STUDY BUDDIES. | hajeongwoo

09.

"rule number one, never let your hopes up."

jeongwoo frowned as he recalled the rules they created along with his older hyungs, junkyu and the others.

he was constantly reminded by how dumb, stupid, and desperate he was way back during high school when he was still in love with the man driving right beside him now.

he was obviously naive, caught into stupid oblivion, and did every act that would be considered as immature for his age.

jeongwoo leaned his head on the window, his eyes wandering throughout every building they had pass through as silence engulfed their atmosphere.

on the second thought, jeongwoo would freak out and desperately try to utter a word to lessen their awkwardness but him thinking into stuffs in the past was quite a treatment for him to get distracted away from the male beside him.

haruto did not utter a word either, just continued to focus his gaze into the road and into driving.

"never let your hopes up because that's where everything will start. let your hopes up, think that he likes you when your relationship is just obviously platonic, then you'll end getting sad and broken."

jeongwoo recalled once again, the advice given by yedam circling around his mind for a long while.

jeongwoo knew, of course, that he's been doing that ever since he met haruto when they were in college. he just didn't realize, that after all those time, he was still after him.

that he was not over him, and it was only the distance that made his feelings halt.

jeongwoo wanted to blame himself as history start to repeats, or maybe not since its way to early to arrive in any conclusion.

but that act just now was enough to drive him crazy, enough to cause false hopes on someone having an attraction to him for such a long time.

jeongwoo didn't even know if haruto knew him all along since high school. or maybe he does, but happens to forgot. given by haruto's action towards him, it feels like his very existence, that person who likes him, never rekindled in his eyes.

all he saw was a haruto acting to a person he had never met before. and that breaks him, but on the other side, he was somehow grateful because this would render him to start again and reset.

"we're here," haruto finally uttered a word after a long ride of being silent.

he stopped the engine, took his keys then went out from his car. jeongwoo followed and did the same afterwards, getting a breeze of fresh air sway through his face and then messing his hair once again.

jeongwoo then later found out that they are heading for the cafe they were in just yesterday. haruto was already walking in front of him, getting a head start. jeongwoo followed from behind, the view of haruto's back facing his.

the bell made a clanking sound the moment haruto opened the door. and this time, the frigid breeze of the air conditioner greeted both of their skin as jeongwoo felt a slight shiver of cold.

haruto made his way towards a vacant table, sitting right across at jeongwoo who is now occupied setting up the textbooks to begin their situation.