My Imaginary Friend (WowkwanFF/Eng)

Chapter 7

After his little breakdown, Sehyoon acted like always.
He knew he was in love with Jason but showing it or telling him wouldn't help him at all. Therefore, he just pretended that he didn't feel like his heart was bursting with happiness whenever Jason hugged him or he felt hurt every time he started to talk about his crush.

In the meantime, the younger texted Seungjun nearly all the time and seemed to be happier than ever. Chan also had noticed this quickly and started to tease him about his crush at any given chance. At least after he had overcome the fact that Jason hadn't told him earlier. Soon he became friends with Seungjun too and the three of them (plus Sehyoon but he didn't count, because nobody except Jason could see him) started to hang out together at and after school.

Sehyoon slowly became more and more quiet. He had never been the most talkative person but in the past, he had used to throw in a comment from time to time while Jason had been talking to Chan or they had been playing video games. However now he felt like there was not enough room left for him. So, he just sat there, without saying a word, and earned irritated glances from the younger once in a while. Because Jason did notice something was wrong. Still, he didn't ask and Sehyoon was happy about it, since he didn't have any idea what he should answer anyway.

Then a lot of things happened in a very short time period.

Everything started with Jason going on a date with Seungjun. Well, Sehyoon called it date... the younger insisted that it wasn't one, but how else do you call it, when two people that like each other go out to drink milkshakes in a diner together?

So, the older decided to be a good, supportive friend and that he would ignore the jealousy which was raging inside of him. Instead he picked out an outfit for Jason of which he knew, the younger would look extremely good in, and insisted on walking him to their meeting place.

"That really would not have been necessarily..." uttered Jason while he looked down on his unusually well-matched clothes. Sehyoon let out a snort.

"As your best friend, it's my responsibility to not let you go on your first date, looking like you just fell out of bed." He explained and Jason pouted.

"Did you just insult my everyday appearance? Whatever, I already told you, it's not a date." By now they had reached their destination and Jason stopped in front of Sehyoon, looking at him annoyed.
But the older ignored his stare and eyed him up and down, before he frowned horrified.

"What happened to your hair? It was such an effort to style it..."

"But I looked ridicules! Even If I would go on a date right now, I wouldn't have had any chance with that hairstyle!"

"I'm not even gonna be offended about what you just said, because I know that you don't know anything about styling your hair... Anyway, it looked good on you...but now you look like you've got a bird nest on you head!" Sehyoon reached out his hand to try to somehow save the other's hair. In the end, it at least didn't stick out in every direction anymore and he stroke the last strands out of Jason's forehead, satisfied with his work. Then he saw the younger staring at him and something in his eyes made him freeze, his hand still on Jason's temple.

They simply kept on staring at each other and suddenly Sehyoon wanted nothing more than to lean closer and kiss Jason. And he didn't know why, but he had the feeling that in this moment, he maybe would even have kissed him back.

He was about to simply throw his common sense overboard and find out for himself, when the sudden ringing of Jason's phone destroyed the silent moment. They both jumped startled and the younger fished his phone out of his pocket.

"Yeah? Ah, Seungjun...you're here?" He looked around searchingly.

"No, I didn't go in yet. I'm standing outside, right next to a bush so maybe that's why you can't see me." He laughed, probably about something, the other must have said.

"Of course...you know me. Ahh, I can see you!" Jason started to jump up and down while he was waving wildly. Sehyoon followed his stare and saw Seungjun quickly approaching them, smiling brightly as always. When he had reached them, Jason hung up and they hugged each other as a greeting.

"Hey! Did you wait long?" Jason responded by shaking his head.

"Good, I was worried. My mother decided to talk to me about her weekend plans just when I was about to leave. Let's go inside, you must be freezing!"

Seungjun reached for the other's hand and dragged him along to the diner. Before they went in, the younger looked back at Sehyoon one last time, but he was too far away for the older to read his expression.

--------

Sehyoon didn't go home after this right away. He roamed through the little town they lived in, looking for a distraction.

Shortly after he had met Jason for the first time, he had tried his best to find out where he was but he had quickly realized that something in his head made it impossible for him to process any information about the time and exact place of his stay. He didn't know the reason for this occurrence but it had made him even surer in the idea that he was dreaming. At least it had in the beginning. With time he had started to doubt, he would ever wake up again and at some point, he had just stopped thinking about it altogether.

Sehyoon was happy with his life with Jason and even, if he was a ghost, this information would no longer have been important to him. What should he do, if he found out that it was currently the same time he had lived in? Nobody except Jason was capable of seeing him anyways. The only thing he knew was that he must be somewhere in the States...but North-America was huge.

Hour after hour passed and Sehyoon decided to finally make his way home.

When he arrived there, he tried to distract himself further by reading but he couldn't focus and the book landed on the floor next to the bed. They had shared it since they both had been little and laying on it alone made it feel too big.

Then he suddenly heard the door being unlocked and the sound of Jason's footsteps which were so familiar to him that he was able to recognize them everywhere immediately.

"I'm back!" Jason called and his footsteps came closer. Sehyoon sat up and felt his heartbeat fasten.

"Calm down. There is nothing to be excited about. He just had a date with another guy." He reminded himself, when Jason entered the room.

"Did you just say something?" He asked, the frown on his face wrinkling his usually smooth skin. Seyhoon quickly shook his head.

"No." Jason just shrugged his shoulders and let himself fall next to the older onto the bed.

"Ahh...I'm tired." He groaned, before he suddenly sat up again and looked at Sehyoon in excitement.

"Before I forget, he's bi!" The older only blinked at him confused.

"What? Who is bi?"

"Seungjun! You told me, I shouldn't just assume his sexuality by his looks, without knowing him. So now, that I know him, I talked to him about it and asked him and he told me, he is bi." Jason smiled at Sehyoon happily. "You were right!"

Sehyoon's heart became heavy. Then there really seemed to be no hope left, if there ever had been any in the first place. He was invisible after all.

He turned to Jason to congratulate him and be a proper best friend, instead of a jealous idiot, but the younger had already fallen sound asleep beside him, still wearing his normal clothes.
While he was sleeping, he always reminded Sehyoon of the ten-year-old child, he had met seemingly so long ago. He sighed and stroke some hair out of Jason's face who softly smiled in his sleep.

Deep inside of him Sehyoon had probably alwaysknown that it would eventually turn out this way. Now he just didn't know whatthe end of it all would look like.