The thing about loving Jungwontheres a difference there, between being in love with him and loving him; its not an important difference, but it still needs to be mentionedis that its like breathing. Depends, he says, eyes narrowed, if you lose, do I have to pay too?, Sunghoon raises a brow. Happy Valentines Day besties!!! Obviously, the term bestie wasnt invented in January. He shakes his head. The door is unlocked. Riki crashed into him, and they both went flying. With their friend group, at any moment in time, theres a hundred elephants in the room. Riki pulls a vape out of nowhere, takes a hit, then adds, If it makes you feel any better, Ive known about it for months and never thought of you or treated you any differently.. I know, Heeseung whispered and stroked Rikis hair. Heeseung looks down and sees that hes starting to wake up. He has sex with a lot of people., A laugh rang through the patio. What did you do to Sunoo the other night? Jungwon asks as he takes a seat next to Riki in the lecture hall. Sure, he says, and then hesitates. I like pretty boys., Jongseong blinks. Is he the only one that sees the major problem with The Bet? Shop high-quality unique Vibes Urban Dictionary T-Shirts designed and sold by independent artists. Sunghoon doesnt know why or how they didnt meet at all last year when Sunoo was a freshman, but he knows why they didnt ever hang out at the beginning of fall semester. Its the astigmatism. However, its filled with STEM majors and reeks of depression, stress, overdue assignments, coffee, and Adderall; therefore, its the perfect place to grind. Heeseung had made a face and said no, sorry. Riki thinks its boring. Riki grumbles, reluctantly unweaving himself from Heeseung and scurrying over to Heeseungs drawers, grabbing the first long-sleeve and pair of sweatpants he finds. And Heeseung has been rubbing off on him. Hes been working on it since the day he met him. From the way Sunoo smiles, Jake realizes that this is not news to him. You know, he starts slowly, Ive been wondering this for a long time. The Breakup. Why? Jungwon asks. The only problem is the way that Jongseong looks at Heeseung. Do you want me to stay here with you? Jake asks, feeling powerlessbut more than that, confused. Sorry, Riki said, pulling the sleeves of the hoodie over his hands, bunching up the fabric in his palms, shrinking in on himself. It was supposed to be just the juniors and Heeseung, but then Jongseong asked if he could invite Jungwon, who in turn asked if he could bring Sunoo. Breaking up with Sunoo was easy, but admitting why is one of the hardest things he has ever had to do. I just dont know if I can do it.. We didnt do much.. Dont wanna. The art on Heeseungs walls: its all Rikis. Really, its more like Jungwon forces himself into Jongseongs lap and wraps his arms around his neck. Riki finally lifts his head. You dont have to do anything you dont want to do, Heeseung says. Its so hard, Riki whispers, feeling like hes going to cry again. Liana Satenstein and Madeline Fass After some time, they finally move away from The Foursome topic. He isnt sure if hell ever be able to say it at all. like the physics is accurate and the monsters are so creepy, Just got out of my last anthro final. Theres a difference there; its a slight difference, but it matters. Everyone has noticed. To stay?. You love him, Jungwon thinks. My treat :). Jongseong wears his heart on his sleeve, never tries to hide anything, and Jungwon has good eyesight; he can see it all clearly, everything Jongseong is and wants to be. Its Jungwon who breaks the silence. He sees it in Jongseongs smile when Heeseung tells a joke, whether its funny or not, especially when its not. A little too well. I dont really get it either.. And right now, what Jungwon wants is Jongseong. What? Sunghoon asks as they cross the street. Youyou would do the same for me. You should mind, Jongseong whispers, face so tight it must be painful. Probably, Riki replied, flexing his fingers, palms smoothing down the hard gravel. When Jungwon steps outside the building, he bumps into Heeseung, who was practically sprinting. slack: heyy bestie you have a notification! I wanted to talk. Forgiving me something real.. He lets Riki wrap his cold hands over his. Im friends with both of them, and its hard being in the middle when they barely speak to each other., Jongseong nods. Soon, they all get up to stop by the late-night Mexican place before they head back to their respective places because its getting late, and half of them have the munchies and are craving quesadillas. Sunoo laughs, then tilts his head back to look at the dark, moonless sky. He never pushes. He didnt break up with Sunoo because of Heeseung. Sunoo isnt over that. Are you supposed to be super close with someone like that?, Jake frowns. Riki bows his head. Its an observation.. I like who you are now too, Sunoo replied. Kim Sunoo was bright and confident and snarky and loved to have fun. And theyll probably just, like, have sex on Jakes familys yacht everyday.. There was also everything Riki didnt say: He was my best friend, but now you are. I DONT KNOW Hes bound to be awake, so Heeseung texts him back. You were so good and liked by everyone, and Iwanted to be just like you. And when he isnt thinking about itwell, Jongseong is loving him anyway. Sunoo sucks in a trembling breath. A bestie is the person who you not only go shopping with on a regular basis but also trust implicitly with anything.. besties do not come and go like waves and sandcastles, they are more like permanent marker on American Eagle jeans, they'll stay with you forever. Riki cant say it. Yeah, and you really surprised me with all your jizz., Jongseong splutters. He thinks about it harder and tries to give Jongseong the sort of answer he wants. The hall is filled with chatter. Justwhy are you so awkward with Jake? You drive a hard bargain. Request A Quote. Hey, he says, for lack of anything better to say. It was good at first. I can see it., I did care about him, Riki says. Are you in or not?. Can we not talk about this anymore? Jake cant keep secrets when hes drunk, so Riki took the opportunity to ask him why, at the party, Jungwon and Jongseong were making out and continually sneaking glances at Riki, as if to make sure he saw, and Jake ended up spilling everything. Someone who has been through the worst with you, someone you love unconditionally, no matter how much you fight. What about me?, You already know the answer to that one, Heeseung thinks, but doesnt say. as well as This man is just red flag after red flag. He was smiling. They also fell in love, but looking back, that was probably the most inconsequential part of their whole relationship. Let them own it. Its beautiful and intense, but its also fun. What does thatits not like I can have them both., Sunoo sighs. At 10 PM, they meet on the balcony the seven of them had smoked on the night he and Sunoo made The Bet. Do you want to share? He asked Sunoo if he wanted to go smoke with him outside, but Sunoo didnt want to get crossed, so he said no, and Riki went outside on his own. Isnt as desperate to be someone who was liked, someone who belonged. Please dont do that.. And you seem different lately., Sunoo turned to look at him and nodded. Heeseungs eyes are bright, his smile nothing short of incandescent. What would you do, if you were in my position?, Heeseung taps his fingers on Rikis ankle. Stop worrying about me. Riki blinked, and then dread pooled in his stomach. Jake makes a faint choking noise, eyes wide. This is the one thing that they cannot do. I need your help to get Riki to raise the stakes, Sunoo explains. Its fine, Jungwon sighs, bringing his feet out of Jongseongs space. Hes leaning toward no, but he also knows that Jongseong is the only person Heeseung has been sleeping with for the past couple months. And I think thats whats keeping me from ending things with him, even though I know I should.. when two people are flirting. We havent seen each other all week., Yeah, sorry, Riki said, letting his backpack fall to the floor. Wait, dont answer that. Sunoo cant stop cry-laughing. His insides flood with warmth. Jongseong will not put himself through that again. Why?, Because of how much this is riding on Jongseongs feelings for Heeseung preventing him and Jungwon from ever getting together., Sunoo deflates, bringing his knees together. Not really. He looks up every now and then to glance at the nightsky, but the moon and stars are safely hidden behind an abundance of clouds, so its not much of a sight. He didnt respond. Riki is lying on the carpet of Heeseungs living room, high as a kite. I still have your hoodie. Riki met Lee Heeseung entirely by chance. Just an idea., Jungwons frown deepens. He probably fell in love with him that night, but he fell in love all over the next time they met, on a sober Wednesday morning. I can, Keep it. But you also want Jungwon, and you think that picking him is going to end up with you losing him.. He still doesnt look up. The moon was high and bright, thin clouds sliding across the black expanse of the sky. Sort of. But while theyre on the topic of Riki, he decides to ask the question everyones been wonderingat least him, Jongseong, and Jake. Jongseong doesnt trust his voice, so he just nods weakly, a breath sticking to the back of his throat. the mechanics are so good tho. Jake suddenly gets the feeling that Riki very much will. If You have a Bestie, Keep them We are more than best friends, we've been through way more. I want to start from the beginning. His voice is shaking, and Riki swallows in preparation. Im just curious, Sunoo continues, because Sunghoon looks too stunned to speak. Then you guys keep it up until Heeseung-hyungs graduation, he thinks hes going to win, but he isnt, and then, bam. Im sorry that I called you. Which is why, when Jongseong calls him at midnight, sounding like hes just been crying, he barely gets a word out before Jungwon tells him to come over, asks him where he is, if he needs to be picked up, if hes okay. Sunoo and Riki. Despite all of Rikis faults, Jake honestly adores the kid. Its still early, a few minutes past 9 AM, but Jongseong should be in class right about now. Sunghoon grins. We used to have fun together, Jaeyun-ah. It was mostly done, but there was enough left for a couple more hits. They make a group chat, but it dies after just a day because Heeseung cant be bothered with keeping up, Sunghoon loves to mute chats as soon as he joins them, Jongseong and Jake feel bad about leaving Riki out, and Sunoo and Jungwon already text frequently on their own. A lot of them. Sunooand everyone but Riki, reallylost The Bet, as well as $500 split unevenly among the six of them. Im trying to tone down on that., Why would you? He was so bad at Mario Kart it was funny. Its one of many reasons why Jongseong has come to love him so much. I justdont get it., I dunno, Heeseung said, and he was drunk enough that Jongseong knew that he was telling the truth. He cried a lot. You know, Riki makes me jealous, that he is to Heeseung what I couldnt be. He knows all about opportunity costs and payoff matrices. Like?, Riki shrugged. It happens to you. I dont think anyone misses me, though. Nous, InTheKnow, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Yeah, that makes sense.. If hes being honest, hes thought about it a lot, but then Sunghoon started getting closer with Sunoo, and he was sure he lost his chance. Yang Jungwon is fearless, a different sort of fearless than Heeseung and Riki. Not The Bet itself, but all the effort hes putting into it. Thats his business., Jongseong would disagreeits very much Heeseungs business toobut this isnt the time or place to debate about that. About everything, he mumbles, looking at the ground. At that point in Sunoos life, he was still head over heels with Riki. Just recounting the way Jjongsaeng came as soon as you pulled out your dick that time.. If were counting handies, then you popped my gay cherry., Sunghoon avoids eye contact. U guys want to come? Google, remember? Riki says. It bleeds and beats red, red, red. He hadnt considered that. Sunoo trusted that Riki wouldnt let him fall. But it was okay, because Riki used his winnings to pay off his debts to everyone, so if you look at each of their bank accounts, basically nothing has changed.