Later that night, Dino lay sprawled across his bed, his eyes half-closed in exhaustion but his mind still buzzing from the evening's events. 

He hadn't expected to enjoy the night as much as he had. Taeyong's restaurant had been a cozy, welcoming place, and surprisingly, Jaehyun had been easy to talk to—maybe too easy.

As Dino reached for his phone to check the time, a new notification caught his attention: a DM. From Jaehyun.

Dino blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting to hear from Jaehyun so soon, if at all. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the message.

"Hey, just wanted to thank you again for coming tonight. It was great seeing you."

Dino stared at the message for a moment before typing a reply.

"No problem. It was fun. The food was amazing."

A few seconds passed, and then another message came through.

"Yeah, Taeyong's a genius in the kitchen. But honestly, I think the real star of the night was Doyoung. He was ready to adopt Jeno on the spot, lol."

Dino chuckled softly, immediately picturing how Doyoung, Taeyong's boyfrined had practically doted on Jeno the entire evening. From the moment Jeno had complimented the restaurant, Doyoung had been giving him heart-eyes like he'd found the most precious creature on the planet.

"Right?! Jeno couldn't even take a bite of his food without Doyoung asking if he liked it. I'm surprised he didn't start feeding him."

Jaehyun responded almost instantly.

"Give it a few more hours, and I think Doyoung would've had Jeno wrapped up in a blanket with a bowl of soup, lol."

"I can see it now. "Are you warm enough? Do you want more water? Oh, I made this homemade sauce just for you!"

Dino snorted, trying not to laugh too loudly in his quiet bedroom as he continued typing.

"Exactly! He probably already started planning Jeno's college graduation party in his head. "Come join our family, little puppy."."

"It was like watching Doyoung fall in love with Jeno in real-time. Poor guy didn't stand a chance."

Jaehyun replied with a string of laughing emojis before continuing.

"Honestly, it was kind of sweet though. Doyoung can be intense, but he means well. He just loves taking care of people."

Dino smiled, remembering how genuine Doyoung had been despite his over-the-top affection. It had been amusing to watch Jeno try and fend off Doyoung's constant attention without being rude.

Then, another message came in, making Dino's heart skip a beat.

"But seriously, thanks again. It was really great seeing you. Hopefully, we'll get to hang out again soon."

Dino paused, rereading the message more times than he'd like to admit. His mind immediately jumped to conclusions, wondering what exactly Jaehyun meant by "soon." Did he mean another group gathering? Or was it just a polite way of saying he'd be around?

Trying to keep things casual, Dino replied:

"Yeah, for sure. I'm sure Jeno will drag me along again next time."

He hoped the light tone would downplay any awkwardness he was feeling. Still, there was a small part of him that couldn't help but wonder if Jaehyun meant more than just seeing him with Jeno.

Jaehyun's response came quickly, and Dino tried not to overanalyze it.

"Lol, yeah. Jeno's good at that I feel. But seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing you outside of that. Just hit me up anytime."

Dino's breath caught in his throat for a second, his fingers freezing over his phone. Was Jaehyun... asking to hang out with him?  Without Jeno? Or was Dino reading too much into it? He bit his lip, unsure how to respond.

After a moment of hesitation, he forced himself to type something, anything, to avoid leaving Jaehyun on read for too long.

Sure, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

There. Simple. Non-committal.

But as he hit send, Dino found himself lying back on his pillow, staring at the ceiling. His mind raced as he tried to push aside the flurry of thoughts swirling inside his head. It was probably nothing. Jaehyun was just being polite, right?

Still, as the minutes ticked by and his phone screen dimmed, Dino couldn't shake the subtle excitement that came with the idea of seeing Jaehyun again. He sighed, trying to will away the confusing feelings stirring within him.

This was just another gathering, he told himself. Nothing more. And yet, the idea of Jaehyun texting him directly, of them hanging out without Jeno, stuck with him.