Can't we just be friends?

Chapter 10: His choice

-During dinner-

"Are you upset Jinyoung?" Jackson casually asked while he was grilling the meat. They ordered beef which was Jinyoung's favourite. Jinyoung waved it aside. "No..." He said before he swallowed a spoonful of rice. "Well you don't look happy to be hanging out with me...and you haven't said a word since we got here." Jackson stopped eating and looked serious. "Tell me the truth Jinyoung, do you like Jaebum?" Jinyoung almost spat out his rice. Him liking Jaebum? His best friend? Impossible. Jinyoung shook his head furiously. "Of course not! Didn't I always tell you the fights we had? He started most of them! How can I like him?" Jackson didn't look convinced. "Then why are you upset ?" Jinyoung stopped chewing his food. He said, "I am just upset he doesn't tell me anything nowadays. Seriously that conversation with Youngjae, I shouldn't have overheard that" Jinyoung quickly added on that he would never see Jaebum the way. "I am just feeling a little upset that we seem to be friends only on appearance..." Then looking at Jackson's scrunched up face, Jinyoung laughed and reached out to pinch his cheeks. "What's with this face? You look cute like that" 

After they finished their meal, they decided to stroll along a park near their dorm. Both of them sat down on a bench and slowly drank the coffee that they bought from a vending machine. 

Jackson began, "you know I always thought that we are fated to meet..." Jinyoung glanced at him and asked, "how are you so sure that I am the one?" 

Jackson continued, "I just know. I just know that it must be fate that the moment I stepped into the company on my very first day, I saw you. Do you remember our first meeting? You have always been on my mind ever since then and I tried all sorts of ways to attract your attention to get close to you"

Jinyoung smiled and slowly nodded, "Of course, I remember that day. You were wearing that black tank top and you looked like a Hong Kong actor! I didn't know if you were going to stay forever, thats why I acted so cold towards you. Sorry seunnie, I didn't know...you liked me for that long and I had pushed you away..." Jinyoung looked away with guilt. Jackson held onto Jinyoung's hands. 

"No, it's alright, I didn't know if it was just a fleeting crush or it was serious love" 

Jinyoung looked up in anticipation. "And what do you think it is?"

Jackson said, "Definitely it was love Jinyoung. It may have started off as a small crush but slowly as we started getting closer, I fell for you even deeper" 

Jinyoung was very touched by Jackson's reply. 

"I have to tell you something to tell you too." Jackson put his coffee on the floor " Yea sure." Jinyoung continued "Jackson, actually shortly after you confessed to me, Mark hyung confessed to me too." Jinyoung stole a glance at Jackson to see his reaction. To his surprise, Jackson didn't have much reaction. Jackson nodded his head and said that Mark already told him about it.  Jackson added that Mark had warned him not to fool around and asked if he was serious about wanting Jinyoung. Jinyoung swirled the coffee in the cup "Well, I told Mark the same thing. I told him that I needed time to think." "I understand and will give you as much time as you need. No hurry." Jinyoung stopped swirling his coffee and said that he had made his choice. He knows that it was selfish of him to hold onto both Jackson and Mark. Both of them are very nice to him since they were trainees. He definitely enjoys going out for ice cream treats with Mark but at the same time, he also enjoys hanging out with Jackson, doing all sorts of wild things. The past month, he has been asking himself, Jackson or Mark? He tried to imagine what it was like if he was their boyfriend. Jackson can be a little noisy but he surely knows how to get Jinyoung out of his moods. However, Jackson is a busy guy and often have to shuttle between China and Korea...he won't have much time for him. Mark on the other hand can be quite quiet. Although Mark is a quiet guy, he communicates well with him...but it was true that he likes Jackson a little more than Mark. Romantic feelings? Maybe...