Seventeen Café {Coffee Shop AU}

36 - FINE! I LIKE YOU TOO! -this chapter is angsty, way more than I thought-

"Hi Junhui."

Minghao smiled, but he didn't receive an answer.

"Junhui?"

The boy looked at him and walked past him.

"What is wrong with-"

"He's salty because you don't like him." Wonwoo answered without letting Minghao finish.

"But I do like him... wait do I like him?" Minghao started doubting all his life decisions.

He looked at Wonwoo, turned around and walked towards Jun.

"Junhui!"

The older turned towards him and walked away from the table.

"Shit." Minghao swore and followed him.

Jun closed himself into the bathroom. Minghao sighed and knocked on the door.

"Junhui... answer me..."
"Junhui..."
"Please..."

Minghao lost his hopes. He layed his back on the bathroom's door and slowly dropped to the floor. He hid his head between his hands.

"What did I do..." he whispered.

Somehow he got used to having two eyes following him in every move. He got used to his compliments and his pretty face. The older had been liking him for almost three months, but he never tried to touch him. He never invaded his physical space.

It was all his fault. He put a wall of bricks around him, strongly held together with cement, like he always did with everyone he fell in love with. That's why he only had two relationships in his whole life. More and more people lustfully fell for him, but he never gave them the chance to get to know him, afraid that he would get hurt. And acting like that, he spent the last six years without someone by his side.

But Junhui was different. He didn't give up easily. And that somehow made way into Minghao's mind, because no one ever cared so much for him. Apart from Mingyu, but only in a friendly way.

"Minghao... are you still there?"

"YES, YES I AM!" The younger got up, his voice sounded like he was crying. He did want to cry and shout to the world. He wondered why he needed so much time to fall in love with someone. He wondered why he only felt a little empathy for Junhui. He wondered how much time he still had to struggle.

He put an hand on the bathroom's door and waited for Jun to speak up, silently sobbing.

"Minghao... why are you still there? Just go away and leave me alone."

"NO!" Minghao cried. "I won't! You never left me alone for three months straight, I won't leave you so easily to cry in a bathroom!"

"But you don't care about me..."

"I do! I do care about you... even though I don't show it."

"But you don't like my presence anyway."

"You know what? I like you. Yes, you. You were right, I like being stared at, but only if it's you doing it. I like compliments, but only if it's you saying them. I put a wall between us because I'm scared, I'm scared as hell..."

Junhui opened the door, held Minghao's hand and threw him in, closing the door behind them. His eyes and cheeks were full of tears.

"Why are you scared?"

Minghao dropped to the floor and started crying badly, so much that he struggled to speak. Junhui crouched on the floor, not even caring if it was the floor of a bathroom, Jiyeong kept it clean anyway.

"Can I hug you?"

Minghao slightly nodded. Junhui scooted closer and put his arms around the boy's tiny waist. He started crying again as he soflty caressed Minghao's cheek and wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry if I made you suffer like this... I don't want to hurt you anymore..." Minghao looked up at Junhui, his eyes were wet and puffy. "Please never stop holding me like this."

Junhui slightly smiled through the pain.

"I won't."

Minghao smiled and weakly brought his arms around Junhui.

"I don't want a wall to be between us anymore. I want to try falling for you. I want to trust this subtle feeling that won't grow up. I want to feel love again."

Junhui held the boy closer, making his tears wipe on his sweatshirt. He gently caressed his head, leaving a little kiss on his forehead every now and then. He felt so hurt to see the person he fell for so hurt by his own feelings.

"I'm sorry... I will try to fall harder for you."

"No need to force yourself." Junhui slightly smiled. "One day, I will tell you how I feel, and you will understand how much I want you to be with me. But no need to do it now."

"You have been patient enough."

"I can still wait."

Minghao gazed up at him and Junhui smiled. He wiped away his tears once again.

"Don't leave me."

"I will never leave you."

Junhui gave a kiss on Minghao's forehead and held him again, for a lot of time, until Minghao calmed down.

---

(((I wanted to put their first kiss here, but once I wrote the chapter I decided not to do it. Only putting a kiss on the forehead makes me feel like their story is not based on lust, but on real love, because they both know when it isn't time to be all happy and merry. And I found this so beautiful. No wonder I almost cried writing this. Just wanted to clarify why you'll have to wait for other 10 chapters or sum)))