Eyes Don't Lie

18

Eyes don't lie

18

"Hey," Jeno greeted when he encountered Donghyuck leaning next to the older's locker in school on Tuesday, smiling as Jeno approached through the mass of students getting their stuff ready before their first classes. 

"Hello," the younger boy answered gently and hugged Jeno, which took him by surprise. 

With a smile, he silently enjoyed the brief skin-ship and breathed in the younger's familiar scent. It seemed like the two had gotten closer again after their sleepover a few days ago. There was no exact reason why but Jeno felt happy about it, being in a very good mood these days. 

The friends whispered through their whole psychology lesson that day,  giggling while exchanging jokes that were so unfunny that you still eventually had to crack up at their stupidness. Their teacher even admonished them as their laughter, although muffled, distracted the other students. For Jeno, it was one of the first times that he had been called out by a teacher that school year. Normally, he would feel guilty about being a disturbance but this time he didn't, too full of glee to care. 

That stable emotional state of his took a turn soon later though as they met with the rest of the whole group during the first break. What quickly caught Jeno's eye when he was saying hi to them was his best friend Renjun. His voice sounded kind of strained letting out a small "hey" and he was all fidgety. 

"Are you okay?," Jeno mumbled as he placed himself next to the other smoothly, not wanting to put too much attention onto his friend as he knew Renjun hated that. 

"I don't know," he retorted, sighing. 

"Do you wanna talk about it?," Jeno offered, his concern for the other growing as he noticed the Chinese looking slightly tired. 

"Hmm," Renjun let out quietly, grabbing Jeno by his arm. 

"We're going to have a chat alone for a bit," he then announced to which the other three friends didn't show much reaction as they respected it, before the two turned around, heading to find a place where they could talk in peace. Still, Jaemin couldn't help and watch Renjun walk away with a worried expression. 

"He's been off today," he remarked, his tone hinting his worry. 

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. And Jeno will be there for him," Donghyuck tried to comfort him, Mark also putting a hand onto Jaemin's shoulder comfortingly as they youngest eyes followed the foreign boy until he was out of their sight. The older boys couldn't fight their inner feeling of wanting to know what was up either. 

"Oh god, my birthday is already tomorrow," Jaemin then meant, sounding nervous and making a tormented facial expression which visualized his discontent. 

"Right, I totally forgot about that!," Mark replied, his eyes growing big. 

"Don't tell me you haven't gotten me a present!," Jaemin playfully complained and pretended to hit the oldest, making the three chuck in unison. 

"I'm guessing he did," Donghyuck teased with a grin earning a mildly pissed look from Mark.

"I'm curious if you will know your soulmate by tomorrow evening," he afterwards commented, looking at Jaemin with his eyebrows raised in expectance. 

"Ugh, don't remind me of that," Jaemin groaned in response, feeling slightly anxious about this whole situation which might or might not come up to him tomorrow. 

His 19th birthday was a day he had genuinely been fearing for months now, afraid of whatever would result out of it. 

Would he get a soulmate? Or even more than one? Or none? 

Either way, imagining his soulmate turning out not to be a certain calm but determined and empathetic boy that regularly occupied his thoughts, made his heart ache. 

Call him oversensitive or hopeless to let those feelings get to him, but the precious Renjun was the sole reason why he was afraid of the next day.

____________________________________

"What is it?," Jeno questioned calmly while the boys sat down on a bench in the school yard next to a bush, away from the big crowd of students who were gossiping or eating snacks. 

Somehow, the cheerful atmosphere the environment radiated seemed mocking in contrast to how bothered Renjun apparently was by something. The older boy sighed again, then readjusting his position and turning his body so that he was directly facing the other. 

"I'm going crazy right now," he started slowly, Jeno nodding as a sign that he was listening and for him to continue. 

"You know that Jaemin's birthday is tomorrow," Renjun went on, to which the younger reacted with a sound of agreement. 

"And what if it turns out that I am not his soulmate?," he stated helplessly, his voice desperate and scared.

"„I shouldn't have fallen for him. I hate that I cannot stay collected or have a mature look on the situation. It's my own fault for letting myself fall deeper for his charms. But although I am blaming myself, a bigger part of me is just desperately wishing for him to become my soulmate," the Chinese boy explained, looking hurt and stressed. 

Jeno felt sorry for him. In addition, the fact that he could relate to those emotions of doubt was upsetting. 

At the same time, he knew that all he should be doing was erasing Renjun's worries and comforting him. Not in a shallow way. Because he had experienced how Jaemin and Renjun were treating each other. They got along so well and took care of each other through small gestures. If they weren't soulmates, Jeno would honestly not know what to do. 

"It will be alright, what is destined to happen is going to happen," he told Renjun and rubbed his back reassuringly, giving the other a tiny smile. 

Inwardly, he could only sadly laugh at his own words. Wouldn't that in return mean he and Donghyuck weren't destined to be together? 

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Renjun said and offered a little smile too. 

"Let's get back," he then suggested and got up, brushing his hands over his legs although there was no dust or dirt on his pants, a habit he had somehow established. 

The two best friends left with both Renjun and now also Jeno feeling nervous about what would occur the upcoming day. 

Hello, thank you for reading. Also, we are slowly approaching the end! Thank you for coming until here, I am very very grateful. <3