three is the perfect number || jaenoren (norenmin)

onze

He itched to pick up his phone and message him again, ask him whether he was mad at Jaemin about something, but just as he was about to a car honked outside. 

Renjun flinched at the sound, but shook it off and peered through the curtains, nerves almost ablaze. Jaemin looked right at him from within the car and he fell backwards in shock. He fanned his face, gathering himself up messily before heading outside, his suspicion forgotten. 

"Hey, babe," grinned Jaemin as Renjun settled into the car. Renjun choked a little (a lot) and Jaemin giggled evilly before backing out and driving down the road.

"Anything good happen lately?" asked Jaemin conversationally, absorbed mostly in the road he was driving on. Renjun wanted to scream yes, I am going on some sort of date with you, but Jaemin beat him to it.

"Nothing good?" hummed Jaemin. "Something fantastic happened to me, wanna hear? I have acquired a sugar daddy as of late."

Renjun jumped in his seat, nothing but the seatbelt saving him from the car's open roof. Jaemin had a what?

"Yeah," mused Jaemin. "His name is Huang Renjun. Awesome guy, super chill. We're actually going out for food right now."

Renjun somehow sighed and snorted at the same time, ignoring the heavy thump of his heart as he joined in on the joke. "Well, nothing else could make up for so much of my money going towards a single meal. I've got thousands and thousands of won in my pocket. You know how to get to it." Jaemin laughed out loud, the bells of his laughter whipped away with the wind. Renjun didn't know where they were going, and he wasn't paying attention either. He heard a good song on the radio and turned it up slightly, perhaps drowning out his own embarrassment at his first-ever attempt at flirting.

But when he inevitably looked sideways, Jaemin was grinning to himself and focusing way too hard on the road in front of him. And maybe had it worked. 

"Hey, ever wondered why there aren't any cars that hold just two people? Like," Jaemin squinted against the sun as it slid over the driver's area, Renjun looking at him questionably, still feeling kind of warm and excited. "You wouldn't normally see a car with two seats. I'm sure they exist, though."

"Maybe two people just aren't enough," mused Renjun, surprised when the phrase suddenly struck a chord in his chest, like one of his heartstrings had just snapped. A funny feeling, like seeing someone and feeling attraction for the first time. An unfamiliar pain that lingered and waited to be noticed. 

"Yeah. Maybe two people just don't cut it for some cars." 

Renjun breathed out slowly, two heavy puffs, leaning back and looking out the window. His relaxed demeanour broke all too quickly when he realised where they were headed. A very specific part of town. 

"I used to live around here," he mentioned conversationally, hoping against hope they weren't headed for that cafe. But why wouldn't they be? Jaemin had mentioned a cafe, and this one was the best in the area. 

"Is that so? You might know this place then! It's awesome — though I haven't been in a while. They jacked up their prices some time back and I lost bonus rights when my cousin stopped working there, so..."

Timeless. Timeless Cafe. 

Renjun didn't come here without Jeno. He never had, he never could, he never would. What the hell was he meant to tell Jaemin. He blinked at himself through the side-view mirror, surprised he had cursed, even internally. He knew it was too stupid, and it would sound weird and really couple-y if he told Jaemin he only ever came here with Jeno. But that was just how it was. 

"Come on, this place has the best fucking muffins." Jaemin hit Renjun's arm with the back of his hand, light as a feather, and got out of the car. When Renjun remained in the car, wondering what to say, he sighed and walked around, opening the door and gesturing grandly at the open door.