Take on me // Take me on (Chapter 4)
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It was a few days later when Taecyeon finally sent Junho a message. It wasn’t much; just a winking face and nothing else. Junho didn’t have his number and Taecyeon thought he would know who that was from, because he had sent Junho other things that day. Just not through the phone.
Taecyeon had given the night off to Minjun so that he could spend it with Wooyoung. That was his way to thank them for their efforts in helping him expand his business, especially because it seemed they might succeed once more.
The newly opened Okcastra had most of its rooms busy that night. It was warm outside, the cool breeze calling people out of their homes, asking them to enjoy the nice weather. There were some strolling on the sidewalk as Taecyeon stood at the open front door of the building, a group of friends passing him by, a couple and their little daughter walking slowly on the other side of the street. Taecyeon smiled; he thought of his little niece and took his phone out to call Jihyen and ask how her baby girl was doing. The phone vibrated in his hand first, Junho’s name flashing on the screen. He smiled before he could stop himself and picked it up.
“Hello,” Taecyeon heard the cheerfulness in his own voice. Junho had called him, and all he had been expecting was a text.
“Seriously, what the fuck?” Junho sounded offended as he said that, but Taecyeon recognized the words, and he laughed silently before Junho’s own laughter echoed in his ears. “How many more of those are coming? I don’t have room for all these flowers!”
Taecyeon savored the slight astonishment in Junho’s voice, the amusement that was about to crack his indignation. “You could use them as decoration. Put one on each table and it’ll be okay.”
“You’re not-- you’re not sending that many?”
Taecyeon bit back his chuckle this time. “It’s one every hour.” He looked at the time on the phone screen. 9:22 P.M. “I imagine you got the last one around eight. And when another one didn’t come at nine, you decided to call me.”
Junho didn’t answer right away. “I don’t like getting flowers.”
“Uh huh.” Taecyeon didn’t let that shake his confidence only because he didn’t believe Junho’s words. “How about the garden at the back of the shop?”
Junho snorted. “Ok, you got me there. I mean I don’t like bouquets. Much. The flowers will die soon like that, and if I put them all together I guess you’ve sent me over a hundred.” He made a pause, and Taecyeon tried to imagine him at the shop, looking at the sunflowers and shaking his head at Taecyeon’s overkill. “They’re beautiful, though.”
His smile was fueled as Junho said that, content that he seemed to have gotten it right. “How about the green cards?”
Taecyeon heard him take a deep breath and exhale slowly. There was also the sound of paper, and maybe Junho was going through the envelopes. “You’ve borrowed my idea.” He sounded like he had wanted to say something else but chose to be merciful. “I guess I could say that was a nice move but I’m also a little offended that you’d do that so soon.” Taecyeon could picture him, his long fingers around the paper as he frowned at the words he read out loud. “Would you like These Flowers? Just so we’re clear about this one, I’ll accept them if you get me a vase or something like that. Okay?”
“You mean you want me to bring you a vase for every bouquet?”
“No, you idiot. I mean next time you give me flowers--” Junho interrupted himself. Taecyeon couldn’t stop grinning as he looked around him, his eyes not focusing on anything as he already had Junho’s voice and words to give his full attention to. “Wanna waTch netFlix and chill? Now you gotta tell me why Sunwoo laughed at me when he read that one because I said I didn’t care what was on the card.”
“You didn’t?” Junho sighed, impatient. Taecyeon was just teasing him though. “It was kind of a joke but I meant exactly that, to watch something together and... talk? We could go to the movies if you like--”
“Okay, okay, I get it.” If an eyeroll could be heard through the phone, Taecyeon was sure that had been one. “What’s your favoriTe Food? Ice cream.”
“That’s not real food.”
“It’s the only answer you’re getting to that question.”
Taecyeon chuckled. “Okay.”
Junho was silent for a few seconds again. “I was Wondering if you like To sing just for Fun...” There was a humming that could have been a laugh. “I was wondering if you’d invite me over to your karaoke bar.”
“You did read the last card, right?”
“Would you like To Find me? Yeah.”
“You would?”
Junho didn’t answer right away. Taecyeon had played on the double meaning of his answer and Junho could ignore it or react to it-- Taecyeon was hoping he would play along. “You’re not exactly hiding...”
He was right. Taecyeon was exposing himself. He was coming on strong and he didn’t know how Junho would take that, but he didn’t know how to do this anyway. Anything he did would make him wonder about Junho’s response because they still had to know each other, and the only way for that to happen was to keep going. Never mind that this was also the first time that Taecyeon was actively trying to date a guy.
Taecyeon took a deep breath. He refrained from running a hand at the back of his head; his hair had been carefully combed before he left home earlier that evening. He glanced down at the fine suit he was wearing, the midnight blue checked in white lines so thin and faint the pattern was only visible if one looked closely at it. He decided he would take off the black tie and undo the first button of the white shirt once the call ended.
Junho made a sound on the other end of the line. Taecyeon realized he had been distracted while the other was probably waiting for him to speak. “So, would you like to come here? I’m at the karaoke.”
“Is that your idea for a first date?”
Taecyeon opened and closed his mouth, but soon Junho was laughing, the sound making him both sigh in relief and smile because of how lively Junho sounded when he was truly amused, especially by something he had caused to happen.
“What if I tell you my shift lasts for another four hours?”
“I’ll be waiting. Sleeping, but waiting.”
Junho’s laugh was soft and brief, but there again. “You’d be a fool to wait for so long. I’m actually going home soon,” Taecyeon’s intake of breath was noisy but Junho went on, “so I can meet you around 11. Is that okay?”
Taecyeon wanted to ask him why he needed to go home first, but he didn’t. “Yes, that’s-- great. Yeah.”
“Okay. Do you serve food there?”
“Yes. I could get something ready for when you arrive.”
Junho sounded amused when he answered, “I’d like to take a look at the menu, if you don’t mind.” He paused, and Taecyeon waited. He had to remind himself to breathe. “Just don’t fall asleep.”
Taecyeon’s smile was audible. “I won’t. Got things to do. Work.”
“Do you always spend so much time on the phone at work?”
“Do you?”
Junho laughed. “See you later, Taecywon.” He had already hung up when Taecyeon recovered from hearing the mispronunciation of his name. Except it hadn’t been a mistake. Of course.
He was silently laughing as he stared at the screen, the lightness that came with that conversation lingering at the corners of his mouth, which kept curving up without notice as he dialed Jihyen’s number. His sister might like to know he had taken her words to heart.
x
Taecyeon had been browsing the songs in one of the rooms when somebody knocked at the door. He asked them to come in and didn’t turn around, still humming to Shake It, one of his karaoke favorites. One day he would have to record Wooyoung drunk dancing to that while Minjun sang it like he was having the best time of his life.
“Hey!” came the voice behind him, just as he finished one of the many nananana nanana nana’s from the lyrics.
He turned and greeted Junho with an easy smile that seemed to surprise the other. “Hey, yourself,” he said, moving his body to face him and letting his eyes take in the sight before him.
Junho was wearing a red checked shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, all buttons undone to show what seemed to be a black tank top with some pattern under it. He also had a leather jacket that he discarded on the wide cushioned seats at the back of the room, right next to where Taecyeon’s suit and tie lay. Taecyeon’s eyes were still glued to him. Taecyeon slowly realized what had struck him when Junho first appeared-- his hair was no longer the bright red turned fading pink of two days ago, but a shade of brown that looked like melting caramel. Taecyeon wanted to run his hands through it, mess up the neat waves that Junho had worked the fluffy locks into.
“I’m glad to see you’re not sleeping,” Junho teased, but in his eyes Taecyeon saw what could be a silent apology. It was almost midnight now and he was beyond late, but he was there, and he looked great. There was also a slow curve to his mouth, to the corner of his eyes, something Taecyeon committed to memory along with the beautiful contours of his face.
“Barely,” Taecyeon answered, and he regretted that it was partly true though he kept that to himself. He felt a little sleepy and he had had to fight the urge to lounge on that seat a few times earlier, knowing he might end up drooling there. That was not something he would like Junho to see yet.
Junho looked at the screen and the curve to his mouth settled, his eyes glinting as they gazed back at Taecyeon. “Somewhere I Belong, huh?”
Taecyeon coughed. “I was just checking what songs are available.”
“Whatever you say.” Junho shrugged as if he hadn’t just made fun of him, his hands coming to rest on his hips. “I’m hungry. Can we order something now and then sing while we wait?”
“You mean-- I thought we wouldn’t--” Taecyeon gestured between them and the television on the wall as uselessly as his attempts to conceive his surprise.
“What else do you think I came here for?” Junho smirked at him as he came to take the remote control from his hand, the tips of his fingers brushing against Taecyeon’s. He didn’t seem to notice and Taecyeon tried not to make much of it either, but he stared at Junho for a second before closing his mouth and following the other’s eyes on the screen. But Junho stopped and turned his head back to him, a slight furrowing to his brows. “We need the menu.”
Taecyeon knew everything they had to offer by heart, but he wasn’t about to recite the options out loud. He took the remote back from Junho, who gaped for a brief second at him. Taecyeon enjoyed that; he had just given Junho a bit of his own medicine and it was fun. He pushed a few buttons and then the menu was on the screen, and he told Junho they could select what they wanted and it would send a message straight to the kitchen.
“Fucking technology,” Junho mumbled, as if the wifi on the TV had somehow offended him.
Taecyeon laughed through his nose. “What a mouth you have.”
Junho arched an eyebrow at him. “You don’t even know.”
Taecyeon could bear the warmth spreading on his cheeks if Junho kept looking at him like that, his mouth lifting up, his body turning to Taecyeon slowly so that they wouldn’t be just standing side by side, but facing each other soon. He was distracted by Junho’s sparkling eyes and bitten lips, so he didn’t see the hand coming to fetch the control again.
“Aha,” Junho flicked through the menu and selected what he wanted without asking him anything. It was Taecyeon who gaped at him this time, but Junho just shrugged, and made his way back to karaoke mode despite Taecyeon’s offer to help him do that. Junho shushed and clicked his tongue at him and there was a moment where he seemed about to push or slap at Taecyeon's arm, but he changed his mind and put his right hand back on his hip as he browsed through hundreds and hundreds of song titles. “Oh-- Peppermint Chocolate?”
Taecyeon frowned at the words until he recognized the song and his frown only deepened. It was Minjun who had selected that one; Taecyeon had heard it a few times on the radio and he liked it enough but it was not that famous. Minjun had more knowledge about what kind of music people were listening to than Taecyeon did though, so when he argued it would be a good song for couples or pairs to sing along to, Taecyeon had just agreed.
“You like that song?” he asked, and Junho snickered next to him. He probably picked up on the dread Taecyeon hadn’t been able to conceal.
“I love it,” was his overly excited answer just before he selected it. “You sing the girl’s parts.”
“You’re gonna regret that,” Taecyeon said, but he accepted the mic Junho was giving him. “I sound terrible.”
“Wait till you hear me rapping,” Junho said, but that was not much consolation.
x
“How often do you change your hair color?”
Junho looked up from the half-eaten sundae that seemed to have stolen all his attention from Taecyeon. His head tilted a little to the side, his quirked eyebrows barely visible under the thick, wavy fringe. “As often as the season changes,” he declared before digging into the remaining pile of vanilla scoops, licking at his chocolate syrup stained lips. “How about you?”
Taecyeon’s own hair was dyed a dark, lustrous shade of brown that he had stuck to for many years now. “I tried going blond once. Not sure I’d do it again.”
It didn’t seem that Junho had paid that much attention until he looked up again, the spoon in his mouth as his eyes passed over Taecyeon’s head. Taecyeon’s own eyes went to the fingers holding the spoon. Junho had a little more of ice cream as one’s gaze followed the other. “You look good like this,” he said, a slight shrug as he turned back to the dessert like that comment didn’t mean anything.
Taecyeon kept staring at him, though. He was hoping Junho’s ears would burn and they did-- from his own words or from Taecyeon’s gaze, either possibility pleased him. He smiled as he watched Junho enjoy his favorite food; they were sitting now, the table between them loaded with used plates and cutlery. The table hadn’t been there before; it had been placed in the center of the room before their late dinner arrived. Junho had ordered Kimchi fried rice and Taecyeon found out a little about his family through that-- Junho’s mom used to cook it for him and his sister when they were kids. Like Taecyeon, his sister was older than him by a few years, but she was not married yet.
He caught himself thinking about the seasons, and what other colors Junho might have dyed his hair before; what others he would still try, if Taecyeon would have the chance to see all that-- “What did you do with the flowers?”
Junho didn’t stray from finishing up his ice cream, each serving of the vanilla and chocolate mixture as slow and deliberate as possible. “I threw them away,” he said as he set the spoon in the bowl, and only then did he meet Taecyeon’s eyes-- to see the shock there. “I’m kidding,” he said through a brief chuckle, his cheeks filling up as he went on, “You’ll see what I did if you come by tomorrow.”
That worked to make Taecyeon relax again; he had almost believed him at first, but that invitation between the lines could only bring a positive reaction out of him. He hadn’t gone to the coffee shop that day or the one before because he had been preparing the bouquets and cards. And because he had wanted to create a little suspense. But he did miss seeing Junho, and he was glad it seemed to have worked. “I’ll try. I’m not sure I’ll get up early enough.”
There was a thoughtful glow to Junho’s eyes before his lips curved up again. “You do look sleepy now.”
Taecyeon rubbed his hands down his face, more embarrassed than trying to make the tiredness go away. “I’m sorry. I promise it has nothing to do with you.”
“It does, though,” Junho drummed his fingers on the table once as he leaned his chin on the other, left elbow on the table. “I do wish I had arrived earlier. We could have sung more,” his smile was wide and teasing as he said that.
Taecyeon shook his head at him, but he was smiling too. “You don’t mean that. I don’t know how you stayed after hearing me sing all that.”
Junho’s laugh was silent but his eyes were shimmering with it. “I’ve heard worse, trust me.”
Taecyeon covered his face at the memory; he shook his head again, but he dropped his hands soon. Taking in every change and detail on Junho’s face was more important than soothing his own ego. “I’d never have guessed you could dance so well.”
“Shut up,” Junho said, but his voice was light and there was no strain on his face. He straightened up on his chair and took a deep breath, hands now on his thighs. “I should get going--”
“It’s early--”
“It’s late, and we both have to work tomorrow.” He got up, and Taecyeon followed him. They both stood there for a second or two of awkwardness, and Junho’s cheeks were not the only ones to warm up.
“This--” Taecyeon gestured at the table, the room that sounded too quiet right then, “it’s on the house. Let me, huh, I’ll walk you out? Did you come by taxi?”
“I drove,” Junho said through a smile, a little shake of the head that Taecyeon would have to consider later. He had his back to the taller one as he took the leather jacket back and put it on, fixing it over his chest before he turned to look at Taecyeon, his face open as they stared at each other again. He went for the door too soon, but Taecyeon was behind him and then next to him as Junho made his way to the front door. He took his phone out once he stopped at the door, and Taecyeon saw the picture of two cats before Junho slipped it back into one of the pockets of his jacket. “See? It’s past two already,” he said, reaching into another pocket for his car keys.
“What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?” Taecyeon asked, though what he really wanted to say was that he hadn’t paid attention to time because of Junho’s company.
“It’s not my turn to open the shop, so...” Junho’s eyes were lidded, and for the first time Taecyeon saw how tired he must be, too. “I guess I can take advantage of being the boss for once.”
Taecyeon smiled at him. “That would be good. We don’t want you getting the drinks all mixed up cause you didn’t sleep enough.”
“That wouldn’t happen,” Junho’s statement sounded so matter-of-factly Taecyeon was afraid he had offended him, but the other’s features soothed into a smirk that told him otherwise. “You might wanna order something else tomorrow, though.”
“You’re kidding,” Taecyeon deadpanned, and Junho laughed.
“Can’t go a day without your Irish Coffee, huh?”
“I did just fine for the last two-- no, three days.” He had gotten an Americano on that dreadful morning where he had almost ruined everything.
“Tsk, Taecyeon. You don’t have to be so precise all the time.”
Taecyeon stared at him. Junho had just called him by his name-- his actual name, no jokes attached-- for the first time. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he finally answered, his lips tugging up as they’d got used to doing whenever he looked at Junho.
“‘Night,” Junho said, slipping out into the street.
“‘Night, Junho,” Taecyeon said, his smile following the other until he got into the car.
Taecyeon was still smiling when he closed the door, and he could finally call it a day.
A wonderful day.
x
“You’re making me lose money.”
Taecyeon started, but he kept his eyes on the notice at the front door: JUST FOR TODAY: Order any of our Summer Specials and get a Sunflower!
“I think I’m helping you make money, even though I’d prefer you to keep the flowers.”
Junho didn’t answer right away, so Taecyeon had to look at him. There was a small smile on the other’s lips, his face glowing under the morning sunlight. He looked a little sleepy, but once he took a deep breath that impression was gone. Taecyeon was half expecting him to stretch just like a cat would do, but Junho turned to face him instead, one hand on his hips and another on his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. “I kept a bouquet for me. There were too many of them, and I wouldn’t want my cats to get hold of the flowers.”
Taecyeon bit back his thoughts about cats and their evil ways, choosing to focus on Junho’s open, welcoming face as he stood two feet or so away from him.
“I meant something else, though.” Junho looked around until Taecyeon realized he wanted him to follow his gaze, so he did. He caught sight of a beaming barista as another shook his head at him, but then the former’s eyes also caught Taecyeon’s-- and he gave him a thumbs up. Those were Cha Sunwoo and Shin Dongwoo, respectively. He heard Junho laugh through his nose before Taecyeon turned back to him, eyebrows knit together questioningly. “The bet’s still going on,” Junho explained, and he sounded both amused and indignant at once, though the latter might be a little exaggerated.
“You could call it off,” Taecyeon said. He took a deep breath; it was a little hot to be outside and he was wearing a suit today, because he had people to meet for lunch. It was a little late to have a full breakfast but he had wanted to come, to check out what Junho had done. He could admit that the idea of distributing the flowers to clients was a good one. “That bet has something to do with my insisting to come here despite your efforts to get rid of me.” Junho laughed and shook his head at him, his cheeks risen and colored. Taecyeon enjoyed making him laugh, looking at his eyes when the mirth still lingered in them. “But I don’t think you wanna do that anymore.”
Junho kept shaking his head at him, slowly, a remaining chuckle vibrating in his chest. “How can you be so sure?” He teased, and took one small step forward as he leaned into Taecyeon’s personal space, his chin lifted as his hands rested on his hips. “I should have invited you in, but I didn’t.”
“We’re not in front of your house, though,” Taecyeon said, and he tilted his head to the side as he moved just a little forward. Junho was staring at him as he bit into his lip and it might have been a provocation or a sign of nervousness because they were standing so close, but Taecyeon thought both could be positive. “Unless you’d like me to come over, sometime.”
This time, Junho was biting back a laugh. His eyes sparkled and his cheeks were trying to pull his lips up and he hummed, but he shaped his mouth into a thin line and it was gone. He coughed and looked down for a second, and when their eyes met again, he had schooled his face into the serious, professional manager he was. “Come in, Taecyeno.”
Taecyeon grimaced. “That sounds really awful.”
“Suits you,” Junho moved as if he would go back inside the coffee shop. “So, are you coming or not?”
“Only if you bring my order to the table,” Taecyeon said. Junho shook his head at him with a disdainful quirk of one eyebrow that only made Taecyeon smile back at him. “It was worth a shot,” he said as he followed Junho inside.
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