Chapter 30.

Jongin's fingers had been drumming against his desk almost all study period.  Kyungsoo knew because he had been watching.
The teen had long, slender fingers that moved quickly when he wanted them to. He started his distracting tapping sequence first from his pinky, bringing down the rest of his fingers in quick succession until ending at his pointer finger before then restarting the whole process over. 

Kyungsoo tried not to dwell on the obvious aura of unrest coming off the platinum-haired teen in front of him, instead opting to focus on the content he was currently trying to give useful input on for exam use. Sehun, who had taken a seat at the desk in front of Jongin was practically setting his notebook alight with how fast he was frantically taking down notes, and Zitao, who sat at the desk next to Sehun, had been duteously underlining the quotes that Kyungsoo had been mentioning as useful for essay use. The few other students in the class had their books open and heads down, pens moving smoothly across their notebooks. It was only a small group of students that had opted to come to the after school pre-exam study session Kyungsoo had organised, and in normal circumstances, the dark haired English teacher would have been positively cheery teaching the smaller and far more easily manageable group of students. However, Kyungsoo was finding it hard not to feel distracted by Jongin when the teen was barely three metres away and looking so blatantly agitated. 

In the past, Jongin's intense stare might have made Kyungsoo feel irritation or uneasiness, but now that he understood better just how difficult it could be voicing your own feelings, the dark haired English teacher was better able to sympathise with the teen behind his turned back. Jongin had, in his own way, been brave to confess his feelings. Kyungsoo had never in his life had such courage of his own to do the same - however, he was, for all intents and purposes, an empathetic person who was more than capable of placing himself in another person's shoes; it certainly didn't take a genius to figure that Jongin was probably feeling rather uncertain by the fact that the person he had confessed to had yet to respond in any way what so ever. 

Kyungsoo cringed momentarily at his own chain of thought. To label his almost religious avoidance of the teen as simply 'not responding' was probably a bit of a disservice. He had been unfair to Jongin in his own confusion at the circumstances he had been abruptly into - Kyungsoo wasn't exactly used to having people confess to him, let alone a student of his, so of course, it wasn't like he had any suitable means of dealing with the situation. The dark haired English teacher bit on his bottom lip in an almost nervous fashion before turning away from the board he had been writing on.

"Here's a suitable simple essay structure," Kyungsoo said, tapping the end of his marker on the reference guide he had just written up. "An introduction, at least three body paragraphs, four if you can manage, and then your conclusion. Make sure you remember that these three points are broad and umbrella other necessary aspects of your essay that cannot be forgotten." Kyungsoo explained smoothly, motioning at the dot points he had written beneath the main headings. "You don't have to go out of your way to write up an elaborate, wordy essay. You're working on a time limit and in many cases, simple is best. Get the points written down and connect the dots so that you come back to your thesis statement."

There was a flurry of movement as students turned to new pages in their notebooks and pens began tracking at a rapid pace across paper. 

After several moments Kyungsoo glanced over at the clock on the wall. "We're almost out of time now, unfortunately, so finish copying down the notes on the board and then you can all pack up and go home." he looked up with a smile, not failing to notice Sehun's horrified expression in regards to the lesson drawing to a close. "Try to remember some of what I've gone over today in your exam tomorrow. If you do, I can guarantee you'll get a half-decent mark." He smiled around the classroom, avoiding Jongin's piercing gaze. "Just remember it's your final English exam and everything will feel a lot easier once you finish it."

There was only a small amount of sound as the ten or so students who had decided to stay after school for the lesson gradually finished copying down the information from the board.  Chatter gradually built up as they began packing their bags and trailing in small groups out the door with calls of "Thanks, Mr. Do!" and "See you tomorrow at the exam, Mr. Do!"

Only Kim Jongin remained, and Kyungsoo's stomach flipped. He didn't know why it always surprised him when the teen caught him alone in such a way. 

Jongin's stare was impossibly intense, his dark eyes unreadable and expression closed. Kyungsoo swallowed nervously, struggling to find the words to speak.

Eventually, he opted for something simple, something professional and easy. "Why are you still here, Jongin? You should be getting home." Uninvolved teacher mode - not blatantly defensive, but simple enough to make him feel secure.

Of course, he felt foolish for attempting to use such a method the moment the teen opened his mouth to speak. Jongin's words sliced through the quiet classroom, quite literally pulling the proverbial rug out from beneath Kyungsoo's feet. In retrospect, Kyungsoo should have known better than to try with Jongin, not when the teen simply didn't answer to conventional communicational cues. With Jongin, it wasn't really possible to control which way an interaction went - Jongin did as he pleased without filter and steered things his way no matter what. 

"I expected more." the unsaid 'from you' lingered in the empty spaces between Jongin's sentence and Kyungsoo's response. 

Jongin expected more? From him? Kyungsoo couldn't help but feel insulted. "You shouldn't, Jongin. I'm your teacher. You're my student. You can't keep approaching me with the idea of a relationship beyond that in your mind." The words gushed out, his tone strained. 

"No." Jongin's expression twisted at his words, voice cold and angry at the dismissal. "No." he repeated once more.

"That's how it is, Jongin. It can't be changed. How can you expect more from me?" his tone was almost pleading. "It's not possible for us."

For a moment, he could swear he saw fear flash across the teen's face.

"You said you wouldn't hurt me." The words were accusing, their impact violent. 

Kyungsoo felt cold. He could only watch numbly as Jongin rose swiftly from the desk he had been