Rain and Outer Space ✔️

21

After Jaemin texted his mother that he would stay over at his friend's house for the night, he sat on the floor to admire a tape Renjun put next to his bed. There was a cassette inside, written on it was a drawing of sunflower.

"What is this?" Jaemin asked, waving the cassette to Renjun when he stepped out of the bathroom. His hair was wet and dripping, Jaemin thought he looked mesmerizing.

"Ah, that's my brother's mixtape," Renjun answered while still drying off his hair with a towel, "Put it on if you want."

"Really?"

"Sure, why not?" Renjun chuckled, "A little doo woop won't hurt."

Eagerly but carefuly, Jaemin put the cassette back on tape and turned it on. Renjun sat on his bed, watching how Jaemin's face lit up when the first song played. His head nodded to the beat of the song, smiled plastered, eyes glimmered.

"I like it," Jaemin laughed, "What's the title?"

"Sh-Boom, it was The Chords'. Wait until the trumpet started to play."

Jaemin's eyes widened when he heard how lively the song was. He continued to nod along the song.

"My brother used to play this back home," Renjun explained, "He's a sucker for doo-woops, music from the 50s. He used to pull me to the living room and we would dance around, of course without our parents knowing, though. They don't like music or art the way me and my brother do."

They continued to listen to the song, Jaemin didn't say anything. He just pictured Renjun and a faceless guy called her brother dancing around. It was cute.

The next song played, but Renjun skipped it to the next one.

"Dean Martin is good, but it gets boring," Renjun chuckled, "Good old Elvis." He sighed when the next song played.

Jaemin recognized the song as "Love Me Tender", not his favorite, but he had nothing against it.

"Tell me, Jaemin," Renjun said, "Why didn't you give up when I pushed you away? A lot of people did."

Jaemin licked his chapped lips, "I don't want someone to be alone... when they definitely need someone."

Renjun smiled at him, and his eyes darted to the windows, looking at the rain, "The rain. It soothes me."

They continued to listen to Elvis until it changed to The Skyliners' "This I Swear". Jaemin stood up and held out his hand. Renjun stared at it, not knowing what to do.

"The night is too short to sit down and think about what pained us," Jaemin pulled Renjun up, "Why not dance to an old 50s tune?"

Renjun gawked but chuckled and danced along. They swirled around the flat, laughing and joking, hitting some furniture along the way. Jaemin felt like he was going to burst like a firework. Renjun was inches away from him, he could feel his heartbeat, he could hear the way he hummed to the song. The rain outside just got heavier, and the air got chillier. The feeling of peace finally lingered inside Jaemin, and he was not worried anymore about what pained him the most.

×××

When his eyes fluttered opened, he could hear a familiar tune, the sound of sizzling from the kitchen, and the smell of bacon.

"Really, Junnie?" Jaemin chuckled and sat up, "Louis Armstrong for breakfast?"

"La vie en rose is always a good choice," Renjun turned around and smiled, "Morning."

"Good morning," Jaemin yawned, "I swore I slept on the couch, why am I in your bed?"

"Bruh, you've already slept on my bed from the beginning," Renjun rolled his eyes.

Jaemin froze, "Then... Where did you sleep?"

"On the couch."

Jaemin groaned and hit his forehead repeatedly with his palm. How could he be so stupid?

"Don't feel bad about it," Renjun took off the bacons and eggs from the pan, and put them in a plate, "Come here and have some breakfast."

Jaemin left the bed and received his plate. He sat on the counter, munching on the bacon while watching Renjun opening the windows. The petrichor was so intense, the rain must had not stop until dawn.

"It's a great Sunday morning," Renjun sat on one of the window sill, and took a bite of his own bacon.

Jaemin examined the boy from the kitchen counter. Renjun's hair was darker than usual, and it shone when the sunrays fell on them. His eyes darted fastly on the streets below, probably watching people and the cars. His lips were greasy with the oil from the bacon. The t-shirt he wore exposed a small bit of his collarbone. Long fingers picked on the bacon and put the pieces on his mouth. Long legs, one of them was hanging down, swinging back and forth, brushing the wooden floor of Renjun's flat.

"Why are you smiling?" Renjun asked, breaking down Jaemin's daydream of how perfect he was.

Jaemin smiled and shook his head, "This is Silhouettes, right? The Rays? I love it."

"It's my favorite track on this mixtape," Renjun smiled back, his eyes went back to the street, unaware of Jaemin's gaze that never left him.

Written : March 21th 2018
Published : May 19th 2018
Guys this is another surprise update because I want to spoil you all for being an amazing reader, yes, each and every one of you. Like I've said before, this story ("Rain and Outer Space") is #1 in Renmin tag. Earlier, I noticed that my other story, "Paint, Flowers, and Dirty Laundry", also earned an achievement, #3 in Reno tag. I feel like a proud mom, watching her kids grow. Thank you, thank you, and thank you very much for all of your contribution. Thank you for reading my stories. The fact that people out there read my stories feels unreal for me, and it always brings me close to tears. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for being my motivation, not only to write, but also to keep on living. I love you all.

ENJOY THIS CELEBRATION UPDATE AYE!

Btw, Renle or Marksung? :)

Edit : a couple hour after this chapter was published "Paint, Flowers, and Dirty Laundry" was ranked #1 in Reno tag. Ya'll this is insane :"3