20 minutes later...

The ride comes to an end as Noah slows down behind Leo to park in front of his house. As I wait for him to stop, Leo is already getting out of his car.

Noah turns off the ignition, while Leo walks up to us. I get off the bike and take my helmet off, laughing at my best friend's facial expression.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you?" he looks at us both, Noah still straddling his bike. "Yeah, he even let me put my hands under his shirt to keep them warm."

"Bullshit," he takes his keys out and heads to his front door. Noah grabs the helmet I was holding and puts it back in his bike. I walk up to Leo, who has opened the door of his house, and then enter, with Noah following us.

I drop my bag on the floor as we all head to the living room. "When does your mom come back home?" Noah asks him, and I sit down on the couch. "Tomorrow night, so we're good," he says, landing on my lap without waiting for permission.

I do not complain but drop my head on the back of the couch and close my eyes, feeling tempted to fall asleep.

"I'm so fucking cold, I can't stand it," Leo whines, putting his hood on. "Is the heater not working anymore?" Noah asks while lighting a cigarette and taking a drag. "I did, but it takes a few minutes to warm up."

Noah switches hands to hold the cigarette and bends over the other couch to grab a blanket and throws it on him. "Here, pretty boy."

"Shut the fuck up," he covers his body and mine with it. "I bet I'm sick. My throat hurts," he says, then leans back and turns to the side, resting his skinny body on mine. "Get your head under that blanket, and Kook will help with that throat."

"Bro, what?" I frown at him. "You know what," he pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and grins mischievously. "We'll both make each other's day hundreds of times better," Leo says, believing I will do as implied.

I lick my lips and chuckle. "Sure."

"Where's your balaclava, by the way?" he takes his hood off. "In my pocket," I push my hand into it and get it out. "Here," I throw it in his face. "Put it on, so I can take a picture and keep it to myself."

"Keep it to yourself? What are you gonna do with it?" I ask, despite already knowing the answer to it. As I put the balaclava on specifically for him, he smirks and says, "Just to preserve memories of our time as best friends."

"Sure," I take my jacket off and get more comfortable.

2 hours later...

As the effects of the vodka start to kick in, I begin to feel lightheaded and dizzy.

"Bro," Noah runs his hand over his face, laughing at Leo, who is trying to eat his noodles at the coffee table when completely plastered. Leo slurps down his noodles before exclaiming, "They hit so hard, you don't understand," as he drinks some of the broth.

"It's not a dick, chill," he hands me the cigarette we have been sharing. I take a drag as Leo bends over the table and slides the noodle cup towards Noah. "Try it."

As Noah grabs the chopsticks to eat, I feel my phone vibrate. With blurred vision, I look down and see a text from y/n.

< are you at your friends house? ]

"Dude," I sigh heavily, exhaling some smoke. "What?" Noah turns towards me, his mouth full of noodles. "She texted me. I feel like crying, I don't know why," I drop my phone on the coffee table before us, the alcohol heightening my emotions.

"Ignore this bitch. She's just leading you on," Noah checks the text. "Acting like she cares," he takes my phone and stands up, walking towards a table. He leaves it there and comes back, Leo crawling up to me.

"Don't let a woman have that power over you," Leo says as he puts his arms down on my lap. He hides his face in them and groans. "Like, look at me. I'm such a hot...like...a pretty boy, yet I got cheated on. Women are not worth it."

"We all know you're gay," Noah steals the noodles and eats. "I'm not gay. I'm straighter than you are," he glares at him, his neck and ears bright red. Noah smiles. "Nothing wrong with being gay or bi, you know."

"Yes, I know," he waves his hand dismissively, and I lean forward. As I tap the ash off the cigarette, Leo moves up on his knees and presses his lips on my neck. "What about you? You sure you're straight?"

"Yeah. A hundred percent sure," I say, consuming the rest of my cigarette in one long drag. The smoke swirls around us, the scent of it mingling with the musky cologne the three of us are wearing.

He smirks and directs his dark brown eyes towards Noah. "Your turn. Are you sure about your sexuality?"

"Yeah, but you're not. Want me to prove you?" he licks his lips after drinking some water. Leo raises an eyebrow, intrigued by the challenge. "Uh. Prove me."

"Come here," he gestures to him like a dog, the tattoos over his hands and arms seeming so blurry. Leo moves closer to him, unsure of what he's getting himself into.

As I take another shot of vodka, Noah cups his face with his hand and kisses Leo deeply. Without hesitation, Leo kisses him back, giving in to the unexpected moment. Not believing what is happening, I try to focus my vision on the unfolding scene before me.

Their tongues interlocked in a heated kiss, Noah slides one hand under Leo's shirt and pulls him closer.

I watch in stunned silence, feeling a mix of emotions.

As soon as Noah grabs him by the throat, a deep moan escapes from Leo's lips. The air in the room becomes thick with tension, and Noah stops. "See, you're a hoe," he says with a smirk, leaning back while sneering.

"Fuck you. It proves nothing. I'm just...vulnerable, drunk," he drops his body between us, putting one leg over my thigh. "A straight guy would have pushed me away and not kissed back."

"Do it to Jungkook and see his reaction," he taunts, getting me too involved in their game. "No, I can tell he's straight."

"Ah yeah? Ain't sure about that," Leo lays his arm over my thighs, rubbing his fingers over the side pocket of my cargo pants. Noah looks at me and scoffs. "Are you good?"

"No, bro. I shouldn't have drunk. I don't even know...like...what I- what I think or say," I bite my lips, feeling lightheaded. Noah throws a bottle of water at me, saying, "Drink this, it'll help."

I open it and chug the bottle of water, trying to compose myself. "I'm gonna chill over there," I leave the bottle down and stumble to the other couch, crashing onto it.

I rest my arm over my head and close my eyes, trying to block out the chaos inside of me.

•••

7:20 pm.

The sound of hail hitting the windows wakes me up, my eyes opening to a dark and silent room.

I sit up slowly, realizing that I was hugging a pillow in my sleep. I look around, feeling disoriented and unsure of where I am.

Wondering why Noah and Leo are not here, I stand up and walk towards the archway that leads to the foyer. I quickly realize what is happening as I hear some noise coming from upstairs.

For some reason, I knew this would happen.

I sigh and turn around, going back to the living room. I look for my phone, my head aching like ever. I take it and see that my dad sent me a text a few minutes ago.

< Hey, are you sleeping at your friend's house? ]

I head back to the sofa, sit down, and the memories of the dream I just had a few minutes ago flood back into my mind. I try to shake off the feeling of sadness and focus on responding to my dad's message.

[ I'm not sure >

I leave this conversation and decide to reread the text y/n sent me earlier. I know I told myself I would ignore her, but I cannot.

[ I fell asleep I'm sorry but yeah im at his house >

Only a few seconds after I sent the text, she replies.

< Are you okay? ]

I hesitate to respond with the truth, but the mix of physical pain and sickness caused by the alcohol I consumed, with the sound of the hail bringing back memories added to it, causes me to need her attention.

[ no >

< Why? What's wrong? ]

[ I drank too much. I don't feel good and the hail reminds me of when I was with you and it doesn't help making me feel better >

< Do you want me to come pick you up? ]

[ yes please >

< Send me the address ]

I send her the address, tears flooding my eyes. To ensure that Noah and Leo do not come downstairs and see me crying, I stand up and grab my jacket to put it on. Then I walk up to the door, wear my hood, and go out into the cold winter night. I step to the bus station right across the street to take shelter and sit down.

I bury my face in my hands, hoping the cold night air will alleviate some of the pain and dizziness.

30 minutes later...

A car parking in front of Leo's house, I move up and cross the road to walk up to it.

Y/n gets out of it, noticing me and giving me a worried look. "Why are you outside?" she puts her hood on to protect herself from the heavy hail. I do not answer but wrap my arms around her.

Her warmth instantly fills me with comfort and reassurance like no one else could.

"Where are your friends?" she asks, rubbing my back. "They're still inside, but I don't want to stay."

"Alright, let's get in the car and talk about it," she walks around it to open the passenger door. I sit down and watch her join me as I leave my bag in the back.

"Has something happened with your friends?" she shows some worry, not starting the engine yet. I shake my head, "We were having fun, but they just drank a little too much, but I'm just not feeling good. My head's aching, I feel like throwing up, I'm a little dizzy, and I don't know..I'm just not in a good mood."

"How much did you drink?" she turns the ignition on and adds, "Like, do you think we need to go to the hospital?"

"No. I didn't drink that much. It's nothing serious," I reassure her. "Have you told your dad about it?"

"No. I just told him I'll probably sleep at their house," I tell her as she drives away from here. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"I just want to stay with you," I respond, not holding in my emotions. "Okay," she does not say anything against it, she simply nods and continues driving.

"Do your friends smoke?" she asks me, making me feel nervous. "Yes..."

"I can smell it. Did you smoke with them?" she notices, stressing me out twice more.

"I did..." I nod, guilt consuming me. "Don't tell my dad about it, please."

"Jungkook...Why would you smoke that? It's unhealthy, disgusting, and there's nothing good about it," she says with a disappointed look on her face, her voice tinged with concern. "I promise I won't do it again."

"I sincerely hope you won't," she says as she slows down at an orange light. "I don't want to see you hurt yourself."

30 minutes later...

As we both enter her house, I take my shoes and jacket off. She grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and leads me to the mezzanine, where her bed is.

After taking off my hoodie, leaving only my shirt on, I lay down on the bed, feeling so weak. I look at her as she sits down next to me. She opens the bottle and hands it to me. "Drink. You need to hydrate yourself."

I grab it and take a few sips, feeling the cool liquid soothe my parched throat. When I am done, I give it back to her, and she puts it on the bedside table. She lays the blanket over me and turns the lamp off, lying down next to me.

Silently, I wrap my arms around her and rest my head on her chest. She tangles her fingers in my hair and combs it. Feeling safe and loved in her embrace, I close my eyes, and she starts running her fingers over my neck, tracing circles and going back up to my hair.

"I'm sorry for being so immature and causing you trouble," I apologize, hoping she can forgive me despite my mistakes. "Don't say that," she combs my hair back. "I just don't want you to get drunk and smoke again."

I open my eyes and gaze into the distance, tightening my hold around her. "Do you know how I feel about you?"

"Yes...It's pretty obvious," she admits to being aware. I stay quiet, wondering whether I should shut up or not, but then decide to let some words out. "I'm sorry for liking you."

For a moment, she remains silent. She slides her fingers down to my ear and caresses it. "I just want you to focus on graduating for now. I want you to keep your attention on your studies and not on me."

I raise my head up and look into her eyes, feeling a mixture of disappointment and understanding. "Did I misunderstand everything? The way you react when I look at you or touch you? The way you smile?"

She maintains eye contact, brushing her thumb over my cheek. I can see the conflict in her eyes as she whispers, "You didn't misunderstand anything. I just want you to understand graduating is very important, and we both know whenever I'm near, you can't focus on anything else. So you graduate first, then we'll-"

I lean in towards her and plant a kiss on her lips.

As I pull away, she gazes into my eyes, my heart racing with anticipation. I do not see any discomfort or hesitation in her expression, so I go for another kiss. She kisses me back, our lips moving in sync, our bodies pressed tightly against each other.

I feel a rush of euphoria, my heart pounding so hard, my breathing becoming shallow. I grip her waist and deepen the kiss, my mind completely consumed by the intensity of the moment.

I slide my hand under her top and feel the warmth of her skin as she holds my jawline, arching her back like she does every time I touch her. Keeping the kiss slow and passionate, I heavily brush my hand down her stomach and feel the softness of her skin.

Our lips lock in a sensual dance, and I find myself lost in the sensation of her sweet lips against mine, unable to resist. I run my hand back up her skin, feeling the curve of her hip. I give a squeeze and feel her put an end to the kiss.

I pull away, breathless and wanting more. We look into one another's eyes, both of us feeling the tension and desire in the air. She glides her hands down to my chest and whispers, "We can't be together yet."

"Is it because of my age?" I ignore what she said about graduating. "A little bit, but mostly because I don't want you to be distracted. You only have five months left to graduate, so don't let a woman distract you from your goals. We'll have plenty of time after that to do whatever we want if you still want me. Okay?"

"If I still want you? You really think I'd want another woman, who I know will never compare to you?" I raise my eyebrows, relieved to hear that despite the conditions, she feels the same way as I do. "I'm scared this might be a crush that will fade over time. That's why I said that."

"Hm. It's not a crush. I've been feeling like that for months, there's no way it will fade. I feel way too good, happy, and loved with you. You wouldn't even understand," I confess more and more, seeing a smile grow on her face. "We'll see in five months."

"Yeah, you'll see I'm just even more in love with you," I state with no doubt.

As she gazes into my eyes while stroking my cheek in the softest manner, I rub my hand over her stomach. "Do you really feel the same way I do?" I question, searching for any hint of hesitation in her expression. Her smile widens, and she responds with a confident "Yes, I do."

"You won't change your mind and fall for another man before I graduate, right?" I ask for reassurance, scared she might get tired of me or want someone else. "No, I won't. If I wasn't sure of what I feel, I wouldn't ask you to wait. I just want to make sure your education comes first. I also want to ensure that you're very sure of what you want."

I tilt my head to lean into her hand and gently kiss her inner wrist. "I trust you."

"I trust you too," she says softly, a smile playing on her lips. I return the same emotions and take my hand out of her top to hold her tight. "Will I be allowed to kiss you?"

"Only if you get good grades, alright?" she cups my face with one hand, pressing on my cheeks to pucker my lips. "I promise I will. I'll graduate, get a job, and try my best to become the best man you could ever ask for. I'll even get muscular, more mature, rich, and successful for you."

"I don't need all that, I don't even deserve it. I just want you to be happy," she replies the way I expect her to. "You do deserve it. You're the only woman on this earth who does. I don't care what nobody says."

She softly laughs and shakes her head. "If you say so."

"Hm hm," I murmur and put my head back on her chest. I close my eyes, cuddling up against her. She remains silent, and I drift off to sleep, feeling her warmth and comfort surrounding me.