What's Left of Us // Nomin

~10~

At the restaurant, the two had already ordered their noodles off the menu, and somehow Jeno had gotten to explaining why he was now divorced.

"And even specifically that day I went back home early, and that's how I caught her about to go out with another man," Jeno said with a hint of stress in his voice. "Woman, I can't trust woman..."

"That's awful. I really can't understand why she needs to go out with another man when she had you for a husband? Can life get more perfect for her?" Jaemin commented.

Jeno gave a short laugh. "Apparently I wasn't enough. I mean, I guess it was a bit rough for her since I was never at home and she had to take care of Shin herself. Was it really that hard?" He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm honestly thinking about quitting school and raising Shin well," he admitted.

"No way, really?" Jaemin was surprised to hear this bit of information. Education had always been first and foremost for Jeno's family. But then again, after their family "future success plan" had turned out to be a failure, maybe they'd finally let Jeno make his own decisions in life. Jaemin hoped so.

"Yeah. Something like get a job for when Shin's at school, then spend the time with him when he's at home. Right now my sister is taking care of him almost all the time, and as I think about it, that's pretty bad on my part," the older said sheepishly.

"You have—"

Jaemin's words were cut off with a DING! Coming from his cellphone on the table in front of him. The screen lit up and caught both of their attention at once.

"My bad. I thought I silenced this," Jaemin apologized as he quickly turned off the ringer and screen, but not until Jeno had already seen the icon of the notif.

Jaemin's on Stupid Cupid? Well, apparently, Jeno thought to himself. It hadn't crossed his mind that Jaemin was already how old now too and had probably if not most definitely found interest in other people, maybe went on a few dates, and here, connecting online. Well, that humbled him for some reason.

Humbled him, the realization that there were people other than Jeno that had caught Jaemin's heart and attention.

That Jeno wasn't the only one.

I mean, of course, Jeno. YOU chose and married someone else other than him too. Apparently, Jaemin wasn't your only one either.

Ouch.

"What're you thinking about?" Jaemin interrupted his thoughts, observing Jeno swirling his drink with a straw and staring into the cup with a serious look on his face.

"Hm? Ah, nothing," Jeno looked up, flustered.

Jaemin remembered loving it when Jeno made that face, when he was caught by surprise. He thought it was so cute and always called him a puppy.

Right now, he thought no different. 

Here was the love of his life that he'd been waiting for eight years now, sitting in front of him, looking beautiful as he'd always been in Jaemin's mind. And bonus, he was single.

Jaemin wanted him so bad. 

But he didn't want to jump into it too fast. Jeno was probably still broken about his divorce. He might still love her; he might not appreciate getting into a different relationship so soon.

"You're obviously thinking about something," Jaemin teased.

Jeno gave a small smile and leaned his elbows on the table. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. LOL."

Jeno laughed. "No, you don't."

"Well now that you say that, I want to know even more," Jaemin pointed out. He held his eye contact with Jeno intently and expectantly.