⁺◦ 𝔥𝔬𝔱 | 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 .

↳ 𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 .

"yeah, he's just a man, but i hear he's bad news. i heard that he's rude and arrogant. he likes breaking people's hearts just because he can." the stranger that snagged a seat beside you teases you.

time has taken a toll on his voice, deepened it, but you identified that voice in a heartbeat. even though you don't want to believe it, you can't see the benefit in  deluding yourself to think that it's someone else.

it's him. i never thought i'd see him again.

you study the guy that's sitting beside you, he's wearing this hat that hides his eyes from view. even so, you find that you keep waiting for the second that he'll reveal himself to you. "jeonghan, who's your new-" seungcheol starts, but he's startled into silence the moment that his eyes meet yours.

"thanks for keeping me company, jeonghan. i guess i'll see you around campus." you regard jeonghan, as you shuffle to your feet.

"i guess so," jeonghan drags out the last word, then he offers up a soft smile.

i've got to get out of here.

searching for olivia in the sea of people is frustrating. you can feel your breath quicken, while you try to keep your frustration in check.

"(y/n)," someone calls behind you.

you ventured on, looking in the faces of just about every person.

"excuse me, but have you seen a girl that's about-" you ask a nearby couple that looks to be so drunk that they have to lean on each other to remain upright.

the couple shoots you a dirty look, so you decide to move along.

"(y/n), i need to talk to you." seungcheol appears right in front of you, but he seems to have you cornered.

just go to the right, (y/n).

your right foot lurches forward, but so does seungcheol's.

okay, i can lose him. i just have to try my left.

you try to lead with your left foot, but seungcheol restricts you from moving forward.

funny how he's the very thing keeping me from moving forward when it comes to love.

"get out of my way, seungcheol." you hope that seungcheol can feel the venom in your voice.

somehow, you manage to glare at him.

"i will, but i just need you to hear me out first." seungcheol says, his eyes never leaving your face.

your curiosity gets the better of you. before you can think to fight against it, you're noting the changes in him that took place over the last few years.

you'd heard girls blabber about him and just how handsome he was, but they weren't lying. when you dated him, he was boyish and kind. now, he seems to have a much tougher exterior. his physique has changed, as well as his height and hair. two things, however, remain unaffected. the warmth in his eyes and the sweetness behind his smile is still there.

"your phone is ringing." seungcheol says to you, but he sounds distracted.

was he looking at me the same way that i was looking at him?

hurriedly, you pick up the phone call after seeing olivia's name pop up on the screen. "hey, where are you?"

"i'm in the kitchen. i'm still looking for seungcheol." olivia  tells you exactly where she is and what she's doing.

you're in the entryway of the house, so you've got a lot of ground to cover if you want to get to olivia anytime soon. pushing seungcheol out of your way is much easier than you thought it'd be. it's almost as if he surrendered to your touch.

seungcheol follows behind you, like a lost puppy that's searching for attention.

"(y/n), please just let me explain what happened back then."

"who's that, (y/n)?" olivia inquires.

"he's no one, liv." you try to avoid olivia's question without lying to her. "uh, i think it's time to get out of here. i have a test on monday, which i haven't started studying for. plus, you have that interview on the same day. so, maybe we should head back to the dorm now."

you're almost in the kitchen, when you feel a tentative hand on your wrist.

"(y/n), i know that-" seungcheol starts, but you don't give him the chance to finish speaking.

"no, you don't know anything about me, seungcheol. you left without so much as a goodbye when you broke up with me, so i don't want to hear anything you've got to say anymore!" you forget yourself for a moment, letting your emotions get the best of you.

"he's no one, (y/n)?" olivia says sarcastically, but you can hear her voice break when she says your name.

the entire student body population might be staring at you and seungcheol, dying to see what'll happen next, but you only care about one person.

"liv, it's not what it looks like. i-" you say, as you put as much distance between you and seungcheol as possible.

"how could you?! you know exactly how i feel about him and you still did this to me." olivia's tears are coming down now, full-forced and unrelenting.

if there were a perfect picture to capture heartbreak, it'd be olivia's face.

"no, olivia, this isn't what it seems like. i swear, i would never do anything to hurt you." you say, while trying to approach her.

"you lied to me, (y/n)." olivia says, before she rushes past you and out of the door.

after she left, you couldn't move. you just stood there, stunned.

you had lied to olivia when you'd said that you never met seungcheol. lying to your best friend certainly wasn't ideal, but what other choice did you have?

you knew that there was no combination of words that you could use to make the truth any easier for her to hear.

the truth is a hideous thing that you've been wishing you could forget for the past two years.

"this is all your fault." you blame seungcheol, just before you find the courage to go after your best friend.