being lonely | minsung | ✔

26

"Baby, what's wrong?"

I don't even look at Minho as I lean against the doorway, my hand still resting on the doorbell without pressing it. Instead, I stare straight ahead of me without actually processing what I see.

The fifteen-minute walk gave me a lot of time to think and it left me exhausted. I feel so numb, my mind worn-out.

I feel Minho's hand cup my cheek, gently forcing me to look up to meet his eyes. There's concern and worry in them as they observe me, as if he could read in my eyes what happened.

"Baby again?" I ask with a weak smile.

With a small nod, the older eyes me up and down before stepping aside and motioning for me to enter. Probably because I'm dressed in completely different clothes than usual.

With a grateful smile, I walk past him and listen how the door falls shut behind us. We walk into the living room in silence and Minho pulls me close as we sit down on his couch. I close my eyes and lean against his chest, sighing deeply as I finally feel like I can relax again.

I guess that's what Minho does to me.

We remain silent for a long time, in which we just sit on the couch with the older's strong arms around me. To hold me close, to soothe the anger and pain my dad's words gave me.

"Hey, do you wanna talk about what happened?" Minho eventually asks, loosening his embrace to look at me. "Where did you come from? You look... different."

Another faint smile crosses my face. "A business party of the company my dad works at," I explain bitterly, because I honestly want to forget about that whole ordeal. "I told you my parents, especially my dad, are total assholes sometimes, right?"

Minho nods, staying silent as his soft brown eyes search mine, waiting for me to continue. It's the genuine concern that makes me feel well enough to talk about it.

"Well, my dad was on it again and his words hit pretty hard, even though he doesn't even know," I continue, swallowing a lump that has formed in my throat. "And then my mom wanted to introduce me to some random girl and then I left the party, telling them that I wasn't feeling well."

I know I left out the most important detail but I'm not ready to tell him. Not yet. What if he's as weirded out by gay people as my dad? Then I'll lose someone really important to me.

That's why only Hyunjin knows.

"Your parents are quite harsh on you, huh?" Minho muses, pulling me closer again.

"My mom is bearable but it's my dad that makes it a living hell sometimes," I reply with a sigh, my shoulders slumping as I rest my head on the older boy's shoulder. "It's hard, I often feel like I can't take it anymore."

"I'm always there for you, you know that?" the other tells me, his fingers brushing through my hair in a soothing way. "Even when you don't want to talk about it, I'm still there. Never forget that, okay?"

"Thanks, hyung," I reply, closing my eyes to enjoy the sensation even more.

But then his fingers trail over my cheeks again, forcing me to look him in the eyes. I find him with a small grin, the usual twinkle in his eyes back. "Now smile, baby. Your smile is the best and I hate to see you without it."

"What's it with you and baby, all of a sudden?" I ask, a real chuckle escaping my lips.

"I know you love it when I call you that," Minho grins. "You can't tell me otherwise, your cheeks always turn red when I do so."

"They are not," I retort, covering my cheeks with my hands and pushing the boy away with my feet. "Okay, they are red because I'm still upset after tonight. Stop teasing me!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Ji," the older snickers.

I stubbornly look ahead of me, refusing to face the older any longer. The hurt and stress from what happened before slowly melt away and again, it's all thanks to the person sitting next to me. Who would've thought he would become that special to me, that night I first met him at Hyunjin's place.

Then he stands up from the couch, dusting the imaginary dust off his jeans. "Okay, Ji. You look amazing in that but to feel better, you have to change into something more comfortable so I'll give you a pair of my sacred sweatpants and a shirt because you're that special to me."

"Uh, thank you?" I laugh softly, getting to my feet as well. "Should I feel honored now?"

"You should," the boy confirms. "I was about to shower when the doorbell rang so there's still a pair of clean sweatpants and a t-shirt in the bathroom. You can take those." He motions towards a door in the back of the living room and I give him a grateful smile before I make my way there.

These clothes aren't very comfortable, indeed.

I take a moment to admire the neat and clean bathroom that definitely radiates a lot more luxury than the one we have at home. The more I see of Minho's apartment, the more I wonder about the amount of money his dad gave him. Because this apartment -and the place it's located- definitely ain't nothing.

I find the clothes on top of a drawer near the shower cabin and I gratefully reach out to grab them. I quickly slip out of my own clothes and change into the gray sweatpants Minho gave me, along with the simple black t-shirt. Then I neatly fold my previous outfit and leave them behind in the bathroom as I exit because I have no idea where else to put them.

The older was definitely right. I feel much better now that I'm wearing more comfortable clothes that are his, on top of that.

As I join Minho on the couch again, I notice that he changed, too. He's basically wearing the same as me, apart from the t-shirt; his is white instead of black like mine. He looks so comfortable as he glances up with the softest smile and I want nothing more than to snuggle up to him and forgot about the harsh outside world.

"Hey, Ji," he calls out as he finds me approaching him. "I have an idea. Let's go."

And then everything happens really fast. The older jumps up from the couch, grabs my wrist and drags me to another door, which I soon find out leads to his bedroom. Before I can even wonder what we are going to do here, he pulls me with him as he jumps onto his queen-sized bed and I freeze. That's when he finally lets go of me and rolls on his stomach, reaching out to open a drawer next to his bed.

He takes out two controllers and a TV remote and my mood instantly brightens as I recognize them. Because those controllers belong to my all-time favorite gaming device. The Nintendo Wii.

"We are going to play Mario Kart," Minho firmly states, handing me a controller as he turns on the flatscreen on the wall across his large bed. "Whether you like it or not, because that's the best medicine after a shitty day."

"Brace yourself, hyung," I grin, sitting next to the boy, who still lies flat on his stomach. "You picked something I'm rather good at, as well."

"Bring it on, baby," the older replies.

And then the party is long forgotten.