we fell in love. | hwang hyunjin

06

"hyunjin?" i mumble quietly to myself. i'd recognize that hoodie anywhere. he wears it religiously when he's too lazy to do laundry.... which is often.

the person behind me turns out to be a fellow student, and she swiftly brushes past me to run across the street when the cars are at the red light. all that worrying for nothing.

hyunjin races towards me in his Adidas slides and sleepwear, his entire form glowing under the moonlight. the night air is cool enough for me to see smoke coming out of his mouth when he pants lightly, and i think that he looks ethereal in the darkness. my footsteps stop beneath the sepia light of the streetlamps, and hyunjin meets me there.

"i'm so sorry," he breathes out, hands on his knees
as he crouches over to catch his breath. "i left my phone at home—" he holds up a hand and pauses, signaling that he's trying his best not to have a cardiac arrest in front of me.

the familiar flutter in my stomach is back again, this time stronger than ever. from the looks of it, hyunjin's very misleading because it seems like.... he came home after a long day, saw the messages, and dropped everything to meet me halfway. he even has his slippers over his socks, and his hoodie's half-tucked over his gray sweatpants. but whatever, i'm probably overthinking it WAYYY too much.

"why are you here?" i said after 3 whole seconds.

"because i said i would take the bus with you. or walk home with you. whatever, same thing," he says with a deep gasp of air. hyunjin hasn't been to the gym for over a week now, and the consequences are starting to dawn on him. "why didn't you wait for me?"

hyunjin sounds a little pissed off. not what i expected at all.

"i lost track of time and... how was i supposed to wait for you? you didn't answer your phone!" i defend, feeling slightly wronged.

"like i said, i left my phone at home. i said i would go home with you, and i thought you went home already because who the hell stays in the library this late? it closes at midnight," hyunjin claims, standing up straight. he's several inches above me now, totally not fair.

"FYI, hwang hyunjin, people stay there well until midnight," i correct him. "also, how am i supposed to know what 'we'll see' means? you're so vague." i purse my lips and tighten my fist in my pocket. the wind blows lightly at my ankles.

it's cold tonight.