Strawberry And Cigarettes || ONEUS Leeon

21

This chapter will be dedicated to Hwanwoong and Ravn when they were younger, like the first year of middle school.

Ever since middle school, Hwanwoong and Ravn found out their relationship was more than a friendship. That they loved and cared about each other more than just friends.

They both agreed to casually date secretly. They would pretend they were just great buddies in school and around their families but when they were alone, the two stuck to each other like super glue.

Their middle school dating life went just like that...well not exactly because some of Ravn's friends were a bit of a girl getter. You know, flirting with girls, asking them on dates and then dumping them and so on. The friends kept nagging at Ravn to start dating but he refused everytime. And everytime Ravn's excuse was he was still too young and he wanted to focus on school.

At this time Hwanwoong was also starting to get tired of hiding their relationship but Ravn wanted to keep it a secret so Hwanwoong never brought up the topic again.

But of course that couldn't be Ravn's excuse forever. Soon enough in the first couple years of high school, people started to doubt that he even liked girls.

Students knew that Ravn and Hwanwoong were always together so they also started rumors that the two were dating. Rumors start, bullying starts. And with the bullying going, Ravn wanted to protect Hwanwoong. Even if it meant to break up with him and start dating a girl.

Of course Hwanwoong was crushed. Even Ravn kept assuring him that he didn't even like the girl and always loved Hwanwoong. But that was getting harder and harder to believe since Hwanwoong would spot the couple on dates and kissing and holding hands.

Everytime Ravn broke up with the girl he was dating or vice versa, he would go back to Hwanwoong. But as soon as people started to question him or start rumors, he would again break up with him and went on to date other girls. Or when a girl asks him out, he would accept and start dating them.

Sometimes he and Ravn would schedule to hang out but Ravn never shows up because he was hanging out with the girl. Sometimes he forgot and sometimes he chose the girl over Hwanwoong. But again, when Ravn had no one to hang out with, he would hang out with Hwanwoong. This would go on up until senior year (which is where this story takes place)

You must be wondering how Hwanwoong felt with all this. Well let me tell you, he wasn't feeling good at all. Oh you must be also wondering why people aren't nagging at Hwanwoong to date girls. It's because everyone knew he was gay. Hwanwoong never really hid it.

He felt as if he couldn't be mad at Ravn for his actions. I mean of course he felt disappointed and sad but never got angry at Ravn. Hwanwoong was so heartbroken that he would cry alone in his room and no one would know or could know.

But slowly he and Ravn stopped hanging out and talking also. He felt as if Ravn was just a friend and sometimes maybe less than a friend. He felt as if he was just an extra for Ravn.

I guess you could say Hwanwoong was a dish that people liked to eat but if there was something better, people would leave the dish to the more delicious dish. And all the good food would be gone and he would just be the leftover, left out in the cold.

Hwanwoong's patients were getting thinner and thinner. He couldn't wait for Ravn for the rest of high school. It was normal for him to have crushes and have dates with other guys as well.

In their junior year of high school, Hwanwoong sat Ravn down for a serious talk and made an agreement. "I can't do this forever. Let's remain friends. Let's pretend our feelings toward each other never existed. Let's go our separate ways."

Naturally Ravn refused the agreement but Hwanwoong kept going, "I like someone. I'm dating him. I can't pretend like this anymore. Let me go."

And just like that, they pretended they were just friends, both hiding their feelings for each other. Hwanwoong hid it way better than Ravn did. They both hid it ever since Junior year up until now.