Jaemin stared blankly at the blackboard ahead, his mind a void. He had zoned out for a while but forcibly pulled himself out of his own bubble, attempting to regain focus on the mind-numbingly dull chemistry lecture.

Bored, he chewed the back of his pencil, the monotonous drone of the teacher's voice lulling him into a stupor.

Suddenly, a whisper broke through his fog of disinterest, "Psst. Jaemin. Can you move forward a bit? I need to sleep for a while." The voice behind him was lazy, almost too tired to form the words.

Bringing his hand closer to his mouth to hide his moving lips from the teacher, Jaemin replied, "What rituals were you doing last night that you couldn't sleep, Jeno?"

Jeno hissed back, "Who said I didn't sleep? I just find this class too boring to waste my energy on."

"Fine, fine. I'm moving," Jaemin muttered, admitting defeat as he shifted in his seat, now fully blocking Jeno from the teacher's view.

"Wish I had the brains to score perfect marks by studying just three days before exams," he mumbled to himself, envious of Jeno's effortless intelligence.

Determined to focus, Jaemin mentally slapped himself, trying to summon the motivation to pay attention to the class.

But then his body stiffened when he felt Jeno's fingers drawing lazy circles on his back. The soft, almost sensual touches sent a shiver down his spine.

Jaemin felt his cheeks and ears heat up, the lazy caresses making it impossible to concentrate.

His breath hitched, too stiff to even turn around and swat Jeno's hand away. "Wh-what are you doing, Jeno? I'm trying to study."

"Trying to sleep?" Jeno replied, as if the answer was too obvious, still tracing the gentle loops on Jaemin's back.

"Close your eyes or count sheep, man! Don't do this-I can't focus!" Jaemin's voice was a desperate whisper, his heart pounding in his chest.

Jaemin's desperate whisper seemed to amuse Jeno, who chuckled softly, the sound barely audible but still managing to send a thrill down Jaemin's spine.

"Relax, Jaemin," Jeno murmured, the soft touches on his back becoming more deliberate. "You're so tense. You need to loosen up a bit."

Jaemin gritted his teeth, "Loosen up? Not with you doing that," he hissed, struggling to keep his voice low.

Jeno's fingers paused for a moment before resuming their lazy circles. "You know, you're cute when you're flustered," he teased, his tone playful. "Maybe I should do this more often."

Jaemin's face burned with irritation, "Jeno, I swear, if you don't stop-"

"Alright, alright," Jeno interrupted, his hand finally retreating. "I'll stop... for now."

Jaemin exhaled in relief, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. He tried to refocus on the lecture, but Jeno's next words pulled him back.

"Hey, Jaemin," Jeno whispered again, a hint of mischief in his voice. "Are you coming to the basketball court today?"

Jaemin glanced over his shoulder, giving Jeno a wary look. "Why? So you can slack off and make me do all the work?"

Jeno grinned, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "No, I promise I'll actually play today. Just thought it might be fun, you know? Plus, I might need someone to keep me awake."

Jaemin rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll come. But you better not bail on me."

Jeno leaned back in his chair looking satisfied. "Great. It's a date then," he said, his voice teasing.

Jaemin turned back to the front, before rolling his eyes, hoping that Jeno sees it,"We talked about it earlier like a thousand times. I'm not dating you."

I can't like you.

DISCLAIMER:

This piece of writing is a product of the author's creativity. If no other information is provided, all the names, characters, businesses, locations, events, and incidents mentioned in this book are either the result of the author's imagination or used in a fictional way. Any similarity to real individuals, whether living or deceased or actual events is entirely accidental.

>Status: Ongoing

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>A Na Jaemin × Lee Jeno fanfiction.

>Original story by canibelessuseless.

>You are reading:

• Efflorescence •