𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚕𝚢 | 𝙷𝚢𝚞𝚗𝙻𝚒𝚡𝙸𝚗

51

[Jeongin pov]

I waited for everyone to leave before stepping into the locker room showers. The water was icy as first and it made it uncomfortable to stand it. But as it warmed up my body relaxed. I let the water rinse the sweat from my hair and the dirt from my body as I opened my spare soap bottles that I had in my locker.

I wanted to drag this out as long as I could. Knowing exactly what was going to happen once I leave the safety of the locker room. I massaged the shampoo into my hair, my brain deciding to remind me that i needed to get it trimmed. I washed all parts of me that felt dirty.

"Jeongin? You in here?" I heard Kai's voice echo and I almost yelped.

"Yea! Give me a minute, please for the love god stay wherever you are!"

"What do you.." He appeared around the corner eyes widened and he spun around quickly from embarassment. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"Did you not hear the shower?"

"No! God, I'm sorry. You were just taking so long, I thought you were trying to avoid me-" he was covering his face. I reached for the towel and wrapped it around me.

"It's okay, Hyuka. Just wait in the gym for me while I change." The boy practically sprinted for the door. I couldn't blame him, I would to if I walked in in somebody showering. Even if it was Felix or Hyunjin. Being seen in the shower is a whole different form of vulnerable, it's why I wait for everyone to leave before showering after Gym class.

I pulled in the spare pair of jeans and sweater in my bag. I massaged my wet hair with the towel and shook it out before discarding it into the locker room hamper.

I exited the locker room and headed upstairs to the gym. Kai was sitting in the bleachers, elbows in his knees, head dipped between his shoulders until he heard my footsteps. I climbed up to sit beside him, placing my back pack between my knees.

"So." I said.

"Hold on, I just want to say I'm sorry again for-" he started and I hushed him.

"Hyuka, I said it was fine."

He nodded. "Why do you still call me that?"

"What?"

"You still call me Hyuka." He looked down at his feet.

"Because it's the only thing I've ever really called you." I shrugged, not knowing where to advertise my gaze so I settled on mapping the lines of the gym floor with my eyes. "What did you need to talk about?"

"How we ended." He said it quickly, as if he was emotionally prepared for this conversation. I don't think either of us ever could be.

"Right.."

"I just... want to know why." I could feel him looking at me, so I closed my eyes out of fear that I might instinctively look back.

"That's an answer I can't give you, Hyuka. I just.. it wasn't a good time period for me I guess."