Choices

Opening Up

Donghyuck stepped into the marble-floored cafe announcing his entry with the little ding of the bell hanging by the entrance. The place was almost empty except for a few customers one of whom was working on their laptop in one far corner near the floor length window while the other was a couple holding hands over the table while they talked in a hushed tone. Donghyuck took a seat a few tables that wasn't much far from the door, so that he could be easily recognized. Not that it would be an issue since there were exactly six people in the 90s themed cafe including the servers.

Donghyuck ordered a simple Iced Americano for himself as he waited calmly in the booth with shiny new leather seats that looked completely out of place with the rest of the blue decor. Donghyuck tapped his fingers on the table, his other hand scrolling through his phone when he heard the chime of the bell by the door. He slipped his phone in his front pocket as Jeno slipped into the booth across from him giving him a small smile.

"What's up" Jeno asks making himself comfortable in the somewhat cramped booth with just enough leg space.

"Everything okay?" He adds putting his hands on the table when no response comes from Donghyuck who was currently massaging his fingers.

"I just felt like we haven't really spent a lot of time together this year" Donghyuck says sitting upright to look less nervous.

"Yeah, me too. I feel like we haven't gotten a break since school started" Jeno chirps out giving Donghyuck his trademark eye smile that accentuated all his best features.

"I just also needed someone to talk to" Donghyuck lets out heaving out a sigh as he tries to wear a somewhat sincere smile on his face. Jeno simply nods putting all of his attention on the boy in front of him who was visibly sweating as he started to speak.

-

Three cups of coffee each and practically a whole meal later Donghyuck and Jeno sat at the same booth head in their hands as Donghyuck kept narrating his complicated love life that Jeno wonders why he didn't have the slightest clue of until this very day. The cafe was now filled with a few more people that had come in during their conversation while the ones who were here before them were long gone.

"Am I a horrible person?" Donghyuck asked ending his recital.

"Yes, yes you are" Jeno replied unabashed as he saw Donghyuck hang his head even lower into the palm of his hands.

"What the fuck hyuck"

"I know" Donghyuck utters running his hands through his hair partly in frustration and partly out of sheer guilt.

"Who else have you told about this?" Jeno asks leaning back into the somewhat uncomfortable booth.

"No one" Donghyuck said breathing out a sigh.

"So Jaemin has absolutely no clue?" Jeno questions to which Donghyuck simply shakes his head in response.

"I was going to tell him..."

"Don't" Jeno says interrupting him in the middle.

"Don't?" Donghyuck asks looking up at his best friend with perplexed eyes.

"You're going to break up with him anyways" Jeno said looking at Donghyuck with suspicious eyes and adding

"You are going to break up with him right?"

"Yes......yes?" Donghyuck said muttering the last part practically under his breath.

"Well then, don't ruin his sense of self worth, you already messed up Mark's"

"I didn't call you here just so you can make me feel even worse about myself" Donghyuck spoke out hanging his head even further into his hands.

"No, what I'm doing is holding you accountable for your actions something clearly no one has done in a while"

"I know. Believe me I hate myself more than anyone else right now" Donghyuck said an exasperated sigh leaving his lips.

Silence fell between them as they searched for anything to say. Even if he didn't keep the current situation in mind, Jeno had realized just how distant they had become in the past few months with Donghyuck opting to come to school with Jaemin or Mark and sometimes even alone and the only time they talked were during classes and that too barely. It was almost as if he had missed out on a chunk of his so called best friends life. And it wasn't just Donghyuck he had felt distant too. He almost fell like he didn't quite know his closest friends anymore and learning about the mess that Donghyuck had gotten himself into, he wonders what the other two must have been up to. And the fact that he didn't know bothers him to no end.

"So did mark know about this... like all this time?" Jeno asked relaxing in his current position while taking a sip from his now lukewarm coffee.

"Yeah, actually this was all pretty much his idea and he said he was okay with it too...." Donghyuck said momentarily looking up to see judgemental eyes trained on him

"Don't look at me like that"

"I didn't do anything" Jeno uttered putting his hands up in mock defence.

"You're giving me the same look my aunt gave me when I gained five pounds" Donghyuck retorted pointing his index finger at Jeno as the boy simply smiled at him, shaking his head as he took another sip of his drink.

"I can't believe you guys didn't tell anyone for so long. How did no one know about this?" Jeno enquired once again sitting upright in his position on the cramped booth.

"Well Lucas knew" Donghyuck said his beating heart coming to a steady rhythm as Jeno's hostile expressions turned into a more concerned one.

"huh?"

"I mean he sort of walked in on us and I think Mark probably told him something. I don't really know" Donghyuck muttered coming to a stop when the softened look on Jeno's face changed once again to something he couldn't quite make out.

"Damn, he must hate you" Jeno finally voiced out loud, a small smile dwindling at the corner of his lips.

"He does. It's not a secret" Donghyuck said as the two friends puffed out a giggle.

"Look I don't know if you're having second thoughts and I don't care who you choose. Just choose one" Jeno said switching his tone of voice to a more warm one before adding

"You'll definitely break one heart. Don't break two"

Donghyuck simply nodded his head to the words as Jeno asked one of the waiters to bring their bill which was definitely going to almost empty his wallet. He closed his eyes for a moment as he recalled both Mark and Jaemin's faces that he had memorized quite a while back. The more he thought about them the more his heart wringed at the thought of having to either break his childhood best friends aka his current boyfriends heart or the guy who had seemingly found his way into Donghyuck's life and refused to leave.

A/N:

I know this is a small chapter I thought of making it longer but it seems better that way. Well brace yourselves for the next chapter. Also sorry for the delays in uploading been hella stressed with college lately