𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙦𝙪𝙮 | chensung

Ch.16

Chenle had never felt more comfortable on stage than he did during today's practice. And now, as the sky streaked a deep orange, the theatre was being shut by Renjun while the rest of them headed home.

"Wait up!"

He turned around to see Jisung with his bag loosely over one shoulder. Chenle turned to Jaemin and smiled, explaining that he could go home without him. "Hey," he called back to Jisung and wandered back down the hallway to where the boy was hurriedly locking his locker.

"Sorry to drop this on you so late, but would you like to practice with me? I remembered asking you the other day, but if you're not free, then that's okay."

Chenle shook his head as his eyes lit up. "When?"

"...Now? At my house?" He walked towards him and they stood in the hallway a little ways away from the lockers.

The older boy's heart leaped as he fumbled in his pocket for his phone. "L-let me just call my mum and check if I'm allowed." His fingers danced shakily over the number and he hovered the device over his ear, his mind fluttering with the thought of being alone in a non-school environment with Jisung.

"Hey, Chenle. What's wrong?"

He lowered his voice and turned away as he answered her in Chinese, not wanting Jisung to overhear. "Hi mum. A friend has invited me to practice for the drama club with him. Can I go to his house?"

"Sure. Make sure you're home before it gets too late though."

"Thank you," he breathed, ending the call and slipping the phone joyfully back into his pocket.

"It must be handy knowing Chinese," Jisung spoke over his shoulder, his breath tickling Chenle's ear and giving him a fright from the close proximity. "Did she say yes?"

Chenle squeezed the straps of his school bag as it draped over his shoulders and tried to repress as much blush as he could. "She did."

"Did I hear about a late-night practice?" Donghyuck's voice called from down the hallway. They turned to see him and Renjun walking towards them from the locked theatre. Jaemin, who was at the other end of the hall about to push open the doors to leave, also faced the exclamation. "'Cause I'm always up for that. Anyone else in?"

Renjun scratched his chin and nodded, eyeing the disappointment on Jisung's face but not having the capacity to recognise it. "We need as much practice as we can get."

"Actually, guys-"

Jisung was cut off when Renjun called to the other end of the hallway, where Jaemin was awkwardly lingering by the exit. "Jaemin! You in?"

The pinkette knew that Chenle and Jisung would benefit greatly from some 'alone time', so if he went along and somehow managed to break the group so that the two were left together, then... A sneaky smile appeared on his face but luckily he was too far away for anyone to notice. "Sure!"

•・•・•

The evening was clammy liked any other, but at least Jisung's house was a bit cooler inside with the air conditioning. It was in a housing estate, so it was nothing special and was identical to the other houses in the estate. They sat up in Jisung's room, house empty of parents for the time being.

Chenle was sitting on the edge of Jisung's bed beside said boy with Jaemin on his other side. Donghyuck was standing by the window with his arms crossed and his eyes directed outside at the tiny diamond-like stars appearing in the warm sky. Renjun, somehow, had claimed the swivel chair by Jisung's desk and had wheeled it over to face the three on the bed. "So!" The director clapped his hands to wake Chenle up from his overwhelmed dreamy state. He was in Jisung's ROOOOM!