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“Let’s run away.”
Justin dropped his chopsticks, the ramyun cup almost slipping out of his hold, but remembering the packaging strongly advised to hold it on the crooked part of the cup because the contents are hot, he grabbed his sanity quickly to hold it tightly. “What?” He wasn’t sure if he heard Josh correctly, yet it made his heart stop.
“I said, run away with me.” Josh grinned, traces of his bunny smile apparent. “We can leave everything behind, go to a new city, meet new people. Interesting people—”
“Josh, people around here are interesting.” Justin chuckled. “If Stell heard you, he would have been wailing and whining nonstop.” He blew on his noodles before taking a big slurp. The soup trickled down his chin but he didn’t care, ramyun was just too good.
Josh rolled his eyes, moving closer to Justin as he wiped the soup on his chin. “Look at you devouring that ramyun. Such a baby.” He then laid his head on Justin’s shoulder as he looked ahead, watching people move on a low-volumed TV. “I meant, new other people. It will be best for both of us, I promise.” Honestly, he has never even thought about this, and the more he’s trying to persuade Justin, the more he’s being dissuaded himself. But Josh doesn’t really care. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be the “spontaneous and irresponsible kid”, maybe it’s time he really embodied it.
There was a 5-year age gap between them and he thinks they may be having a May-December affair, but people don’t really notice, noting how much younger both of them look despite their age. Like a young couple that’s just so eager to experience the honeymoon stage and everything that life can offer. Josh blames it mostly on Justin’s tall, kind-of imposing and intimidating build, plus the fact that the man has this very sharp look when he’s not smiling, but Justin, on the other hand, blames it entirely on Josh’s petite frame and baby face features. There was one time when Justin was looking for a bowl on Josh’s cupboard and he absentmindedly just put his hand on top of Josh’s head, totally forgetting that Josh was cooking in front of him. Josh didn’t talk to him for the rest of the afternoon even until Justin left to go home. Really the perfect example of the “opposites attract” quote.
“Are you crazy?” Justin snorted until the soup he was currently slurping made his throat on fire. The idea might have scared him off if it was the pre-Josh-relationship Justin, dashing immediately out the door without even bothering to put on his shoes but somehow hearing it directly from Josh made the butterflies in his stomach flutter a little. Somehow, the idea wasn’t as crazy as Josh had said it out loud. He was even a little excited, but he still feels the walls struggling to build again. “Are you serious? Josh, this is such a huge step. Are we even ready for this?” He mentally kicks himself for sounding so unsure and unwilling.
Josh groaned as he laid down and stretched out his legs, kicking the air. Justin evaded his kicks, primarily protecting his ramyun rather than his own face. “I know and I think we are more than ready. We’ll definitely get an apartment, get new jobs, adopt a bunny even!” His face scrunched up as he murmured, “I’m your only bunbun so I think we should rule out the bunny.” He shook his head, the idea bulb so bright he feels his head ache. “No, Jah. Let’s just run away and worry about everything later. Come on!! Are you seriously going to wait until we’re diaper-old and can’t even do stupid and irrational decisions like we can now?” Josh sat up as he cupped both Justin’s cheeks gently, leaning a little to rest his forehead on his and sighed contently. “My youth is yours, Jah. Or what’s left of it, anyway, since I’m almost nearing the end of the calendar. Come on, let’s run away. I just want you and me, out of this place, together.” He smiled lovingly, caressing Justin’s cheeks.
“You’re 29 years old, Josh. You’re not exactly youth anymore.” Justin rolled his eyes.
Josh reached behind him to throw a pillow hitting Justin’s face directly. Justin, with his super fast reflexes stretched out his hand to protect his ramyun from being hit by the pillow boulder. “Seriously?! You still care for that ramyun than what we’re talking about right now? Ugh!” He groaned. “Why are you so unromantic?”
Justin laughed, his crinkling eyes and gummy smile out. There are only two things that can make this smile be seen on his face. One is when he knows everyone around him is happy and second is this, Josh making him this happy unconsciously. He looked at him, how Josh looked so excited sharing this idea to him but annoyed how he thinks he doesn’t care and thinks it’s outrageous, and he really feels a little guilty for even thinking of turning him down. The idea was actually brilliant and he mentally kicks himself that he hasn’t thought about it. Josh was right, it was now or never. Their youth won’t just come a second time, and as he thinks more on this, he feels himself agree to this ridiculous thought.
Justin set his ramyun on the table in front of his bed and gently pulled Josh towards him. Josh’s pout won’t seem to go away from his face and he was tempted to kiss it away. So he did.
He felt the older melt a little and smiled into the kiss. Josh pulled away and murmured, “I still hate you for being unromantic but I will let this slip,” and closed the distance between them, eager to have his lips on him again.
Justin is beyond elated. That feeling of being back in his teens is so tempting, being here with Josh now, right this moment, making stupid and irresponsible choices together from being intoxicated by the imagined reality. His 20s was made of grown up choices and mature decisions that he sometimes feels he’s a 36 year old man trapped in a 24 year old body. But as the younger between them, he needs to consider a lot of things too; his job, his mom, their friends. He wonders why Josh, someone who’s older than him and has more responsibilities in life would even bring up this irresponsible and so un-Josh idea. But then, the anxiety about his own life comes at him. Does he need to apply for a new job or a commute can easily solve this problem? His mom will worry, definitely, though he knows he can let her in on the little secret, but what if she spills it to Josh’s mom? He can’t just run head on and jump to…
Until it hit him.
“Didn’t you say there was an apartment for rent near the subway station?”
“Does this mean…?” Josh trailed off, happiness evident on his face but tried to retain a straight face. He wanted to hear it straight from his lips, with no other filter, no assumptions, just pure truth. Justin wanted to laugh, seeing Josh’s I-badly-need-to-go-to-the-toilet face, but decided he doesn’t need to be an asshole today.
“Well, you said that you want to be with me, together; that your youth is mine. Even if you aren’t exactly in your youth anymore.” Josh had to smack him again with a pillow, earning a wide blown laugh from Justin. “But…, I like that, very much. I love it even.” Justin smiled as he enclosed Josh in a tight yet gentle hug. “My youth is yours, too, Josh. We’ll run away, be with each other, and live together. Forever.”
”Forever? More like Hanggang Sa Huli, don’t you think?”
”No, let’s not bring in your favorite artist here. It’s our moment.” Justin huffed, letting go of his hold on Josh and reaching back for his ramyun.
”Our moment sabay kuha ng ramyun?” Josh rolled his eyes. “Fine, but I’m not buying ramyun anymore.”