Mid Summer

twenty two,

"Doesn't Donghyuck hate the beach?" Jaemin asks, eyebrows furrowed as he watches Mark put a few things in his pocket.

If Mark was showing Jaemin his face, the younger would be able to see how surprised Mark looked.

"How do you know that?" He asks, unplugging his phone from the charger and shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans. "I thought you two didn't talk."

Jaemin shrugs, swinging his feet back and forth from where he was sitting on Mark's bed.

"We don't," he admits. "Jeno mentioned something along those lines before," he sighs. "I wasn't really listening."

Mark hums, doing a final once over around the room to make sure he didn't forget anything.

"Yeah, he hates the beach. Something about the sand and the ugly tans," the elder laughs, finally turning to Jaemin. "Let's go?"

When he receives a nod from the younger, the both of them make their way to the door, Mark holding it open for Jaemin.

Jaemin quirks an eyebrow at him when he waits for Jaemin to pass through.

"A charmer?" He asks, a hint of teasing in his tone.

Mark shrugs as he smiles.

"I guess you could say that."

Smiling dumbly at Mark's words, Jaemin steps out into the hallway and waits for Mark to lock their door before the two of them make their way to wherever Mark had planned.

Which reminds Jaemin that he didn't know where they were going for their date.

"Where are we going?" He asks, keeping his eyes trained in front of him, making sure to check his peripheral every few seconds to make sure he was following Mark in the right direction.

"Well..." Mark starts, and out of his peripheral, Jaemin can see the elder wringing his fingers together nervously. "I was thinking about just... Talking."

"Talking?" Jaemin repeats, adding a bit of question to his tone.

"I mean, to get to know you better, and stuff," Mark explains, wincing a bit because of how awkward he sounds.

But Jaemin didn't think it was a bad idea, so Mark didn't have to worry as much as he currently was.

"Alright," he agrees easily, stepping into tow with the elder again. "Where did you have planned?"

Sheepish, Mark gives his answer.

"I planned for the beach cause... So that Donghyuck wouldn't be able to find us..." He admits, looking bashfully to the side.

I mean, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, Mark had just wanted to make sure that this first date would go well, and that there wouldn't be any interruptions.

And Jaemin gets that, he gets why Mark chose a place where Donghyuck wouldn't even think about going.

His only question was, where was the beach?

"There's a beach near?" The younger asks, tone quite curious. He hasn't seen one within a three mile radius from the university, so how far was it?

Now it's Mark's turn to sound surprised, raising his eyebrows up as he makes a soft sound in the back of his throat.

"You haven't seen it?" He asks, turning to look at the younger. Jaemin was already looking at him, and the slightest bit of heat crawls onto the younger's cheeks when he realizes that Mark has caught him staring.

Jaemin shakes his head as a response, clearing his throat right after.

"So where is it?"

"It's on campus, right out of the life sciences department," the elder says, tilting his head to the side. "You've really never seen it? What do you study?"