ramen | nomin

-

"jeno, this.... this isn't going to work anymore." jaemin's voice was as quiet as the soft lo-fi music playing in the background.

a pretty april afternoon inside a light atmosphered café with two boys that presented a dark aura. not even the baristas wanted to ask what was wrong when they ordered so aggressively earlier that hour.

jeno held his cup of coffee tightly in his hands, "jaemin if you would just give me the chance to explain-"

"explain what?!" the younger boy slammed a fist against the table as he stared at jeno with fire in his eyes. "what could you possibly say to fix this? jeno, you made me fall in love with you. someone whose been taken since what? the summer of last year?"

"jaemin, she's not what you think she is! do you honestly think i could do that to you?!"

jaemin bit his lip, calming himself down ever so slightly waiting for the people around them to stop looking.

when he felt as if they stopped, that's when he spoke again. "you sound like an idol who has been caught into a scandal and is denying what they've done wrong to the general public." he stated.

"she's been posting pictures of you two together since the summer between sophomore year and junior year. so just come clean, lee."

jeno scoffed, "the fuck, have i not made it clear? if what you're thinking is that i cheated on you, how much longer do i have to tell you, i didn't fucking cheat on you!"

"that's because you cheated on her with me!" jaemin shouted, his self consciousness evaporating into the air as he did so. "i... i'm the mistress here, jeno! can't you see?"

"no jaemin, i actually can't see, because i didn't fucking cheat on anyone! not you, not her, not anyone! dammit jaemin, if you could let me exp-"

"just admit what you did wrong already!"

"i'm not gonna admit to anything because i didn't do anything wrong!"

silence.

jaemin and jeno averted their attention to something else rather than each other. and though it was quiet, it was deafening.

and with jaemin finally letting out a shaky breath, he began to talk again. "as i said earlier, this isn't going to work. we've been fighting non stop for the past, what? two weeks?"

"jaemin you cut off all contact with me for two weeks. how the fuck were we supposed to fight if-"

"you know what i mean."

jeno was now about to cry, but made to sure to hold it in. he didn't want jaemin to see his weak point. because if it wasn't already obvious, jaemin being upset at him, or just in general is his weak point.

it took about another minute for either of them to say anything after that.

"with that.... i think we're over, jeno. i- i was just a second option for you if you ever broke up with her. i'm not special. i know i'm not... and- i don't think there's anything else to say but that."

jaemin stood up, tears welling up in his eyes before jeno did the same and grabbed onto his wrist making both of their hearts wrench.

"jaemin, you were never second place." jeno whispered, "you were the only one. you're the only one in my heart, i only love you."

"i bet you said that to her when she found out, too."

and with that, jaemin shook his wrist out of jeno's grasp and left. the older boy beginning to have a breakdown in the middle of the cafe.

as for jaemin, he ran until he reached the 7/11. the place where everything started, the place where he had fallen in love with the heartthrob captain of the basketball team, lee jeno.

the place where he made unforgettable memories with the ones he loved the most.

stepping inside after having unlocked the door with the spare key, jaemin made his way to the cup noodle section in the dark and ran his hand over the variety of them.

with his tears now freshly falling down his cheeks, jaemin managed to mutter a small, "fuck." under his breath. "i'm sorry i didn't give you the chance to explain. i just... i was just scared. i was scared you'd say the words i never wanted to hear, i was scared that maybe you were only toying with me. i was just scared..."

"but remember when you made that dumb ramen pun?" he asked to no one but himself in particular as if he was talking to the live of his life.

"ramen love with you... i- i never told you this... but" jaemin paused as he pulled a specific cup of seafood flavored noodles off the shelf, otherwise known as jeno's favorite, and stared down at it.

"i'm in love with you too."

and that was just the start of something new.