𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗠𝗢𝗗𝗘 | 𝗡𝗖𝗧 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠

Confidant | Jeno Imagine #9

Title: Confidant

Genre: Friends to lovers (kinda), angst

Warnings: mentions of alcohol and drinking

Word Count: ~1.7k

Author's Note: Although I feel selfish about it, I wrote this short story to express some feelings I've experienced lately. And I am not exactly proud of them; they make me wish I wasn't so sensitive. But if anyone can relate, I hope you like this. Thank you for reading ^ ^

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ

You hated college parties. The incessant music reverberated through the room, the spaces were always cramped with students abandoning their books for beer pong and casual hookups. They were always overstimulating for an introvert like you, and they rapidly drained your already limited energy. The list went on.

Yet tonight, you found yourself wedged on a couch, squeezed between a couple making out and two girls engrossed in gossip. You weren't quite sure how you ended up in the environment you loathed so much. But shame on you for letting Lee Donghyuck persuade you into coming to his supposedly "small" end of the semester party. You hadn't even seen him since he answered the door.

A soft sigh escaped as you rose from your seat and made your way to the kitchen. Surprisingly, the space was relatively unoccupied when you arrived. Your eyes swept the counter in search of a beverage, only to find that all the options were alcoholic. Despite the temptation to drink on a night like this, you hesitated. The prospect of potentially regrettable actions while under the influence wasn't something you were willing to risk, especially not in this setting.

"I swear—Lee Donghyuck," you muttered under your breath, shutting the fridge with exasperation.

Glancing at your phone for the time, you realized you had barely been there for an hour. Biting your lip, the notion of heading home flirted with your thoughts. You doubted anyone would even notice if you did.

Deciding to act on your thoughts, you left the kitchen and attempted to navigate through the dense crowd. Calling out "excuse me" proved futile with the passive voice you were using. Your mind went into panic mode as an inadvertent shove disrupted your balance, causing your feet to betray you.

Just as you were surrendering to gravity, a strong arm encircled your waist, preventing you from making a humiliating fall. Heart racing, you looked up in surprise and found yourself locking eyes with a man clad in a plain black hoodie and ripped jeans. A sense of reassurance washed over you, realizing you weren't the only one opting for a casual look amidst the sea of partygoers in your simple white long-sleeve and high-waisted pants.

"Careful there," he said with a gentle smile, effortlessly pulling you back to your feet. The warm touch of his fingers pressing against your back lingered for a moment, the rescue feeling oddly cliché.

With widened eyes, his name slipped past your lips before you could fully register his presence. "Jeno, what are you doing here?"

The dark-haired male ran a hand through his hair, hesitating. "I—uh was just dropping off Jisung, because apparently the girl he's been crushing on is here."

"Oh, I see," you nodded awkwardly, now understanding his laid-back attire.

Jeno tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at you. "What about you? I never see you at these things."