Flowers

Chapter 11

Wooseok is proud of himself.

He's walking behind Jinhyuk who's between Hyunbin and Byungchan, the latter with an arm around Jinhyuk's waist while Jinhyuk himself has an arm around his shoulders. Wooseok feels his heart ache at the sight but he's doing a good job of hiding it.

Or at least he thinks he's doing a good job. Seungyeon reaching to hold his hand and give it a firm squeeze before he lets go makes him think otherwise. Gukheon is criticizing the movie next to him and Wooseok is barely paying him attention but he catches the general idea of his complaints, not that he cares.

They stop by a skewer stall where Byungchan and Hyunbin are the only ones to buy one. Jinhyuk seems to consider getting one too but in the end, he doesn't. That's how Wooseok ends up having to witness Byungchan feeding Jinhyuk a few times -in the boy's defense, he also feeds Gukheon and Seungyeon and even offered some to Wooseok but he rejected it, he didn't have an appetite- Wooseok wants to groan when he's forced to listen to Jinhyuk call Byugnchan 'cute' for what feels like the millionth time after the younger reacts all excited at the taste.

Wooseok would admit Byungchan is cute if it were not because the other boy had basically rained on his parade making him lose the chance he was looking forward to taking to confess. He had been planning to do it that night while they still were out of their apartment so if things didn't go well he could make the excuse of going to meet another friend and not come back for the rest of the night. Jungmoo and Minhee could convince their friends to let him stay at their couch right?

As if Byungchan were trying to get in Wooseok's nerves, he kisses Jinhyuk's cheek goodbye when they part ways. Jinhyuk giving the other boy a bright smile that in turn makes Wooseok's stomach drop.

Wooseok is thankful Seungyeon doesn't follow his friends and stays with him and Jinhyuk on their back to their building, he's not sure he would be able to handle being alone with Jinhyuk at the moment, not without snapping at him for having been so responsive to Byungchan's antics even when he knows Jinhyuk has always been like that, a creature of skinship himself and Wooseok is in no position to complain.

After all, they're just friends.

Seungyeon talks about random stuff keeping Jinhyuk distracted, Wooseok ending up walking between the two of them who look over him easily because of their similar heights. They're already on the elevator up to their floor when Jinhyuk finally looks down at Wooseok's face.

"Hey, what's wrong? You've been pretty quiet since the movie," Wooseok doesn't glance at him instead keeps his gaze focused on the elevator's doors, pressing his lips into a line and trying to think of an excuse.

"Ah he didn't like the movie, you know how he gets." Seungyeon's excuse doesn't make much sense but it's enough to make Jinhyuk stop asking, instead looking disappointed Wooseok had not enjoyed the movie as he had.

There will be another chance, right?

~🌸~

"So I take it you didn't confess?" It is the first thing that leaves Minhee's mouth when he sits in front of Wooseok at their usual table on the ice cream shop near the subway station.

Wooseok lets out a tired sigh and that's enough of an answer. Minhee reaches over the table to pat his shoulder giving him a small comforting smile before he stands back up and tells him he'll pay for his ice cream.

Once Minhee sits back down handing him his mango flavored ice cream does Wooseok notice something different in his friend's appearance. He tilts his head and pointedly stares at Minhee's left forearm.