“Taemin, right over here!” Jonghyun shouted from the back of the pub. Taemin crooned his neck to see above someone’s shoulder, and he finally saw his friends.

Jonghyun and Jinki already had beers in front of them, so Taemin waved at them and gestured towards the bar. He ordered one for himself and walked towards the two men waiting for him.

Jinki had his arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders and had a big smile on his face while Jonghyun was talking excitedly about something Taemin couldn’t catch since he had missed the beginning of the conversation.

He sat down in front of them and took a sip of his drink, finally relaxing after a heavy week of work. He let Jonghyun finish his story and shyly looked away when Jinki planted a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.

“So, how are you two doing?” Taemin asked when he had both their attention. It had been a while since they were able to see each other.

“Well…” Jonghyun started, a huge smile plastered on his face. He glanced at Jinki for a second, and Taemin noticed the same smile spreading across the other man’s lips. “We’ve decided to move in together.”

“That’s great!” Taemin exclaimed and spilled a bit of his beer on the table.

“Yeah, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’ve been together for a few years now, and we’re tired of going to each other’s place all the time…” Jinki explained.

“Where are you guys going to live, then? Your place,” he said pointing at Jinki, “or your place?” he added and moved his finger towards Jonghyun.

“Neither,” Jonghyun answered quickly and shook his head. “We’re planning to move someplace bigger.”

“Someplace… in the area?” Taemin asked, feeling his heart clench. He knew he should have been nothing but happy for his friends, but the prospect of them moving away hurt.

“Not too far from here, don’t worry,” Jonghyun said pointedly. “I’m not planning on leaving you here alone,” he added playfully. “Right, babe?”

“We’re looking for apartments in the area,” Jinki confirmed with a soft smile.

“Good, that’s good,” Taemin whispered to himself and took a sip of his beer. He was relieved.

“How about you, Taemin? Did your neighbor shut up already?” Jonghyun asked with a chuckle.

Taemin laughed at his friend’s remark and nodded.

“Yeah, he did. We’re good. Actually, we—we spent the evening together a few days ago and we got to know each other and—he’s nice,” he explained as he focused on the table between them. He wished he was able to not smile, and he wished Jonghyun hadn’t noticed, but life didn’t always go the way he wanted.

“Nice how?” Jinki asked, matching his smile.

“Nice nice?”  Jonghyun almost shouted. He had that knowing look on his face that only made Taemin’s cheeks get warmer, and he knew his blush was highly visible. “Oh my God, Taemin has a crush on his neighbor.”

“I don’t!” Taemin protested right away. He knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but he was still trying to convince himself that he didn’t see the man as anything else than his neighbor. “I just said he’s nice. You’re reading too much into it.”

“You said you spent the evening together,” Jinki interjected. “Have you planned to do something again before you left?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything—”

“Yeah,” Jinki told Jonghyun. “He has a crush on his neighbor.”

“I don’t," Taemin said firmly, his voice rising. He didn’t understand why that statement unsettled him so much, but he knew he couldn’t possibly have a crush on Minho, and it was embarrassing that his friend thought he did.

“Taemin, you know you’re allowed to have a crush on someone, right?” Jonghyun said a bit more seriously, and Taemin instantly wanted this conversation to be over. There was no way they were going to talk about his romantic life.

“Can we talk about something else? Please?”

“Taemin, this is serious,” Jonghyun insisted while Jinki shifted on the seat next to him, looking awkward. Taemin wondered if they sometimes talked about him when he wasn’t there. “I think we should talk about this.”

He had enough. He had said once already that this topic wasn’t open for discussion—at least not here, not right now—and Jonghyun refused to listen. He sighed heavily and got up from his chair. He wanted to tell his friend to stop, but even those words were stuck in his throat. So he simply started leaving. 

He saw from the corner of his eyes Jinki looking completely lost, and Jonghyun telling him something before grabbing his arm. Taemin freed himself—it wasn’t hard, Jonghyun wasn’t holding on strong—and went outside of the pub.

“Taemin, I’m serious, please talk to me,” Jonghyun insisted once again and Taemin breathed out deeply. He went inside the small alleyway