“Oh, I’m sorry did I make you anxious?” Your eyes fly open, the romantic mood gone and as the realisation dawns on you, your anger increases. “Did you just-” Jooheon immediately backs away, even the fact that he would have to face your wrath because he quoted a line from one of their songs makes him tremble, regret his decision. “I hate you!” you groan from your position on the bed, hating that Jooheon just had to ruin the mood with his stupid words. When you could’ve been having so much more fun right now. “S-Sorry..” his half hearted apology has you getting up, mind made up as you decide to give him a little punishment for annoying you like this. “You’re not getting it for a week.” your words register immediately and he gets up, eyes blown wide from your apparent unfairness, “WHAT?!”
↪ PAIRING: Reader / Jooheon
↪ GENRE: slight angst > slight smut
↪ WORD COUNT: 2.1k
↪ SUMMARY: Jooheon wants to remind you that he’s the one you need, and you can call him any time…[inspired by this song]
When you realize, it ain’t him that's on your mind
Baby, you got my number
ALL ABOUT LUV SERIES
It feels like divine intervention when Jooheon first spots you across the crowded bar. Firstly - he never goes out. Well, not really. He works hard but he usually forgets to play hard too. Secondly, you'd agreed to have zero contact since your...fling ended. The fling that ended because you decided to get a boyfriend out of nowhere. Thirdly, and most importantly; you were alone.
Although he's two drinks in he suddenly feels entirely too sober, the buzz of the alcohol gone like a cold splash of water to the face. His throat feels dry as he watches you talking to your girl friend whom he recognises but for the life of him can't remember her name. It appears as if it's just the two of you tonight. He wonders where boyfriend is tonight.
As far as Jooheon is aware your new relationship is alive and thriving. According to instagram, anyway.
His attention drifts away from you briefly as he orders another much needed drink. Beside him Changkyun is talking about something but Jooheon is barely listening, only nodding his head when he has to. The two boys move to a table that's all together too close to where you're sat. Jooheon has the sense to avoid staring.
Changkyun unintentionally sits with his back facing your table, meaning Jooheon and you are facing each other - albeit with several crowded tables separating the distance. "...and then I was like, you're going to fall! And lo and behold, Hyungwon fell into the pool."
His friend's laugh grounds Jooheon back to reality. He forces out a chuckle of his own. "Why am I not surprised?"
"He's too tall. Those long arms and legs get the better of him." Changkyun muses with a smirk as he sips his drink. "Anyway, how are you doing man? It's been a while."
It's the truth, Jooheon thinks feeling slightly guilty. After everything ended with you, unwilling to admit his heart may have been a tiny bit broken ( ego hugely bruised, however) he had thrown himself into work. If he thinks hard it must have been two months since the two men had met in person, which was unusual. Long hours at the studio had merged into one long blur.
"Yeah it has, I've been okay. Busy with work." Jooheon sighs. "It's nice to get out and have a drink though."
"Tell me about it." Changkyun grins. "Cheers to that."
They clink glasses and as if his vision is magnetised to you, Jooheon glances over again. You still haven't clocked he's in the same room as you. He isn't sure if he's annoyed or relieved. "How is the wife?" Jooheon asks teasingly, bringing his focus back.
"Oh god don't let her ever hear you use the ‘w’ word, she'd already desperate for me to propose." Changkyun groans, playfully rolling his eyes and Jooheon laughs. "I mean, I will, I'm just waiting for work to settle down."
"Fair, fair." He agrees with a sigh. A voice in his head says at least you have someone but he doesn't dare speak it aloud. "It won't be long now, surely?"
"Nah," Changkyun. "In a month or two, maybe."
"I'm happy for you."
"How's things on your end? Still no girlfriend since - "
"No." Jooheon cuts him off. It's too much to be in the same room as you and rehash painful memories with a friend who borderline pitied him. "A few good nights with people, but that's it."
Initially when you had broke things off with Jooheon it was so abrupt he almost believed you were joking, as did his friends when he shared the news. Things had been going so well between you, he could barely believe it. It was rare he could find someone who he was friends as well as lovers with. It was special.
His friends teased him, after all it was a casual thing (although Jooheon often looks back and wonders how many casual relationships last an entire year) so he wasn't expected to feel down.
No strings meant no hurt feelings. Everyone knew that. So in the six months you'd been with Mr New Guy, Jooheon hated that he hadn't bounced back yet. Hated how much he thought about you. Hated how you could discard him like a toy. Yet, he didn't hate you.
"It'll happen man, you'll meet someone don't worry." Changkyun assures but there's little weight to his words.
Jooheon hums something that's meant to be agreement but it sounds flat, even to him. As he sips his drink, his eyes catch yours. You're staring at him, a mixture of shock and surprise on your face. When you realise he's watching you give him a small wave, mouthing hi.
He nods his head and tips his drink to you. The action makes Changkyun crane his neck to see what his drinking partner was doing and why. "Oh," Falls from his lips. "y/n's here."
"She is most definitely here." Jooheon downs his drink in one.
***
This isn't how he imagined it would go. As the night draws closer and closer to an end you still have done nothing more than briefly acknowledge his existence. It's another kick to his bruised ego. He always thought if you saw each other again you'd end up tangled in his bedsheets like a day hadn't passed.
Changkyun excuses himself to the restroom and a desperate Jooheon uses this as an opportunity when he witnesses you make your way to the bar. He leaps up from his seat and crosses the room quickly. Your back is to him as he approaches you.
"Hi," He says lowly in your ear. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Jooheon." You give him what he knows is an uneasy smile. You're probably wondering if this is going to be a pleasant conversation or something much more bitter. "Hey."
"You look like you're missing something tonight." His eyes search yours as your face twists in confusion.
"Huh?"
"That new accessory of yours!" He says like it's obvious. "You know, that 180cm brown haired, boring puppy you drag around with you sometimes?"
Realization dawns across your face when it clicks he's insulting your boyfriend. "Ah, right. Yeah. Whatever Jooheon, make your digs at me. Get it out of your system."
"It's not a dig at you, darling." He throws you a sickeningly sweet smile. You roll your eyes. "Where is Mr Bland tonight anyway?"
"Working." You answer curtly.
"As usual."
He knows he's hitting a sore spot, it's no secret how much your man works. Jooheon had heard from one of your mutual friends it was something you had often complained about. "Don't act like you know what you're talking about."
"We both know I do." He leans in closer, the alcohol that's been consumed in the last few hours giving him far too much confidence. "How do you spend all those lonely nights in your bed hmm? Think of me?"
You blush and look away. "I'm not lonely." You reply unconvincingly. He raises a disbelieving eyebrow towards you.
"No?" He asks. "That's not what I've heard."
"Stop." You say and he knows in that moment just how correct he is in his assumptions.
"You don't have to be lonely." His hands grip your waist and swivel your hips around so your facing him, chest to chest against the wood of the bar. "You know where I am. Baby, you've got my number."
You stare up at him with large, unblinking doe eyes and in that moment he wants nothing more than to kiss the sadness he sees in them away. Fortunately he refrains. "I don't need your number anymore." Your words are weak and not entirely believable.
"He's gone a lot, isn't he?" Jooheon presses, gripping your familiar body tighter. Six months without you has been forgotten in an instant the second he touched you.
"Sometimes..." You look away. He gently tilts your chin with his finger forcing you to look back at him.
"Say the word. That's all you have to do." He tells you softly. "And I'll be there."
You look like you want to give in, he can see it written all over your beautiful face. "I..I can't."
He sighs. "Can't or won't?" You open your mouth to speak but Jooheon suddenly doesn't want to hear it. Neither answer will make him feel better at this point. "Actually don't answer that. I meant what I said, you've got my number. You know where I am."
Leaning down he gives you the briefest of pecks on the cheek before walking away, leaving you somewhat speechless and alone.
***
Every part of his brain is telling him that it's not a good idea and he knows when he wakes he'll feel foolish but still, that doesn't stop Jooheon from texting you when he arrives home that night. His bed feels lacking when he's in it alone, he misses you and he can't stop himself.
[from: jooheon 1.43am]:
you know where I am.
He stares at it for a few seconds. It's the only exchange between both of your numbers, in a heated moment of anger months ago Jooheon had deleted everything else. Sometimes he regretted destroying the evidence of how much you had wanted him at one point.
As he's looking those three little tell tale dotes spring up at the bottom of the chat log. You're typing. You're typing. You're typing. His adrenaline spikes.
He watches and waits.
And waits.
The dots disappear and he feels a wave of disappointment. What did you want to say to him? He was dying to know. He waits a few seconds more hoping they will reappear but they don't. Jooheon tosses his phone carelessly somewhere on the mattress beside him. He tried, at least.
He's unsure how much time has passed, having drifted in and out of drunken slumber, when his phone pings. Groggily he reaches blindly for it in the sheets, squinting in the darkness to read the text. It's from you.
[from: y/n 2.37am]
I fucked up, I know. You were right about everything tonight.
He rubs at his eyes as if to clear them, afraid he's seeing things or worse - dreaming.
[from: jooheon 2.40am]
He's gone isn't he? And you're missing me
[from: y/n 2.40am]
Yes.
[from: jooheon 2.41am]
Yes to what part?
[from: y/n 2.41am]
All of it. I wish you were here.
[from: jooheon 2.42am]
why? Desperate for your first good fuck in 6 months?
[from: y/n 2.42am]
You know I am
[from: jooheon 2.43am]
And only I can fulfil that?
[from: y/n 2.43am]
only you. I mean that exactly how you think I do.
He frowns, puzzled momentarily. If he didn't know better it sounded like you were regretting your decision to end things but he didn’t want to assume anything too quickly. As he's overthinking you do something that takes him aback. You call.
"You should be asleep." Is the first thing he says as he answers.
"So should you." You reply with a breathy chuckle. "I wanted to hear your voice. I'm sorry."
"It's nice to hear you." He yawns. "Even if I am being used as a substitute." His joke is a little too on the nose.
"I'm not allowed to miss you?"
"No, you are. Do you miss him?" He queries.
"Jooheon..." You whine.
"Tell me."
"Not as much as I probably should." You admit. "I miss you more and we were never even together."
"I call bullshit on that darling. We might not have put a label on it but we were together." Jooheon says firmly. How either of you could have deluded yourselves otherwise was insane. "Then you freaked because your parents pressured you and got with the first suit you could find. Let's be real here."
"In the spirit of being real, I guess I'd have to agree. Probably why I'm having so many second thoughts now." You sigh sadly.
"This doesn't have to be your fate forever. You can break up with him you know."
"I don't know if the only man that's on my mind would have me back." You say cryptically but you both know exactly what that means.
"He would if he was the only man in your life."
"Really?"
"Really. You'd have to make it up to me though." He teases, as a small smile tugs at his lips. Jooheon can't quite believe what he's hearing.
"You'd want me after everything I did?" You ask tentatively.
"I never stopped wanting you." He breathed. "Even after everything you did."
"Jooheon I don't deserve you." You say shakily. "Listen, give me some time to sort things out and maybe we can meet up? I'll call you?"
"I can wait. You've got my number don't you? Use it this time."
