Friends Who Seem Like Lovers • Day6 • Jae x Reader

BONUS #3

The sound of laughter and the familiar buzz of conversation echoed off the cafeteria walls. Although it was past the initial rush that always occurred around noon on any given weekday, the area was still fairly busy. 

You'd only met Jae a few short weeks ago, but you and him already had an unspoken agreement that you would be sharing your lunches together everyday for the foreseeable future. As you make your way through the cafeteria, set up buffet style--a serve-yourself-and go--you scoop a small pile of chicken nuggets onto your plate before making your way back to your seat. As you set your tray on the table, adjusting your jacket on the back of your seat, Jae returns to join you, his tray piled high with a mound of food so large you'd be lucky to consume even half of it in a day. 

"Are you seriously going to eat all of that?" you say, glancing between the tray and his slender form, incredulously. 

"Are you kidding, this is just the appetizer," Jae replies, scoffing. 

Shaking your head with a small smile, you open a packet of ketchup, squirting it onto your tray. 

"If you say so."

Wiping your fingers on a napkin, you realize you've forgotten to grab a fork. 

"Forgot my silverware," you sigh. "I'll be right back."

As you move to stand up, Jae immediately jumps to his feet. 

"I'll get it for you!" he interjects eagerly. 

Normally you don't like it when other people offer to do things that you can easily do for yourself, but Jae's expression looks so sincerely happy you can't quite find it in yourself to crush it. 

"Sure, thanks," you smile instead. 

Taking a sip of your soda, you watch Jae walk to a table several feet away, retrieving a fork before making his way back. As he approaches your table, his attention is distracted by several guys waving to get his attention. 

As he stops to talk to them, you grin at the way his eyes crinkle up when he smiles, his mouth stretching wide, the corners lifted up, matching the laughter his words have stirred in the table before him. Jae always has that effect on people. Eliciting laughter effortlessly. Eyes brighter and expressions lighter after a few short moments in his presence. 

Sitting down in front of you, he seems to catch the look in your eyes as he slides the utensil across to you. 

"What? Do I look funny?" he asks, returning your grin, but his voice is too light to truly be hampered with self-consciousness. 

"No, it's just," you shrug, stabbing a nugget with your newly procured fork. 

"It's nice seeing you like that."

"Like what?" he casually asks, taking a long drink. 

"Just yourself."

As the two of you continue eating your lunch, you don't pay attention to the way Jae runs a hand through his hair messily, peering at you out of the corner of his eye, an absent-minded grin on his face.