, which turned out pretty well for what was his first time, as far as he knew.

    “It’s kind of unfair that even with the memories of a teenager, you’re still better than me at most things,” Jongdae said through a mouthful of a salmon roll.

    Minseok scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out and the butterflies in Jongdae’s stomach fluttered restlessly. He hated this impossible situation he’d been stuck with. This man who he knew would be perfect for him, was sitting right there, unaware of everything, unattainable.

    “Excuse me,” Jongdae said, standing up from the table quickly. He ran to his room and shut the door, trying to take deep breaths to calm down the frustration, panic, guilt, that was beginning to rise up from inside him. This was all so unfair, he thought to himself.

    A soft knock at the door startled him and he stood still.

    “Jongdae?” Minseok called from the other side.

    “Mhm?” Jongdae hummed, afraid to speak.

    “I’m just checking on you. I wanted to make sure my sushi didn’t kill you.”

    He breathlessly laughed, leaning his head back on the wooden slab. “It didn’t. It was all perfect.” 

    Minseok chuckled from the other side. “Good. Is everything okay?” 

    No. “Yes.”

    “Do you need anything?”

    You. “Nothing.”

    “I’ll be here,” Minseok said, his footsteps heading back towards the kitchen. 

    He heard Minseok sit back down at the table and Jongdae wanted to join him again but he wasn’t sure he could walk out the door without marching over to his best friend, grabbing his face in his hands, and finally kissing him the way he’s always wanted to kiss him.

    So he stood, back against the door, listening to the sounds of Minseok eating sushi and drinking his wine. He sat at the table for what some seemed to be a long time, even after he seemed to be done. Eventually, he stood up, cleared the table, turned the lights off, and headed to his own  room. Jongdae’s mind deluded him into thinking his movements sounded almost sad.

    “Why?” Jongdae asked aloud to no one, anyone, who might give him an answer as to why this pain was forced to be his. 

 

---

 

    He slipped out the next morning before Minseok would be awake, which was really early. He’d usually hand Jongdae his coffee tumblr already prepared, having already eaten breakfast. 

    “Have a good day!” Minseok would yell as Jongdae ran out the door, late as always.

    Minseok had lost his memory three weeks ago and it showed no sign of returning. 

    At this point, Jongdae was beginning to feel hopeless. 

    He knew that whether Minseok remembered or not, they would be able to move forward and be fine. What Jongdae was unsure of was whether he could continue this unrequited love for much longer.     

    The rest of his day was spent ignoring his work and simmering in emotion at his desk, the sound of the unanswered phone ringing, over and over.

 

---

 

Sighing, Jongdae fished his keys out of his pocket, hesitating for a few seconds, hand hovering in front of the door knob. He tried to listen and see if Minseok was walking around. Jongdae was kind of hoping that he wouldn’t see him, only because all of it was making him confused and frustrated and he didn’t want to take any of it out on Minseok. It wasn’t his fault Jongdae was having unwarranted feelings.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Jongdae whispered before unlocking the door and stepping inside. 

Immediately, he was greeted with the familiar ruckus of Minseok cooking, a perfect symphony of pots banging and food sizzling.     

Minseok’s head peeked around the wall, hair tied up in a small ponytail. 

“You’re home!”  he said excitedly.

Jongdae nodded wordlessly, trying to offer a smile. He noticed a twitch in Minseok’s expression but the other man quickly hid his reaction. He slid his shoes off and went to join his roommate, savoring the smells coming from whatever he was making.

“Taste this,” Minseok said, holding up a spoon of some creamy, white sauce. 

“It’s gonna taste amazing, as always,” he said while leaning in to taste anyway.

Shrugging, Minseok watched with curious eyes. “I don’t know about that. The sushi last night made you run away. Literally.” 

A heavy ball fell right into Jongdae’s stomach, opening up and feeling him with guilt. “Minseok, that wasn’t what you think-”

“It’s fine,” Minseok said, waving his hand to dismiss it. “I should have known better than to try my hand at raw fish. I can’t be good at everything.”

He returned to the stove, mixing the sauce and adding seasonings here and there. Jongdae could see the tenseness of his shoulders, the way his mouth was slightly scrunched to one side, the rapid movement of his hands. All tell-tale signs that Minseok was upset.

“You forget I’ve known you for years,” Jongdae said with a smirk.

“What do you mean by that?” Minseok asked.

“It means,” Jongdae said, stepping closer to Minseok, “that I know when you’re hiding something.”

Minseok glared at Jongdae. “I’m not hiding anything.”

Turning off the stove and grabbing the spoon from Minseok, Jongdae crossed his arms over his chest. “Liar.”

“Give that back,” Minseok said, hand outstretched. 

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“The sauce is going to separate,” Minseok whined, looking down at the pan getting colder by the second.  

“Then you better hurry.”

Minseok’s cheeks began to turn bright red and his eyes looked just about everywhere except Jongdae. “There really is nothing to tell. Nothing that matters, anyway.” 

Tilting his head, Jongdae only raised his eyebrows, prompting Minseok to continue. He earned himself a sigh and an eye roll but the other man kept going. 

“Things have been strange, to say the least. I’m still confused,” Minseok began, “but I think having you has helped a lot. I don’t know if anyone else would have been as…comforting.”

The sides of his head began to pound and his vision began to close as a swell of emotion rushed up from his toes all the way up. Jongdae couldn’t find the words to respond, so Minseok kept going.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is– is thank you. But also-” Minseok said before cutting himself off. 

“Also what?”  Jongdae prompted.

“I’ve had a lot of fun these last couple of weeks. There have been times where I’ve forgotten that I’ve forgotten,” Minseok said with a laugh.  “That’s because of you.”

“Oh,”  Jongdae said weakly. He could feel his fingers shake. Minseok didn’t mean it that way. He wouldn't let his hopes get too high. He didn’t mean it the way he desperately wished for. 

Sighing, Minseok grabbed the spoon from Jongdae’s limp hand and turned the stove back on. “Sometimes, I find myself forgetting we were just best friends before this.”

Or just maybe-

“What are you saying?” Jongdae asked.

“Our dynamic feels…deeper.”

Just maybe.

“Minseok?” 

The wooden spoon clattered to the floor, sauce splattering on both of their shoes. In one swift movement, Minseok grabbed Jongdae’s face in both of his hands and pressed their lips together, soft, sweet.

He stood frozen, shock confusion joy, all swirling inside of Jongdae before he snapped back to the present. He laced his fingers through Minseok’s hair, pressing himself closer, moving his lips slowly, savoring every glide, every peek of his tongue. 

When they separated, Jongdae’s eyes remained closed, lungs void of air as his nerves danced and lit his body up with every perfect sensation.

He could see the fear and hesitation in Minseok’s eyes, waiting for Jongdae’s reaction as to whether what he just did was okay or not. 

“What?” Jongdae asked dumbly, the word the only thing his brain could focus on. 

Minseok took a step back and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay-”  Jongdae tried to say.

“We were just friends before all this.  I shouldn’t have done that,” Minseok repeated. 

    “Minseok,” Jongdae said, reaching out to grab his hand. “Stop.”

    His friend stopped, panting slightly at the rush of adrenaline the kiss gave him. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

    Jongdae shook his head. “I’m in love with you.”

    “What?” Minseok said.

    “I’ve wanted to be with you for so long,” Jongdae finally admitted. “But you never saw me that way. So we just stayed friends.” 

    A glazed look came over Minseok’s eyes, looking straight at Jongdae but not really looking. He began to fall to his knees, grabbing onto Jongdae’s arm for support. 

    “Are you okay?” Jongdae asked, stopping the other man from hurtling to the ground. The two lowered slowly, until they were both sitting on the ground.

    Minseok nodded, his face scrunching in confusion. “I- yea. I think…”

    “What?” Jongdae prompted.

    After a few shaky breaths, Minseok’s eyes cleared up and he looked into Jongdae’s. “I think I remember,” he said, almost incredulously.

    “What?” Jongdae asked again, shocked.

    “Yea. I think I remember,” Minseok said, huge smile taking over his face.

    “Oh my gosh, Minseok!” Jongdae yelled, bringing him in a tight hug. Minseok laughed,  joy and relief entering both of their systems. 

    “I love you, too,” Minseok whispered.

    Jongdae froze, not daring to remove himself from the hug. He closed eyes, whispering, “You do?”

    He felt Minseok nod. “I’ve been in love with you practically since we’ve met.” 

    “You’re kidding,” Jongdae said.

    “No, I’m not,” Minseok said. “It’s weird but even when my memories were gone, my body could still feel that I loved you. It was easy for my mind to catch up after that, too.” 

    It was then that Jongdae pulled away, close enough where he could still feel Minseok’s breath tickling his lips. “This has been so weird,” he said with a chuckle.

    “Yea,” Minseok agreed, “but at least it finally got me to confess.”

    “I’m so glad you did,” Jongdae said before leaning in for another kiss. 

    The two stayed on floor, holding each other and pressing their lips together for what seemed like forever.

    After all, they had years of suppressed feelings to release.

 

--- 

    

    The two of them never figured out why Minseok lost his memory. It didn’t really matter to them. Years and years of suffering an unrequited love were finally over after this little mishap. They were happy. They were in love. Minseok’s memory loss was forgotten.

    However, had Minseok not done a manic deep clean of his room, they might have stumbled across a journal where Minseok would write the same thing everyday. Over and over and over and over-

    “Make me forget I ever loved Jongdae. Until he loves me, too.”