15. You enjoy silent time together

The school bell rings, dismissing the class for the day. I sigh, holding tightly to my school books as I hurried out of the classroom, adjusting my bag on my shoulder, making my way home. I had to get home as soon as possible and start on the homework my teacher had loaded on me. I let out a quiet whine, wishing that my boyfriend could cheer up my busy schedule.

With my thoughts so clouded, I bump into someone, sending me to stumble back a few steps. Snatching  a paper from the air before it could land on the ground, I mumble a quiet sorry, fixing the books in my arms so they sat more comfortably.

"Jia, keep your head up when walking, ne?"

I glance up at the figure to see a familiar, friendly face stare back down. He offers a warm smile in which I shake my head, a smile of my own creeping onto my lips. "Ah, really, Junhui. You could say hello like a normal person."

He ignores my complaint and laughs, taking my books from me and holding them by his side. With his free hand, he links it with mine, starting to walk away from the school building. I exchange a few gestures of goodbyes with fellow classmates as I followed Junhui off campus and back towards my own flat.

"What are you doing here, anyways? Don't you have practice to tend to?" I asked, clasping my other hand with his arm so I was clinging to his side and looked up to him.

"What, I can't pick up my girlfriend from class?" He asks, smirking at me which made me roll my eyes, falling back to his side. My face flushes at the world 'girlfriend' but I pretend to ignore it nevertheless as we near my apartment. I greet the front desk before tugging Junhui to the elevator, pressing the button for the seventh floor. We ride the elevator in silence, exchanging small glances here and there before there's a quiet ding, the doors opening.

"Are you hungry?" I ask when I unlock the door to my home, slipping off my shoes before placing down my bag on the couch. Junhui shrugs, doing this same with his shoes as he scrunched his nose, placing my books down on the table. "I can make us ramen," I suggested.

He sits down on the couch and looks over to me, nodding so I retreat to the kitchen, pulling out two packages of ramen and the stove, placing a pot with water in it so it could boil. Knowing it'd take some time, I walk back to the living room where Junhui was watching TV. Weekly Idol was on and it was a newer episode, one of Infinite where they were reappearing as 'rookies'. I stand behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulder as he continued to silently watch the channel, a chuckle escaping past his lips every now and then.

"To think that one day, Seventeen is going to be like that. On Weekly Idol, being harassed by vairety show hosts," I exclaimed, giggling as I leaning down to be his eye level. I thought of how he'd handle being on variety shows considering what a quiet speaker he was but decided not to say much of it. He would probably be picked on a lot but it was cute how he got flustered so easily. As if he could read my mind, he glances at me and gives me a meek smile, shyly giving me a quick peck on the lips when a sound goes off in the kitchen.

Remembering that I had left the stove on, I quickly untangle myself from Junhui and race into the kitchen, seeing the pot bubble. I quickly rip open the ramen packages and threw them into the pot, watching the noodles instantly soften. I also pour in the seasoning and oil before leaning back and wait for it to finish cooking as Junhui shuffles in, leaning against the counter next to me. He folds his arms across his chest, watching me as I mix the seasoning and noodles together before turning off the oven. He turns around and pulls out two bowls from the cupboards and hands them to me, making me smile knowing that he's been around so often that he knows where everything is. I pour the contents into the bowls and set them on the table as he slides into a seat, placing down two pairs of chopsticks as he did. I sit across from him and blow on the bowl lightly before picking up my chopsticks as the steam rose. I take a deep whiff of the aroma before picking up the noodles and stuffing a mouthful of noodles into my mouth.

I close my eyes at the taste and let out a tiny squeal, making Junhui laugh. "Aren't you going to eat?" I asked, raising my eyebrows as I eyed his untouched bowl and chopsticks. Reluctantly, he also eats some noodles (not nearly as much as I had shoved into my mouth but still). I slurp up a noodle before looking up at him, giving him a toothy grin and watching him eat for a while. "Is it okay? It tastes okay, right?"

He nods and I grin again him again before facing my own bowl. I remembered what one of my classmates had said to me today about how I'm so patient with Junhui and that if it was her he was dating, she would have became frustrated at how speechless he is. I peek up at him and smile to myself. I liked the fact that we didn't need to communicate often. Sure, when I first had met him, it irritated me how hard it was to have a proper conversation but the more I got to know him, the more comfortable I grew. Doesn't that mean we know each other better? Actions speak better than words, anyways, right?

"How was school?" He asks, attempting at conversation.

I my head the side, thinking and rewinding the day in my mind. "Same old. I got a high mark on my test today and one of my friend asked me to go see a concert with them but I'm not sure if I want to go with school and all." I suddenly groan, remembering the pile of homework that I had yet to finish (or even start). "I also have a lot of homework to do. I don't understand why teachers say sleep is important and then hand out homework that'll take all night."

He nods slowly. "Maybe I should leave then so you can finish…?" He slowly stands up and I reach out to grab his hand, pulling him back in his seat.

"No, no! I can lose a few hours of sleep if it means a few minutes with you," I replied. He gave me a look as if to say sleep was important but I just waved him off. I ate some more and swallowed before nodding at him. "What about you? How was your day?"

He shrugs. "Same old," he says.

I nodded. "Ah, hey, isn't 17TV ending? Are you guys going to do season four?" I asked,  blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes.

He pauses before meekly shrugging, smiling at me. "There's a high chance."

I let out a excited shout, clapping my hands. "I don't know how often I'll be able to watch with all this school work. But I'll definitely be able to watch on Saturdays," I exclaim. I hold my pinkie up to him and chew my ramen thoughtfully. "Promise to keep working hard, okay? Even if I can't watch all the time, know I'll be silently cheering you on."

Wordlessly, he hooks his pinkie with mine, nodding and I smile, satisfied as I continued eating my noodles. "But if 17TV is ending, that means the 17 Show is coming soon, right?" He nods again and I think for a moment. "How much are tickets? Can you get your hands on one for me?"

"You won't have to pay." He waves me off, laughing. "You're with me. No ticket needed."

"Ani, Soonyoung told me that if you get the Golden ticket you get to meet the band!" I wager, staring at him with wide eyes.

He looks at me with an amused expression. "Jia, you see the band every time you visit me at practice."

"That's not often enough," I wave him off. "So, yes, tickets?" He shakes his head, ignoring my words as he finishes up his ramen. "Aish," I mutter, shooting him a look before finishing up mine as well. I clear the bowls, setting them in the sink to clean later as Junhui dragged me to the couch. I lean forward and grab my books, telling him that he could watch TV while I start on homework. He nods, agreeing as he turns on the TV, images flickering against the wall. He leaves the volume on low so I can study without getting distracted (but it doesn't really work since I find myself looking up at the TV more often than needed to and because of this my neck was really starting to hurt).

Suddenly, Junhui speaks, surprising me with his words. "Jia, does it bother you that I don't talk as often as other guys would?"

My eyebrows are furrowed as I scan the math equations, growing more confused as I stared at the numbers, the questions dancing across the page. I really could care less about Bob and his fifteen apples. I giggled. Bob. Didn't Mingyu name the main camera for 17TV Bob? Realizing that Junhui has spoke, I pulled my eyes from my text book and dragged them to his worried face. "Hmm?" I manage to mutter.

He laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Does it bother you that I'm not very talkative?"

I make a face, closing my text book before sitting up straight. I would try again later. "Ani, you're perfect just the way you are." I tap on his nose making a 'boop' noise before cuddling into his side. He laughs shaking his head. What I said must have been the right answer because he picks up the remote and continues surfing the channels, the conversation settling in a comfortable silence again.

"You should work on your homework," he says, running a hand through my hair.

"I should, I could, I would but my brain can't really functioning right now," I reply, laying still on his chest as Junhui finally settled on a rerun of some drama. He doesn't complain and we watch in silence, watching the actors play out their role of crazy situations (I mean, really, did these things ever happen in real life?).

"Jia." He calls my name again. I really liked hearing him say my name. I looked over to him as he smiles at me warmly. "You know how to make me happy. I'm sorry I don't talk a lot."

I groan, poking at his sides. "Stop it. I said I like you just the way you are."

He laughs and I join in, a bubbly feeling fluttering in my stomach. Yes, it was true. Junhui wasn't much of a talker and preferred to stay quiet (which was probably the reason why Mingming could beat him up so easily), but I didn't really mind. The thing I loved best was that I didn't need to have Junhui tell me his thoughts or feelings. When you love someone, you just know.