Lines Crossed (SanSang)

7

As they settled into their booth at the café, Wooyoung wasted no time diving into a story about something ridiculous that had happened during his class. San laughed along, his easy smile making the atmosphere light and comfortable. Yeosang, though, remained quieter than usual, his mind still lingering on the events of the day. He kept stealing glances at San, trying to understand the strange feeling sitting heavy in his chest since that moment San had grabbed his hand earlier.

He wanted to forget it—tell himself it was nothing. But San's warmth, the way he smiled so easily at Yeosang, made it hard to shake the memory.

They were halfway through their sandwiches when a small group of girls approached their table. Yeosang looked up, mildly startled, but San didn't seem surprised at all. He glanced over at the girls with that same friendly, relaxed smile.

"Hey," one of the girls said, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. She had an eager look in her eyes, and her friends hovered just behind her, giggling quietly. "Sorry to bother you, but we couldn't help but notice you from over there. We were just wondering if... you know, maybe we could get your number?"

The girl smiled brightly, her confidence showing, though there was a slight nervousness in her voice. Yeosang blinked, feeling suddenly awkward as he shifted in his seat. His gaze flickered between San and the girl, unsure of how to react.

San, however, didn't miss a beat. He leaned back casually, lips pulling into a warm grin as he met the girl's eyes. "Ah, thanks for asking," he said, his tone polite and playful at the same time. "But I'm not really looking for anything right now."

The girl's smile faltered for a moment, but San's friendliness seemed to soften the blow. He even winked at her, making it clear that there were no hard feelings. "I appreciate it, though."

She laughed lightly, blushing a little before backing away with her friends. "No problem! Maybe we'll see you around."

They looked over at Wooyoung but he held up his hand "Sorry ladies, im gay."

San gave them a small wave as they left, turning his attention back to the table. Wooyoung shot him an exaggerated grin, nudging him with his elbow. "Look at you, Mr. Heartbreaker," he teased.

San shrugged, still smiling. "What can I say? I'm just that irresistible." He chuckled "But were you serious? You're gay?"

Wooyoung snorted, clearly amused, "Well kinda, more like bi but they dont have to know that." He said laughing but Yeosang's heart felt heavy in his chest. He had watched the whole exchange in silence, something twisting inside him as he saw the way San winked at the girl. It had been so smooth, so natural—something a guy who was used to flirting with girls would do without a second thought.

Yeosang suddenly felt... off. It didn't make sense, but there it was, gnawing at him. *San's straight.*

The realization hit him like a splash of cold water. San was straight. That much was obvious from the way he handled the situation. The girls had noticed him, approached him, and San had turned them down with a charm that spoke of experience. He'd been kind about it, but there was no denying that if he had been interested, he probably wouldn't have said no.

Yeosang frowned, his sandwich sitting half-eaten on his plate. He tried to push the thought away, to tell himself it didn't matter, but something about it bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

*Why should it matter?* he thought, feeling frustrated with himself. *Why would it even bother me?*

San was just a new friend, someone he'd just met. Sure, they'd hit it off pretty quickly, but that didn't mean Yeosang had any reason to care whether San was straight or not. It wasn't like it changed anything between them.

And yet...

He glanced over at San again, trying to understand the strange knot in his stomach. San was laughing at something Wooyoung had said, his eyes crinkling at the corners, the warmth in his expression never faltering. He was handsome—Yeosang had noticed that from the start, though it wasn't something he had really thought about too deeply before. But now, for some reason, that fact was hard to ignore.

*Is that why I feel so weird?*

Yeosang blinked, confused by his own thoughts. It didn't make sense. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that San had been occupying more space in his mind than anyone else recently. From the moment they'd met, there had been something about him that had drawn Yeosang in, even if he hadn't fully understood why at the time. Wow Yeosang. In just a day.

But now, as the reality of San's easy flirtation with girls settled in, Yeosang felt an uncomfortable twinge of something that almost felt like disappointment.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thought. It wasn't like him to get caught up in feelings like this—feelings he didn't even know he had until a few moments ago. But sitting there, watching San joke with Wooyoung, he couldn't deny that something had shifted.

Yeosang forced a smile, trying to refocus on the conversation. Wooyoung was saying something outrageous, as usual, and San was grinning, clearly entertained.

But Yeosang felt different now, and he couldn't figure out why that difference bothered him so much.