Intricate: The Beginning of Us| MARKNOMINHYUCK(bxbxbxb)

42: Enlighten me

Donghyuck

It was quiet for a long, long time. The tension was so thick that it could only be cut through with a butcher knife. We each chose a spot to focus on and just stared at it for minutes. I chose the clock above the entrance, Jeno the table we're sitting at, watching it with a frown. Meanwhile, Mark toyed around with his mug, looking at it like he wanted to throw it across the room, and Jaemin... he looked on the verge of crying, looking down at his lap. I knew that the other two's hands were intertwined so I presumed that's what he was looking at.

The sound of the front door's bell is what snaps us out of our daze, simultaneously making us all flinch. 

"I'll be right with you!" I exclaim cheerfully to the customer with a strained smile on my face. I then turn back to look at the boys, two of the three looking at me. "Um, let's talk tomorrow? After school?" I question, standing up and putting a hand on Jaemin's shoulder, hoping to comfort him a little. 

He looks up. "Really?" He asks through glossy eyes and I could have just melted. 

I smile softly at him. "Of course," I tell him and with much courage, lean down to kiss his cheek. 

Without looking back once, I turn to attend to the customer. Not even once did I look away from the young woman, not even when I heard the bells jingle again.

I sigh when the woman receives her drink and leaves right away. 

"We need to talk," a voice says and I jump in surprise.

"God! Don't fucking do that!" I exclaim, my eyes wide and a hand over my raising heart. 

"I'm- I'm just really confused," he states, his eyebrows furrowed as he maintains eye contact with the floor instead of me. 

Is it really mean that I find this amusing? But also... cute. 

I chuckle softly, "I'm off in thirty minutes and you can take me home," I tell him with a wide grin. 

I was trying to sound confident, like my usual self, but on the inside, I was a little nervous. A nervous wreck, actually. The last time we were alone, we had our first kiss and then I ran off! We haven't even talked about it, I don't know where we stand. I mean, I did tell the other two that we were dating and he didn't seem opposed to it. Because we are; even if it's not real. 

He nods slowly before walking back to the table that the four of us were previously occupying.

I admit, I stared a little. At him. He was looking down at his phone though it looked like he wasn't really paying attention. It looks like he's spacing out and I had never seen him like this. He was really, really having a brain overload right now. Jeno's smart. He understands a lot, he understands everything that he is taught. He wasn't taught about this stuff, that's the problem, and he has never educated himself either. Personally, I learned everything about sexualities, etc on my own. I enlightened myself when I notice how many abs Taeyong-Hyung had, I knew there was something going on with me. Jeno he... he has never even looked at males this way before, hell, he probably hasn't yet. Maybe he's actually straight and I'm getting ahead of myself.

Either way, I would enlighten him on this subject and then we'll see where that takes us.

-----

When I come back from the backroom, Jeno is already up, waiting for me. It's dark outside by now, with it being 7 PM and close to winter, the sun's starting to set earlier. I like that. Winter is my favorite season, after all.

"Ready... to go?" I ask him hesitantly, pulling my hoodie over my head and ruffling my hair a little. 

"Yep," he sighs, running his hand through his hair (making him look incredibly hot) before nodding towards the door, signaling for us to exit.

I wave at my colleague who took over for me and then step out. The sound of the bell brings a sense of nostalgia as it always does as I open the door. I take a deep breath as soon as I take in the outside air, a sense of relief taking over me. 

Jeno appears next to me and I slightly smile at him, beginning to walk in the right direction to my house. "Don't you want to call your chauffeur or something?" He questions, trailing a step behind.

"I usually do," I answer, glancing at him before turning back to look ahead. "But we have to talk and it wouldn't be very comfortable to talk about this in front of someone else."

"Fair enough," he mumbles, burying his hands in his pant pockets.

We stay quiet for a moment. I was taking in the silent, peaceful atmosphere, not even a single person was in sight and I couldn't help but find it relieving. For a second, I wondered what the guy next to me was thinking but I don't have too much time to dwell on it.

"Can you explain now?" He asks, the same confusion as earlier lacing his voice. "What did Jaemin mean by wanting to be with us? Like how is that possible?"

I don't answer, I continue walking. We were near a park so I decided it was better to take a seat. He doesn't question it, he simply follows. 

I guide us to a park bench and take comfortable positions there. "Look, what Jaemin meant about liking all of us and wanting to be with us literally means that, he likes us. He wants to date us." Butterflies swarm the pit of my stomach as the words get out of my mouth and an undeniably wide smile spreads through my lips. "It's a term called polyamorous. It's when there are more than two people in a relationship," I click my tongue, nodding as I grip tightly onto the bottom of the bench. 

I'm nervous but I have no idea why.

Is it because I'm worried about how he will react? Maybe.

Am I scared that it will be negative? I think... yes.

"Oh," is all he says after an eternal amount of seconds. "Huh," he continues. He was trying to wrap everything around his head, I could tell that much. I could basically see all the machinery in his brain working hard. "So... the four of us would... date each other?" He looked slightly disgusted at the suggestion and it panged my heart. "I could never with... Mark Lee."

Right. I had forgotten about that.

"W- what about Jaemin and I? Would you actually try it?"

He turns his head to look at me and at us simply making eye contact, my heart speeds up and it feels as if everything had slowed down. He scans me a while longer before turning to look back ahead, to one of the many trees around. He sighs, dropping his head in defeat. "I thought I was straight just a week ago," he says dryly.

"And now?" I question hopefully.

"And now I can't deny that I like Jaemin. Possibly you. Actually, I do like you," he huffs.

My grin grows uncontrollably larger and I hug him. "I like you too. I- I was trying to deny it be- because I like Mark but then I started to feel things for Jaemin and then you and I thought h- how... but this might actually work out, right?"

"I, um, maybe?"

He didn't sound convinced. Like at all and all at once, I grew dejected.

Okay, who was I kidding? I wasn't convinced either. 

I mean, what were the odds that we four would work out?

A/N: Better late than never, am I right? 🤧🤧