Pinwheel| A Seventeen FF

Jealousy

Jeonghan's POV:

I woke up with someone shaking me. I groaned and lazily opened my eyes. Beside me lay Seungchoel, who was still sleeping peacefully. If it isn't him then who is waking me up?

I looked up to find a person I had never met before. I sat properly and rubbed my eyes which were burning due to crying and lack of sleep. My skull was aching and my body felt sore. It was hard for me to comprehend what was going on. My ears and brain were taking more time to adjust than my vision. I could barely see the male standing in front of me. Is he speaking something?

Yesterday night, when everything dawned upon me, I was devastated. Even though Dad was not close with me and we don't fit the ideal definition of father and son, I have always looked up to him for protection and comfort. I may never admit but I leaned onto him more than he knows. 

Now that he is gone, an important pillar has fallen. The debris contains the good and bad memories of my teenage years and bearable memories of the present. Life is not going to be the same again. But has it ever?

 A person is an embodiment of sentiments. Those sentiments are never completely theirs. It is always shared. So when they leave, they leave a hole behind. There is a gap in the timeline of all the moments shared. And suddenly when we look back, we feel incomplete because our story has been fragmented. Mere puzzle pieces or broken glass to piece together without all the pieces in our hands.

Maybe that's why I cried. Perhaps I don't miss him. But my childhood version resides in me who once idolized him. Perhaps he cried within me and I just portrayed it out. Nonetheless, I felt good after crying. I feel lighter and more relaxed. Choel was with me to help me again. What will I ever do without him?

Surprisingly, among the chaos, I even made new friends. Jimin and Taehyung. They are such a sweethearts. We talked till early morning about their funny experiences and slept only when a faint blue color of dawn broke out in the sky. Even Choel approved their company. However, they still know us by the name Ned and Jade.

"Did you even understand what I am saying?"Finally, a voice captured my attention. I looked at the grumpy male who partly screamed at me. He scrunched his face when he still found me puzzled.

"What did you say?" After properly gaining my senses, I decided to pay my full attention to him. To say he looked pissed off,  it's an understatement. He was more fuming than pissed off. He crossed his arms in front of me and rolled his eyes. Now that I observed him, he resembles Jihoon a lot.

"Breakfast meeting is canceled because my Dad had to leave urgently. I am assigned to deliver important details." He spoke with his eyes closed while pinching his nose bridge. 

"We had a breakfast meeting?" I asked. It seemed like the last straw holding him back before he lost his patience. If looks could kill, I would be dead now. He barely controlled the scream that was boiling in him from frustration.

"I give up. Ask Wonwoo for the details after you wake up. Go back to sleep for now before I give in to my urge to murder you." He spoke with gritted teeth and stomped out of the room. I was confused as hell. If I were in a cartoon, I would definitely have question marks on my head. Nevertheless, I am granted to sleep. I'll skip the breakfast today.

~

The rain won't stop. Its pitter and patter filled up the background noises. I could see myself running. There was a fire. No, there were lights. No, I guess it was fire. But it doesn't burn. What is it?

I ran through trees and bushes until I reached a road. I see the blaring of a horn. But the rain is so peaceful. I saw something coming towards me. But my muscles were sore. I wanted to rest. Is this the time when you give in to your feelings?

Let's try it out.

"JEONGHAAANNN!!!"

"Jeonghaan!!!"

"Jeonghan, wake up, please. Hannie." I stirred and once again woke up after another dream. My throat felt dry as if I had screamed a lot. I held my neck in pain as I coughed vigorously.

"OH MY GOD! Jeonghan! Never scare me like that." I heard Choel as he threw himself at me. He wrapped me tightly in his arms and I could feel his relieved sigh. I looked around to find only a few people in the room. Taehyung, Jimin, Wonwoo, Jihoon, and that grumpy guy from earlier were present.

"Water," I whispered as my throat felt rough, and even uttering small words needed a lot of energy. My eyes began closing due to exhaustion. I felt tired even though I had just woken up from sleep. From my peripheral view, I saw someone passing me a water bottle.

Choel took the bottle and took its cap out. He hurriedly brought it to my face while his other hand supported my back to balance my half-limp body. I gulped the whole bottle within seconds. I might have choked but surprisingly I didn't. I felt a ton better. 

After a few deep breaths to control my paced heartbeats and gain better control over my muscles so that I don't sway anymore, I decided to attend to the audience. "What happened?" I asked. They looked concerned. Even the grumpy male from the morning looked sympathetically toward me.

"You were having a nightmare. You were screaming so bad, we were scared. You were shouting gibberish and crying." Jimin spoke. I nodded. I don't know how to reply to this.

"Sorry for scaring you guys. I didn't mean to. It was an absurd nightmare." I apologized. Even if the situation was not my fault, I am partially responsible for making them concerned and scared. I felt grateful that they woke me up.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I hope you're fine."Taehyung spoke with a boxy smile. The boy is charming in a lot of ways. This smile of his is illegal. I didn't realize when I smiled while watching him smile. Now, in the daylight, they both looked even better. How can they look so good?

"You sure you're okay? Do you want something to eat?" Choel asked. 

"No, I am fine. Just a little tired." I replied honestly. He nodded.

"Well, now if everyone is settled, we will leave in an hour along with everyone else. Please be ready by then. It's a long journey." The grumpy guy announced and we nodded. He then left the room with Wonwoo.

"Why Wo- Dale is tagging along?" I quickly corrected the mis-slip and asked my question. I see a widened eye Choel relaxes. He must have thought I would reveal the name. It is actually tough to adjust to. The names I mean.

"Ohh. Apparently, they both are cousins." Jihoon replied while shrugging. 

"Huh?" 

"Don't ask me. I just found out a few hours ago. Yoongi's father's sister was  Dale's mother." Jihoon explained what he knew. I looked at Choel for confirmation. He shrugged which confirmed the statement and sheepishly, passed me a smile.

"Are you both dating or something?" Taehyung asked. He immediately groaned after that as Jimin shoved his elbow into the taller's rib. Jihoon snorted. Meanwhile me and Choel? We were flustered and red.

"That was rude Tae!" Jimin scolded his best friend while Choel composed himself.

"Ohh, don't worry. I am not offended." Choel decided to tackle the situation. "And also no, we are not dating. We are brothers and best friends. We practically grew up together." While the duo grabbed the explanation, Jihoon scowled.

"I'll go and pack." He announced and left. I got worried for him. Why did he leave like that? I looked at Choel and he seemed to notice that too. The way he left the room, he seemed annoyed. He hasn't left to pack anything, as far as I know. There was no luggage with us.

"Did I say something wrong?" Choel asked me. I just shrugged in response.

"No, you didn't. I'll deal with him later." I replied.