Chapter 2

What would always be worse than being alone was feeling lonely when not alone. Hyukjae knew that well, and hated it. He was used to living by himself almost all his adulthood, leaving his parents’ house after finishing high school to stay in a dorm while studying at a local university and then leaving the country for further studies. He was a pro, living alone. In recent years, he rarely even felt lonely. He was clingy to his parents when he was back at their house – and a few days after he returned to his – but that was just with them. He had his fair share amount of friends, some closer than others, but none ever became his housemate.

One thing about Hyukjae that was quite ironic was, despite being a chatterbox and basically the mood setter in his circle of friends, he preferred coming home to his empty house after a gathering or hangout. The solitude of his house provided enough peace for him, especially after handling a busy kitchen until late at night. The silent soothed him. But, when it came to having company yet trapped in a bubble of silence, Hyukjae was left unsettled. It would not sit well with him and it made him feel chilled, as if he did something wrong – throwback to those childhood days when his mother would not talk to him if she was disappointed with him.

Hyukjae was squirming, at least once in a day, since he lost his bachelor status. Usually, during the time Donghae came down for breakfast and he sat in the living hall. The sounds from the TV and the clattering of utensils filled the house too loudly for his liking at this time.

Three weeks passed since he bounded together with his husband and to say they had never spoken a word to each other since then would not be an overstatement.

Hyukjae made a routine to say ‘good morning’ when Donghae stepped down from the stairs, his smile at the ready. Not once had there been a reply until now. He then went about doing the house work, stealing glances whenever he could. Seeing Donghae savoring his cook did give him a little hope that things would change. It was through his ‘spying’ that he begun knowing what Donghae liked most, the amount of jam he would spread on his bread, the number of pancakes he would eat. Then, when it came to dinner, Hyukjae would see which one he had thoroughly finished and which one had some leftovers in the fridge.

He enjoyed it, learning about his husband.

Tuesday, fourth week of marriage, Hyukjae had to break something to Donghae. He had received a call yesterday while at work and he was not naïve enough to think Donghae would be glad to know about it.

From the living hall, when Hyukjae heard the light scrapped of chairs against the white tiles, he got up and walked to the other side of the wall, “I have something to tell you.”

Donghae did not even stop walking toward the sink to look at him as he said, “What is it?” His hand reached out for the tap.

“Our parents are coming for dinner tonight,” Hyukjae blurted out.

Donghae, who had grabbed the tap’s lever, twisted it to the left while he turned to look at Hyukjae with his eyebrows lifted high under his fringe and mouth slightly agape. And then, Donghae yelped, cradling his hand that was rapidly turning scorched red.

Hyukjae ran the short distance, shut the tap and grabbed the hand, being as gentle as he needed to be. He handled this sort of situation a lot; a normal occurrence when working in a kitchen.

When the lever was turned to the left, it released hot water, while it was the opposite if it was turned to the right. If only his stubborn husband would want to listen when Hyukjae had tried telling him about the house that very first night, this could have been avoided. But no, let’s act hostile and learn by experience, shall we? He sighed while he blew some air onto the hand before Donghae ripped it out of his.

“Get away.”

Hyukjae was growing considerably annoyed, “That needs to be treated. Come here,” he grabbed the other man’s wrist and dragged him to the bathroom.

Donghae was not making it easy as he kept tugging his hand, “Let go!”

“Hey!” They were in front of the bathroom and Hyukjae stared at him, “You are hurt, and it literally is your fault. Don’t be foolish.” He then continued pulling Donghae with him into the twenty by twenty feet bathroom, tiled with black and white ceramics. He closed the door in case his husband decided to try something idiotic like running away with an untreated hand. He sat Donghae down on the edge of the tub while he went to the mirror above the sink and swung it open. He wet a cloth with cold water and grabbed a hydrogel sheet.

Hyukjae knelt down and lightly wiped the burnt area with the cloth before he tore opened the hydrogel sheet packet, still being gentle as he wrapped it around Donghae’s wrist and half of his hand. It was done in less than a minute and, the entire time, Hyukjae felt a piercing glare aimed at the top of his head.

“Had fun playing doctor?”

The hand Hyukjae held tenderly was gone from his touch in a split second. His lips a fine line between annoyed and caring, Hyukjae looked at Donghae from under his lashes, “Keep it on for half a day and if it is still red, I’ll replace it with a new one. It’ll be fine. Luckily it was your left hand. At least, if you wish to paint today, it will not hinder you.”

Donghae snorted, “Thank you for your concern.” He stood up and left the bathroom, and Hyukjae followed.

“Our parents are still coming.”

“Then, let them come. I don’t mind,” said Donghae, his car key dangling in his hand as he headed for the door, the white clock on the wall showed it was almost 9am.

“I need to buy groceries to cook for them,” Hyukjae blurted out quickly just as Donghae swung the door open.

Donghae turned and looked at him, a brow lifted and his head corked to the side, “So?”
“My car broke down two days ago… Did you not notice it’s not next to yours?”

Donghae sneered, “Not the point,” he took one step out of the house.

“I need you to take me for grocery shopping.”

This time, Donghae looked at him as if Hyukjae had two heads and for the first time ever, his husband chuckled. Hyukjae felt the pit of his stomach rumbled at the deep voice. “Me? Take you shopping? Take a cab, alright?” Donghae was still chuckling as he shut the door.

Hyukjae stood still for a second, contemplating. He needed to make things move forward, to get things going. He would need to work to give himself a happy marriage or at least a bearable and comfortable life with a housemate. So, he yanked one of the tall, dark wood double-door opened, went down the few stairs and slipped in between Donghae and his car’s door, “Your mom wants to see us happy.”

Donghae rolled his eyes and huffed, “Aren’t you happy? I was happy until the moment you came and stood in front of me.”

Hyukjae leaned back against the car, “She wants to see us happy together,” Hyukjae thought for a half second before saying, “She wants pictures; my mother wants pictures of us too. Together, happy,” he dragged the words a little and smiled until his gums were showing.

So, in the end, after a slight bit more of persuading – and a threat about his mother again – Donghae relented and they went shopping at a nearby mart, where Hyukjae always frequented. It was a short drive, but Hyukjae had enough time to think about this being their first time going out together. It would be their one-month anniversary in a few days and they just only had their first date – well, sort of like a date with a little force.

They got to the mart and Donghae was reluctant to get out of the car. He scowled at Hyukjae when he waited for his husband, saying, “The longer you sit in there, the longer we are going to be here.” It was enough to make the stubborn man moved.

They got inside, Hyukjae pushing the trolley he had taken near the entrance. Donghae walked in front of him, hands in his fitting slacks’ pockets. Hyukjae would not say Donghae was wearing something inappropriate for grocery shopping, but it clashed with his own style since Hyukjae was wearing his jeans and a grey pull-over. Shrugging, Hyukjae knew he could hardly match his husband when it came to style or fashion.

Just as they walked along the rightest aisle, Donghae almost bumped into an old lady that was of course almost half his husband’s height. Donghae was looking at the shelves on his left and he stopped right in front of the trolley belonging to the grey-haired lady who pulled her cart slightly back as she noticed Donghae. The lady cussed under her breath, shoving her trolley forward again and forcing Donghae to step aside. Hyukjae shook his head, amused, as he passed Donghae and grabbed two cans of evaporated milk before moving on to the next aisle.

Hyukjae did the shopping, choosing the best ingredients, picking up that, picking up this and placed them into the trolley. He kept his eyes on Donghae, glancing at the man who wandered nearby him. He saw his husband lifting some things before putting them back on their respective shelves. One time, through the corner of his eyes, Hyukjae saw Donghae standing on his tiptoes trying to take a box of cereal off a high shelf but then gave up. Hyukjae swiftly turned around and pushed the trolley again, hiding his smile. After going to the next aisle, Hyukjae left the trolley – and his husband – for a moment, returning with the box of cereal Donghae had tried reaching for. He placed it in the trolley and smiled at Donghae who stood by it.

Remembering something at that time, Hyukjae took out his phone and opened the camera. He stood closer to Donghae and was about to snap a picture of them when his husband moved away and grabbed the handle of the trolley.

“What are you doing?” asked Donghae.

“Taking a selfie of us.”

Donghae looked at him, exasperated, “Why?”

“I told you our moms want pictures just two hours ago, remember?”

His husband snorted before he stood up straighter and stared at Hyukjae, “Two hours? We’ve been here for two hours?” He hastily checked his watch.

Hyukjae smiled and nodded, “Didn’t feel like it, does it? It means you enjoy this,” he said the last part inaudibly.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Hyukjae again stepped closer to Donghae, raising his phone high and smiling, but the black hair man shoved his hand down. Hyukjae grew frustrated, “They want proof that we are happy being married and living together. You said before that we need to keep the façade up when we are outside. So, why not we use our talent in faking now and give them what they want?”

A heated glare met Hyukjae's daring eyes before Donghae placed his forearm on the trolley’s handle, leaning closer to Hyukjae and smiled. Hyukjae lifted his phone again, his smiled up on his lips again, and he snapped the picture. He then made a peace sign for another photo, and Donghae made the same gesture, Hyukjae noticed. He took the picture and was about to look at the selfies when suddenly, the trolley was accidentally pushed forward. Hyukjae’s first instinct was to get a hold of Donghae – the one who had exerted too much force when leaning and caused the incident – wrapping his arms around the other’s torso to halt his fall. Then, the two of them stared and cringed as the trolley zoomed away and crashed into a shelf, causing a few packets to fall.

Donghae ran toward the trolley, leaving Hyukjae there to stare after him. As his husband rolled the trolley back to him, Donghae had the decency to look embarrassed, his neck turning red. Hyukjae only sighed, his heart silently growing fonder of his husband after witnessing Donghae’s acts while at the supermarket.

“Let’s go checkout,” Hyukjae prompted, placing his hand on the side rail of the trolley and letting Donghae pushed.

They each carried several bags to the car, though, Hyukjae carried more. But, as the atmosphere while driving back to the house was better than before, he did not mind at all.

Donghae dropped Hyukjae at the house with the groceries before driving away and only came back when it was nearing 5pm. He went straight to their room to get a shower as their parents would be there in about an hour. Hyukjae did not ask where he went.

With the time he had alone, Hyukjae had started making Strawberry Panna Cotta to serve that night. When he had placed the pudding into the fridge to set, he tidied the house, putting on an apron and started dusting then mopping; he was used to doing it by himself, though he would be glad if Donghae had help.

Before Donghae had got home, everything was already at the ready except for the main dish as Hyukjae wanted it to be hot when he served them to his parents and in-laws. He got himself ready, putting on a white silk shirt and black pants. He put his apron back on to start cooking again and it was then that Donghae had come home. He did not see his husband until a little later, though. Hyukjae was untying his apron after placing the lamb into the oven. Just as he hung the apron, Donghae stepped down the stairs and he wore just exactly like Hyukjae.

They matched, for the first time.

It was obvious that Donghae was about to go back up and change, but then their parents arrived.

They started dinner immediately. Hyukjae served and ate with them, turning red every time his in-laws complimented his dish. He kept his eyes on their reactions as they took their first bite, out of habit. Mainly though, he focused on Donghae. He had put extra work to plate the food to make it both appealing and appetizing. It would be great if his husband, an artist, loved it. As Donghae carefully ate the panna cotta, trying not to disrupt the plating, he obviously liked it.

They all sat in the living room after dinner, having small talks. In the middle of it, Hyukjae’s father had whispered to him that he wanted to talk to him privately. So, Hyukjae offered to take him outside to the backyard, pushing his wheelchair. It was awhile after they walk before his father asked, “Are you happy, Hyukjae-ah?”

Hyukjae kept pushing his dad’s chair, taking his time to answer. He finally said, “I will be, dad. I will be happy.” He stopped and locked the wheels before squatting in front of his dad and smiled genuinely.

His father placed a hand on top of his hair, “I’m sorry I forced you into this. Maybe I did not think it through at that time. All I thought about was how your in-laws were so nice to us, helping us when they could. Your mother’s restaurant would not be as big as now if they had not helped promoting it to their friends. And add the fact that they were so good-hearted... I thought it would be great if we can combine with a happy family such as theirs. I’m sorry I did not take your feelings as the utmost, son,” his father had tears b in his eyes that were as brown as Hyukjae’s.

“Dad, it’s fine. You made the decision you think was right. I don’t mind,” Hyukjae grabbed his father’s hands.

His father bent down and kissed at the crown of his head, “I am so proud of you, Hyukjae-ah,” his father paused for a moment, “What about that boy you love? Your first love?”

Hyukjae blushed, “Yah, why are you talking about that?”

“I just want to know, if you still cannot forget and looking for him.”

Hyukjae’s ears grew red, and he chuckled, grinning at his father, “I can’t forget him, dad. But, I don’t have to look for him anymore, though. I am married,” he looked through the glass door at Donghae who was sitting with Hyukjae’s mother and his parents. He decided he would not tell his parents just yet about who his first love was and where he was at that moment.

It had passed 9pm when their parents went home and both Hyukjae and Donghae were smiling as they waved them goodbye. But, as soon as the door was shut, Hyukjae’s smile softened to a satisfied look while Donghae’s turned into a smirk.

“Well, it seems like our time to be fake is done for now. Have fun doing the dishes,” Donghae moved closer to Hyukjae and whispered, “Husband,” before he turned off the light in the hall and headed upstairs, leaving Hyukjae alone in the dark.

Turning the light back on again, Hyukjae sighed, tired. But, he still finished the house chores first before going to bed more than an hour later.

Yeay for 2nd chapter! It is harder to write this because my laptop is not with me. It took me three sittings to get it done. I can't update my other eunhae fanfic yet, I'm waiting for my laptop. Hope you like this chapter and see you on the next update! Do share your thoughts about it! Cookies and lots of oreo for all!

P.S. Do you like this length of chapter or do you prefer shorter or maybe longer?