Chapter 14

Dongwan felt his heart rising to his throat and his eyes diverting from the older man. Had he done this all to get Eric jealous and maybe leave Hyesung? Was he seriously that bad? No. He wasn’t the bad guy! He couldn’t have been a friend like that to Hyesung, who had loved Eric for years. Dongwan had felt sorry for him for so long as he and the oldest guy had had more than Eric had ever talked to Hyesung. Of course he felt sorry now too that he was so damn in love with the man.

“Why? Are you?” Dongwan asked.

Eric stared at him for a long while and then leaned over the table to the other side. Dongwan startled when the face advanced him promptly and stopped right in front of him, the tip of the nose touching his and lips almost grazing softly. It was hard not to blush in front of the tall man, who withdrew slowly back to his seat, the look on his face surprised.

“Do you want me to be?” Eric whispered.

“Y—“ Dongwan was about to reply, but he was interrupted by Minwoo.

God, it hurt to look at him. It was painful to look at that grinning face, knowing that that smile was sincere and genuine and that was because Minwoo had finally gotten what he had wanted. And how much Dongwan loved him back. He had loved him always, just not as much as Eric. If Minwoo had known, his heart might have pulverized and that was something Dongwan didn’t want to witness.

Minwoo sat down next to his boyfriend and looked at him, something hiding behind his smile. Had he seen the two so close to one another? Dongwan’s heart beat even faster, when Minwoo grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Eric glanced at the two, noticing something weird in Minwoo, and then turned to look at Hyesung, who smiled widely and sipped his coffee.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Minwoo said.

                ***

Andy looked at the wrist watch secretly and sighed. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes after Junjin’s call and yet he kept wishing that anytime now the door of the restaurant would open. Andy’s date had ordered them dessert and was eating his mousse, while the younger man was uneasily looking around.

“I know this , but please at least eat your mousse.” The older guy spoke.

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry.” Andy apologised, and began to spoon the chocolate mixture.

They ate in silence, sometimes just praising the mousse, when the door was opened at the back and Andy glanced at it. Junjin was there, panting his lungs out like he had run, and he was gazing around the big eating hall until he saw Andy and the freakishly handsome man in front of him. He approached them prolonged and waited that they had done eating.

The handsome man stood up together with the younger man and they shook hands. Junjin ogled at them, and then something happened. The date leaned in and pecked the other lips briefly. It was just a peck and it made Andy chuckle, but because he chuckled, it disturbed Junjin a lot.

“Even though this wasn’t the ideal of dates, we should meet again.”

“Of course,” Andy nodded and then bowed when the hyung left.

Junjin shifted his head back right after the door had gaped, and then stepped forwards. He was silently goggling at the shorter man. Andy grabbed his phone from the table and put it into his pocket, avoiding looking at the man whose breathing was loud.

“Shall we?” The younger man gestured towards the door.

“Who was he?”

“Eh? A guy my mom knows.”

“No, what was his name?”

“Song something,” Andy shrugged. “Let’s go,” he said and walked past Junjin.

They were outside in front of the black car, Andy waiting for Junjin to unlock the doors. The tall man strode to the other side of the vehicle and turned the key on the lock, and the doors clicked. Andy stepped inside at the same time with Junjin and fastened the seatbelt.

“What do you need?” The maknae smiled.

Junjin frowned.

“There must be a reason why you picked me up, right? What do you want?” Andy interrogated, forearms on his lap. “Is it something for Yeonghwa? Birthday present? Or since you are planning to marry him, you need—“

“I’m not going to propose to him,” Junjin mumbled.

                ***

“Eric,”

“Mm?”

Hyesung raised his head from the lap and sat up on the sofa, adorably folding his legs, and twiddling with his fingers like a cute kid. His head was bowed, lips pursed, as the toes twiddled back and forth rapidly. Eric cupped the chin and lifted the head up.

“Tell me.” He said.

Hyesung bit his lip, and let blush creep onto his cheeks. “I know you haven’t been honest with me about certain things, and I won’t push you or force you to tell me, because I am certain I won’t be able to handle what you hide from me. But I…I just…I feel…I…” He leered at the older man. “I…What I…I…”

Eric butted their lips together, carefully moving his lips, until Hyesung gave into his wants and put his hands around the neck. He kissed him back as hard and hungry, mouth gaping for the tongue to slide in. Eric unlaced the long legs and pulled them over his hips and seated the younger man onto his lap. Hyesung sighed into the mouth and soon he was laid down onto his back.

“I love you,” Eric murmured. “I can’t lie.”

“You can…”

Eric let his gaze drill into Hyesung’s eyes.

“I’m not lying.” He said, realising how serious he actually was.

                ***

Minwoo had been surprisingly quiet after departing the bar. When Dongwan had attempted to hold his hand, he had just avoided it by pushing the hands deep inside his pockets. Something was definitely wrong with Minwoo. He kept laughing, but whenever Dongwan looked at him, he could see the sadness inside. It was strange. So unlike Minwoo.

“Do you want to eat pizza today?” Dongwan suggested happily.

“Anything you want,” The older man semi-smiled.

“Ok…”

Minwoo had a terrible temper. Therefore he was intimidating right now. Any minute now he could have flipped out and get angry, and that was why Dongwan chose not to speak. He knew what the impact of him talking nonstop did to people. So he chose not to aggravate Minwoo at all. He did not even ask what was going on, because that might’ve unleashed something scary as well.

“Dongwan,” The said man gulped; no ‘Wan ah’ or ‘Wannie, but ‘Dongwan’.

“Yeah?”

“You…you wouldn’t hurt me right?” Minwoo’s voice shivered.

Dongwan’s whole complex turned pale white when that question had exited the lips. The corners of his lips descended and eyebrows furrowed, as he dumbly shook his head. What was this atmosphere all of a sudden? Why was Minwoo so silent? Solemn? Scared? He was never that. He should have been mad if he knew something.

“I would never…hurt you.” Dongwan swore.

“You wouldn’t?”

“Of course not.”

Minwoo bowed his head, a small smirk on his otherwise very sad face, as he chuckled. That was frightening. Dongwan reached his hand to the other one on the couch and held it softly as if telling everything was okay and he would not hurt anyone. He couldn’t do that. And if he could do it, he wouldn’t have started from Minwoo for God’s sake.

“You aren’t with me just because you don’t want to hurt me right?” The older man crooned very silently.

“What? Why…why would you think like that?” There was a bit of shock in Dongwan’s voice.

Minwoo finally leered at his boyfriend.

“Wannie, I love you so much…that it hurts. It hurts me deep inside me. I love you so much that it hurts that I don’t trust you enough. There is something in you…that I cannot trust.” There were tears in his eyes. “But I don’t care...I don’t care why you look at Eric like you do…I don’t care if you fake everything you feel towards me…I don’t care if you don’t want to be with me…because I love you,” Why was he hurting so much? “I don’t care Wannie…I…don’t care.”

Dongwan cupped the face of the slightly shorter man and kissed him. The wrinkles on his forehead disappeared when the kiss deepened and Minwoo stopped crying. The tears fell down his cheeks, but he wasn’t crying anymore.

“Yeah, I look at Eric sometimes,” Dongwan whispered against the lips. “But now…I think I’ve never been this in love with you ever.”

Minwoo sighed.

“I don’t want to see you cry.”