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"This is obscure"
Jake rested his forehead onto the cold surface of the table in front, a groan leaving his lips in despair.
The chilly material did a good job at cooling down his brain, fuming with hopelessness.
"Okay let me recall", Jungwon said, resting his chin on top of his hand, his elbow balanced on the table of the lunchroom.
"Your brother is having an engagement party in..", his gaze wandered down to the date presenting on his unlocked phone screen, "5 days"
"And being the dumbass you are, you told your whole family you were bringing a plus one?"
The disbelief in his friends voice would be funny, if he wasn't currently sprawled across the table with a bad feeling churning at his guts.
With a sigh he sat up straight again, only to bury his head in his hands a few mere seconds after.
"Do you know the teasing I always have to put up with?", Jake defended himself almost desperately.
" 'You're 22, when will you finally bring someone home?' ", he impersonated the high pitched voice of his grandma.
His palms met the desk with a rattle, the long forgotten cutlery clattering against hard plastic.
"Since I was 15!"
Jungwon raised an eyebrow at his best friend, the tiniest hint of understanding behind his eyes.
"That doesn't excuse your stupidity", was the empathetic response that followed.
The, what felt like, 20th groan erupted from deep within Jake's chest.
"What am I supposed to do now?", he muttered, closing his eyes.
It was lunch break, the college cafeteria bustling with students trying to fill their stomachs before their next class began.
12 pm, the hall in the middle of the campus was always packed and buzzing, but Jake barely noticed the scent of burnt coffee.
His own thoughts were loud enough.
Chatter and laughter filled the air, sometimes a shout about forgotten homework or deadlines cutting through.
Very relaxing.
"Well", the other started off, "option one is confessing the truth, which would be like ultimately surpassing every embarrassing moment ever".
A chuckle left his lips, how ironic.
"Option two, you convince someone to go with you"
Jake chocked on his own spit, his eyes almost jumping out of their sockets.
A laugh, out of disbelief, followed close.
"That's ridiculous", he replied, teary eyed.
"Well you do you, I for a fact wouldn't want to face my family again after telling them that I lied about seeing someone, like who even does that?", Jungwon chuckled dryly, shrugging his shoulders, his fingers fiddling with a lost bottle cap stranded on their table.
He swallowed heavy, his throat bobbing at the weird feeling building up in his chest.
"Fuck, I'm a lost cause"
He raked a hand through his freshly died brunette hair in frustration, almost ripping a few strands out of his very tense scalp.
Suddenly his head shot up, his eyes locking with the ones across the table.
His eyes glistened slightly.
"Jungwon", he started, a weird dreamy look behind his pupils.
The called almost broke a fit, "absolutely fucking not"
The glimmer left Jake's eyes as soon as it appeared, the gloomy expression back on his face.
A sigh escaped Jungwon, sick of his friends despair; he wouldn't want to deal with a mopping Jake for weeks on end.
"You know what, Sunghoon owes me a favor", he said, a thoughtful look behind his gaze.
Jake squinted his eyes suspiciously, "What kind of favor?"
"The kind where he'd say yes if I asked him to fake date someone for a night"
Sunghoon wasn't a stranger to him.
He wasn't really to anyone who had ears and two functioning eyes.
Because he definitely wasn't a wallflower.
His achievements for the universities hockey team were widely known (and god forbid, he was handsome too).
It was unfair.
They shared a few lectures, but only interacted briefly before.
"No fucking chance", Jake responded, leaning back in the hard plastic chair that supported his back.
"Okay then, go on telling your grandma what kind of desperate coward you are", Jungwon said with a mischievous grin, letting himself fall back a bit as well.
A moment of silence filled the tense air between them.
"I hate you"
"You're welcome"
It was later that night, Jake found himself in bed, burning holes into the ceiling.
It was a clear night, the sky almost presenting a few stars if it wasn't for the light pollution.
The clear day was followed by a beautiful dusk sky.
He laid awake, his mind wandering to the conversation with his best friend a few hours ago.
He wasn't the type to just 'pick' someone out and date them, if it didn't mean anything, but he felt like he had no choice.
And it was his own fault.
What was he thinking? It would have been less stressful to just underlie the teasing once again, instead of forcing a stranger into his close environment.
He sighed as he turned on his side, now facing the next wall, rearranging the pillow steadying his neck.
Ever since he was a teenager, various family members would pressure him if he already experienced a relationship, if he was taken, fell in love.
Back then, it was easy to wave off as a sign of inexperience and him being too young anyway.
He understood that the family members that couldn't repress those teasing remarks had another view on dating culture, the age difference definitely being at fault.
But as he got older, fighting back the sneaky comments became harder.
He felt pressure; like he stayed behind.
If he didn't commit to a long term relationship soon, was he left out?
He closed his eyes, trying to ease his running mind.
He hated expectations.
What he hated even more was, that he couldn't fulfill them respectably.
Jake's train of thoughts was interrupted by a buzz against the mattress, his phone screen lighting up with a pop up notification.
Heavy lidded eyes tried to grasp what was presented on the dimly lit screen, his hands fumbling to unlock his phone.
As he realised the message that popped up, he was quick to feel wide awake again.
Jungwon told me
I'm free on Saturday if you're still looking for someone
Jake stilled, his finger hovering over the keyboard slightly.
It glowed in the dark, he himself caught between relief and absolute dread twisting his inners.
Slowly, he typed back.
that's very direct, but in short: yes
I didn't think you would agree that fast tho
His fingers moved swiftly, saving the persons number that would maybe save him in his misery.
| Sunghoon
No offence romeo, but didn't seem like you had a plan B
Jake groaned into the darkness, burying his head in his hands, his hair tousled over.
This was insane.
He should say no, he really should.
Another buzz put an end to his overthinking.
| Sunghoon
look, I'm fine with it, really
if it makes things easier for you
you just need to tell me what I'm signing up for
thanks, really
convincing, good at pretending? I'm not too sure myself
| Sunghoon
I was a theatre kid, I think I'll manage
let me know what I need to know about you
are you free for coffee tomorrow?
After a restless night and way too much stressing out, Jake found himself outside a café, the birds chirping in the close tree branches, as if they were making fun of him.
He made sure to make himself look somehow presentable, trying to tame his hair which fell into his face in slight waves.
Someday his hair would revenge on him, because of all the hair dye it had to suffer.
Jake was clutching his phone, trying not to dramatically face-plant onto the wooden table in front due to his lack of sleep.
Swift approaching steps made him snap out of his dizzy state.
Sunghoon was approaching, slightly out of breath, his backpack slouched over his right shoulder as if he left in a rush.
Jake had to admit, he looked ridiculously good, despite strands escaping his combed hair to frame his face.
"Hi, sorry for being late", the other said, plopping down on the other side of the outside table, resting his underarms onto the surface.
Jake shook his head, "given the circumstances you don't have to apologise for anything, really", he said with a grunt, "this is unhinged enough"
Sunghoon could barely suppress a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I've done worse, believe me"
Jake only raised an eyebrow at that, but let it be. He fiddled with a loose thread of his sweaters hem, trying to act less awkward.
"So, Saturday..", he tried to get to the topic on hand, looking anywhere but his company.
"Right", the other said, leaning back slightly, "fill me in"
"My brother is having an engagement party with probably my whole family tree present. I may or may not have let a comment slip that I'll bring a plus one", he drifted off towards the end with a small sigh.
"So I need your help", Jake ended, locking eyes with Sunghoon the first time since he sat down.
To his surprise, there was less teasing and mischief in his gaze than he thought. Almost as if this was daily business for him.
The latter hummed, his eyes clouded by a thoughtful look as he brushed a strand back.
"Okay, so we need a plan. Anyone I should be wary of?"
He sounded oddly serious and Jake tried to push back the weird feeling crawling up his throat.
He sighed, "my grandma, she's basically why I even felt the need to come up with a fake relationship", he let out an ironic shuckle.
"She'll probably watch with hawk eyes and ask a lot of questions, so we should have our story straight", Jake added sarcastically.
Sunghoon tilted his head, "like how we met and how long we've been seeing eachother and stuff?"
Jake nodded in response, "Things like that, favourites, how we spend our time".
He looked away awkwardly, trying to keep down another sigh.
"I don't know, anything to make it seem like you know me"
A short silence followed, the sound of the city filling the air; distant car honking, a sirene, someone's car brake screeching.
"Alright", Sunghoon broke the silence first, leaning in slightly, "I'm good at remembering details. What are you studying, what is your favourite movie, how did we meet?"
Jake's heart almost skipped a beat, taken aback by the seriousness the other put into this.
"Um, I'm a physics major, movie probably Fight Club? And..", he took a moment to let the last question filter in.
"Maybe over a mutual friend? Like Jungwon, we got along well and now we're figuring things out", he rambled on, stopping himself as he noticed.
"I don't know though", Jake added quietly, a look of shame present on his features.
The other nodded, "sounds valid".
"Anything nobody else would know except me?"
Jake squinted his eyes ever so slightly, "Is this part of the act?"
Sunghoon shrugged with a small smile, "Think of it as practice"
He let the question melt on the tip of his tongue, trying to come up with a reasonable answer.
"I've never like, done something like this before. Like romantically", he said with a sarcastic chuckle, tapping his finger onto the table.
He was sure, most of his family members would guess he had at least some talking stages; otherwise the teasing would probably look even worse.
For a few mere seconds, Sunghoon just looked at him, no judgement, but nothing readable present in his face either.
He nodded once again, just aware.
He quickly retreated back to the elephant in the room, asking question forth and back.
They fell into a light conversation, paused by slightly awkward moments and realisation by Jake (hidden well) every so often, trying to come up with a foolproof plan.
Even if Jake didn't want to admit it; Sunghoon wasn't the worst fake boyfriend you could imagine.
"How do we act though, like you know", Jake started a topic somewhere into their conversation, "to make it believable"
"What are your limits?", Sunghoon asked, a thoughtful expression tensing up his face.
He looked like he understood.
"Like, kissing? I mean not that I think you'd want to, this is only hypothetical after a-"
"Relax Jake, I know", the other cut his ramble off with a slight smile.
Jake breathed out, recollecting his original thought, "I think I'm fine with everything else"
"So you don't mind me touching you?", Sunghoon asked way too casually for the bomb that just dropped.
He grimaced a bit at the wording but replied with an agreement.
"Okay", the other said.
"Okay"
"Thank you I guess", Jake muttered.
Sunghoon slung one arm over the back of his chair.
"Wow", he said, his eyes flickering over his face.
"What?", Jake asked, not quite catching what the other was implying.
"For my boyfriend you're a little tense in my company"
He groaned slightly; he should have known the peace wouldn't last too long.
"You won't say this for long", he mumbled.
Sunghoon raised an eyebrow in mockery, but kept to himself.
"So when should I pick you up?"
Time really flies, especially when you don't want it to. Especially when a dreaded event is near.
For example your family meeting your fake boyfriend.
To say Jake couldn't sleep Friday night was an understatement.
He turned around, tangled between the sheets, haunted by what would happen the following day.
His brain speed-ran possible outcomes; what if they'd get caught? Would they believe them? Was it still an option to chicken out?
He couldn't really find a proper answer to any of those questions.
Which lead to his current situation, slumped onto his apartment complex's outer stairs, waiting for his date for the night to pick him up.
He was leaned against the bannisters, stopping to care about his outfit long ago.
The tailored burgundy dress pants probably saw better days, his tie crinkled at the edges.
Jake really hoped he looked somewhat presentable.
He glanced at his phone; 4.59 pm.
A few minutes left until he had to subscribe to hell, though he wasn't sure if hell started in Sunghoons car or the moment he'd step through the front door.
Punctual 5 pm, a car pulled into his street.
The perfect boyfriend image never ended.
Or so it seemed.
As soon as the shiny black car parked in front of the driveway, the window of the passenger door was rolled down.
"Hey love", Sunghoon said, his voice slightly raised over the rumbling motor, leaning over the center console with a light smirk.
Jake could only mumble a half-hearted response, picking himself up to get into the passenger seat.
As soon as he slumped down, he was engulfed by the comfortable warmth of the heating, a scent of pinewood and vanilla grazing the air.
He wasn't sure if it was the others perfume or simply a car freshener.
It was almost grounding.
"I wanted to make a joke but you look actually dead in the face", Sunghoon said, one arm resting comfortably on the space between the two seats, mustering the other carefully.
After one last look, he grabbed the gear shifter, to get the car moving again.
"There's coffee in the cupholder, you look like you need it"
That statement got the first reaction out of Jake; "You're an angel", he said gratefully, carefully taking out the hot paper cup from in between them.
And if he noticed it was the exact same coffee order they talked about just a few days ago, he didn't care to mention it.
He settled on actually taking a look around the others car for the first time, while the mentioned messed with the navigation.
The inner was sleek and modern, as if it was freshly polished.
There was no sign of scratches whatsoever, Sunghoons fingers curling around an almost squeaky clean steering wheel.
On brand.
"How come you look like you're about to keel over any second?", the other's voice cut through the air.
Jake turned his head to the left, his eyes setting onto Sunghoon for the first time that night.
He looked good. A bit too good.
The black suit shirts sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, a dark green tie hanging loosely around his neck.
Before the silence stretched awkwardly long, Jake zoomed back in onto the conversation.
"I don't know, couldn't sleep last night", he replied, taking a sip out of the steaming cup grasped between his hands.
It was nice to have something to hold onto.
Maybe it made his hands shake not as bad.
"This really made you spiraling, huh?", Sunghoon added, removing one hand from the steering wheel to rest onto the leather armrest.
"Don't remind me", he sighed, letting his head fall back against the cushiony padding behind.
"Relax, you'll be fine", Sunghoon said after a quick once-over of the others figure, "just try to make it believable that you like me"
"I think that won't be too hard", Jake's sleep deprived mind only had to offer. A lack of energy really made you seem tipsy.
The other could only sport a small smile, focusing on the road again.
The drive passed quickly, between light jazz music playing over the aux and some sips of coffee (that did a horrible job at pumping its caffeine into Jake's system), they switched between light conversation and silence.
But one that wasn't too awkward after quite some time anymore.
The closer they got, the tighter the clutch onto the take-out cup turned, his knuckles almost a concerning white.
With only 5 minutes left until they arrived at their destination, an opened palm made its way into his line of sight.
His head snapped sideways, trying to shoot Sunghoon a confused stare, but the latters eyes were locked onto the street.
"So you won't crush that cup in two pieces and ruin my seats with coffee stains", was the half-assed reason thrown his way, as the other noticed his gawking, "we need to practice anyways"
Jake didn't say anything, only letting go of the paper in his hands slightly, to lock their hands on top of the armrest.
Their fingers intertwined casually; it was oddly comforting (if he ignored the awkwardness)
And what felt like two seconds later, Sunghoon pulled his way-too-expensive car into the driveway of his family home.
A breath escaped his lips, one he didn't know he held.
"I'm loosing my mind"
He was met with one last squeeze to his palm, before Sunghoon removed his hand to kill the engine.
"Don't collapse before I even met anyone", he muttered, adjusting his rear mirror to check his hair.
His hand hovered above the handle of the door a little too long.
"Are you okay?", the other asked, no teasing present in his tone this time.
Jake sucked in one last breath and nodded before he yanked the door open.
The warmth vanished quicker than he'd like it to.
The other followed close, opening the car trunk in a smooth motion before a bouquet something thudded against his chest.
He could barely catch the arrangement of different flowers, locking his hands around the plastic wrapping out of reflex.
"What is this?", Jake asked, blinking confused, nodding into the direction of the bundle located in his arms.
Sunghoon, still occupied in slamming shut the trunk lid, only shot him a raised eyebrow like the answer should be obvious.
The moles on his face danced with the movement.
Jake tried not to stare.
The other tightened his tie, rolling down the fine black sleeves.
"Your brother is getting married soon, isn't he?", the black haired asked, brushing over his already smoothed out dress pants, his hair falling down to cover his forehead in light strands.
Of course it did.
He himself could only nod star struck, still mildly stunned, before Sunghoon walked over the last few steps, offering his arm.
"Shall we?", he added with a light smirk, as Jake roped his arm around the others with a defeated sigh.
He shook his head a bit, "You're enjoying this way too much"
"Well, no chickening out now", Sunghoon replied, pulling him closer, his hand settling on Jake's waist as if it belonged there all along.
The latter tried to fight back the urge to peel the others hands off him, as they walked up the stairs to the main entrance.
With a guiding presence on him, he knocked on the mahogany door.
He shot his company one last look, "You ready?", he whispered with creased eyebrows.
Sunghoon only flashed a small smile, nudging his shoulder slightly.
This was doomed to failure.
Before he could add a statement to underline his point, the barricade in front of him got ripped open a bit too energetic.
The next second two very demanding arms wrapped around his neck.
"Jake!", someone exclaimed a bit too close to his left ear, a concerning tight hug pulling him down slightly.
He placed his hands on the woman's waist slightly.
"Hi mom", he smiled into her neck, rubbing over her clothed back.
After a few seconds she put him at a slight distance again, her eyes checking over him as if to see if he was still alive and well.
Suddenly her line of sight settled onto the looming presence beside him, the one that stood patiently through the whole greeting with his hands clasped in front.
"And who is this?", she asked softly, not judging or suspicious, just genuinely curious.
Jake didn't even get the chance to introduce him.
"I'm Jaeyun's boyfriend" he offered with a slight bow and a way too bright smile, that looked way too natural, "it's really nice to meet you".
The mentioned blinked.
He was pretty damn good at selling his role.
Like, could have fooled him good.
Jake very carefully examined his mom's reaction; a slight pause, a tiny glimpse of a raised eyebrow even?
"Oh", she quickly caught on though, her eyes lighting up as she welcomed Sunghoon, "well welcome, come on in you both, don't just stand there".
She stepped over the threshold, ushering them into the hallway, after they could barely toe off their shoes.
"Everyone's in the backyard, so go on", his mom told over her shoulder as she scurried off into the kitchen to do god knows what.
Jake couldn't even take a proper look around at the ever-changing situation.
"You good?", Sunghoon asked, leaning over a bit with a barely noticeable smirk, as they made their way through the living room.
"We'll see soon enough", Jake muttered, before they arrived at the big glassy barrier that separated the living room from the big grassy area outside.
They stepped out into the backyard, a homey sight welcoming them.
Fairy lights were decorating the pear trees scattered, foldable chairs put up with conversations and laughter grazing the air.
He tried to avoid any unnecessary attention given to them (which was almost impossible), but of course a few talks halted.
"Jake, is that you?", one of his distant aunts asked, as he smiled and shot back a small yeah.
They walked down onto the meadow, balancing around tables and chairs, right into the small but numerous crowd.
He felt Sunghoon following close, a looming presence following him like his shadow.
He was deep in it, there was no backing out now.
Jake was pulled into various hugs, handshakes and dabs, "long time no see"'s exchanged and greetings thrown.
But the peace didn't last quite long.
"Did you bring someone?", his uncle asked, a bottle of coke in his hand, waving it into the direction of his company.
"Yeah", he turned around, trying to hide his obvious discomfort and embarrassment, "this is Sunghoon"
He didn't dare to utter the word 'boyfriend'.
But turned out; he didn't need to.
A hand slid its way into his own like it was second nature, a light hold embracing it.
Jake froze for half a second, the touch sending a bolt of awareness up Jake's arm, one he hoped wasn't noticeable on his face in any form.
"I'm Jake's boyfriend, nice to meet you", he said with a polite smile, one Jake knew would win over any of his female relatives within seconds.
Perfect son in law.
With his bouquet still tucked under his arm, his hand comfortably resting in Jake's, he looked more home than he himself did.
"Well, he's handsome", one of his aunts said, unfiltered and uncalled for.
Jake wanted to sink into the ground, burying his face deeply into the bundle of flowers in the other's arms, as laughter erupted in the air.
Sunghoon took it well, only shooting a thankful nod and a grin, as if the warmth of his hand didn't almost burn Jake to ashes.
This was crazy, what was he even thinking.
Here he stood, holding hands with a boy he didn't even really got to know.
The next hour or so passed between small plates of potato salad, a poorly cooled can of coke and way too many questions.
Sunghoon seemed, despite the awkward situation, way too skilled in his role.
He smiled in a way that swooned every female relative and found just the right topics to bond over with his uncle.
Jake was flabbergasted.
Between all the conversation starters and kinda intimate questions, he barely found time to hydrate his dry self or take even one bite of the garlic bread placed in front of him at some point.
The sun was scorching.
Somewhere along the way Sunghoon rolled his sleeves up and loosened his tie with practiced ease.
He almost chocked on the rare sip of water he just took.
At some point, his mother gently pulled at his wrist to shove him somewhere more private, a moment he feared ever since they arrived.
His ‚boyfriend' glanced over with a knowing look, before returning to his current conversation, a canned soda in his grip.
Jake could only give in to the tug at his arm.
He almost started sweating, one hand grabbing at his neck in nervousness.
His mother stood in front, her arms crossed loosely, familiar as ever.
Her frame was clothed by a flowy dress, which now got picked up at the seam by the slight breeze.
„You didn't tell me you got into a relationship", she said, mustering her son, scanning his figure.
A scoff stumbled over Jake's lips, his eyes darting around the scene.
His little cousin was currently busy with trying to convince Sunghoon to play a round of catch.
„I couldn't find the right moment", he replied with a lousy excuse, the corner of his lip turning upwards slightly in an apologetic motion.
He could see his mom nod in his peripheral vision.
„He seems like a good person", she suddenly dropped, he himself turning his head surprised at the sudden confession.
Well he did a good job at committing to his role.
Her gaze was settled onto the before mentioned, who was now crouching down, very weirdly and vividly explaining something to the kid.
Jake's heart skipped a beat at the sight.
„He's polite for sure", she added, a small smile adorning her face.
Jake could only nod, „he really is", he responded with a quiet sigh.
His mind drifted to their first meeting, Sunghoon invested since the very beginning, neither judgy nor awkward.
At first Jake was deeply embarrassed, probably blushing to his feet the first few minutes.
The other made it seem like the most common and normal thing in the world though.
As if fumbling and being desperate to even search for a fake partner was normalcy.
Maybe he was just as weird as Jake.
„You seem happy"
He returned to the current situation, his eyes searching for his mothers ones, already settled on him. He was actually surprised she was fooled by the whole setup, the person who knew him best.
He raised his hand to scratch his neck lightly, trying to hide his awkwardness.
„I am", he could only say, sounding way more sincere than he intended to.
He had to strip of his jacket afterwards, he felt like melting away, whether it was from the heat or the tension that rocked him to his core.
When he stepped back into the lively ‚crowd', it didn't take long for him to spot the other.
His brother and his newly engaged girlfriend were currently busy lighting up the fairy lights decorating the gardens trees, as the sun slowly but steadily set behind the houses roof.
A soft glow coated the scene, it really was a dreamy evening.
The wind picked up just a little, perfectly right to cool down the heat that warmed everybody's back before.
Greetings and light talking was everywhere, the main couple of the evening jumping from place to place to really interact with everybody.
Jake sat back as he and Sunghoon already congratulated his brother earlier that evening.
Somewhere along the way, a loudspeaker got whipped out, now offering soft tunes as background noise.
Even though it wasn't half as bad as Jake imagined it to be, he still felt exhausted, the pressure wearing off slightly.
Or maybe he was just getting used to it.
„Hey", a voice suddenly interrupted his observation from the patio, closer than he thought.
He turned to look at Sunghoon now located beside him, his tie already scattered elsewhere, his dress shirt now unbuttoned just a little.
He really had to control himself to not stare.
„What did she say?", he asked, plopping down next to Jake on the wooden planks, his knees nudging the latters softly in the movement.
He hummed, „she likes you", a look thrown sideways.
„You're believable I guess", he added, a laugh escaping the other, as he brushed of his pants.
„I'm relieved", he chuckled, a small grin tugging at his lips.
Somewhere a screechy laugh erupted between glasses clinking.
„You're enjoying this", Jake said with a light eye roll, betrayed by the small smile plastered on his face.
He could feel the other shrug, the heels of his shoes digging into the earthy ground a little.
The volume of the indie song playing was raised just a tad bit.
A few of his relatives swayed to the tunes slightly on the grass, soon joined by his brother.
After a few fleeting moments of peace, his company suddenly jolted up, another motion of his hands to dust off his already clean trousers.
A hand extended in Jake's direction in an offering manner, he could only stare at it.
„Practice", Sunghoon said lightly, Jake swallowing hard to try to wet his dry throat.
Was this his excuse for everything?
He wanted to talk back, tell him it wasn't necessary, laugh it off.
Instead he let his gaze wander around, watching how his grandma looked at the dancing couples in awe.
With a quiet exhale he turned to grab the others hand, standing up with the support of it.
When he finally regained his balance against the soft ground, the other stepped closer, a hand settling on Jake's waist slowly, as if he wanted to make sure he wouldn't chicken out.
He moved his free hand, unsure of where to put it, before setting it onto Sunghoon's clothed shoulder.
It was awkward and was too close for his liking.
But he would rather die than give up on something.
„You're stiff", Sunghoon murmured in between the light sways.
„Shut up", Jake replied with another fake annoyed expression, the other chuckling lightly at his response.
His grip tightened barely noticeable.
At some point, he felt himself relax a little, his body betraying his nonchalant self.
The tiredness must have caught up to him.
He tried to focus on his surroundings to prevent a blush creeping up his chest and face.
The fresh fiancé currently sorted through the various bouquets gathered around, while her counterpart talked to Jake's dad. His grandparents joined the makeshift dancefloor, looking as content as ever.
A few of the kids were now dressed comfortably, jumping around the dessert table just stacked.
He tried to focus on anything else but the hand on his waist, adjusting with the motion and feeling way more welcomed than he liked it to.
It continued like that, them swaying to the beat, a little against the rhythm, warmth seeping into their clothes.
Jake knew everyone who would glance at them would either notice his slightly uncalled for expression or be completely hooked.
Was this the right decision?
He wasn't sure. It can't be denied that Sunghoon carried out his role in a very charming manner, probably already keeping all his aunts and older cousins under his spell, but that aspect was what scared Jake.
How would they go on after this? The question burned on the tip of his tongue with urgency.
He dared to look up, the other looking as content as ever.
His hair was slightly pushed back, a few stray strands covering his forehead, indicating a vivid evening probably.
Jake almost wanted to reach out to brush them back, but could indeed save himself before things would get embarrassing.
„How are we supposed to break this off without my family disinheriting me?", he sighed after witnessing the playful wink Sunghoon send his little baby cousin.
He felt the others burning gaze looking down on him, a little pause in their movement.
He didn't answer immediately. The music continued, the background noise staying the same, a mixture of laughter, screeching and cutlery against plates.
The others thumb presses against Jake's side absentmindedly, calling him back to the current moment.
„You're thinking too far ahead", he muttered, locking his eyes with Jaeyuns.
He just hummed like that checked out. The other was right after all. His internal question; how could he himself break this off?
He pushed the thought away swiftly.
The music faded into something quicker and upbeat, the dancing couples leaving one by one with small giggles carried into the air.
Jake's grip on the others shoulder loosened a little, despite not stepping back immediately.
With a final squeeze on his side, Sunghoon removed his settled touch.
Damn that charming smile of his.
Jake turned away first.
He almost speed-walked towards a table with a few cups displayed, grabbing the first he saw, taking a sip without tasting whatever was in it.
Something alcoholic for sure, his throat warming slightly as the liquid burned it.
His pulse was still as quick as ever.
Across the garden, his abandoned partner was already pulled into the next talk, nodding politely at whatever was thrown his way.
He looked relaxed, like he fit.
And that was the problem.
He did, way too easily.
A sensation he didn't expect.
If he expected anything of this evening, it was barely surviving it with awkward tension and fake laughter.
Something twisted in Jake's stomach, churning at his gut. He couldn't exactly tell what it was.
Maybe fear? Or still nervousness.
If Sunghoon could settle in his life that smoothly, what would happened if he left it again?
Jake hadn't thought past tonight, and even if the other said it was the right thing to do, everything suddenly felt too temporary.
And he didn't want it to.
He took another big gulp of the tangy liquid, before discarding the cup somewhere.
His jaw tightened as he crossed the yard before he could scare himself out of it again.
He didn't slow down, even if someone called his name, until he was close to the other again.
Sunghoon noticed, hard not to, his left eyebrow raised slightly. His attention snapped towards the approaching figure.
„Everything good?", he asked, almost clueless.
Jake didn't reply, grabbing his wrist to pull him with him.
The volume of the music was raised a little again as Jake tugged the other into a more isolated edge of the scene.
Only when he felt he reached the right spot, he let go the tight grip he had on the others hand.
The noises around them felt almost muffled now.
He could sense the other search his face in slight confusion.
„What happened?", he questioned, still focused on him.
The soft glow of the fairy lights couldn't reach their current position, only the light of the kitchen window offering a small amount of brightness.
Jake raked a hand through his hair, probably messing it up more than the picked up wind already did.
„You're way too good at this", he could only force out.
The other seemed taken aback, blinking.
„That's... the point, isn't it?", he replied.
His heartbeat was loud in his ears, messing with him more than anything else.
„That's not what I meant", he corrected himself, „my mom likes you, my aunts are probably in love with you, my grandpa even invited you to play golf", he chuckled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
„They're acting like this is serious", he added before he could stop himself.
Sunghoon shifted a little, almost crowding him against the wooden fence behind him.
„And?"
„It's not"
Something in the others gaze shifted, an awkward silence spreading between them.
Jake wanted to slap himself across the face. Hard.
The other looked away, towards the people gathering in the distance, the displayed food and the happy couple sitting at one of the long tables.
„You're right", he said calmly, as if his statement didn't rock him to his core.
Something sharply stabbed Jake's chest, an ugly feeling spreading in his upper body.
He definitely didn't mean that.
He couldn't stop the other, as he took a step backwards, creating a space between them that felt insanely uncomfortable.
The others eyes burned holes into his frame, he didn't know what to do with himself.
His stomach flipped.
„This was supposed to be one night", he said, barely above a whisper.
His eyes darted around the setting, before he dared to settle them on Sunghoon, only to see him already looking back at him.
His expression was unreadable, something between neutrality and annoyance.
„It is", he said seriously, as if he wasn't faced by Jakes internal conflict, „unless you decide otherwise".
Somehow, that did it.
He stepped forward, the tip of his squeaky clean shoes almost touching Sunghoon's, a little dirty from the round of catch he really did agree to a while ago.
His own shirt was already a little wrinkled, as he carelessly grabbed the others one, fisting the probably expensive fabric.
He couldn't tell what moved him to do that, the very little alcohol in his veins, or his desperation.
Maybe both.
Jake froze, very much uncaring about whatever was happening around them.
An exhale left the others lips.
„I'm not pretending to like your family", Sunghoon muttered quietly, his heart flipping at the sound, „or that I like spending time with you".
He didn't quite know what to do with that information, but it eased something in him.
The words sank in.
„You don't even know me", he said, still not moving his hands from their current position.
He was deeply confused, but he almost entered fight or flight mode, his words stumbling over his lips in carelessness.
Suddenly, a smile tugged at his lips at Jake's sentence, ironic in their current situation.
„We could change that".
He almost scoffed at the others smug look, an eye roll thrown his way (one he didn't mean).
„You suck".
Sunghoon's hand slid from his waist up to his neck in a quick motion, his thumb pressing into the space under his ear as they close the little distance between them.
His fingers slid up to his collar, grabbing the fabric in his hand almost desperate, pulling him as close as possible.
The kiss was messy, Jake's heartbeat was still hammering way too loudly, his hands all over the place.
It was slightly off angle, Sunghoon's left hand pressing into his side with firmness, pushing him against the cold barrier behind him.
It was desperate, as if they held back for way too long and now spilled every emotion into that one action.
If someone would have told him the night would turn out like this, he would have laughed at them cluelessly.
The others hands moved to bury themselves in his brown strands, lightly tugging at his locks.
He inhaled sharply against his lips, Sunghoon angling his head ever so slightly to deepen the kiss.
Before anything could move on further, the latter pulled back just a little, Jake's chest rising unsteadily, still thrown off by what just happened.
Somewhere in the garden someone shouted, reality crashing back in.
Sunghoon huffed a breath, almost a laugh.
Jake swallowed, the warmth of the alcohol coating his throat already faded.
He suddenly became aware of how close they still were. His hands were still very much gripping at the others top, the latters fingers firmly pressed against his waist.
„Well", he started off, clearing his dry throat slightly, „we're terrible at pretending apparently".
Sunghoon chuckled lowly, another raise of his eyebrow.
„Speak for yourself, I was crazy good".
He couldn't help but laugh slightly at the words.
Not that he was wrong.
A slight seriousness settled between them again, as he caught up with his actions.
He looked away, his gaze drifting off.
„What does this mean?", he asked a little more quiet, as if he feared the reply.
He was met a with a hum, still not daring to look at Sunghoon again.
„Whatever you want it to".
Suddenly he felt another peck on the corner of his mouth, squeaking surprised at the sudden motion.
Sunghoon just grinned brightly, removing his hands from against his waist with one last brush of his index finger, leaning in to lace his fingers with Jake's.
The latter took a steady breath before he squeezed back, settling for accepting whatever came his way this evening.
When they returned to the scene they should have been all along, the sun already set for a while, the only source of light the flashing of cameras and some candles lit on the tabletop.
He didn't miss his grandmas eyes locking onto their intertwined hands.
He couldn't tell if she noticed the switch in missing stiffness and awkwardness or if she was fooled from the very beginning.
But as his ‚fake' boyfriend settled on brushing light circles onto the back of his hand with his thumb, he couldn't push himself to care.
Maybe Jungwon was right, this really was obscure.
But he loved every bit of it.