Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 73

Hyunjoo and Jeongin stayed on call the whole night. They talked endlessly with a few short cry sessions here and there. Even after they were drained of tears, they were too restless to give into their exhaustion- their worries getting the best of them. The couple didn't decide to try and sleep until later that night, leaving them to toss and turn in their separate beds. Time seemed to drag on as they desperately tried to sleep, yet the minutes flew by so effortlessly with each failed attempt.

By the time five o'clock rolled around, Hyunjoo gave up and tossed onto her back one last time. A helpless sigh fell from the girl's lips before she opened her eyes in defeat, her gaze immediately falling onto her ceiling. Streaks of red lined underneath her puffy, strained eyes- the aftereffect of her crying evidently displaying itself. She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to subdue the stinging, as well as rejuvenate the dryness she was experiencing. When that didn't work, she screwed her eyes together.

Silence surrounded the girl as she laid there, her tiredness prominent. A familiar alarm would sound after a few seconds, prompting her eyelids to flutter open. Hyunjoo shifted her attention towards her phone before she rolled over and took hold of it. As she laid on her side, her eyes fixated on the screen, where Jeongin's ceiling could be seen. A muffled groan sounded from his side before he emerged into the camera's view, reaching over to his bed stand. He disappeared shortly after, leaving the girl with the view of his ceiling once again.

Jeongin laid on his back for a while as he stared up at the ceiling, trying to blink away the lingering tiredness consuming him. Just like his girlfriend, he was unable to get a wink of sleep. After the boy reoriented himself, he patted the surface of his bed, making a blind attempt to find his phone. When his hand landed on the device, he picked it up and held it in the air, pointing the camera down at himself. He stared up at his girlfriend with tired eyes before mustering up a weary smile.

"Good morning," he grumbled, his groggy morning voice breaking through.

"Good morning," she replied with an equally weary smile, her tiredness not going unnoticed by him.

After the short greeting, the pair fell quiet. The silence grew heavy as they laid there, staring at one another. A sense of longing swirled around in their brown orbs, the results of the restraint already leaving its impact on the pair.

"I would ask you how you slept, but I think we both know the answer to that," Jeongin said, hoping to lighten up the sullen atmosphere.

Hyunjoo breathed out a chuckle, lightly nodding her head in response. "Insomnia really can be a bitch sometimes."

"Tell me about it," he murmured before slowly sitting up, his eyes continuing to linger on the girl. "Man, this sucks, I like it better when you're in my arms."

"Awe, you're so obsessed with me," she teased, the hint of bashfulness finding its way to her voice.

"Are we surprised? I'm known as your number one stalker- it's kind of my thing," he boasted, causing her to giggle a little at his response. "What are your plans for today?"

"Other than work, I'm not too sure," Hyunjoo said before a yawn escaped from her. "I would go back to sleep but that seems impossible right now..."

Jeongin lips pulled down into a small frown, a sense of guilt beginning to envelop him. "You should still try, okay? It's pretty early and you have a few hours before you need to head to work."

The girl hummed in response, taking his suggestion into consideration. "Can we stay on call until you leave for practice? I want to spend more time with you."

"Of course we can, Hyunnie," he replied with an adoring smile, eyes curving up with happiness. "I guess we're switching roles for today then, you can be my number one stalker and I'll be your favorite influencer."