Crumbling Bridges {YuJae} | complete

eight

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Saturday marks Jaehyun's first day off since New Year and he doesn't know what to do. Time is such a luxury that as soon as he's not scrambling to complete household chores between long shifts, he lays on the sofa and thinks. Hard. About everything yet nothing in particular.

"Where did you move the biscuits to?" Hyejin's voice interrupts his current dilemma of if he should revisit the girl's piano books, and he sits up to blink at her while his brain catches up. Donghyuck lingers at her side with his hair just as ruffled.

"They're in the top cupboard. But don't eat all of them." The last part goes unheard because the two teenagers disappear back into the kitchen before he can finish, so he lays back down and pulls his hood over his head.

The pink hoodie drowns his frame, and the softness hasn't withered since the day he bought it, but he would still like to treat himself to some new items when, or if, the budget stretches that far. Hyejin and Donghyuck walk from the kitchen to the girl's bedroom. The door clicks shut. Jaehyun knows he's not going to see them until dinner, and that's only if they don't escape to a crappy diner on the other side of the city so he turns his phone between his hands, letting the weight tether his mind to the ground.

As his eyes shift from the piano to his LP collection, the face of a certain handsome co-worker diffuses into his head and reassembles itself into the irresistible smile, and he unlocks his phone. Yuta's number has sat in his contacts for nearly a year, yet he's never found the courage to type out a message. The initials of his name tempt him. They whisper and purr, casting a spell on his dazed thoughts, and eventually Jaehyun taps on them and drops his eyes to the pulse of the cursor. He has so much to say, but no clue how to say it.

Would it be strange if he were to invite Yuta somewhere? Would it be too sudden? Should he stick with a simple 'hey'? He could pretend he'd just been given his number, but that'd be another lie and Jaehyun doesn't want to stoop that low.

The beat of a recent pop song filters through the apartment, accompanied by Donghyuck's chatter and Hyejin's giggles, so Jaehyun moves to his own room and shuts the door. It doesn't drown out the music but at least it creates the illusion of being alone.

Inhaling deep, Jaehyun takes the plunge and sends off a text before he has time to back out of it.

Hey Yuta. This is Jaehyun from Broken Records. How are you doing?

The ticks tell him it's sent, and he rests his phone on the nightstand and lays down, face pressed into the pillows. Possible replies spin through his head and he just feels the prick of nausea when his phone pings.

I know who you are, silly

Jaehyun grumbles to himself for being so awkward even over text.

I'm doing great thanks, u?

I was thinking we could meet up this evening but you texted first ahahah

Wanna go bowling?

A date?

Jaehyun shakes his head, dismissing his mind for drawing a conclusion with zero evidence, then has to read everything again. He squints at the words. He needs to make sure he hasn't misread them. Anxiety and anticipation swirl through his gut, but the race of his heartbeat pushes him to respond with the first thought that pops into his head.

How did you know it was my number???

Johnny gave it to me a while back but I admit I never had the guts to text you