Don't run away from me

ch.14

// joshua;

Joshua didn't have any classes that day, missing the morning lectures because he stayed with Seokmin for breakfast. However, Joshua is getting ready to leave to the cafeteria of the college, paying more attention to his appearance. He carefully chooses his outfit (I'll attach a reference photo since I'm not good at describing them) and then applies a few spritzes of cologne on his wrists and the base of his neck. He is so excited to see Seokmin that he decides to walk instead of taking his car out of the garage, wanting to enjoy the nice weather outside. On the way, he wonders if he looks silly in the outfit he chose, so he stops on a bench and calls Jeonghan on his phone.

"What's up?" grumpy Seungcheol appears on the screen, visibly half asleep and shirtless.

"Fuck you, where's Jeonghan?"

Seungcheol turns the camera towards the back, revealing a half-naked Jeonghan still sleeping in bed next to him.

"Wake him up a bit, I need his opinion." Joshua positions the phone on the bench and takes a few steps back to get his entire outfit in frame.

"Mmm," Jeonghan grumbles as he's awakened by his boyfriend, then opens one eye to look at the phone being shoved in his face. He sees Joshua and sits up to get a better look at his friend. Seungcheol joins in and rests his chin on his parter's shoulder, looking together at Joshua's outfit check.

"Who are you meeting?" Seungcheol asks.

"Does it matter? Hurry and let me know if I should change."

"Change if you're not going to tell me who you're meeting. Stupid. Hmph." Seungcheol disappears from the frame, and judging by Jeonghan's amused reaction, he must have turned around with a pout.

"You look really good, Shua. Don't mind Cheollie, he's still half asleep and grumpy. You look absolutely delicious." Jeonghan sends a kiss and Joshua laughs, retrieving his phone from the bench and noticing the traces of Jeonghan's pillow.

"Cheol, I'm sorry for waking you up, I promise to treat you to a meal." Joshua makes sure he's heard, then thanks his friends and ends the call.

He cared deeply about both of them, and Joshua was very lucky to have such supportive friends who were there for him at any time. With confirmation and validation from his best friend, Joshua felt much better, almost giggling the rest of the way. Arriving at the cafeteria, he scans the area and notices that Seokmin hasn't arrived yet. He joins the line and puts two servings of each on his tray so that when Seokmin arrives, he won't have to wait in line. He hears the colorful laughter of Seokmin's friends and heads towards them, his heart racing with each step he takes closer. Suddenly, Cha-young rushes past him, leaving behind the sweet floral scent of excessive perfume. When he realizes the direction she's heading in, Joshua stops and watches the entire scene from a few steps away. He only hears the last part, feeling all his energy drain from his body, replaced by a strange, bitter feeling. His gaze intersects with Seokmin's after being noticed by Mingyu, but Joshua doesn't feel capable of responding to any kind of question. He uses the first excuse that comes to mind, trying to escape as quickly as possible from the place that was starting to suffocate him. He heads towards the exit of the college, regretting immensely that he didn't bring his car in the morning. He knew he had no right to react like this because there was nothing between them, Seokmin didn't owe him anything to not be kissed by someone else, but the gesture took him by such surprise that Joshua felt the need to run away. As he continued without being aware of his surroundings, he suddenly feels his wrist being grabbed, pulling him back. A long car honk is heard behind him, causing Joshua to freeze completely. He was pressed against the heaving chest of someone who was breathing heavily, as if they had been running until that moment. The familiar scent fills his nostrils, and the sharp ringing in his ears is replaced by Seokmin's worried voice, but Joshua couldn't decipher or understand what was being said to him. Seokmin understands the boy's state of shock, so he stops shouting and goes to sit together on a nearby bench. Joshua sits down, his hands still trembling from the scare. Seokmin holds Joshua's hands in his palms.

"Hyung... you scared me to death," Seokmin's eyes start to well up, visibly worried. He presses the boy's hands onto his cheeks, then rests his head in Joshua's shoulder to find comfort.

Joshua feels the warmth on his cheeks, swallowing hard at Seokmin's affectionate gesture. Once again, the same state of confusion overwhelms him, but he decides to bury it deep in the back of his mind.

"I'm sorry, Seokmin, for scaring you so much," he withdraws one hand from the boy's cheek to gently stroke the top of his head.

He hated feeling so confused and vulnerable, but he couldn't control his emotions when it came to Seokmin.

"Please be more careful, okay?" Seokmin looks up, and just his simple smile makes Joshua's heart tremble like jelly.

Joshua nods, then his phone vibrates in his pocket. Without seeing who's calling, he gets up from his seat and apologizes to Seokmin, saying he has somewhere urgent to go. He signals the first taxi that appears and gets in. He only breathes a sigh of relief when he no longer sees Seokmin in the rearview mirror. He answers Jeonghan's call, bursting into tears the moment he hears his friend's voice. He gives the driver directions to his friends' house, silently crying on the backseat for the rest of the journey.