Chapter 3
I walked to Bio in a daze, my soul and mind the only thing that was looking out for me because I was certain there would have been another embarrassing accident without them. The clouds were hazily this morning so I was expecting a small downfall or drizzle later on in the day, I just hope it doesn’t ruin my leather jacket.
A tap on my shoulder made me snap out of my daydreaming and I looked up to face no other than perfect guy himself. Today he looked even more heavenly, a brown cardigan expresses his broad shoulder, dark jeans clings onto his legs tightly it seemed really uncomfortable. “Jaejoong?” he waved at me a while after I finished checking him out. I must have zoned out again while he was there. “What?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
I shook my head, lips gnawed. He was smirking at me and I felt a tinge of pink rise up to my cheeks.
“Hmm, I guess someone was too occupied in checking out other things to pay more attention to me.”
The heat on my cheeks increased. I must’ve looked like a tomato by now. I faked a disgusted face. “What? What are you talking about? I didn’t check out anything, I was just,” I thought of an excuse, “trying to figure something out.”
“Yea, figure out how I look so good right?” he joked, his voice amused. Damn, that was stuck on. I felt like Twilight all over again, but this time Yunho can read my thoughts.
“So I was talking about Junsu’s party before I was rudely pushed out of someone’s mind. Are you going?” Yunho asked.
“Um, yea I think so. It’ll be my first social outing.”
“Really? I would never have taken you as the antisocial type. You seemed to fit in pretty well on your own here.”
I thought about his words.
“Do you like it here?” he asked and I quickly nodded, there was nothing to doubt.
“It’s just, everything is so easy here. People actually talk and listen to me instead of acting like I’m a person next to Heechul hyung. I can be myself and still have people like me. Or that’s what it looks like.”
A small silence gazed over us.
“I like you.” Yunho’s husky voice flowed to my ears and my eyes immediately flickered to him. He looked serious, like sincere serious. And there it was, the scarlet was back again.
“Thank-you.” I stuttered out, unnoticed of the smile on my face. The rest of the morning continued like that, us making small conversation on the weather and my new school life. I had caught a few people staring but when I felt uncomfortable; Yunho would have already waved them away and joked with me until I also ignored those stares.
The time went by a blur, with only his voice in my mind and my own shrilly voice every now and then to laugh or add a comment.
“So I’ll definitely see you at the party? Beautiful and glowing like always?” he asked when we stopped in front of my class. I nodded shyly, eyes focused on my textbook. All of a sudden, his eyes went dark, eyebrows together lips bitten as though he was thinking about something hard. “Jaejoong ah, about yesterday. I didn’t know what came over me, but I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to happen so let’s just forget about it ok? You didn’t think anything of it right?” he said, his words brewing a small wave of anger inside me. We were standing right around a crowd and I didn’t want to have an outburst that can cause attention. “I know, I didn’t.” I replied coldly before turning away from him.
That time, I felt my own eyes turning coal black.
Class was slow and boring for my liking today. My thoughts kept flickering back to his words, I didn’t want to but it just kept coming back like a memory elapse. I didn’t want it to happen so let’s just forget it ok? These words were like glass piercing through me. How dare he steal my first kiss and just say that like it was a nasty mistake? Mr. Jung called on me and my thoughts snapped out for the time, calculations of diffusion and osmosis kept me busy the entire morning.
I was sure I was still growing a grudge and the next time I see him, I definitely will not have one bit of likeness for him anymore, oh how wrong I was. Because like any other time, my heart sped up and my breathing became ragged when he came into view again, under the cafeteria roof and lightning molded into the golden scenery. His fork was occupied with salads and dressing but it didn’t look like he had one bite.
Leeteuk hyung was busy rambling on about what they should buy or bring to Junsu’s party. “Jaejoong ah, what do you want to bring?” he asked me. I looked back confusedly. “What?”
“To the party. Don’t tell me you’re going to come empty handed mister. Even if you’re new, you’re still not excused from this traditional party… tradition.” I smiled at his cuteness and surround my arms around him. “Hyung, I’ll bring cupcakes. Has anyone brought that?”
“Nope, you can bring that Jae.” Another nickname added to my life. My eyes flickered to Yunho for a second, my head immediately snapped back. Yunho was different, he looked mad and cold, totally different from this morning. I thought about my coldness toward him this morning when my arm was removed from Leeteuk hyung’s shoulders. I looked up and saw Kangin hyung glaring at me. “Hey, hands off my baby. Get your own angel.” He said. I faked a hurt sign on my heart and everyone on the table laughed. “Geez, hyung lighten up on the jealousy. Leeteuk hyung seems to only have eyes for you, besides--, he’s not my taste.” I stuck my tongue out for emphasize and it was Leeteuk’s hyung to yell. I laughed and returned to my conversation with Heechul hyung on steak and that we should go to a steak buffet when we get the chance. I interrupted his kissing session. “Hyung, get a room. Isn’t it a bit too open for your liking?” I scrunched my nose. Heechul hyung widened his eyes. “Yah, what happened to my nice and innocent Jaejoong. What did you do to him?” He searched in my eyes and I scooted away from him before sticking out my tongue. Someone in the table shouted, it was Leeteuk hyung. “Heechul, take care of your cousin more. He’s becoming like, like, like you,” Leeteuk hyung said after a while, resulting in a cranky Heechul. Now Heechul hyung was looking ready to spring onto Leeteuk when Hangeng hyung started to desperately hold him down. The whole table erupted into laughter and I looked back at Yunho. His eyes were back to their normal color and he picked up his fork, the anger nowhere in sight.
The library teacher today was absent and so me and Yunho were sent to the music teacher inside the dance practice room. His name was Mr. Lee and he assigned us to a small corner in the room with instructions of being quiet and keep ourselves occupied until the end of the period. Great, without the Ms. Ravenwoods voice as a distraction I was forced to talk to Yunho even more now with the both of us having nothing to do.
I decided to watch Mr. Lee’s class. They were a group a students judging by the faces, they seemed to be a year younger than us, maybe two. Music blared into the room and I gasped at the song choice. TVXQ’s newest song Keep Your Head Down drowns the whole room of any noise and my head unconsciously flowed to the beat. They were my favorite band and I loved the song. The leader was really cute too.
Mr. Lee made the kids do freestyles first before setting something specific for the dance. I didn’t know anything about dancing, me and flailing arms and limbs don’t make a good match but that didn’t stop my knowledge on defining someone good and someone not. These kids had the moves but they needed to get into the flow. They appeared too stiff and it looks like some were out of sync. Mr. Lee looked at them frustrated I saw, and he looked like he was stressed out too. If these kids were in a dance battle, they probably couldn’t win. Mr. Lee stopped the music and silenced everyone.
“Okay, that was bad. I told you guys that to dance the music, you have to be able to feel the music. Does anyone here know this band?”
Yunho shot up his hands and I gave him a look of what-are-you-doing.
“Great, one student and he’s not even in my class.”
Yunho turned to me. “Jae, you like this band right?” he asked. I nodded and wondered what he was aiming at.
He looked back at the teacher and raised his hands. “I can try to dance it if you want. I know this genre of dance pretty well.”
“Yunho, what are you doing?” I hissed. He didn’t answer me but just walked to the middle of the room. The music was back on and Yunho started flowing to the beat. I stared at him with my eyes wide open, jaws dropped. His body moved with every beat, limbs accurately striking and he seemed to control the song instead now. Everyone in the room seemed pretty impressed like me and when the song was over everyone gave a clap and cheered. Mr. Lee made his way over, face full of smiles.
“Now that was dancing. Yunho, how did you do that? Did you take lessons?”
“Huh, no. I just like to crank out some moves whenever I feel like it.” He sheepishly answered. Mr. Lee was still studying him when his eyes flickered to mine. I tried to act like I was too occupied with something else when he called me over. A voice in my head told me to ignore it but that wasn’t possible with Yunho’s voice there too. I made my way over there, next to Yunho.
“Do you know how to dance too?” Mr. Lee asked.
“No. I don’t. Me and fast steps and arm movements don’t go together very well.” I said. At the corner of my eye, I saw Yunho smirk.
“Do you want to freestyle with Yunho the next song?”
I immediately rejected the offer, no thank you, I’ve had more than my fair share of embarrassing clumsiness, I wasn’t going to take it with me here. Yunho started to plead me, his puppy dog eyes glossy and the next thing I knew, my body betrayed me and I agreed.
Circus came up and I cursed. Great, a pop song. My body started to jerk on its own to the music and I went with my instincts. Yunho started to focus more on me now, his dance starting to slow before it came to a slow stop. I was nervous now that I was the only one dancing but everone’s eyes were focused on me. I managed to make it through the song just like Yunho, ragged breathing fills my lungs as I gasp for oxygen.
Yunho’s eyes were still fixed on me, his mouth slightly open and I automatically took it as a bad sign.
My breathing was the only thing heard in the room when Mr. Lee stride over to us, his eyes were amused, just like Yunho’s first time dancing. “How’d I do?” I asked after a while when he didn’t day anything.
“Good?”
“Good, my dear is an understatement. That was amazing. First time I’ve seen something so captivating and mesmerizing to a pop song from a boy. You and Yunho both.” He complimenting, eyes darting to me then Yunho and back to me again.
We were sitting back down again, bangs sticking to out forehead due to the recent exert of energy. “Jae, you can dance.” It wasn’t a question, more like a newfound secret that was just discovered.
“I don’t. That was my first time.”
“Liar.”
“No, really. I don’t dance. Remember, accident prone and antisocial freak?” Hopefully I jogged his memory.
“That was amazing for someone dancing for the first time. You were so beautiful, captivating, I felt like under a spell from your dancing. I wanted to look at you all day.” The words slurred out from his mouth.
“R-really?” I asked. I couldn’t help but feel gratified at the compliment.
“Yea. God, the way you move your hips and jerk your head back there,” he shook his head. I thought of where this conversation was going because I doubt he was still on a friendly topic. He inched closer to me and the same feeling of the incident in the library happened again.
“Do you know that you’re too sexy for your own good?” His minty voice washed to my face. It was probably a mistake looking into those brown eyes because I was once again trapped in them, hypnotized in his world. I couldn’t speak and my hands felt too weak to push him away.
“There’s just something I want to try one more time.”
And he took my face in his hands before guiding me to his lips.
The kiss was soft and gentle, a bit longer than the first time. The bolt of electricity was back and it went from my lips to toe, stinging my whole body. My cheeks boiled red and I couldn’t breathe. His arms moved from my face to my back to pull us closer. It freaked me out that I didn’t pull away.
When we did, I was out of breath, the oxygen in the air not coming fast enough for me. He looked flustered too, leaning back from me. My first thought when I could think again was his reaction. I studied his face too look for any signs of regret but there was none, instead it remained calm.
“You kissed me, again.” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
The guiltiness showed through him now and I wished that it all didn’t happen. He was going to just wipe it away and forget about it anyway. I saw the invisible rock clogged in his throat.
“Nevermind. It was just a joke. Or lust or whatever. Forget about it right?” Sarcasm. Heavily decorated my speech.
“What?”
“I said it was just another mistake right? We didn’t want it to happen so let’s forget about it.” I said again.
“What make you think I’m going to let you forget it?” The tone of his voice broke through my barricade that I looked back at him.
He looked mad, confused but more of anger. I could tell because his eyes were back to coal black and he wasn’t smiling.
“You don’t want it right? It was just a joke.” No sooner after I replied, his hands circled around my waist and lifted me onto his lap, crushing me in a hug. I gasped and tried to scoot away but he was too strong, the action was impossible. I was grateful we were assigned in a corner. If someone saw this, it was sure to make the front school newspaper.
“Tell me again what that was. Hmm.” His voice dry and huskier than usual thrilled me. I hated it.
“It was a mistake and a joke.” I challenged. I thought he would release me but I was wrong. His lips crushed onto mind for the second time that day. He was more rushed this time, his lips moved against mind fast the way lovers would have done after a jealousy witnessed scene between them. His tongues probed by lips and I didn’t know what to do. Soft fingers intruded my shirt and I gasped, letting him entrance to my mouth.
There was fire all around me, and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to. He tasted sweet, sweeter than any candy I wanted and times more addicting.
We stopped to catch a breath after a few minutes and I was glad because I doubt I could have stayed there long without doing anything else. I was already straddling his hips, he rock hard under me.
Our foreheads came together, sweat covered bangs covering his eyes. “Tell, me what was that then.” He rasped out.
I wanted to reply like before but even for that I didn’t have the energy. I felt drained and weak after the session we had just now. “I don’t know.” I managed to breathe out.
My hands went to wipe the bangs out of his face. “Tell me what that was.”
I waited, face full of skeptism and anticipation of the answer.
“I think… I’m in love with you Kim Jaejoong.”
..........