One week.

That's all they had left of the deal. The expiry date was almost up.

Seokmin was miserable and desperately hoped Joshua would want to extend the deal. He wasn't sure he would now that he had Jeonghan's number. The blond man didn't seem like he was going to give up his boyfriend any time soon but Joshua was constantly telling Seokmin he wasn't after commitment anyway. It was all a part of the deal. He wanted fun and freedom and excitement, definitely not commitment, and it made Seokmin feel achingly sad. Joshua was so loving, he could tell he had a big heart, and he'd been such an amazing pretend boyfriend. So great that Seokmin wished it was real. That he hoped it was real no matter how delusional his hoped and dreams were.

He slowly dressed in his expensive active wear that Joshua had bought him and inspected himself in the mirror. He left his hair loose and hinging against his forehead but then, on a whim, he grabbed a headband and used it to push his hair back a bit. He'd never had the confidence to even try something like this before but he was going to have to try something. He needed to be more confident, sexier, more of what Joshua wanted. He was running out of time.

He walked out of his room and found a note attached to the refrigerator door. It said 'call-backs posted this afternoon' and Seokmin's stomach churned. Even though he was only a first year he was hopeful of getting a call back for a minor part. Maybe even one of the second tier characters. He'd really love to play one of the comedic roles, Sonny or one of the other T Birds, but he tried not to get his hopes up too high. No good could come of having high expectations; it was a surefire road to disappointment. He'd be lucky to even get a part as an extra.

After Seokmin ate an apple and drank some water he grabbed his bag, walked out of the dorms and across the dew covered grass towards the dance practice rooms. He was dreading dance class less and less lately. Ever since he sorted out his feelings for Soonyoung and happily relegated them to platonic he didn't feel so nervous around him and it was showing in his confidence in class. If he could get some extra help from Soonyoung he would fly through the rest of the course. He might even come back next semester. He smiled to himself as he swung his bag over his back and admired the sparkling dampness of the grass in the morning sun.

"Hey," Seungkwan said as he crept up next to him. "Hi," Seokmin said as he looked over to see Hansol appear on his other side. "What's up?" They both looked sullen and serious at him and Seokmin's stomach quickly sank. Maybe they'd already seen the call back lists? Maybe something else was wrong? They stared at him before Seungkwan grabbed him by both hands and stopped him from walking. "Seokmin," Seungkwan said slowly as he stared at the older boy, "just remember we love you and we are here for you. No matter what. Okay?" "Ah, okay, you're kind of freaking me out," Seokmin said as he began to look around. "What's going on?" "We think Joshua is cheating on you." Hansol spat out, his voice trembling, his hands shaking as he put one around Seokmin's shoulder. "Yesterday when he wasn't at your audition we saw him. With that Jeonghan guy. They looked like they were on a date." Hansol frowned as tears filled his big brown eyes. "And we saw them before flirting in the coffee shop. We saw him giving Joshua his phone number," Seungkwan said. "Seokmin I'm so sorry."

"H-he's not cheating on me," Seokmin couldn't think quickly on the spot. "I know he's friends with Jeonghan. I'm not worried about it. Joshua's just friendly. He's that sort of guy." He couldn't confess and tell them the truth, that it was all a lie, their whole relationship was just a deal. He couldn't face the truth. He watched the concern in Hansol's face spread to Seungkwan who went to say something and then shut his mouth and began to walk. "Okay Seokmin, whatever you say," he said and Seokmin knew he wasn't convinced. Neither of them were and guilt churned in his stomach. Seokmin had never lied to his friends before.

"Hey Seokmin!" A loud voice called out and Seokmin turned to see Soonyoung rushing towards him, hair flying wildly, bag trailing behind. He was like a constantly moving hurricane, Seokmin had realised, creating noise and chaos in his wake. How could he ever have thought they would make an ideal pair? Seokmin needed someone to temper his own impetuousness, someone to sooth and calm his own verve and vigour, a panacea for his nervous energy. He knew now that as friends he and Soonyoung would be a powerhouse of energy but could never work as a couple.

"I heard call backs are going to be posted this afternoon. Want to walk over after class and have a look?" Soonyoung swung an arm over Seokmin's shoulders making the other man blush at the sudden and unexpected touch. "Y-yeah sure," Seokmin stammered out as he walked along the corridor with the popular dancer plastered to his side. When they arrived at the dance studio heads turned when the pair walked in with Seungkwan and Hansol trailing behind them. "Wait for me after class," Soonyoung said as he dropped his arm and walked over to his friends, "nice headband!"

"When did you two start getting along?" Hansol asked as his eyes narrowed. Joshua was standing in the doorway. He must have been walking behind them along the corridor and he didn't look very happy. "We kind of just clicked at the auditions and now we're friends," Seokmin said as his eyes lit up at the sight of Joshua. He waved him over and the older man walked towards him and sat down on the floor beside his boyfriend. Seokmin quickly scooted his butt across the floor and made room for Joshua to stretch next to him. "What was that all about?" he asked quietly and Seokmin knew what he was talking about. "Soonyoung wanted to let me know about callbacks being posted today."

Before anyone could say anything else the music kicked in and Seokmin had to move. He moved better than he ever had before, he danced with a new confidence dug up from somewhere deep inside his stomach, he danced with the purpose and intensity of someone who was good and knew it. As he danced he wondered if he was going to get a callback for a part. He hoped so and he hoped Soonyoung might be able to help him dance well enough to make a good impression on his peers. Above all else he hoped he could dance well enough to make Joshua proud.

Before he knew it class was over. Seokmin towelled his forehead dry and quickly gathered his bags. He walked towards the door and grinned when he saw Soonyoung waiting for him just ouside. "Hey," Joshua grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close, "where are you going? I thought we'd go tot the coffee shop today." Seokmin turned to look at Joshua, his eyes so full of hope, and he felt so bad. He knew he'd promised him he would go to the coffee shop but surely now he was talking with Jeonghan he'd rather go alone anyway.

"Just go without me," he said softly as he looked over at Soonyoung. "I'm going to go check the call back lists and see if I got another audition." Joshua couldn't hide the disappointment on his face and it had Seokmin so confused. The older would still get to go and make some more progress with Jeonghan, more so without Seokmin hanging off him, and wasn't that the ultimate goal of the deal? Seokmin didn't expect Joshua to stick by him longer than he had to. Not now he was already going on dates with Jeonghan.

Not now Joshua was getting what he really wanted.