Watching Over You • Nomin

four

Renjun and Haechan looked at Jaemin, concerned. Jaemin thought it was a quick character development too, but he didn't expect it to be this quick.

“Oh yeah? I don't know,” he said.

“It's probably a rumor then. You all should know, he's your best friend, right?”

Renjun laughed while Haechan coughed. “We wish. We haven't talked to him properly for a while,” Haechan said.

Jaemin sighed. Or just exhaled the pain and lump in his throat.

It's just a rumor. He thought

He thought the best moment of the day was when he left the university. If Jeno was really with her, could Renjun have predicted things any better? How was he so good at this?

Of course, he wasn't going to stalk him like a psychopath. If Jeno didn't want to tell him, let it be that way. Jeno deserved to be happy.

Now Jeno felt almost like a dream. And he was missing those dreams. He loved him. A lot. Although he wasn't going to forgive him quickly for ghosting him.

He showered after he reached home and flopped into his bed. It's just a rumor… He thought again, it's a tiny bit of hope.

-----

“It wasn't like a big surprise...but it sort of was. I never told Jaem that I liked graphic novels or comics yet here he was at my door, at my every birthday.” Jeno was blabbering while he was out with Jiya for ice cream.

She exhaled sharply but Jeno was too into himself to notice. “Oh,” she said, disinterested.

“The first graphic novel I read was his gift. My very first comic, It's his gift again. I did read comics when I was a kid but never owned a copy… it's always him. Ugh, he's so crazy yet a sweetheart… god I love him-”

“Yeah, anyways.” she interrupted him.

Jeno was kind of hurt. He frowned his eyebrows and looked at her.

“I was thinking about today's Physics class… fascinating, don't you think?” she began.

Jeno was a little angry now. “Yeah,” he muttered. Quantum mechanics, of course. Fascinating. 

He wasn't even paying attention to her now. He was thinking about Jaemin, those comics, and those amazing graphic novels he read and was obsessed with them for a while. He talked about them all night with him and forced him to read… waited for him to review them and hear him be fascinated.

It was so nice. He had those copies arranged on his shelves and took care of them dearly.

He never understood why Jiya hated him. It wasn't the first time in these weeks he was interrupted when he talked about Jaemin.

“Are you listening to me?” she asked cutely.

Jeno hummed. “Yeah,” he replied. She remained quiet and suspected him. Jeno sighed. “Fine. I wasn't.”  Jeno knew that look.

“Bad liars are always caught,” she said and giggled. “Don't do this Jeno-ya… the foundation of our relationship shouldn't be formed on lies,” she added.

------

Months just passed by as if Jeno had time traveled into the future. Months went by and he never apologized properly to Jaemin for ghosting him and never tried to plan something else to make it up.

He was in a void. He never knew but his friendship with Jiya tied him up entirely to her. She was growing into him like roots and sometimes it was heart fluttering and sometimes terrifying.