Heartbreaker

Chapter 36: It's Nice to Have a Friend

"Why is he taking so long? I'm starving." Jimin whined.

Jungkook was already twenty minutes late for lunch. Taehyung checked his phone. There was nothing. He didn't say anything about getting late. He was getting nervous.

"Oh. There he is!" Jimin exclaimed. "Wait. Is that...Lisa?" He waved his hand for Jungkook to see.

Taehyung watched them paced across the cafeteria to get to their table. Jungkook smiled at him. He was about to smile back but the younger abruptly withdrew his gaze to turn to her. He shyly motioned for her to keep following. She smiled brightly. He looked down and smiled timidly at the ground. Taehyung felt a prick on his heart.

"Taehyungie hyung, Jimin. Lisa started attending here." Jungkook happily announced.

Taehyungie hyung? Taehyung didn't hear anything anymore. He wade into his thoughts, filled by how Jungkook addressed him in her presence. He immersed himself on the way he pulled a chair and assisted her to sit. Submerged deeper because he volunteered to come with her to the cafeteria counter. And drowned in the manner of how he was holding her by her elbow.

"Taehyung." A voice annoyed him in his reveries. "Taehyung!"

"What?!" He answered, irritated.

"What's with your eyes?" Jimin wondered. "No." He said, incredulous.

"What?"

"That should be me..." Jimin started to sing. "Are you jealous?" He huddled closer.

"What? No." He denied.

"Uh huh." Jimin nodded, waiting.

"Did you hear how he called me?" He asked disbelieving.

"How is he supposed to call you?"

"He didn't call me babe!" Taehyung grumbled.

"He does not ever call you that around others!" Jimin hissed.

Taehyung considered. "You're right."

"He's just trying to help. Don't be jealous." Jimin assured.

Jungkook came back carrying Lisa's tray. He pulled her chair just like what he did before. He placed her food in front and even opened her bottled water.

"You have all your classes with Jungkook?" Jimin asked.

"Yes." She smiled contentedly.

"I'm finally going to have a partner in lab." Jungkook added ecstatically.

He felt like he was stabbed. The word partner didn't sit well with Taehyung. It was petty of him. He knew. But he doesn't want to hear Jungkook refer to someone, other than him, as partner. His eyes lingered on the younger as he cheerfully told them his plans. Taehyung noticed that he was already comfortable with her. He could tell with the way he was being talkative. It upset him because Jungkook didn't open that easily to him when they first met. He strived hard to get through him. But now, he was warming up to her without sweat. Despite the proximity of the chairs they were settled alongside, he felt the vast distance between Jungkook and him.

"Jungkookie." He called quietly.

"Hmm?" Jungkook immediately turned to him.

"Water." He said soullessly.

Jungkook bewilderedly looked at the bottle of water directly in front of Taehyung. He slowly took it and untwisted the cap.

"Here." He handed it to him.

Taehyung grabbed it swiftly and drank.

Jungkook noticed the sharpness and gloom in his eyes. But he chose to address it once they were alone, some other time later. Taehyung didn't talk much the whole lunch time and was always far behind. He didn't even walk him to his class. He just coldly excused himself and left. Jungkook had a hunch why his boyfriend was acting cold and withdrawn. He felt regretfully sorry that he became reckless of his actions.