The Boy From The Bridge - Jakehoon

Chapter 16: Are you two dating? 4/7

"As I told you yesterday, I can't go to parties - my parents won't let me!" Sunghoon said as Jake brought up the party during their walk to school.

"Right, which is why I said I had a plan" Jake countered,

"Yeah but you refused to say what the plan is"

"I didn't want evidence over text", Jake's answer made Sunghoon suspicious. Jake continued, "You come round to mine for a sleepover on Saturday night and we go out whilst your parents think you're at mine - simple"

Sunghoon tried to find flaws with the proposal, "but what if my parents come knocking?"

Jake tapped his head as if to say that he had already being thinking of this, "JK will tell them that he's sent us to go pick up some pizza"

Jake's answer somewhat satisfied Sunghoon who uttered a resigned, "hmmm"

"So is that a yes?" Jake pressed eagerly.

Reluctantly Sunghoon sighed, 'yeah'.

"You guys have a really weird chemistry" Sunoo declared after watching Jake and Sunghoon's performance. The pair looked quizzically, first at each other before turning to Sunoo and asking "What?". They had been told to perform their scene with Sunoo as he was acting as deputy-director for the production. The were in a classroom nearby the auditorium with the tables and chairs pushed to the extremities of the room. Sunoo sat on the teacher's desk and had been observing them do their scene several times over for half an hour.

"You guys could be brothers, like outside of the scene you're so easy going with each other - but then you have to act and this odd distance appears between you". Sunoo continued, puzzled, Sunghoon and Jake looked at one another.

"See - that!" Sunoo said loudly, pointing at them.

"What?" Jake asked.

"That's the dynamic you have to have when you're doing these characters, close friends who rely on one another"

Sunoo had the pair perform their scene once more before again chastising them for their on-stage awkwardness. "There it was" He begun, "I can see why teacher chose you for these roles - because of how you interact naturally but it's like you're afraid of being yourselves." The pair stood in silence as Sunoo ran his hand through his hair whilst reading through his notes, "It's like you guys are dating or something" he said nonchalantly but the statement made both of them freeze.

Sunoo who had been looking down at his notes, heard the silence and glanced up at the two older boys who were suddenly awkward. "Ha, are you?" He asked them.

"No, what, we're not gay" they said in unison.

The rebuttal forced a bit of laughter from Sunoo who had returned to his gaze to his notes. "Okay. Let's go from the top".

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For the remainder of the week, Sunghoon could not  help but remember Sunoo asking if he and 'Jaeyun' were dating. The question had provided a voice to the fears he had been holding inside for a few days. He had previously being able to console himself that his stirrings towards 'Jaeyun' were due his lack of confidence towards girls. That conclusion had quelled his feelings but the information that he and 'Jaeyun' were displaying interactions that could be judged in that way caused a revival in those fears. He wondered if he could see them interact from the third person if they might appear to be exhibiting feelings or signs toward each other. 

Sunghoon thought on this, 'how might he look when he's around 'Jaeyun'?' At that moment it was Friday morning, he was treading water in the pool with only his eyes above water. They were tracking 'Jaeyun' swim up and down the pool, he had been watching to learn technique but he could just as easily be accused of watching him for his own pleasure. 

Wondering to himself, 'If he was watching with infatuation what would he look at? That thought prompted Sunghoon to observe the body instead of the movements.

He ducked his head below the surface of the water so he couldn't be caught staring. The light refracting through the water illuminated his friend's body as it moved through the water. Sunghoon watched his legs move up and down, their power propelling him. He saw his torso turn with each movement of his arm, tilting his figure to and from Sunghoon's sight. Voyeuristicly Sunghoon's eyes turned to 'Jaeyun's swimming shorts. He watched as the water and the movement made them to move, revealing parts of his thigh, something inside of him wanted them to show something more.

Sunghoon immediately raised his head from the water, shaking those thoughts from his conscious. Tomorrow he'd go to Aecha's party and he'd ask Yun out then whatever feelings he was having would dissipate. He had followed 'Jaeyun's advise and she had accepted his offer for coffee. They had gotten on and made each other laugh, being in the same class they had much to talk about, he hadn't felt any kind of spark yet but he presumed that would come.  

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Jakehoon fanfic 2.4