Aces and Heartstrings (Minwon)

Chapter 11: Thinkin' about you

The clutter of forks caught Wonwoo's attention as he was browsing through the fridge to find a snack for the evening and settle down in his room to complete the pilling school works. He found Joshua frantically making something in the kitchen and it mostly was his famous pasta recipe.

"Are you making pasta?" He looked over Joshua's shoulder, who almost jumped.

"Oh god Wonwoo! Ah yeah, I am." Wonwoo nodded.

"Well that looks a lot. More than needed for three people."

Joshua stopped stirring and hesitated a little.
"Y-yeah.. I have friends coming over."

"Oh that's nice, who are the ones I met, Suengcheol and Jeonghan."

"Ugh..no"

"Hmm, then?"

"I am sorry Wonwoo, I couldn't inform you before but Mingyu and Seokmin are coming over." Joshua was continuously apologising while Wonwoo felt like cold water being splashed on his face, he couldn't hear anymore.

Joshua had invited Mingyu, Are they that close now? What's with this weird friendship they have? They met like three weeks ago! If Joshua invited him, did he go to his place as well? All these questions kept swarming around Wonwoo's head. After realising what he is thinking, he thought, it's not like he cares who Mingyu is friends with but being friends with Joshua his roommate it was definitely Mingyu's way of getting to him. But the burn in his chest he decided to avoid.

"I'm really sorry, Wonwoo-"

"It's alright Josh, I will be in my room anyways I have too much work to stress about anyone."

Wonwoo smiled at him still handling his haphazard brain and ignited heart, Joshua smiled at him and went back to cooking, while Wonwoo went back to his room.

After sometime he felt a knock on his room door, he got up then paused, he had heard the bell go off right before this, he didn't want to face anyone. Still he opened his door, to his surprise Vernon was there with a bag pack and headphones in his sweats.

"Oh, Vernon-"

"Can I stay in your room, till they leave?"

"Sure", he moved to let Vernon pass and locked eyes with the black ones already fixated on him. The stare was so strong he felt the need to look away, but he didn't, he couldn't.

The way Mingyu stared at him like he was doing something wrong, made him actually feel guilty, he realised what he was guilty about, of course nothing. He looked away, only to find Seokmin waving at him, he waved back and looked back again to find Joshua kind of pulling Mingyu with Seokmin towards his room. He moved to stop them, but he caught himself, what was he doing. He shook his head and closed his door not before looking one last time only to lock eyes with the guy again and he felt that suffocating feeling all over again.

He tried hard to divert his mind but he couldn't because that sinking feeling was consuming him. While on the other side of the room one more person was feeling the same suffocation, the dread, the drowning all of it but couldn't word it and masked it with annoyance.

Mingyu didn't want to sit here and watch his friends being all cutesy. He wanted to go barge into the other room, it was definitely the curiosity, there was no other reason he was so annoyed about the whole idea, of course he knew Wonwoo would be in his room, they would be avoiding each other to be civil but that guy joining him to his room was just not acceptable. What was the need to close the door, it's not like he was going to disturb them.

Ugh- why couldn't the boy just sit with them and chat or stay in the living room. He is losing his mind over a guy he just met, but the way Wonwoo looked at him with a mysterious expression not his usual anger or annoyance is eating him up more.

"Mingyu!?"

"Huh!"

"Where are you lost?" Seokmin enquired him, he flustered to know that he was lost in his thoughts to care about his surroundings.

"Oh no- ahem nothing, just zoning out" Seokmin and Joshua shook their head and went to talk about pizza and banana bread or was it cookies, he doesn't know, he just followed Seokmin on his date it seems.

"Yeah, Vernon will move out in two-three days". That got Mingyu's attention, he turned towards Joshua with a keen interest.

"So which building did he get his room in"? Joshua looks surprised with Mingyu's sudden input.

"Oh it's actually your building and I think he said it's the second or third floor." That would be close to Mingyu's, it's not like he cared about that.

"Well, that's good, it's kind of hard to share a dorm of two with the third person, I mean it's probably fine for you, but the other person.." he trailed off.

"Oh Wonwoo, nah he and Vernon are like best buddies, they chat on any topic and Vernon stays in Wonwoo's room most of the time, I am the third wheel here." He laughed out loudly and Seokmin joined him. Mingyu just stood up, excusing himself for the washroom.

He came out of the room, only to find Wonwoo in the living area rummaging in the bookshelf, he looked back at him and he looked surprised, he looked away which was odd to Mingyu because Wonwoo never looked away.

"So, what's up Jeon? Why are you going through the bookshelf like it's a treasure hunt spot." Mingyu smirks internally.

"Some people do focus on school instead of roaming around and meeting people on school days."

"Ey, where's the fun in just studying, when you know you are good even without studying, you have to be confident." Mingyu's annoyance from earlier was vanishing slowly.

"Well confidence doesn't have to speak for itself, it's arrogance working." Wonwoo snapped back too passive aggressively.

"So you are going to use all your vocabulary on me instead of actually studying, that's crazy."

Mingyu could see Wonwoo, getting frustrated, this is what he wanted, it's been too long.

"Can't you use more of your vocabulary and wit on paper instead of getting on my nerves," he faced Mingyu fully and looked at him directly without breaking eye contact he continued,"Kim Mingyu, are you here to annoy me? Is this-"

"Wonwoo can you help me here?" Vernon's voice came from inside which cut-off Wonwoo much to Mingyu's dismay Wonwoo agreed and at that moment Mingyu felt a desire he never had before of stoping his cat like rival and hear his full rant, but he didn't act on it, he stood frozen watched Wonwoo take his book from the shelf giving him look of vexation and went inside.

Alas! Mingyu was back to his gloomy self return to Joshua's room with a fallen shoulder like a kicked puppy.

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Enjoy!!