daybreak || minsung

Chapter 19

Jisung parked in front of my house, and the engine cut to silence. The absence of sound was total, save for the rain pattering on the metal roof. I didn't know what to do next; would he really leave as usual after everything that happened today? And yet, how could he stay?

"Are you thinking about what to do now?" I asked. I'd had my cheek resting on his shoulder, and now I pulled myself up and found his eyes.

"Um, yeah," he said.

"Do you want to come in? I'm hungry — you could awkwardly watch me eat."

He smiled as if that was exciting. "Sure."

We climbed out of the truck and met on the lawn. I held his hand, leading him to the porch.

I unlocked the door, flicked on the light, and we stepped over the threshold. I pushed the door closed with my foot — took his hand again — and showed him into the kitchen. He'd probably been here before, but he was still hesitant, looking around as if he was just a guest, with his free hand stowed away behind his back.

He leaned against the wall as I took cereal and a bowl out of the cabinet, and milk from the fridge. I was too impatient to heat up something solid; he was here with me, in my house, and I could think of a thousand things I wanted to do with him instead of this.

I shook Cheerios into the bowl and started on the milk. From the corner of my eye, I saw him take the cereal box and return it to cabinet for me. He examined the counter for a second, and then opened a drawer — and another, and another.

"Are you looking for spoons?" I asked.

He nodded grudgingly.

"This one — over here."

"You have too many drawers." He walked around me and rifled through the utensils. He found a spoon, held it up, and I plucked it from his hand.

I was about to sit down when the phone rang. I looked at Jisung; he smiled and said it was okay. I set the bowl on the table and ran to answer the call.

"Hello—?"

"MINHOOOO!"

It was Jessica, screaming over blaring music. I could practically smell the alcohol over the phone. She burst into a fit of giggles that seemed to harmonize with the bass in the background.

"Minho, we're at the dance!" she said. "I look like a fairy! Mike is doing the worm!"

"And I'm amazing at it!" I heard Mike yell.

"Jess, give me the phone," Angela's slightly more stable voice said.

"Minho, how the hell did it go with Jisung?" Jessica asked then. "I wish you gays — GUYS — were here right now!"

I laughed. Jisung dropped his face into his hands.

"It was great. Jess, are you drunk?"

"Tyler snuck beer in! I drank so much!"

"Is there anyone to drive you home?"

"Boo! Nobody cares! Mike, do you care?"

"Hells to the no."

"Is Jisung there with you, Minho?"

I waved Jisung over. He glared at me and reluctantly stepped up.

"Hi," he said into the receiver.

"JISUNGGGG!"

"Leave them alone, Jess," Angela said. There was a series of muffled thumps and a high-pitched scream, and then Angela said, "Everything's fine."