Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

42

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As Taehyung applied the handbrake and brought the car to a halt, the soft squeal of the brakes could be heard. Taehyung sighed briefly and then looked at Jungkook, who was already ready to get out of the car. His eyes sparkled with anticipation for their day together at college.

"Jungkook," the older man began. The blond paused in his movement and looked over at the dark-haired man, a slight frown on his forehead. "Yes?" he asked, the uncertainty in his voice hard to miss.

Taehyung swallowed hard as his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He felt his heart beat faster as he said the next words. "I don't want you touching me while we're in college," he then just said it straight out. "That last night at the restaurant was enough for me, and even that I didn't really want. It was bad enough that it was in front of your parents and then your friends saw it. I don't want anyone to know," Taehyung added, his voice softer and his eyes lowered.

He simply still felt too uncomfortable in public.

Jungkook's expression became sad when he heard his roommate's words. He felt a lump form in his throat and he nodded weakly. "Okay," was the only thing Jungkook could come up with, his voice sounding broken.

He understood that Taehyung needed time and that he himself was perhaps in too much of a hurry. Had he perhaps even pushed him? It had only been 24 hours since the older man had admitted to getting involved with the younger man. Had Jungkook already crossed the line in the first few hours?

"I'm sorry if I was too pushy," the blonde added in a whisper, looking down at his fingers, which he tangled together nervously. His hands were shaking slightly and his eyes were moist.

Taehyung continued to look at Jungkook and sighed. "Home is fine. I just want to avoid the public for now," the dark-haired man said and then got out of the car, followed by the blond.

Jungkook only nodded in response and looked sadly at the floor the whole time. Inevitably, the words of his ex-boyfriend came to his mind. "You're too clingy and it's just super annoying. No one in their right mind loves a man who's more clingy than any woman."

The younger man was well aware that he could be clingy, but who wasn't when they were in love?

You wanted to be with this person as often as possible, didn't you?

But what if he had overdone it? Would Taehyung then keep his distance again or would Jungkook drive himself crazy with all these questions that kept buzzing through his head?

As they entered the building, the hallways were already filled with a buzzing sea of students eager to prepare for the day ahead. Taehyung and Jungkook meandered silently through the crowd, their footsteps echoing softly on the cold linoleum floor.

When they arrived in their lecture hall, they saw that some of their fellow students were already there. They interrupted their conversations and watched them with curious and sometimes amused looks. Taehyung and Jungkook ignored this and went to their seats in the back row.

Taehyung sat down next to Jungkook again, as he assumed that he was no longer welcome with Yeji and the others for the time being.

The quiet whispering around them was like an unpleasant murmur in their ears. Taehyung noticed the looks going his way. He hadn't forgotten the rumor Jimin had spread, as well as the picture he'd sent around. He felt his cheeks flush and his heart beat uncomfortably faster.

He could deny the rumor because it wasn't true, after all. But the picture clearly showed him kissing Jungkook and he couldn't deny that, whether he wanted to or not. So now he had to live with the stares and the whispers, at least as far as his nerves could take it. Fortunately, a nasty look in the direction of the people was enough to shut them up.

When the lecturer finally entered the hall, it fell completely silent. The elderly gentleman, his hair crowned with a touch of gray he had accumulated over the years, wore a look of years of experience and deep understanding in his eyes. His eyebrows, marked by years of concentration and reflection, lifted as he surveyed the crowd.