July, 2021
Minnesota
...
After Mino's angry outburst his mother had left right through the door. It'd been a week since then and she wasn't back yet. On the news, things only got worse. America was under attack and their army was underpopulated. The government started drafting young civilians whether they were qualified or not.
A protest had broken out as a result and there was chaos everywhere. Mino tried calling Jake but his number was unreachable. He decided he was going to pay his best friend a visit.
Although his chest still felt uneasy at the fact that his mother wasn't back since a week ago and hadn't bothered calling, he brushed it aside and decided he wasn't going to call either.
He was going to play the role of the 'irresponsible son' splendidly well.
Mino grabbed his coat from his bed and made his way downstairs to the front door.
"REMA, I'm going out for a bit. Lock the house."
"Yes, Mino." The lights in the house went out and the blinds were drawn.
Mino stepped unto the front porch and exhaled. Even though it was the middle of summer, the atmosphere still felt a little chilly, so much so that he could see his breath. The door locked behind him and he made his way to Jake's parent's house.
Jake lived at South End while he lived at Back Bay.
Their neighbourhood wasn't too far from each other. Mino decided to stroll casually along the street to the next neighbourhood. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the Auston's residence.
Jake's home was quite impressive. It was a glass house constructed with modern day architectural designs. It was a sight to behold indeed.
Mino rang the bell like he'd done a number of times when he'd visited his best friend.
He didn't have to wait long before hearing a bit of a commotion from the other end and then a yelp followed by a low, painful groan. The person must have tripped while trying to get the door. Mino couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of Jake tripping and falling.
The door opened.
Mino's russet brown eyes widened as he saw the person standing by the door; it was Tami, Jake's older sister. 'What was she doing here?'
'Shouldn't she be at work, CrossCroft Corporation to be precise since that was where she worked? '
That was where his mother worked too.
A blush involuntarily crept up Mino's neck.
Mino had only ever seen her a handful of times but each time her beauty had always distracted him. Her long, red hair was beautiful and glittered against the porch light. Her blue eyes were the same as Jake's. Jake's hair was brown, the same as their dad's but Tami had taken their mother's hair colour.
Mino was brought out of his train of thought by the sound of her clearing her throat. He hadn't even realized he'd been staring openly and his neck grew even warmer.
"Can I help you?" Her voice was gentle yet curious, her blue eyes sparkling.
Didn't she remember him?
"Hi, I'm Mino, is Jake in?"
Tami's eyes widened. "Mino?"
He placed his hands in his coat pockets and nodded. Her eyes finally widened in recognition.
"I'm so sorry! Please, come in. You're my little brother's best friend, I almost didn't recognize you, it's been so long since we've met." Her voice was chirpy and lively.
Mino released a relieved breath and walked in.
"Thank you."
"Of course, please have a sit."
Mino took off his coat.
"Thank you. Is Jake in?" Mino asked again after finding a couch by the fire place to sit on.
"Yeah, he is. He's taking a shower, he'll be down in a minute."
"Thanks."
She nodded at him smiling and left him alone with his thoughts.
Why was he acting so nervous? He needed to calm down.
A few minutes later, a bubbly Jake came trotting down the stairs.
"If it isn't the hermit." Jake smirked as he walked up to his best friend and gave him a friendly handshake and then a shoulder bump.
Mino sighed under his breath at the nickname he thought he'd outgrown.
"Would you stop calling me that, please?"
Jake plopped on the couch opposite him. "Nope."
"You'll always be a hermit to me, Mino."
Mino sighed, this time, audibly.
"I see you're still a bully." Tami came from where Mino knew was the kitchen holding a tray in her hands and placed it in front of Mino. It contained a mug of coffee with sugar and a jar of milk by the side.
"I didn't know how you like your coffee, so here you go," Tami chirped.
"T-Thank you." Mino didn't know how many times he'd said 'Thank you' since he entered their home, Tami was a kind person.
She nodded and went to her younger brother and pinched his cheeks and then released it. "Ouch! What did I do?!"
"Don't be mean to your friend." She grinned and left Jake rubbing his reddened cheeks. Mino's eyes unconsciously followed her as she climbed the stairs.
Jake narrowed his eyes as he saw where Mino was looking.
"What are you staring at?" Jake interrogated, crossing his arms.
Mino's eyes widened as he turned to him. "What?"
"Don't even think about it."
Mino tried to play it cool. "What are you even talking abou-"
"I know you like my sister, Mino."
Mino's lips drew into a thin line and then he bit his lip at having been figured out. "And?"
"You're my best friend, but I can't trust you with my sister."
Jake stared at Mino levelly.
"Besides, she's already engaged."
Mino's eyes widened and his heart clenched, it was almost as if his heart was being squeezed tightly.
"You're a good guy but-"
"I got it," Mino cut him off swiftly. "I'm not good enough for her, I get it." Mino looked Jake in the eye.
Jake looked like he wanted to say something but he didn't let him.
"I've been calling your phone but it didn't go through. I came here to check up on you," Mino changed the topic.
"I lost my phone a few days ago that's why you couldn't reach me. I just got a new one today." Jake brought out his new phone and they exchanged contacts.
"How's Alyssa?" Mino asked knowing she was already at Harvard studying Law.
Jake smiled.
"She's doing fine. I've been able to connect back with her."
"What about Tegah and Claudia?" Jake asked. Claudia had left for Oxford University in England a few days ago and Tegah was still in Uron University at Michigan.
"They're both fine, too."
It was only Jake and Mino that hadn't resumed University yet. They were to resume August, which was next month.
"It sucks," Jake let out as he leaned into the brown leathered couch.
"Being without the gang, you know? Being apart."
"I'm sure it is," Mino knew what he really meant was that he missed Alyssa especially.
Jake sighed. "It hurts to be away from her. I miss her so much."
Mino clenched his fists but he didn't say anything.
No sooner, Tami came down the stairs and Mino resisted the urge to look at her. His heart raced in his chest.
"I think it's time for me to leave," Mino said all of a sudden surprising both Jake and Tami.
"Already?" Jake asked confused.
"You only just got here."
Tami came to where they sat and faced Mino. "You haven't even touched your coffee? Don't you like coffee?" Her voice held a kind of disappointment to it, it was directed towards herself not him.
"I can get you something els-"
"It's fine."
Mino searched her fingers and just as Jake had said, there was indeed an engagement ring on her left finger.
Mino's heart fell at the sight of the ring which represented she belonged to someone else.
"I'll come visit later," Mino assured as he grabbed his coat. "Thanks for the coffee." With that he went to the front door and Jake hurriedly followed behind him.
Jake held the door as he watched Mino stand on the porch getting ready to leave. "What's wrong, man?"
When Mino didn't say anything as he wore his coat he asked again, "Is it because of Tami?" He lowered his voice.
Mino looked away not saying anything.
"Mino, it's never going to work between you two anyway."
"Besides, she's older than you, already a graduate and is doing pretty well at CrossCroft Corporation."
Mino knew all that to be true but why did it still hurt so much when he saw her engagement ring?
He felt terrible, really terrible.
"I'll see you later, Jake. Say hello to your mom and dad for me." And with that Mino left for Back Bay where he lived.
|||••|||
Mino got home. Mino didn't even reply REMA as he greeted him when he walked in.
He went to his room and locked the door. He hand remained on the handle, his breathing was uneven and his dark locks were disheveled.
He needed to get a reign on his emotions, he needed to control himself.
'What was he thinking?'
He could never have feelings for someone like her.
But why was he feeling this way? It felt very uncomfortable, so unlike him. His chest felt so tight, like he couldn't breathe.
Mino ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and sighed.
She was engaged. Mino should just forget about her. Maybe he was destined to be alone. He had never had any sort of feelings for anyone, except for her.
He'd thought it was just a crush but seeing her again had stirred up emotions he didn't know he was capable of feeling. Today proved beyond reasonable doubt that it wasn't just a fleeting teenage crush.
"I know you like my sister, Mino."
Mino remembered Jake's words. How did he know?
He'd never told him, had he really been that obvious that he'd liked her all those years?
Mino felt embarrassed.
"You're my best friend, but I can't trust you with my sister."
Those words from his best friend troubled him. Why was Jake allowed to love who he wanted but not him?
"Mino, it's never going to work between you two anyway. Besides, she's older than you..."
It didn't matter. He didn't care. She was as beautiful as the morning sun, her skin as flawless as the winter snow. Her hair reminded him of a fiery furnace yet her personality was anything but. She was as graceful, as gentle as a dove. She was kind and lovely.
Mino realized at that moment, he was smitten.
He was smitten with Tami Auston. Just his luck, he just had to fall for the person he could never be with.
Mino took off his coat and threw it on his bed before opening the door to the balcony. He leaned against the railing and stared up at the night sky. A chilly breath escaped his lips as he stared at the stars. He was angry, but he was more sad than angry.
A lot of the times he always felt a disconnect with the people around him; Jake, Alyssa, Claudia and Tegah had brought him out of the lonely mire he had been living in.
Maybe it had something to do with his mother never being around but he had attachment issues. He hated it when people left, it always left him feeling alone and helpless.
He felt the same when all his friends left for University. He was most grateful that he and Jake would be attending the same University even though they were going to be studying different disciplines.
Mino ran a hand through his dark locks and sighed.
In life, people came and people went but that wasn't something Mino was eager to accept, especially with people he'd formed a close connection with.
For him, Jake was one of those people along with the rest of the gang. Mino didn't know what he would do if he were to lose any of them. The possibility itself was too absurd for him to contemplate. He knew he would truly be miserable.
Maybe it was for the best if he stayed away from Tami before deeper bonds could be formed. He knew if that were to happen he would never be able to let her go.
Mino covered his face with his hand, images of her red hair, her warm smile invaded his thoughts unhindered and his heart raced involuntarily.
He wondered if it was already too late.
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A/N: Hello, guys! Another update! Sorry for the long wait🥺. I hope you've all been doing well?
Did you know the name Tami means 'Life' according to its ancient Hebrew Origin? It can also be a short form of 'Tamara' which is just the Russian form of the Hebrew name.
Please, let me know what you think so far in the comments and don't forget to vote and share with your friends!❤️