𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀; nomin

eleven

Jaemin sat in his living room that whole night. What he had once wished for, a silent night, had kept him up later than any of the couples quarrels had.

Why weren't they fighting? The question had circulated his mind multiple times, but there seemed to be no obvious answer.

Worried by the information that he had overheard earlier that day, the blonde found himself nibbling on his nails, a nervous habit that his parents had often tried to iron out.

The eery silence that lay thick upon the settled apartment block hit harder than the usual screams for help that Jaemin used to hear deep in the night.

"Come on Jeno," he mumbled, finding himself standing up from his couch, only to pace to the kitchen.

There was no way that he would get sleep now, and his best bet was to have a coffee or two before the school day started, and hope that it would be enough to drag him through the day.

While the coffee machine began its job, Jaemin absentmindedly gazed at the clock. The hands on the cream coloured device made the most satisfying ticking noise, reminding the blonde of how much time had passed.

"Five thirty." He sighed after reciting the time that ticked before him. How had the night gotten away from him. His first course that day was at ten, so the long day ahead made the boy cringe at the thought of his class. Not to mention the distraction in front of him....Jeno and Jinsoo.

There was only one thing that made sense to him. He needed to talk to Jisung, and he needed to do it as soon as possible before this toxic relationship got away from him.

The blank, cream walls made his mind drift to some dangerous areas that he thought he would never explore. To him, it was obvious what was happening between the pair above.

But in his mind, he denied the couple's affairs. He wanted nothing to do with them, and he wanted that lack of care.

But he did care....

Jeno had caught his interests, and now his eyes were stuck on the shining star in the dead of night.

The November chill made its way through the air, as Jaemin readjusted his grey sweatpants, thanking the thick layer of heat that his sweatshirt gave him.

One more month until he could go home for Christmas. He felt that it was the appropriate deadline, but was truly unsure of what he could do to fix their issue.

Jisung would have to know, 'cause he had known Jeno for years.

Jaemin tried to stay positive, thinking of all the things that they had against the ravenette, but soon realised that they were lacking in the most important thing....evidence.

A buzz from the device that lay in the kitchen table dragged the thoughtful boy from his minefield of a mind. Releasing an exasperated sigh, he leaned forward, clasping onto his phone before gazing at the notification.

Renjun

Can't sleep?

Surprised by his friend's text, Jaemin quickly typed a reply, happy that he had something to distract his busy mind.

Jaemin

You know me too well....
What about you? What has you up?

Seeing that his friend was typing away, Jaemin stumbled sleepily over to the coffee machine that had stopped churning, indicating that the hot beverage he had waited for was finally ready.

Taking the kettle out of the clasp around it, Jaemin poured it into the empty mug that he left out. The china cup heated up in seconds, relieving the bitter coldness that blanketed the apartment on the crisp November night.

Jaemin couldn't wait for Christmas to come around. He only had less than a month until his exams started and the year would come to an end.

Happy new year...

He wondered if it would be that happy if the couple upstairs continued on like this.

That thought alone dragged his mind back to Jeno. The brunette intrigued him and made him feel....unexplainable.

He couldn't quite pinpoint the feeling that swarmed his stomach when his classmate spoke to him, touched his arm and told him to wait until the morning.

He was waiting and waiting, but the repetitive ticking of the clock was starting to drill into his mind excruciatingly.

His gut twisted with the thought of the secret he would reveal with hopefully the help of a certain pinkette.

Renjun

I don't know man. My mind won't rest....
I'll see you tomorrow.
Please sleep. I'm really worried about you!

With a sigh, Jaemin shut the conversation down, thinking about what his friend had said.

It was true that the lack of sleep and interrupted sleep was taking a toll on his body. He himself was unsure of how much longer he could actually hold on. It was now a pressing urge to get to the bottom of this before his body gave up on him during the day.

"I just need to hang on a little bit longer..." that's what he said to himself as he sat there for the rest of the night, awaiting another school day.