Lines Crossed (SanSang)

21

As Wooyoung and Yunho left for their next class, Yeosang gathered his things slowly, still lost in thought. San stood up beside him, nudging him lightly with his elbow. "Ready? Let's go," San said, his voice casual but with an underlying energy that Yeosang couldn't quite place.

They walked in silence for a while, the noise of the busy campus filling the gaps between them. Yeosang was trying to focus on anything but San—the way he walked so confidently, the way he always seemed so relaxed—but his mind kept drifting back to the conversation with Wooyoung.

Finally, San broke the silence. "So... what were you and Wooyoung whispering about back there?" His tone was light, but there was a hint of curiosity that made Yeosang glance over at him.

Yeosang chuckled softly, kicking at the sidewalk as they walked. "Were you that curious about it?" he asked, teasingly, trying to brush off the tension.

San pouted, giving him a side-eye. "Of course, I'm curious! You two looked like you were plotting something."

Yeosang laughed a little, shaking his head. "It was nothing important," he said, trying to keep his voice casual, though his heart raced a bit at the thought of San finding out what they were actually talking about.

San leaned in closer, still pouting a bit. "You sure? Because I could've sworn you were talking about me," he said, half-joking, half-serious.

Yeosang's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly covered it with a nervous laugh. "Don't worry, it wasn't about you." He wasn't sure if that was entirely true, but he wasn't ready to let San know that just yet.

San's pout deepened as he nudged Yeosang with his shoulder. "You're too secretive, you know that?"

Yeosang just smiled, avoiding San's gaze as they kept walking side by side, the weight of his own feelings heavy on his chest.

Yeosang cleared his throat awkwardly, realizing just how close he'd come to revealing too much. "It's just Wooyoung being Wooyoung," he said quickly, trying to brush off the moment. "He crushes on everyone that's tall and handsome, so you fit the bill."

San laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, so I'm tall and handsome, huh?" He nudged Yeosang playfully, making his heart race even more.

Yeosang forced a laugh, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, well, that's just Wooyoung's type. He started crushing on you too for a bit, but he stopped when—" Yeosang's voice faltered as he realized what he was saying. His mouth snapped shut, but it was too late.

San raised an eyebrow, the curiosity clear on his face. "Stopped when... what?"

Yeosang's heart pounded in his chest as he stumbled over his words, trying to come up with something that wouldn't give away his own feelings. "Oh, um, when... when he realized you're straight," he said quickly, forcing a weak smile.

San chuckled softly, his expression easygoing, as if it didn't mean much to him. "Ahh," he said, not denying it, not even hesitating.

The casualness of San's response clenched at Yeosang's heart painfully. He had hoped—maybe deep down, irrationally—that San might deny it, that there could be something more. But of course, he wouldn't. San had never shown interest in anyone but girls.

Yeosang nodded, swallowing hard as he tried to keep his face neutral. "Yeah," he muttered, feeling the weight of disappointment settle in his chest. He kept walking beside San, trying not to let the hurt show, but it was impossible to ignore how much he had wanted—needed—San to say something different.

"Just don't tell Wooyoung I told you," Yeosang said with a small laugh, glancing at San nervously. "He'll kill me if he finds out."

San chuckled, raising his hands. "I won't, I swear."

Just then, someone bumped into Yeosang causing him to stumble falling on his butt. "Ow!" Yeosang muttered.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" San glared at the person as the person glared back at him.

"You should be the one- Yeosang?" He looked surprised at the boy on the floor.

"Sorry!" He said holding his hand out to help him up. Yeosang blinked, realizing who had just run into him.

"Jongho?" Yeosang asked, surprised to see his old high school friend standing there, wide-eyed and apologetic.

Jonghos face breaking into a grin. He grabbed Yeosang's arm to steady him. "Wow, I didn't know you were in this collage! It's been forever."

Yeosang's eyes widened. "Yeah... I didn't know you were here either. When did you—"

Before he could finish, San, who had been watching the exchange with a frown, stepped forward. "You alright, Yeosang?" he asked, his tone sharp as his eyes narrowed at Jongho.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yeosang replied quickly, feeling his face flush as he noticed Jongho still hadn't let go of his arm.

Jongho, oblivious to the tension in the air, grinned at Yeosang. "It's so great to see you. We really need to catch up!"

Yeosang laughed awkwardly, gently pulling his arm free from Jongho's grip. "Just a few months. I guess we didn't run into each other because we don't have any classes together."

San crossed his arms, still watching the interaction closely. "You two know each other?"

Jongho finally looked over at San, as if noticing him for the first time. "Yeah, we went to high school together," he said, giving San a friendly nod. "We were pretty close back then."

Yeosang smiled, trying to shake off the weird tension he felt. "Yeah, Jongho was one of my best friends in high school."

San raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. His gaze flicked between Yeosang and Jongho, clearly trying to assess the situation.

"Who's this?" Jongho asked, glancing at San.

"Oh, this is San," Yeosang said quickly. "We met in college. He's a friend."

San nodded, giving Jongho a tight smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Jongho said, his smile genuine as he extended a hand. San shook it, but there was something in the way he held on a little too firmly that made the moment feel tense.

"So, are you guys heading somewhere?" Jongho asked, glancing between them.

"We were just going to class," San replied quickly, before Yeosang could answer.

"But yeah, we should catch up sometime," Yeosang added, his tone making it clear he wanted to wrap up the conversation.

"Definitely," Jongho said, still smiling at Yeosang. "Let me know when you're free. It'd be great to hang out like old times. Give me your phone so i can give you my number."

Yeosang nodded, feeling a little flustered under Jongho's gaze. "Yeah, I'd like that." He handed him his phone as Jongho typed it in ringing his phone tooz

"Okay then i will text you!" He winked and gave one last wave before heading off, leaving Yeosang and San standing there. As soon as he was out of earshot, San turned to Yeosang with a raised eyebrow.

"You and Jongho used to be close, huh?" San asked, his voice casual but with an undertone of something Yeosang couldn't quite place.

"Yeah, we were," Yeosang replied, avoiding San's gaze as they began walking again.

San stayed silent for a moment, then said, "He seemed really happy to see you."

Yeosang glanced at San, noticing the way he was staring straight ahead, his jaw clenched slightly. "I guess we haven't seen each other in a while," Yeosang said, trying to brush off the strange tension.

San just hummed in response, his expression unreadable.

They walked in silence after that, but Yeosang couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted in the air between them.