Third Wheeling For Dummies | on hold

two

The last thing Jungwoo wants is children.

He doesn't have anything against them, exactly, but for some strange reason, he can't handle being near them. It's almost funny.

He would be fine, going bowling with an adult his age—funny—but Chittaphon barely classifies as a teenager.

"You sure you didn't get a date?" Said barely-a-teenager yells in his ear, making him wince. "I mean, Lucas was gonna hang out with you, right?"

"I said he was going to be busy." The blond frowns in discomfort, and grabs the steering wheel again. "I'm not sure if you want to go, either."

"Of course I want to, man!" Chittaphon—or Ten, as he calls himself—laughs obnoxiously, way too loud for it to be anywhere below a hundred and twenty decibels. "You want some Coke?"

"I asked you first." Jungwoo mumbles almost miserably, and cruises forward as the car in front of them moves out of the way. The guy at the window looks bored, but he sticks his head out, raising his eyebrows like, 'well?'

"We'll have two cheeseburgers and fries, and a...Coke?" Ten grins up at the cashier, who blinks at him very robotically. "And a Sprite."

"You're really going to..." Jungwoo trails off and presses his lips together, going never mind. "What were you saying?"

"Ah, right." He cards a hand through his black hair, grinning wide. "You've been single since so long, man. I wouldn't normally try to push it, but asking someone to go bowling with you after you've been rejected once reeks of desperation."

"Thanks." The blond rolls his eyes and accepts the paper bag the guy hands him from the window, and pulls out his wallet. "I'm paying for you, and this is what I get."

The cashier frowns. "Man, I don't even get paid enough for this."

"Not you, him." Jungwoo amends, giving him an awkward smile. He turns to Ten with a glare. "You're embarrassing me."

"You did that yourself the moment you asked me out." The boy shrugs.

"You're just calling yourself an embarrassment."

"I'm calling you a desperate bitch."

"Wow." The blond snorts, but not unkindly. The driver behind him honks impatiently, and he jumps in his seat. "And you're distracting me."

"I'm just trying to help." Chittaphon spreads his hands as he drives out of the drive-though, and then takes the paper bag from Jungwoo's lap. "Lucas told me you wanted to iron your shoes."

"Shut up."

"Just saying." Ten shrugs and takes a bite of the fry. "Damn, these fries really do have a special taste. They should patent it, call it a McFry or something."

"I think they already do that."

"Glad they accepted the recommendation." He raises his eyebrows as Jungwoo tries to concentrate on the road in front of him. "You want some?"

"I kind of had that in mind when I ordered them," he says softly.

"Alright, no need to get touchy." Ten shakes his head at him, as if reprimanding a small child. "Maybe I can help you with your lonely problem."

"You?" Jungwoo almost scoffs, but then feels bad for thinking that. "Okay."

"What's your ideal type?"

"Uhm, maybe a simple girl?" Jungwoo feels thrown off by the question, not sure if he's going to be put up as a profile on a matchmaking site. "Someone with long hair, someone kind and nice and quiet...like the stereotypical girl..."

"Aw, man," Ten shakes his head. "Now you're just being mysogynistic."

"I'm just trying to describe it." The blond says helplessly, shrugging as he tries to keep his grip on the wheel. "I mean, not in a mysogynistic way, but because I wouldn't know how to handle a strong personality. There are subordinate-type men, too."

"That's weak." He comments, and makes chewy noises on purpose. "Wait, I'm getting a call."

"Why should I wait?"

"Hello?" Ten says into his phone, ignoring him completely. "Yeah, he's right here." He looks sideways at Jungwoo, whose lips twitch uncomfortably. "No, we're not there yet."

There's a long pause, which probably means that the person on the other end is speaking. Jungwoo usually wouldn't be the eavesdropping type, but he tries to pick up on the conversation just because.

No such luck, though. The volume is half as high, and his ears can't decide between the call and the road.

He sighs and chooses the road.

"Yeah, I think so." Ten says through a mouthful of fries, and looks down into the almost empty pack. The driver feels like whining. "I mean, why not? It wasn't really for bowling, anyway."

Jungwoo's eyes narrow.

Ten nods, and then, seemingly remembering that he's on the phone, speaks. "Okay."

He swipes his greasy thumb across the screen, and stuffs the device into his pocket.

"Who was it?" The blond tries to keep his tone nonchalant, but can't help but let it sound a bit tense.

"Yukhei." The boy yawns midway, making the sentence sound distorted. "He wants us to babysit his brothers."

Two minutes later, Jungwoo is just thankful he didn't crash into the sidewalk.

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yeah so this was sorta late but well :] i almost made them crash but then nah

thank you so much for 300+ reads already! we're ranking in #thirdwheel lmao

so, any guesses as to who the brothers are going to be?

leave your thoughts about the book so far here <3

love,
Manx