the story of us 》sungtaro

16

Leading us to the front door, Donghyuck yawned. "You're sure you guys don't want to stay the night? It's pretty late."

As fun as I'm sure that would have been, my mom had wanted me home and I wasn't about to go against her.

"I can't." Jeno grumbled, the agitation clear in his tired tone. "I've got a tutoring session tomorrow."

Whether he was not looking forward to the tutoring or the tutor himself, I wasn't sure.

"I've got work in the morning, but thanks anyway, Hyuck." Sungchan smiled, slipping on his jacket.

We said our goodbyes, moving down the steps to the cars parked on the road.

Despite getting a ride there with his teammate, Sungchan complained the whole walk down. "Jeno, your car smells weird."

I remember how he turned to me, eyes hopeful. "Can I ride with you instead, Shotaro?"

I looked to Jeno, who just shrugged.

"I didn't want to ride with him anyway." Jeno laughed, his keys jingling as he pulled them from his pocket. "He's the source of the smell, he just doesn't realize it."

"At least I passed chemistry." The giant shot back.

Jeno responded with some choice words that I'd rather not write.

We got in my car and then we were off. Sungchan didn't live too far away, the ride would only take a few minutes. He knew that if he wanted to say something, he better say it then.

"So this person you like," He said, eyes moving from the window to me. "Do I know them?"

The way he said it, it wasn't a genuine question, it was like he was teasing, taunting me. Like he already knew and was just waiting for me to catch up.

"Maybe." I shrugged, a joking air in my tone. He already knew the answer and we both knew it.

The conversation made me curious. I wasn't sure where the sudden courage came from, but the words were leaving my mouth before I could think about them.

"What about you?" I said, turning onto his street. I quickly glanced at him, trying to keep my eyes on the road as much as I could. I wanted to ask the question, but was slightly terrified for what the answer would be. "Do you like anyone?"

I remember how he looked, the grin on his perfect face. To my question, he shrugged, giving me the same treatment I gave him. "Maybe."

From his mischievous eyes and guilty smile, the answer was obvious. Still, it surprised me. My whole time living here, I had heard about Donghyuck's crushes and Jeno's illicit escapades, but never anything from Sungchan.

"Really?" I couldn't help but ask.

The question obviously offended him, because he looked to me in disbelief. "Why are you always shocked by everything I have to say?"

"I don't know." I remember attempting to defend myself, very poorly I might add. "I guess I've just never heard of you liking anyone."

He considered my point, defense softening. "You're not wrong."

Despite us being parked in his driveway, he made no move to get out. I remember how he sighed, all joking tones leaving.

"It's rare for me to ever find someone who I really like. But lately," He refused to meet my eyes, only smiling to himself. "Something has changed, I guess."

I watched him carefully, the mood much too serious. "Boy or girl?"

He wasn't about to give me any information then. Sending me a wink, he opened the car door. "Do you even have to ask?"

Before he left he turned to me, a playful grin on his perfect face. "We'll make it a game. Whoever finds out who the other person likes first wins."

"Deal." I wasn't about to back down from any challenge. I just shrugged, a confident air about me. "As long as you're ok with losing."

"I never lose, Shotaro." His eyes were dark, they made my breath catch. "You're going down."

I was so sure of myself back then, I was positive he'd never find out.

"We'll see about that."