Dancing King

Chapter 4

I've finished Royal Temptations so now my focus can be on this. Exciting.

I feel like double updating so here you go.

...

Junmyeon's POV

...

I stabbed at my salad, casting glances at the small cluster of boys across the lunch room. A boy with a shock of silver hair, easily recognizable. A boy who's voice boomed across the spacious lunch room. And a quiet boy with his head buried in a book, occasionally picking at a tray of food and lifting small bites to his lips.

"Jun, you're staring," Baekhyun hissed, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned back to my friends, moving my salad around with my fork. I cast another glance at the corner of the room, watching the way Yixing's lips ticked up at something he found funny. Watched his eyes scan the pages. I pulled my gaze away once again. Why the hell was he even on my mind at all? I'd never even really spoken to him until the other night.

Maybe that was the problem. Or at least where it lied. There was something... eerily familiar about him. Like I'd known him for a long time. Conversation between is hadn't been fast, but it had been comfortable. And he wasn't bad looking, that was for sure. Those dimples... They could melt me if they tried. I shook my head to clear away the cluster of thoughts, stabbing at the lettuce once again.

"What did that innocent lettuce ever do to you?" another voice asked. I shot Kyungsoo a look, but all he did was smirk at his (lame) attempt at a joke. "Seriously though Junmyeon I've never seen you so entranced with that table before," Kyungsoo added, dropping the joking demeanor. "You have been spending a lot of time staring at them. Is there something going on?"

"Nothing really," I said. "I just talked with Yixing the other night. He seemed...familiar somehow. It's not important. I'm just trying to figure out why it seems like I've talked to him before that."

"He's been with us since year seven," Baekhyun pointed out. "It would be impossible to never speak to him once." I supposed he had a point. I cast another subtle glance their way. Yixing was still hunched over his book, his half eaten tray of food sitting directly in front of him. Occasionally he would glance up and lift a bite of food to his mouth. Luhan seemed to be talking rather rapidly, waving his hands in an animated fashion. Hoseok watched him tell his tale. It felt weird to see them all together. Usually they weren't.

"Come on." A voice above me once again broke me from my thoughts. I glanced up to Kyungsoo, who was holding his tray in his hands. He motioned for me to do the same. "Me and you are going to talk," he said. I nodded, picking up my tray and following him to the steps leading up to the balcony. We sat near the top, away from everyone.  "What's really going on?" he asked once we were settled. "I know you much better than that. There's something going on up there."

"Just the usual stuff," I assured. "Mom asking me about my future and my choice in partners again. Dad still not being here." I left out my confusing feelings towards Lay. Kyungsoo didn't need that baggage on top of everything else. His gaze turned sympathetic.

"You really should tell her," he said gently. "She's not gonna hate you like you think she will." I wasn't so sure. She'd acted disgusted the last time it was brought up, nearly three years ago. I hadn't tried since. Mom was all I had. I couldn't lose her too. "It will also make you feel a lot better," he added. "Trust me on that."

"I don't know Soo," I said. "I'll think about it, okay?" Except I wouldn't. I'd made up my mind on that long ago. Mom would never find out. At least until it became impossible to ignore. For now, it wasn't like I was really interested in anyone. No one caught my eye. So I could pretend to be this character she had in her head while something inside me stirred and ached. I picked at my salad, which admittedly I hadn't really wanted anyway, my appetite long gone. I sighed, picking up my tray. "I'll catch you in homeroom," I said to Kyungsoo. "I want to be alone for a moment." I dumped my tray at the window and stuffed my hands in my pockets as I walked.