Naked or Not | MinSung AU

Chapter 3: Floating

Roughly two weeks had passed since the dreadful confession. Minho had wanted to act like nothing had happened, yet Jisung had not come to Accounting class. It had made Minho relieved, freed from the burden of concealing his emotions, but it had also sent him into a frenzy. They had stopped texting, understandably because Minho had not tried to send another message after their last hang out. Jisung had not reached out to him. Minho had been pretty sure Jisung had had no idea how to behave, which would have been perfectly sensible. 

Today, Minho was sitting quietly at his usual spot, head down, unsure of what to pray for. Would it be better if Jisung showed up? Or not? His heart had not been totally tamed and he had believed it would never be. His feelings for Jisung were never fickle. His feelings were true, earnest, and genuine. Shutting them off had been an impossible challenge which Minho had vowed to tackle head-on anyway. Would Jisung not showing up help his healing process, then?

Noises came from the seat beside Minho. He almost did not dare to peek, but he knew it was Jisung. There would be no random person suddenly deciding to sit beside a stranger in the second half of the semester, so it must be Jisung. 

"Good morning."

Ah, that familiar voice.

"Morning." Minho's reply was short and hasty, he was not even looking at Jisung's direction. He could not bear to. His face might manage to look smug but his heart was beating crazily. 

The lecture started soon afterwards and they did not exchange another word. Although they were sitting side by side, there were no more shared laughter, side glances, or friendly elbow jabs. Minho attempted his best to focus solely on the lecture, but Jisung's presence was too huge. Knowing he was there, in the flesh, centimeters away from him had thrown off his balance. Minho did not like it. Today's class might be the first one he failed to concentrate in, tainting his personal track record.

As soon as the class was dismissed, Minho urgently left his seat. He did not even plan to bid goodbye to Jisung. Much to his surprise, Jisung was the one who started the conversation.

"Minho," he called in a tiny voice. "Congrats for your good midterm score." His voice was unfaltering, and it kind of irked Minho.

"Ah, thanks." What nonsense was this guy saying? Their midterm scores had indeed been made available since a few days ago, but was that really the first thing you would say to someone who had confessed to you?

"So I was wondering if we should celebrate together. The end of midterms, I mean," Jisung continued. "We can go drink at your house, probably. Since we talked about it."

Talked about it. Yes, they once talked about it after finding out Minho lived by himself, but it was long before the confession. Seriously, what nonsense was this guy saying? Minho could not believe his ears. After the suffocating air they had to put up with for the past two hours, Jisung casually went on to spout some absurd suggestions. Did he even consider his words properly? Did he know what it could possibly mean to visit the house of the man who obviously had a crush on him?

"...are you aware of what you're saying?"

Jisung did not answer. He was looking away from Minho's gaze. The tip of his ears were noticeably reddening, but Minho consciously brushed the fact off. He deemed self-interpreting risky and futile. Moreover, he was too afraid of the worst possible answers. Of the truth.

"Do as you like," Minho eventually said. His tone was flat, not betraying his real state of emotions. Without waiting for Jisung's response, he turned around, hopping up the stairs leading to the exit doors.

"I-I'll come tomorrow!" Jisung shouted. Minho continued walking away, seemingly ignoring him. "I'll text you!"