Sorry would go a long way.
Chenle took slow strides towards the hall that led straight to Jisung's bedroom.
He was regretting his life decisions just now.
Why did he even agree to get this folder to the youngest.
He was blaming himself for falling into Sungchan's secret charm back at the gym, throwing daggers and cuss words at the elder at the moment as his black sneakers made quiet patters on the marble floors.
He didn't even know why he was nervous right at that moment but he definitely was.
Cold beads of sweat formed on his temples as he was nearing the only door at the edge of the hall, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.
"Stupid Chenle. Stop being so nervous, he's not gonna kill you or eat you alive, he just hates you that's it." he ranted to himself, trying to shrug it off.
He inhaled sharply and furrowed his brows, overthinking any possibilities. "But what if he kicks you out of his room? It's important right? Or is this an excuse to get us to talk?"
Chenle's breath hitched as it got caught up in his throat when he came to stop, finally arriving out the door at the edge of the hall.
This was the last place he'd think of being at.
Letting out a loud exhale as he brought his hand up and letting his knuckles touch the thick oak wooden boundary of the room and the hall softly.
No answer.
He knocked again a little louder but to no avail, no voice told him to come in and he took this initiative to twist the knob and swing the door open, letting his head peek in cautiously to look for signs of the boy.
But his room was empty.
Just then, he heard the shower from the bathroom in the walk in closet running.
Assuming he was gonna take long, he invited himself in the bedroom and tiptoed his way over to the desk by the corner and laid the folder in the middle.
Sighing in relief, he retreated his hands back to his sides.
He roamed his eyes around the huge bedroom.
Chenle missed it.
Those countless times where the seven of them would sprawl themselves in this room to hang out and chit-chat.
Times where they would bicker in this room and just end up playing ps4 or they'd end up leaving the room a mess just to chase each other around the mansion.
When him and Jisung would have ted talks or just plain gossip about useless things or maybe have a deep talk session.
It was like yesterday.
But the difference was.... they no longer bickered, chatted, talked.
It was all the game of who had the highest pride.
Chenle was willing to push his pride away and let his ego be stepped on just to apologize and beg for forgiveness.
Turning back to the desk, an object on Jisung's desk caught his eye.
His hand mindlessly reaching over to pick it up.
A smile automatically grazed over his lips as he observed the picture displayed in the frame.
It was the three of them.
Jisung and Maeri sat next to each other doing the peace sign with awkward smiles on their faces while Chenle stood behind them doing the heart sign with his arms over his head and a toothy grin grazed on his lips as he looked at the camera.
Chenle had himself chuckling at the memory as he reminisced every single minute of that day at the arcade.
"Hey, come on just strike a pose! It's not that hard!" Chenle commanded Maeri, whining and forcing her to do a pose.
Maeri rolled her eyes. "What's even the point of taking these photos? Can't we just play some game?" she groaned and pouted.
"Come on, honey. It's for the memories! We can play walking dead later on." Jisung begged, clasping his hands together and giving her the puppy eyes he never thought he'd use.
Chenle scrunched his nose at the two and patted their heads softly. "Ahh young love. That was hella cheesy but let's get this over with, Come on!" teasing the two as he exclaimed; wrapping his arms around their shoulders and let them strike their pose.
And so they struck a pose.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a deep cold voice. "What are you doing?"
Chenle went alarmed by this and immediately put the frame back in its place.
Swiftly turning on his heel to face Jisung who had his hair damp and was dressed in just plain clothes, a white shirt paired with basketball shorts. "Oh, I- uh.... Johnny hyung told me to drop that folder off and you didn't answer the door so I came to put it on your desk." he explained, nearly fumbled with his words.
Jisung gave him a blank expression and just nodded convincingly. "Okay, you may leave." his reply got the elder's blood running cold as well.
Chenle sighed as he nodded, taking a step away from the desk. "Sorry-"
"I don't wanna hear it." the younger cut him off, giving him the cold shoulder as usual.
Jisung didn't really hate him.
He was just bitter and he just felt betrayed that night and he thought that avoiding him was what he had to do.
Yes, it was selfish of him... but his pride always got in the way and his emotions always got the best of him.
Chenle sighed again and slumped his shoulders as he pursed his lips into a thin line, his head hung low while walking past the younger.
Jisung was watching him from the corner of his eye, slowly taking steps towards the door and when his hand reaches for the knob, he had looked away and walked over to his chair, sitting and pretending to check the folder he had received when he was actually looking at his old friend beneath his lashes.
The elder gave him a quick glance and sighed again as he swung the door open.
His eyes were soft and pained as he watched the younger do his thing.
When he closed the door behind him, Jisung had lifted his head and looked to the direction of the door once again where the elder had disappeared.
He exhaled through his nose while he pressed his lips into a thin line, minding his own business for real, this time.
Meanwhile, Chenle took languid steps in the hallway and went to the one that led to his room which was opposite with the youngest's.
A frown on his face until he went to his own bedroom with a broken heart.
Maeri laid on her bed in the middle of the night, eyes wide open and lips slightly parted; soft breaths escaped from her nose as she stared at the ceiling with her hands behind her head and the comforter halfly covering her lower body.
She couldn't sleep.
Something was bugging her mind.
Not knowing what exactly was, she went back through everything thoroughly.
Was it the way she killed Joochan?
Was she just missing Jisung that bad?
Was it the details that Sungchan laid in front of them that night?
Or was she worrying if they'd been caught?
Or maybe that specific moment when Chenle had wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tighter that she felt her stomach lurch?
She could never know.
Just as she were to flutter her eyes closed, her phone started buzzing and vibrating crazily on the bedside table by the night light.
Immediately shooting her head in that direction, stretching her hand out to the phone.
Flipping it upside down to its original direction, her brows furrowed upon seeing the caller ID.
Zhong🐬 is calling you...
Answer | Decline
Maeri felt her stomach churn.
It hasn't even been a minute when she thought about him, there he was; calling her in the middle of the night.
After two more buzzes, she slid the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear. "Chenle, why are yo-" she wasn't given a chance to finish her sentence when he immediately muttered "Am I a bad friend?"
She furrowed her brows in confusion trying to process in her mind what he had just asked her at the moment.
There was also a silence in the other line.
Maeri scoffed at this as she shot her body up to sit and lean on the headboard. "You can't be serious." she laughed wryly at this.
She heard a sigh come from his mouth and a bit of shuffling. "I'm serious. Am I a bad friend?" his tone deeper than usual.
When she sensed that he wasn't kidding at all, her brows knitted more than it could making her forehead crease more too. "Why do you ask?" running her fingers through her long locks and twirling it around her finger as she stared at the plain white wall that was shaded yellow because of the night light.
Chenle sucked in a sharp breath of air and threw a little tantrum on his bed. "Answer my question first, Ri. Am I a bad friend?" his voice came out a little quieter.
He felt himself slowly regretting his decision to call her at an ungodly hour.
"Well....." she thought about it thoroughly, roaming her eyes around the room as if some answer was written somewhere on the walls.
He clicked his tongue. "You know what, nevermind. Sorry for disturbing your sleep-" he was stopped midway from pressing the end button when he heard her exclaim from the other line. "No no no no, don't hang up." her voice laced with panic.
Chenle hesitated but eventually presses the gadget to his ear again.
Maeri sighed. "I couldn't sleep anyways.... so don't hang up. I'll answer your question."
His ears perked up at her statement.
She waited for a few seconds, blinking her eyes repeatedly for a second; but when she heard nothing from the other side, she took this as an initiative to speak up and answer his question. "No, Chenle. You're not a bad friend. What's got you thinking like this? Is it..... Jisung?" her heart crumpling in pain just by that name escaping her lips.
Chenle let himself fall on his back on the king sized bed, his brown hair sprawled on the pillow in different directions. "Kind of.....?" his answer coming out more like a question.
She nodded at this as if he could see her right now. "Wanna talk about what happened?" her voice becoming softer than the usual, slightly fumbling with her words in thoughts if she should've thrown that question at him.
He took this as his chance to say his worries out, he knew she was there to listen. They were like family after all, right?
"I just- I just wanna be there for him y'know? I tried apologizing for what happened but he just keeps saying he doesn't want to hear me out. I feel like a complete idiot and I'm starting to look like one." he ranted, putting his forearm over his face, sighing in frustration.
Maeri felt sympathy for him, she knew how he felt and it sent a pang in her heart that her friend was feeling this right now and she felt guilty for what happened to them. "Listen Lele. You will never be a bad friend. In fact, you're the greatest friend that anyone could ask for. Putting their feelings first before yours and not knowing how to say no in everything because you don't want to disappoint them. You're the most selfless person I've ever met and I definitely admire you for that. And I want to tell you how I'm so thankful for having you as my friend for always having my back and for being there for the boys whenever they need someone or not. You will never be a bad friend, Zhong Chenle. Mark my words." her voice so sweet and soft and her words made his heart melt and lurch at the same time as it naturally came out of her mouth.
Hearing those words from Sungchan wasn't probably enough but then when she had said those words to him, he felt at ease.
Chenle smiled to himself foolishly when he just repeated that speech in his head. "Okay, first..... ew that was cheesy, second..... thank you, I needed that and I'm definitely going to mark your words like how Mark hyung jokes about how he wants to be marked in someone's heart." he chuckled, ignoring the pain that crept onto his cheekbones while he was smiling widely.
She snorted at this and laughed as quiet as she could. "Okay, first..... I know I'm not the type to be disgustingly cheesy, second....... you are so welcome my friend and third..... Mark said that?" she fanned her face with her hands while she tried holding in her laughs as she suddenly felt hot cause of the hilarious statement.
"Definitely." he laughed along but then the word 'friend' made him feel a little bothered.
But why?
It was true, they were friends and he liked to keep it that way.
But his heart said something else that he just couldn't predict.... yet.
Chenle just ignored it again and continued to talk to her until there was nothing left to talk about.
This do be lowkey Jisung and Chenle's love story tho. lololol.
But.... Best Boy Chenle.