Chapter Text
“It’s that all?” Dongmin asks as if they can hear him from inside the house while he shoves another suitcase into the trunk of Sanghyeok’s dad’s car. Hopefully they will all respond with “Yes, that is all, Dongminnie”, because they cannot possibly fit another bag inside this overflowing car.
“Minnie! Mine!” Donghyun comes out of the house sprinting with a backpack hanging from one of his shoulders.
“Donghyun, nearly half of the bags in the car are yours!” Dongmin states exasperated, hands over his hips. He has been playing tetris with all their bags for the last forty minutes and just when he thought the end was near, here comes Donghyun. He stares Dongmin up and down, then glances over to the jam-packed car.
“Fine” he punctuates with a pout followed by a sigh, “This one will go on my lap then” he adds, opening the door to the back seats.
“Why are you taking so much shit with you? It’s only a week, you know that, right?” Dongmin teases.
“I need all this shit” Donghyun answers with emphasis on the word, hooking his arm behind the back seats and giving Dongmin a piercing look. Dongmin just rolls his eyes and closes the door of the trunk on him.
“I’ll drive” Sanghyeok comes out of the house, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a floral shirt like they are already at the beach. “I can’t trust any of you to not kill us all or destroy my dad’s car” he explains, sipping on a can of diet coke and making his way to the driver seat.
“Logically” Sungho chimes in as he steps out of the house, locking the door right after. He begins making his way towards the car, “Minnie and Hyunnie can’t drive to save their lives and I would rather sleep all the way there” he adds.
“I can drive, hyung” Dongmin says with a side eye.
“Sure you can, Dongminnie” Sungho cuts with a teasing tone, ruffling up his hair before climbing into the backseat. Dongmin lets out a sigh, looks all around the garage to make sure no bags were left behind and makes his way to the passenger seat. He steps inside the car, closes the door, pulls the seat belt over his chest and gives his friends a look. Sungho ended up sitting behind him, so he can only clearly see Donghyun and his stupid backpack sitting behind Sanghyeok who is in the driver seat, adjusting the rear mirror, glasses pushed to rest on top of his head.
“Ok!” Sanghyeok begins with a clap “It’s a 4:30~5 hours drive there” he continues and Dongmin is already tired just thinking about it. “Dongminnie will be the DJ” he adds, passing the figurative AUX cord over to Dongmin. The two in the back groan and complain because they don’t appreciate good music, that’s why. “There are several gas stations on the road, so if you need to go to the bathroom just ask” he finishes starting up the car. They pull out the driveway and are off to their annual road trip.
They are a very improbable friend group if you look at it. Dongmin was the last one to join in their dorm when he started college. Sungho and Sanghyeok were already in their second year and welcomed the two newcomers with open arms. They are all in different majors, have different interests and personalities, but they just clicked, easily falling into a rhythm and dancing seamlessly around their moods and routines.
Donghyun is a reliable guy, bubbly and always in a good mood. He seems to know everything there is to know, always studying, reading, watching documentaries. It seems that if he stops for a single day he will combust. If you need a guy to change a tire, help you with an assignment, give you the recipe for a homemade cough remedy or tell you how the world spins, you call Donghyun.
But if you need a good eye, you call Sanghyeok. The guy is a master at anything design related, color combos, mixing textures and patterns, making any and every outfit look cool as fuck. He is very particular about his surroundings, always messing with their decor and furniture like the feng shui of the place is to blame for their poor grades. He is funny, a dreamer, a person who wants to do big things and be known. Reliable, someone who would help you hide a body, no questions asked, or volunteer to be your plus one for a party you didn't want to go alone to.
But if you need advice or a shoulder to cry on, you call Sungho. He is the perfect hyung figure, calm, collected, logical. He moves through life like nothing can get to him, like this is his second time on Earth, like he knows everything that will happen right before they do. But despite that, he has a tender heart. He can easily spot any mood switches on the others and is always there for them when they need.
And Dongmin, well, he is Dongmin. He is curious and observant, but cautious, has a short temper, is a little mischievous and can be very stubborn at times. He is an overthinker, always deliberating a thousand times before taking a step, studying all the possible scenarios and outcomes. He is good at reading people's intentions, seeing right through lies and jokes. You really can’t fool him, well, that is if he isn’t drunk, which unfortunately happens quite often.
They do this every summer, hop in the car and drive somewhere for a week just to escape a bit. Last year they went to Donghyun’s parents farm in the countryside and spent their days fishing in the river and barbecuing. The year before that they went to Sanghyeok’s grandparents house in the mountains, a cute small cottage. They skated down the mountains, flew kites and slept under the stars near the fire pit.
This year is their 3rd year so they got a little courageous and ambitious. They rented an Airbnb in Rio de Janeiro and paid a pretty penny for one about 500m from the beach. This one felt like their real first trip together so they were stoked, buzzing inside the car all the way there from São Paulo. Even Sungho, who generally sleeps as soon as the car is on, was singing and speaking loudly about all the places he wants to see.
“We have to go see Christ the Redeemer or we might as well just turn around” Sungho blurted, not leaving room for argument.
“Right, you can’t go to Rio and not go there” Sanghyeok joined with a nod.
Dongmin sank down into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window, “Hyung, it’s fucking crowded there” he complained with a pout.
“You don’t know that, we might get lucky!” Donghyun chimed in excitedly, the glass was always half full for him. Dongmin let out a sigh, it was 3 on 1 and he was defeated.
“Oh! We could go to the aquarium!” Donghyun exclaimed, turning his phone to the others with pictures of it on the screen. Dongmin looked over his shoulder, picked the phone from Donghyun’s hands and began swiping through the photos. “It’s the biggest aquarium in South America, you know! They even have a Mola mola!” he continued brightly, trying to convince the others to abide by his plans.
Dongmin returned the phone to his owner, asking “What the hell is that?” with a disgusted look on his face, only receiving an eyeroll as an answer. “I think we should all do our separate things” Dongmin inquired with a shrug and braced himself for their reactions.
“No way, Dongminnie” Sanghyeok denied, shoving at him with his elbow “We came together, we will stay together” he added in a firm voice, the two in the back nodded along and Dongmin could only let out a sigh.
“What do you want to do, Dongminnie?” Sungho asked, patting his shoulder.
“I wanna drink a cold beer under the shade and enjoy the sea breeze” he responded, closing his eyes, already smelling the salt in the air.
“For 7 days??” Donghyun barked, incredulous, “Booooring” he added, drawing out the sound. Dongmin pinched his knee and he let out a startled yelp.
“We will see when we get there, ok?” Sanghyeok cut in, trying to appease their nerves.
Soon enough they pulled up to their rented house, unloaded the car and sorted out their rooms. One by one they gathered in the living room. It was still the middle of the afternoon, too late for lunch but too early for dinner, so they decided to step down to the beach and walk around for a while to get to know the surroundings. Dongmin felt like staying in and watching a movie or catching up on his YouTube “watch later” playlist, but he swallowed his laziness and hopped out of the sofa before he could get too comfortable.
The walk to the beach was unceremonious, just a few blocks and they were greeted by a vast ocean view. The sun was still sitting high in the sky and its warmth and light kissed Dongmin’s cheeks and made him squint. The only thing counteracting the scorching sun was the cool sea breeze that ruffled Dongmin’s hair and invaded his lungs. He closed his eyes for a second, suddenly happy that he agreed to come along.
They made their way to the sand, weaving through the people that walked up and down the street, biking, walking their dogs, skating, jogging or just minding their own business. Once they reached the sand they kicked off their slides, letting the warm sand cover their feet.
“Ah, this is the best!” Sungho exclaimed, opening his arms, closing his eyes and fully enjoying the wind.
Dongmin giggled. “You look like Rose from the Titanic, hyung” he teased and the other two laughed.
“Let’s get a drink and sit down” Sanghyeok said, pointing towards a rustic but cute shack about 10m away from them.
Dongmin couldn’t take his eyes away from the sea, walking towards the shack guided only by the sound of Donghyun's voice as he explained the ocean tides to their hyungs. The water was so blue it looked dyed and when the waves crashed and licked the sand the sun scattered glitter over them as a reward for the beautiful symphonies they were creating. He could never get tired of this view.
Sungho and Sanghyeok told Donghyun what they wanted to drink and moved to secure a table for them.
“What are you getting? Beer?” Donghyun asked, leaning over the counter and pushing the menu towards Dongmin when he closed in. A beer didn’t sound bad, but maybe something a little lighter for day one would be ideal. He settled his heart on a mango slushy because that sounded delicious and refreshing. He lifted his eyes, searching for a bartender to collect his order.
“Hi! I’ll have the…” he started, but when the man turned around he was speechless.
Now that was a delicious and refreshing thing right there. He felt the air catch on his throat, jaw slack, eyes travelling all over the man’s figure. He was a little shorter than Dongmin, had the golden skin of a person who clearly enjoys the sunlight, sweat glistening over it, his black wavy hair reached his strong and exposed shoulders. He had soft round eyes framed by perfectly arched eyebrows, a cute little nose, sun burnt cheeks and the most dazzling smile stretched over his rosy lips as he patiently waited for Dongmin to place his order.
“Gosh- the…” Dongmin continued breathless, still taking in the sight in front of him. Donghyun shoved him with his elbow, giving him a playful smile and cocking his head towards the bartender. “The mango slushy” he finally blurted out, pointing his gaze towards the menu right after. Donghyun is going to tease him to no end. He felt the heat crawling over his cheeks. Donghyun ordered his and their hyung’s drinks, but Dongmin couldn’t even hear what he was saying, suddenly very interested in the woody texture of the counter.
“Eye fucking on day one, Minnie?” Donghyun teased as they walked on the warm sand towards the table Sanghyeok and Sungho were sitting at.
“Oh my god, shut up” he retorted, running his hands over his face, cheeks blazing.
Donghyun laughed and sprinted towards the table. “You guys will not believe what just happened!" he said loudly, calling their hyungs' attention. Dongmin needs new friends. He felt like turning around and hopping on the first bus back home, but instead he dragged his feet all the way to the table, hearing their faint laugh as he slumped down on one of the chairs.
“So, saw something that you liked, Dongminnie?” Sungho joked, resting his elbow over the table and his chin on the palm of his hand, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. Dongmin took in a long breath to steady his heart beat and closed his eyes.
“But really” Sanghyeok started, looking over to the shack, “You got good taste, Dongminnie” he added. They all looked over in complete silence. The cute bartender had his back turned towards them, seemingly fixing up their drinks. The muscles on his back, that the white tank top didn’t cover, flexed at his every move.
“Shit, he is tasty” Donghyun admitted under his breath, drawing his bottom lip in between his teeth.
“Right?” Sungho agreed, swallowing the spit that was pooling inside his mouth. They all shared looks between them.
“What if…” Sanghyeok cut in with a mischievous smile on his lips, pulling everyone's attention towards him “we make a bet” he added, clasping his hands and resting his elbows over the table. Donghyun was already buzzing and Sungho rolled his eyes like he knew what Sanghyeok was going to say next.
“We have 7 days to get him” Sanghyeok proposed with a smirk.
“Fair game this time around, ok?” Donghyun commanded, crossing his arms and looking over to Dongmin like he was a cheater.
“I’m not going to engage in no stupid bet!” Dongmin said firmly, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest as well. The other three smiled because they knew Dongmin all too well.
“Afraid of losing, Dongminnie?” Sanghyeok teased, lifting one eyebrow, already amused. Dongmin felt the blood rushing to his ears. He was very competitive when the subject was games, times and scores, but he had no “date game” so his chances of winning this one were slim. He chewed on his bottom lip, thoroughly going over all the possibilities.
“Here you go!” a voice low and strong like the crashing waves pulled him from his bet-induced train wreck. They all devoured the man with their eyes as he carefully placed their respective drinks in front of them, the silver chain around his neck swinging in the air when he moved. “Let me know if you need anything else” he added with a smile before retreating to the shack. The shape of his perky round butt was visible with every step he took as the beige shorts he was wearing tugged around his legs.
“It's on” Dongmin said pointedly, taking his cup in his hand and raising it for a toast. The others smiled and shared a look between them, taking a hold of their respective glasses and clinking them against Dongmin’s. They collectively took a sip and placed their drinks over the table nearly at the same time.
“So…” Donghyun started, licking the remainder of his drink from his lips, “Who is getting his number?”.
“Gosh, we are a joke” Sungho admitted, rubbing his temples, not really answering him.
“We don’t even know his name, yall” Sanghyeok added with a breathy laugh.
“I’ll go” Dongmin blurted, already pushing his chair back and raising abruptly.
They all stared at him like he grew another head. “You??” Sungho asked with a mocking tone, landing his hand over the middle of his chest dramatically.
“Someone is eager” Sanghyeok smirked, taking another sip from his drink. Dongmin puffed his chest and ran his hands through his hair.
“Watch this” Dongmin said with a confident smile, taking a couple of sips from his drink for liquid courage (even though it was alcohol free) and turning on his heels towards the handsome bartender.
He could feel their eyes tracking him as he made his way towards the shack, his newly acquired confidence dwindling with every step he took. He only remembered that he had no actual plan when he reached the shaded counter. “Hi, do you need anything else?” the cute, handsome, refreshing and delicious bartender asked, placing his splayed hands over the counter. The muscles on his arms flexed to support his weight. “Yes, you” Dongmin thought, but he wasn’t that bold. He cleared his throat.
“I… We…” he began, suddenly aware of how sweaty his palms were. “We didn’t ask your name” he said shyly, pointing his gaze down as the words rolled off his tongue. The man looked straight into Dongmin’s eyes, drawing his brows into a frown for a split second. Most people must stop by, get their drinks and move on, never bothering to ask for the name of the person who made it, so it would make sense if he thought the request was weird.
“Jaehyun!” the man answered with a sunny smile.
“Jaehyun…” Dongmin echoed, he enjoyed the way it tasted on his tongue.
“Yep, and you are…?” Jaehyun prompted.
“Dongmin!” he answered, landing the tip of his pointer finger over the middle of his chest. He turned over to face his friends that were watching his every move like hawks. “The long-haired brunette is Donghyun” he pointed towards the table and Donghyun waved his hand back. “That blond buff is Sungho hyung” he continued, pointing towards his hyung who just raised his hand like they were doing roll calls in school. “And the short redhead is Sanghyeok hyung” he finished pointing towards the last man on the table, who smiled and tipped a fake top hat towards them.
When Dongmin turned back around, Jaehyun was very close to him, resting on his elbows over the counter, hands clasped, listening attentively to Dongmin’s presentation. “So, Sungho and Sanghyeok are hyungs, hm?” he asked.
“Yeah, they are twenty-two years old, me and Donghyun are twenty-one” he answered honestly. Upon hearing those words an amused look bloomed on Jaehyun’s face, so much so that it made Dongmin revise everything he said up until now at the speed of light.
“Oh…” Jaehyun began with a smirk “So I’m your hyung too” he added, batting his eyelashes and resting his chin on the palm of his right hand.
“Really? I thought you would be twenty at most” Dongmin admitted, inspecting his faint smile lines.
“Oh, I’m flattered!" Jaehyun smiled “I’m the same age as your hyungs, twenty-two” he added, standing up straight now, “Twenty-three in december” he finished with a wink, lifting three fingers up.
Dongmin knows what he wants for Christmas this year.
He swallowed dry, not really knowing how to respond to the sudden playful tone and wink. Thankfully, Jaehyun cut the tension. “You see… I’m at work right know” he whispered, leaning into Dongmin’s space, “But I can give you my number, we could all go out for drinks, what would you say?”. He didn’t even need to ask twice.
Dongmin nodded and answered with a simple “Yeah”, not trusting himself to form any elaborated answer.
He spared a look back at their table and they seemed to be done eavesdropping on Dongmin’s conversation. His luck. He used his body to cover Jaehyun from their view as he noted his number down on a napkin, handing it to Dongmin with a smile. He immediately placed it inside the pocket of his shorts before any of his friends could see it or, god forbid, the wind swept it away. This was precious information and advantage on their bet. Ok, maybe he was a cheater.
“Thanks, I’ll text you” Dongmin promised, feeling a little more at ease.
“See you around!” Jaehyun responded with a smile that reached his eyes, wiggling his fingers in the air.
Dongmin floated back to their table, feeling like he got this one in the bag already. He dropped his body down on the chair with a relieved sigh and immediately all eyes were on him.
“Did you get it?” Sanghyeok asked, exasperated, dragging his eyes up and down Dongmin’s figure like he could see the answer on his body language.
“His name is Jaehyun” Dongmin answered, taking a sip of his melting drink to quench his awfully dry mouth.
“Hum… and?” Sungho prompted, tilting his head to the side.
“He is your age, hyung” Dongmin continued.
“Oh, so we are friends, hm?” Sanghyeok stated, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning back on his chair and looking towards the shack once more. Dongmin knows what that means, Sanghyeok likes older boys. One down, two to go.
“That’s it?” Donghyun inquired, shooting him a disappointed look.
“I was gone for less than 5 minutes!” Dongmin retorted, raising the volume of his voice.
“I would have gotten his number” Donghyun added smugly to which Dongmin just rolled his eyes. “Me too, dumbass” he thought to himself, schooling his face so he wouldn’t accidentally flash a smirk and spill his secret.
They sat there for about half an hour, going over their plans for the week, condensing a list of all the places they wanted to visit, trying to build a balanced schedule so they wouldn’t be too tired by the end of it. When they were finally done the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, painting the sky orange and pink, carving shadows on the waves. They stood up and paid for their bill before making their way down the street towards their rented house. Dongmin noticed that Jaehyun was already missing from behind the counter.
-
Dongmin sat down on his bed, phone in one hand, the napkin with Jaehyun’s phone number on the other. Droplets of water fell from his hair and rushed down his bare back and chest until they got soaked into the towel that was tied around his waist. He saved his number as “Jaehyun from the bet” and opened the messages app right after. He stared at the white screen for a second, fingers hoovering over the keyboard but he couldn’t type a single word. Was he being a bad friend?
He closed the screen with a click that echoed inside the quiet room and slumped back on the bed. This was a bad idea. He wasn’t about to risk messing up their friendship for some random man. He got out of bed, dressed himself up in some comfortable clothes and made his way to the kitchen. The others were already sitting down at the table, enjoying some pizza for dinner. According to their plan, tomorrow will be their busiest day so for today they settled on staying in, sleeping early and ordering take out.
-
Dongmin woke up suddenly in a dark unfamiliar room, it took his brain a second to remember why he wasn’t at home. Donghyun adjusted a little on the other single bed beside his. He picked up his phone to check the time, wincing at the sudden brightness. It was 4:25am. Perfect! He jumped out of bed, picked up a towel, pulled his hoodie over his head and stepped out of the dark room, walking carefully through the house so as to not wake anyone up. He had to be back by seven so he had plenty of time to watch the sunrise.
It was still very much night time when he stepped out of the house, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as he thought it would be. He walked down the empty street toward the beach and to his surprise, there were already a few people jogging up and down on the sidewalk of the street that stretched at the edge of the sand. “Go to bed people!” Dongmin thought to himself, but hey, he wasn’t in bed either. He threw the towel in the air, holding on to two corners, letting the wind help him place it over the cold sand.
He set down cross-legged over it, adjusting the hood of his hoodie around his neck and pulling the sleeves over his hands. The sky was beginning to turn blue. The ocean breeze caressed his cheeks and ruffled his hair, the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing matched his steady heart beat. Today will be a very long day, full of sightseeing and crowds, but right now Dongmin gets the pleasure of enjoying some peace and alone time. He pulled his phone out selecting a song to make this moment as cinematic as he could. Ocean eyes, by Billie Eilish it is. The sun was finally rising now.
The pale yellow sand looked like a blanket, mostly smooth but crickled here and there, like it had the intention of creating pockets of shade for the little crabs that darted all over it. The sky was truly like a painting, brush strokes of purples, oranges and pinks that reflected on the vast restless ocean. Dongmin was a mere spectator for the ever changing beauty that surrounded him. He picked up some sand with his hand, watching as it fell through his fingers. “There is so little we can actually control”.
“I love this song!” a bright voice sounded beside him, startling him out of his thoughts.
“What the fuck-!” he blurted, looking up at the source of the sound and trying to identify the face of the man standing a couple of meters away from him. “Jaehyun hyung??” he asked, drawing his brows into a frown. “Is this a joke?”.
“Wow! The guy from yesterday!” he remembered, crouching. “What are you doing out here?”. He rested his elbows over his knees.
“I wanted to get a beer, but you guys aren’t open yet” he teased looking towards the shack behind them, and that got an actual laugh out of Jaehyun. “Just watching the sunrise” he answered honestly right after.
Jaehyun glanced at the ocean and Dongmin couldn’t take his eyes away from him. He was probably one of those crazy people that jog at four in the morning because his arms and face glowed with sweat. A little drop rolled down his bicep and Dongmin followed it with his eyes all the way down. He swallowed dry. Jaehyun wiped a little bit of the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and looked back at Dongmin. The few pieces of his hair that weren’t caught in his messy ponytail framed his face beautifully.
“I’m here everyday, you know” he started in a calm tone, “The view becomes part of the routine after a while, but on some days, like today, it does look like a painting”. He paused for a second. “We really shouldn’t take things for granted, right?” he finished with a smile.
Dongmin smiled back, “Right” he echoed, more air than sound. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. The sound of the waves mixing with the soft hum of the music and the increasing beating of Dongmin’s heart.
“Do you…” Dongmin began on a whim, cracking his knuckles, “Wanna sit down and watch with me?” he asked shyly, tilting his head to the side a little. Honestly, which would be worse? He denies and Dongmin has to sit here alone with a bitter taste in his mouth or he accepts and Dongmin has to sit here with him and pretend this is just a normal situation. Actually, the latter wouldn’t hurt at all.
“Sure! Scooch over” he answered, tapping Dongmin’s knee and he complied. Jeahyun slumped his body down on the towel with a huff, hugging his knees. He cleared his throat. “So… Billie Eilish, the beach and beer” he listed, lifting one finger up after every word, “Anything else that you like?” he asked with a closed smile, tilting his head to the side like a puppy.
They were sitting way too close to each other for absolute strangers. Dongmin looked at him. The sun reflected on his onyx eyes, making them glitter just like the crashing waves. “He has ocean eyes”, Dongmin noted. The kind that lures you in like a siren, so vast and so deep you can’t tell you are drowning in them until it’s too late.
Dongmin only noticed he had drifted off when Jaehyun frowned and waved his right hand in front of his face to get his attention.
“Men…” he answered with a breathy voice. “Why the fuck did I said that? I sounded like a creep!” he assessed, feeling a wave of heat rising from his chest up to his cheeks. “... and, hm… w-women as well, yeah!” he stuttered, running his hand through his hair and lifting his chin up in a failed attempt to look cool. “I’m sorry, what was the question again?” he asked, pulling his lips into a thin line.
Jehyun giggled, covering his mouth with his hand. “I meant like food or hobbies” he responded with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lip, scanning all over Dongmin’s figure. He felt suddenly aware of his exposed legs and pulled at the hem of his shorts.
“Hm, anything with lots of cheese and, hm… Is doom scrolling on Instagram considered a hobby?” he hesitated “I’m way too lazy to do anything else… I'll just stay in bed if I can help it” he shrugged and averted Jaehyun’s gaze who seemingly could see right through Dongmin’s nervousness, a permanent grin plastered on his lips.
“You must look good in bed" Jaehyun said, just loud enough for Dongmin to catch. He whipped his head around so fast his neck cracked. Jaehyun was looking towards the sea with an absolutely serene look on his face that didn’t match his words in the slightest. Dongmin’s eyes darted all over him, searching for clues, mouth parted, brows raised. “Did he just say that??” he pondered.
Jaehyun turned his head around and his face took a startled shape as soon as he crossed eyes with Dongmin. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that!” he began, waving both hands in the air and letting out a faint laugh, “I meant… You would look comfy… I dunno” he scratched the back of his neck, looking a little flustered . He looked adorable when he got shy. “I can’t stay still for too long, so…” he trailed off “I’m always out of the house” he concluded with a timid smile. He has cute shallow dimples. “Fuck”. Dongmin instinctively raised his hands to cover his ears that felt aflame.
“So, hm… Where are you from?” Jaehyun asked. Dongmin felt so silly, he clearly was the only one having trouble breathing in this situation. Jaehyun spoke to him like they were already friends.
“São Paulo” Dongmin answered, licking over his suddenly dry lips.
“Oh! That’s not a good place to live in if you like the beach” Jaehyun said with a pitiful expression on his face.
“Yeah…” Dongmin responded with a breathy laugh, pointing his gaze towards the sand, “I would much rather spend the whole week sitting down and resting at the beach, but the others wanna go sightseeing and all…” he added, shaking his head. The sun was completely visible now, drawing a path of light all the way to the sand.
Jaehyun hummed in acknowledgment. “Sightseeing is fun too! The city is beautiful, you’ll see, and besides that, you can always come down to the beach at the end of the day”. He was trying to be nice and Dongmin was thankful for that. “It’s open 24/7, you know?” he teased with a sly smile, nudging at him with his elbow.
Dongmin rolled his eyes but jumped right in. “Oh, really!” he began, shooting his eyebrows up like he just heard a life changing fact, “Thanks for telling me that! How would I know?” he added with a sarcastic tone that pulled a laugh out of Jaehyun.
“We… barely know each other, but…” Jaehyun began, his voice wavering a little as he tried to place a strand of hair behind his ear that wasn’t long enough to reach it, “There will be a luau here, in like- two days” he added, rubbing up and down his arms that were completely dry now and averting Dongmin’s gaze. “You guys should come” he shrugged. “It will be fun!” he promised excitedly with a glint on his eyes and a smile on his plush lips. He smiled quite a lot and every time he did, something inside Dongmin shifted.
“Sure, I’ll tell the others” Dongmin responded with a nod.
“Cool!” Jaehyun blurted, rising to his feet and shaking the sand away from his shorts “See you there!” he waved goodbye, winked and walked away. Just like that.
Dongmin ran his hands through his hair, he was suddenly very warm. He glanced at the ocean one last time before standing up, pulling his hoodie up and off his body, tossing it over his shoulder. He picked up the towel, shaking the sand away from it as best as he could before making his way back to the house.
Sungho and Sanghyeok were already up, drinking coffee on the sofa, legs resting over the coffee table. The blob of blankets beside them looked like Donghyun.
Dongmin paused in the middle of the way when their eyes crossed. “Minnie! Where were you?” Sanghyeok asked way too loudly for how early it was. The blob groaned.
Dongmin gave them a smirk and lifted his phone up. “I got his number” he admitted plainly, not really answering him. He decided to omit that he had it since yesterday, it doesn’t make any difference anymore.
Donghyun tossed the blanket back and sat up abruptly. “You what??” he blurted, eyes wide, hair messy. Dongmin shot him an amused look. Sungho and Sanghyeok just shared a look between them and giggled.
The day passed in a blur. All Dongmin can remember is how hot and humid the weather was, how many photos Sungho made him take, how excited Donghyun was, spilling history facts about the royal Portuguese family or something like that, how much Sanghyeok complained about his feet hurting from walking around all day long.
Undoubtedly the best part of the day was sitting down at a bistro to eat some dinner. The place was so cozy, dimly lit by the pendants that hung from the ceiling, the walls were covered in plants, exposed brick peaking from in between the green leaves, the mismatched wooden furniture gave it a nice quirky and homey touch.
Honestly, they looked too disheveled to be in such a nice place. Sweat clinging to their skin from walking, hair messy from the wind and Dongmin is pretty sure Donghyun will have a sunburn on his cheeks judging by how red they look.
“Are you allergic to sunscreen, or what?” Dongmin mocked, poking at Donghyun’s glowing red face who pulled back with a screech.
“You know I hate the stickiness” Donghyun responded, scrunching his nose and soothing his skin with a cold can of soda. Dongmin rolled his eyes. They are the same age, but it feels like Donghyun is much younger and way too reckless.
“So…” Dongmin began, poking at his fries, “We have been invited to a party” he spoke into the air, drawing all eyes towards him. “It’s a luau, on like- Today is…?” he inquired looking at Sungho who pulled his phone out of his pocket and responded. It was Monday. It was only the first day of their trip, and they were already beat. “So Wednesday, at the shack” he added, shoving three fries at once in his mouth.
Sanghyeok hummed low, a mischievous smile stretching on his lips. “Who invited us, Dongminnie?” he asked, batting his lashes with a tone that told Dongmin he already knew the answer to that question.
“Jaehyun hyung…” Dongmin responded honestly with a mouth full of fries, dusting his salt covered hands on his pants. “I’m going. Y'all don’t need to go if you don’t want” he said with a shrug, trying to sound unbothered.
Sanghyeok crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you, we are sticking together this week” he asserted with a stern look on his face. Dongmin let out a sigh, fair game.
“Actually” Donghyun cut in, pointer finger lifted up in the air like he was about to ask the teacher a question, “I don’t wanna go” he said with a wary smile. Dongmin waited for Sanghyeok’s reaction, waited for the explosion and the nagging but he just sighed and closed his eyes.
“Fine!” Sanghyeok declared after a while. It’s so unfair that Donghyun gets a pass easily like that, but Dongmin can’t be too mad, it’s one less player on their bet. Dongmin chewed the inside of his mouth to suppress a smile. Donghyun shot Sanghyeok a weirdly long stare and Dongmin caught his eyebrows twitching up.
“Hm… You and Sungho c-can go, Dongminnie” Sanghyeok mumbled, pulling his baseball cap over his eyes a little. “Hm? What’s going on?” Dongmin judged, brows drawn into a frown, eyes darting in between the two of them, searching for any weird motion. “Can’t leave Hyunnie alone, right?” he said a little louder with a grin, fixing his cap back.
Dongmin shot Sungho a look and he just shrugged, which means he knows exactly what is going on. “You sure, hyung?” Dongmin asked cautiously, “I thought we would stick together all week” he continued, not really understanding Donghyun’s sudden interest in the ceiling of the bistro.
“It’s just one night, right?” Sanghyeok reasoned before calling the waiter and asking for their bill. Dongmin didn’t push any further.
-
Dongmin threw his body down at his bed with a loud sigh, but Donghyun didn’t even flinch from where he was laying on his own bed, too caught up reading his newly acquired book about the Atlantic Ocean. Dongmin looked at him and exaggerated another loud sigh, making Donghyun finally put down his book and look at him with an annoyed look.
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy?” he blurted, motioning towards his new precious possession.
“Should I text him?” Dongmin asked, eyes glinting at him expectantly while he fidgets with the sheets over the bed.
“Text who?” Donghyun asked genuinely, drawing his brows into a frown.
“Jaehyun hyung!” he responded loudly “Who else would it be, dumbass??”
“Yes!” he responded to the first question, “Why haven’t you done that already, dumbass?” Donghyun questioned, fixing his posture a little against the headboard.
Dongmin faltered. “I dunno…” he responded with a pout, averting Donghyun gaze, “I’m afraid I’ll say something stupid” he admitted.
Donghyun looked at him fondly. “Ow, sweetheart… Don’t worry, you will absolutely do that!” he said with a smile like he didn’t just insult Dongmin.
Dongmin threw a pillow in his direction, but missed.
“Dongmin, I don’t know and I don’t care” he said firmly, “Why all the fuss? Just say what you need to say to get him, what’s wrong with you?” he asked.
Dongmin chewed on his bottom lip. “I don’t know what to say to get him…” he confessed. Donghyun’s laugh echoed in the small room, bouncing off the walls and hitting Dongmin in the face. He rolled his eyes, “I don’t know why I asked you” he said, annoyed, rising from his bed and walking towards the door, “You are the worst, you know that, right?” Dongmin squinted back at Donghyun who was wiping a tear away from his eye.
“At least I’m not a loser” Donghyun said smugly, “Just go with the flow, Minnie” he advised in a casual tone. That might have been the worst advice Dongmin has ever heard. He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
He slumped down on the sofa this time. He was the only one out of the bedrooms so the living room was quiet, the only sounds he could hear was the low hum of the fridge and his own heart beating. He fished his phone from the pocket of his shorts, typed in his password and opened the message app.
He stared at the blank screen once more. Should he begin with a simple “hi”? Was it already too late to be texting? Jaehyun might have work tomorrow, so maybe he shouldn't bother him this late at night, but he promised he would text him. That was yesterday, so if he doesn’t do it now, he will only do it tomorrow and that would be two days after he gave Dongmin his number, which would be too late and make it seem like he forgot.
Dongmin took a deep breath and typed in a simple “Hi”, hitting the “send” button right after. He closed his phone and placed it screen down over his chest. Why did he feel like a high school kid texting his crush for the first time? Donghyun was right, he was a loser. Maybe Jaehyun wouldn’t even answer an unknown number texting him this late at night. His mind was racing when his phone suddenly sent a vibration all the way down to his equally racing heart.
He sat up quickly, unlocking the screen to a simple “Hi, who is this?” reply from Jaehyun. Dongmin didn’t even remember to tell him who it was, off to a great start.
“It’s Dongmin! From the shack” he responded. This time he didn’t place his phone down, he held it firmly in his palms, fingers hovering over the keyboard while he waited for Jaehyun’s answer.
“Oh, right! I’ll save your number :)” he responded. Dongmin let out a breathy laugh, he smiles even through text.
“How was your day?” Dongmin tried to keep the conversation going, not really knowing what to say. This should be good, not too forward, friendly enough.
“Good, everyday is busy, so I worked a lot” Jaehyun responded a couple of seconds later. Dongmin was beginning to type a reply when the three dots appeared. “No group of beautiful men today, unfortunately” Jaehyun added right after. It made Dongmin’s heart skip a beat.
He bit his bottom lip. “Too bad :(“ he replied. The compliment affected him, sure, but he is a cool, composed, nonchalant guy, so he wasn't going to give in that easily.
“And how was your day? Lots of sightseeing?” Jaehyun asked. He remembered.
“Yeah, I saw all that I wanted to see at sunrise”. Dongmin remembered the soft salty breeze, the sound of the waves, the peace he felt. All those warm, fuzzy visions were replaced by crowds of sweaty tourists, overpriced water bottles and the scorching sun burning his scalp, “The rest of the day was a drag” he added.
“U saw what u wanted to see, hm?” Jaehyun asked. Dongmin furrowed his brows.
“Yeah, the beach, the view”. Dongmin felt like there was some misunderstanding in the air so he needed to clear it up.
“Oh…” Jaehyun replied, “I thought u were talking about me hehe” he added right after. Right, Jaehyun was there too and he was an absolute sight to behold.
“I was there to see the sunrise…” Dongmin typed in, but flashes of Jaehyun’s beautiful wide smile and the way the sun reflected on his sparkling eyes suddenly crowded his vision. The curls of his hair, the flex of his arms, the tone of his voice. “But... u really were the cherry on top” he typed in not really giving it much thought, for once.
Silence.
Jaehyun didn’t reply as fast as he was doing before, which was about 10 seconds, so when he took a bit more than that, Dongmin typed in hastily “I mean! It was nice seeing u again!” he added like it would fix his previous statement. His heart was picking up speed. He considered deleting all the messages, but surely Jaehyun must have read them already.
No reply.
“Ah, pls just… Pretend I said nothing…” Dongmin typed in, pinching the bridge of his nose right after. He felt so dumb that the only possible way out of this situation would be to throw his phone out the window and follow right after. Donghyun cursed him, for sure.
Dongmin’s phone vibrates again. “I see… Hahahah” Jaehyun replied. Great, another person to make fun of his miserable state. “You’re cute, Dongmin :)” he added right after. He wasn’t going for “cute” but that surely was better than “creepy” or “loser”. Dongmin didn’t even know where to go from there, what to say, how to change the topic, but thankfully, Jaehyun stepped in. “So, u guys coming to the luau?” he asked. Oh, right!
“Yeah, not all of us, just me and Sungho hyung” Dongmin responded, playing with his thumbs over the glowing screen and recalling the weird tension Sanghyeok and Donghyun shared at dinner. “The other two wanted to stay behind for some reason…” he completed.
“Hm, k!” Jaehyun responded simply. “Sorry to cut u off but I gtg to bed” he sent a couple of seconds later. Reading that text made Dongmin feel kind of sad.
“Yeah, sure!” Dongmin replied, biting down on his bottom lip. Something inside him made him want to apologize, “Sorry about texting u so late”.
“No problems! See u there!” Jaehyun replied, and Dongmin could even hear the cheerful tone of his voice in that text. “Night! ;)” he sent at the end. He even winks through text, gosh.
“Yeah, good night” Dongmin replied. He let his back hit the sofa, finally allowing the tension to escape his limbs, finally letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He pulled his phone near his face and ran over all their conversation a couple of times. His heart kept doing a weird flippy thing here and there. He deemed the conversation good enough for a first text, but he surely could improve on his brain-to-finger filter.
He placed the phone over his chest again, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. They are going to the aquarium tomorrow and Dongmin doesn't want to go. He still feels the lingering pain on the soles of his feet from standing and walking around all day, so another full day of walking sounds absolutely horrible. He closes his eyes for a second trying to relax his muscles just a little, not enough for him to fall asleep. But he does anyway, drifting into that weird state of not fully awake but not really sleeping either. He is knocked right out of it when his phone buzzes over his chest.
He blinks the sleep away from his eyes a few times and squints at the blinding brightness of the screen, trying to adjust his vision enough to understand what is going on. A chill runs down his spine when he sees that it’s a text from Jaehyun. He is fully awake in an instant, sitting up hastily to read what he said.
“Been thinking about u…”
Dongmin feels the wind leave his lungs as he reads the phrase over and over again. He must be dreaming. His phone falls from his grip, hitting his thighs and he rubs his eyes with the heels of his palms. When he picks the phone back up, the text is still there. Dongmin’s eyes widened. He can hear his heart beating in his ears. He tries to think of something to say, eyes running over the words on Jaehyun’s text, fingers hovering helplessly over the screen, when the text suddenly disappears. Jaehyun deleted it.
Dongmin feels horrible for a second, like running face first into a brick wall, a mix of pain, shame and shock all at once. No matter how he looks at it, the text is gone. He puts his phone down and takes in a big breath, trying to calm his mind and organize his thoughts. He should have responded faster, perhaps there was something he could have done, even an emoji would have been enough to make his presence known. He creases his brows and runs his tongue over his teeth. He wants to reach through the screen, more than anything he wants to tell Jaehyun he has been thinking about him as well.
So he does.
His fingers glide over the smooth glass like they’ve got a mind of their own, word after word appearing on the screen. Dongmin doesn’t even read it back before hitting “send”.
“Been thinking about u too”.
He can barely blink, biting hard on his bottom lip while he waits for something, anything! His breath hitches when three dots appear on the screen. He stares at them until they are replaced with a text. “Can’t wait to see you again”. A wave of relief washes over Dongmin’s body. He unclenches his jaw, closes his eyes, takes a breath through his nose and pushes it out through his mouth. He’s got him, it’s real, it’s not one sided, it’s not a dream.
“See ya! :)” he replies. He is the one smiling now.