Work of Art || Luwoo

14

||Lucas||

The game machines were loud and it forced Lucas and Yuta to yell if they wanted to talk to each other. The two didn't mind, though. Lucas and Yuta had been friends since public school and they always loved going to the arcade. They would compete to get the most tickets but sometimes, they would work together and use their points to get the most expensive prizes. It wasn't a far drive for either of them and this place became a calming agent for both of them. They shared so many good memories here and the friends continued to add to them. Lucas threw his last ball at the machine and watched it land in the 20 000 point spot. He stood back from the machine and watched the tickets pool out onto the floor. Yuta collected them and stuffed the string of paper into his pocket that was now overflowing with points.

"Are we done now? I don't have any more tokens." Yuta padded his pants, searching for stray tokens to use.

"I don't have any either. I'm hungry though." The two used their points to buy candies and plastic toys. They left the arcade section with a bag overflowing with prizes and found an empty booth in the restaurant. A waitress gave them menus then left to give them time to choose their orders. They sorted their newly obtained prizes and chose what each of them wanted. Their waiter came back shortly after and took their orders.

"Thanks for coming, Yuta." Lucas' friend noticed his unease.

"When would I say no to coming here? I love this place. I don't care how old I am." Lucas chuckled in return. An awkward silence began to fill their space. Yuta smacked his hand against the table top, getting Lucas' attention.

"Alright, what is it? Is something going on with Alex? I thought you guys broke up." Yuta tried to decipher why Lucas suddenly became so quiet.

"I broke up with her weeks ago. I thought I told you."

"You did, but you're being so quiet, obviously something's wrong." Yuta rolled his eyes and glared back at the model. Lucas sighed before explaining things to his friend.

"I've been thinking about what you said and I think you might be right. Maybe I do like Jungwoo. I-I just can't think of any other reason that would explain why I can't stop thinking about him but I've never been interested in guys. I've never even thought about it. That boy's been on my mind since the show and I'm going to lose it if I don't figure this out." Lucas rested his elbows on the table and rubbed his eyes. Yuta didn't look surprised. Lucas assumed that he had been expecting Lucas to come to him with this specific problem. Lucas felt a smack against his forearm. Yuta hit him to refocus his friend.

"Stop stressing so much, Lucas. Just start talking to that photographer and see where it goes. Talking to somebody isn't going to hurt anyone."

"How am I supposed to get a chance to talk to him, though? I barely see him and when I do, I panic and I don't end up talking to him." Lucas' mouth dropped into a pout and his brows were knit tightly together. This boy was clearly important to him.

"Holy shit! You really don't know how to solve your own problems, do you?" A deep sigh escaped Yuta and he rolled his eyes once more, settling into a glare.

"You're going to call me next time you go to a show.  I'll go so that you don't have any choice other than to talk to that photographer."

Lucas gave a slight nod, staring at a spot on the table. Yuta could still see stress clearly displayed across his friend's face, despite his efforts to help. Yuta had to admit, talking to someone you cared about could be a difficult thing.

The waitress returned soon after with their food and the friends began eating. They had decided to go to the arcade early in the morning and were currently running on empty stomachs. It didn't take long for them to finish their plates of food and pay before leaving. Although Lucas still felt anxious about talking to Jungwoo, his friend had greatly helped him. Lucas could feel a weight being lifted a little, his head clearer and his thoughts more organized. He didn't know when his next runway show would be, but he felt a sudden rush of confidence and excitement. He would call Yuta for some backup and confront the Caller photographer.

Author's note:
How are you liking Work of Art so far? I'm really excited to have a new posting schedule. From now on I'll be posting every Wednesday and Saturday around 12:00pm. My posting schedule will sometimes change slightly due to my personal life and I will notify everyone when this happens, but I will try my hardest to stick to the routine. Keep liking your favourite chapters and don't forget to comment on your favourite parts of the book!