What does it mean to be jealous?

This was the first time encountering such feeling and it placed Jaejin in a state of confusion. He was able to hide his wandering thoughts when he went shopping with his mother and made it through a long dinner with her. 

He easily sent Isla away to get the solitude he needed. 

After watching the door shut tightly and hearing the lock slamming into place, the smile on Jaejin's face dropped instantly.

"Jealous. I am jealous," he whispered in the the large and empty penthouse. 

He went over the meanings of the word he looked up after speaking with Adam. 

 - Resentful of someone's advantages; fiercely protective of one's possessions.

Yes, he was jealous of Shaun's advantages over him. He was the one who was in a relationship with Eros. He was the one who helped Eros breakthrough that wall of cold indifference. He was the one who bonded with Eros on a sexual level.

Jaejin clenched his fists tightly. He was agitated greatly. He wished he was Shaun to experience those moments with Eros. Though their times before he left were special, he still felt the resentment. Shaun helped Eros through a major emotional hurdle, wouldn't that place him in an important position in Rose's life.

A deep frown marred the Jaejin's fair and delicate face. He looked around the penthouse in a daze. "Did they spend some of those moments here? What of the bed? He never shared this bed with Rose." 

Jaejin was falling in a pit of insecurity and restlessness. He couldn't bare to enter the room after that wayward thought. 

Thoughts of fighting Shaun for Eros came to his mind; silly scenarios of confessions and schemes took over his imagination. When the most stupid scenario of Eros coldly abandoning him in the eyes of everyone came up, Jaejin was pulled back to reality by the harsh ringtone of his phone.

Looking at the caller on the screen, he pressed ignore in a state of panic. 

His emotions were unstable.

"How stupid can you be?" he said aloud. 

Jaejin made his way up the stairs and once more ignored the second incoming call on his phone. 

Throwing the device on the bed, he decided to take a long shower to regain his senses. Just a simple mention of a past lover sent him into a tailspin. How pathetic that was. Jaejin began to admonish himself for his thought process but the lingering feelings were there. 

Leaving the shower, he did everything mechanically and found himself behind his laptop searching for photos and information of this Shaun.
Eros gave him basic information of the guy and explained their relationship was based only on sex. He didn't go further on their time together. At that time, Jaejin placed that 'ex-lover' as a passerby because his and Rose's relationship was in the early stages. 

Looking at the search results of Shaun, Jaejin tortured his psyche in viewing each photo of the MMA fighter and information revealed about him. He began to draw comparisons between them, from their looks to their career. He found himself pairing Shaun and Eros and listing how alike they were. They were a dominant pair in Jaejin's eyes - they were perfect for this new life he was slowly learning about. 

"Even I won't mind having him if I was a 'top'," he muttered as he listened to a Sports Channel interview of Shaun. His smile was blinding and reflected beautifully in his brown eyes. His tough exterior seem to soften when he did so. This fighter was gorgeously handsome. Someone found a high school photo of the guy and did a side by side comparison. Even back then he was a looker. 
"This is who I'm competing with. Bah! Jaejin who? You have to ask if we stand together."

He grumbled and threw himself back onto the bed, staring at the decorative ceiling. "Why are you back, Shaun?"

Ah~ Jealousy breeds a lot of negative emotions.

 ~~~~~~

A loud slam reached his ears from downstairs. The sudden noise alarmed him. When the frantic calls of his name accompanied by the hurried steps on the staircase came after, he rushed to the platform to see who was the cause. 
He stood at the start of the stair case and watched on as Isla rushed up shouting his name.

"Isla! What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is it Rose?" 

Her frantic calls and look struck fear in his bones. His mind fell on one person.

Isla stopped two steps below him with wide eyes filled with shock. They quickly turned to disbelief and anger.

"Do you know how close the cops and EMT were to be dispatched?!" Her shout filled the entire penthouse. Her voice was high pitched which was piercing to the ear. Softspoken people like Isla shouldn't shout.

"What are you talking about? Please calm down," he coaxed.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she took a deep breath and explained. "Young Master Eros called my phone and ordered me to check up on you. He became worried after his calls being dropped from your side. My dear young master Jaejin, did you know that you shouldn't mess with a tiger's tail?"

"I-I wasn't in a good headspace. I wanted some time alone," he stuttered dazedly. Wasn't Eros's action too extreme. Before he can speak again, numerous steps were heard downstairs. Jaejin watched from the stairs as ten soldiers in full combat gear entered the penthouse and did a full sweep of the downstairs. They even went as far as going on the balcony to look for intruders rappling down the building. 
One stepped out of the little crowd when they re-grouped. His face was covered, only his dark eyes can be seen through the mask.

Their actions and Isla's exasperation and relief in calming her boss with future good news reminded Jaejin of a mainstream CEO romance novel he read for reference. 

It was dramatic.

"Young Master Jaejin, are you alright?" His voice was firm. He wanted a direct answer.

"Uh. Yes. Sorry for the trouble," Jaejin said and hastily apologized for the chaos he caused.

"This is our duty. Please reassure Young Master Eros of your safety on your side. Good night."

They left as fast as they came.

Isla turned her attention to the phone in her hand that began ringing. Jaejin got a look at the caller ID - Boss2ndPrince

 "Yes, young master. He's fine. There are no threats. Yes. I will do so. You're welcome, young master." Her answers were short but her wariness was heard. She didn't want to upset Eros. Only she can explain how chilled her bones were as she spoke to him. Her boss wasn't in a good mood.

When she ended the call, she placed her eyes on the young man before her. By the embarrassed look on his face, she had a hunch that it was a fault of his.
"I suggest you comfort him before you sleep. Good night, young master." Turning on her heel, she stomped down the stairs grumbling about her position as a middleman between lovers.

~~~~~

Returning to the room, he retrieved his phone and wrapped himself up in an oversized hoodie. The silence in the penthouse as he went downstairs made him feel suffocated. He went through so much feelings in an entire day and he has yet to come to terms with them. 
Relaxing his mind and body, he took a seat on the sofa beside the floor-to-ceiling window and made the call.

The phone was by his ear as he gazed upon the lights of the night life below him. The ringing of the call wasn't long. The person on the other end answered before the third ring. 
Jaejin can hear his soft breathing through the phone; his background was silent; no one said a word of greeting.

Both went through a lot of emotional thinking and awareness during the day. Eros took the blame on his shoulders after he spoke with his brother. 

"I apologize for my lack of awareness. I meant no harm when I said those ambiguous words. I unintentionally hurt you. I'm sorry, baby."

Eros's apology caught him off guard. Jaejin wondered if Adam tipped him off or Isla noticed his strange behavior. 
What Jaejin failed to realize is, his partner was exceptional in comprehensive thinking. A few sentences from Ares on what he did and he understood the end result that may or will happen after his mentioning of Shaun to Jaejin. 
His calls being ignored wasn't within his expectations. It threw him off and sent him in a mild panic. Even he, who is always praised for being cool-headed, fell slave to destructive thoughts. Those unanswered calls made him think of Jaejin leaving him over unexplained words like every romance plot. 

"Am I immature for being jealous?" Jaejin asked softly.

        "No."

Jaejin smiled at the direct answer. 'This man has so much faith in me,' he thought inwardly.

         "I was complacent."

"What? What do you mean?" 

"My experience of being in two previous relationships solidified what and who I want to be with. My ideal partner was thought of and I found him. You. When we confirmed our relationship I let my guard down. I failed to put your adaptability at the forefront. You've been through a lot within such a small time frame then to be hit with the news of meeting an ex-partner of mine. I had it in my mind that you will be okay; that you will understand that I will be yours indefinitely. I'm sorry."

Eros's words made Jaejin feel more at ease. He felt that he was being too immature with his thinking and wanted to deal with it himself. He forgot that he was currently in his first romantic relationship.

His first romantic relationship as a newly identified homosexual.

A lot of factors were there and needed to put in hindsight but he forgot. His actions and emotions were influenced by Eros's maturity in the relationship. Rose's experience brought him into a cocoon of safety from the beginning. 

The upheavals one may face during that journey for love was blocked by Eros. 

He was treasured too much by this young CEO.

"...... I'm your ideal partner?" His question was soft but Eros heard. 

On the other side of the phone, amber colored eyes slowly closed in pleasure after hearing such a sweet innocent question. 
"Yes. I won't be letting you go, Min Jaejin. It won't be easy being with me as I, too, am learning to please and understand my partner. Bear with me."

"Rose." That low and steady voice filled his ear after a moment of silence. A small smile hooked his lips when he replied with a small hum of acknowledgment. From the tone he used to call his name, he knew Jaejin was better emotional wise. He missed him.

"Hurry back."

Eros opened his eyes and looked at the jewelry box on the coffee table before him. Today's little hiccup confirmed everything for him. 

He truly loved this adorable fella!

The smile on his face grew. A soft laugh filled with love and warmth flowed smoothly past his lips. 

An unrestrained smile that was rarely seen. 

"My sweet, Jin. I'll be home soon. I'm coming back to you."