-^* Are we clear? *^- | Haobin

*^- 2 -^*

Dull evenings in spring where the sun hits your face with gentle warmth. It's like a hug. Evenings like that always gave me a funny feeling in my stomach...butterflies? Something like that.

~^* Are we clear? *^~

HANBIN POV

I made my way home as the sun set, zipping my coat up all the way to the point where it covered the bottom half of my face in order to keep me warm. I put my headphones on, listening to some calm music. Once I made it to my bus stop I waited, sitting on the seats beneath the shelter whilst I stared at the street ahead. I observed the couple over the road having a breakup, as it seemed, and the cat from the laundromat fighting with the strays outside the convenience store. I took another look at the couple, squinting my eyes slightly and leaning forward. As I looked closer, I noticed familiarity of the boy who was complaining at the girl before him who seemed to be uninterested in his protests. She walked away, leaving him frustrated and alone. Eventually, the boy crossed the road, allowing me to fully recognise him in confidence.
"Ricky!" I called, waving my arms. He spotted me, his face sullen as he crossed the street and headed in my direction.
"Hanbin, hey, I heard from Gyuvin about you leaving the cafe..."
"Nevermind that, what happened just now?" I asked with worry. Ricky sniffled from the cold air and glanced over the street to where he just had been.
"Ah..." he paused, taking a moment before blinking slowly, "that was my friend. She confessed to me yesterday and I wanted to stay friends but she said-"
Ricky took a deep breath and sighed.
"She said she didn't want to be friends if we couldn't be together. I tried to convince her that it wouldn't be awkward but she insisted..."
I sighed and shook my head.
"Well that's on her, it's not your fault you're not interested in her like that. Don't beat yourself up," I encouraged him, patting his shoulder.
He nodded and took another deep breath staring at the road beside us.
"So what's the new job like? I heard it's some dance thing? Gyuvin was mostly just going on about how it won't be the same at the cafe anymore..." he chuckled.
I smiled at the thought of Gyuvin's face when I'd broken the news this morning.
"Yeah I work at the studio down the street from here." I explained.
"That's cool. I'll not tell Gunwook and Yujin for now, you never know they might switch clubs to have some way of talking to you still."
I laughed and sat back down on the bench, Ricky joining me at my side. He still wore his school uniform, the same as Gyuvin's. Their sweatshirt was v-neck and brown with the school crest, a black blazer layered over it. Their tie was burgundy, white and blue diagonal stripes and they wore darker brown trousers. Ricky wore a black trench coat over his, while Gyuvin wore a white puffer jacket. Ricky was a tall guy, taller than me but not quite as tall as Gyuvin with bleached blonde hair. He had nice proportions and his face was so beautiful he could've come straight from a manhwa. He often wore dark eye makeup and dangly earrings, making him look like an idol trainee. He wasn't one though, Ricky was studying to get into art school. He had moved from LA a few years ago to study in Korea for a while. He became friends with Gyuvin after running into each other at the cafe. Ricky was cute. Although he seemed intimidating on the outside, he was actually quite a funny guy. He had a strange way of joking around and smiled with a strange look in his eye which made him unintentionally funny.
"Are you still planning on going to art school?" I enquired.
He nodded with a hm. We talked a little more about life and what we were up to and hopped on the bus together when it arrived. Once we got off, we split ways and I headed up the steps to my street.
When I approached home, the lights were already on, signalling that Matthew was already home.

I carefully opened the door and smiled at the sight of him there laying on the couch with a bowl of chips resting on his stomach.
"You're home early." I commented, hanging my coat on the peg.
"Oh hey Hanbin Hyung, yeah I got home like half an hour ago," he replied through full cheeks, practically spitting out chips.
"Do you want to order something for dinner?" I asked.
He nodded and paused the show he was watching.
"How was today? Make any friends?"
As I went to respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and glanced at the notification.