The Boy From The Bridge - Jakehoon

Chapter 49: Remember Not to Smile 2/6

Jay was inelegant as he untangled himself from the shrubbery. Jake did not have an excuse to be surprised by him at this point, with Jay having jumped him and Sunghoon everyday since the start of the term. 

"Jay, are you really going to hide in that bush every morning?" Jake asked.

"Sure, it's a ritual" Jay responded, uncoupling himself from the final few branches of the plant.

Jake looked at Sunghoon with a bemused expression he had pulled several dozen times before. Looking at his friend he wondered if Sunghoon might, in an effort to stop Jay's attempts at jump scares, reveal to Jay that they had been using it to relieve themselves on since Aicha's party at the start of the semester. Noticing Sunghoon didn't, Jake presumed his mind was distracted by the Jay's previous question, 'Guy on guy things?'.

With Sunghoon not responding to Jay's question, Jake learned to how he would respond to any such slip-ups, he would act as if they hadn't happened.

"Surely, revising for our test this morning is a better use of time than hiding in a bush?" Sunghoon suggested after a moment.

"Perhaps" Jay answered as he finally dusted himself down, joining the other two walking to school, "But I'm good enough at English to not have to worry".

Thinking back to the question he and Sunghoon had avoided, Jake made a mental note to be careful. He knew he had to be on guard not to rise to Yun's inevitable goading. Jake hoped Sunghoon had been listening earlier, hopefully he would't be so blatant with his longing gazes that had been noticed by Yun and Sunoo during yesterday's play rehearsals.  

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Sunghoon had silently breathed a sigh of relief when Jake had diverted Jay's question earlier. It was crazy for him to think that in that action Jake had confirmed that he was sharing with Sunghoon the hiding of their relationship. Inadvertently Jake and confirmed their relationship.

It would have being fair to say that before that incident they had both tried to avoid talking about the other in any compromising fashion but when Jay had asked his question it had been as if they had taken a shared intake of breath, waiting to see if the other would break cover.

When neither had there was equal comfort in knowing that Jake knew that he was going to keep them a secret and knowing that Jake wouldn't willingly disclose it to anyone.

Despite having learned from Jake that Jungkook was now privy to their intimacy it didn't warrant the kind of worry that would likely manifest with Sunghoon if one of his gossiping classmates learned of it.

There was however one potential cause for concern, back home. If his parents were to learn of him and Jake they might be wary of the closeness they shared and prohibit or limit the proximity they shared. Had his mother known that when Sunghoon had headed over to Jake's for help with his homework, there was an altogether more lustful motivating force propelling him - would she have allowed him to go?

Musing to himself he wondered if Jungkook would still be as  welcoming of Sunghoon into his home now he knew about the pair. It soon seemed to Sunghoon like that wasn't going to be a problem. Once they had sat in their seats before their first class, Jake had forwarded him a message from Jungkook asking if he had a tuxedo. He had replied that he only had one from when he was eleven, to which Jungkook had followed up by offering to buy Sunghoon a new one as he was going to get one for Jake. Smiling Sunghoon had confirmed.

When the time came for the English Test, each student had to perform a spoken presentation and then answer questions on it. Teachers made standing in front of a class of teenagers seem so easy but when Sunghoon was called to do it he felt awkward an unsure of himself. Speaking at an increased and unnatural tempo Sunghoon tried to control himself as he spoke. He had tried his best to not look at Jake but ultimately had to settle for directing his presentation to Yun who was conveniently sat next to Jake. It allowed Sunghoon to keep his peripheral vision on Jake, for that ounce of comfort he required to not melt under the gaze of his classmates.

Jake, to his credit, kept his expression in line with the rest of the class, which was predominantly  one of tentative nerves in anticipation of their turn at presenting. It was only when Sunghoon made a joke that Jake allowed himself a smile. Sunghoon felt his eyes dart towards Jake in response to the sudden change in his expression. The effort to suppress a smile from forming on his own lips at the satisfaction from making Jake smile lead to Sunghoon needing to looking away across the class. 

Sunghoon's eyes found Heeseung's who stared speculatively back at him. 'Get a grip', Sunghoon told himself, translating  Heeseung's expression into a direction. With the instruction Sunghoon was able to compose himself and continue. 

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Jake's turn to feel the gaze of his friends came during lunch. Heeseung and Jay were berating Sunghoon once more about his alleged girlfriend. Sunghoon, like any teenager worth his salt, was more than capable of producing fake anecdote after fake anecdote. 

Jake had tried to adopt a mood of preoccupation with his phone and disinterest at the conversation. Although his ears pricked up at one story. Jake listened as Sunghoon told a story about when he had taken his girlfriend to the ice rink and how she had relentlessly pursued Sunghoon with kisses until they were kicked out. 

'Typical' Jake thought as he couldn't take joy in the recounting of the story. He consoled himself with the knowledge that  every good story has to have several grains of truth mixed in. Maybe next time, Jake imagined he  would take on the role of Sunghoon's illusory girlfriend and reverse their positions so that the hunter would become the hunted. 

Jake thought about this for a while until a new notification popped up on his phone, it was from Sunghoon, "STOP SMILING!!!!!!' 

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Jakehoon fanfic 8.2