“Are you able to drive? Maybe I should take the wheel,” Baekhyun said when they reached the side of Chanyeol’s BMW.

Chanyeol paused briefly to assess the pain in his arm, then threw his car keys over to Baekhyun. Baekhyun helped him into the passenger seat gingerly, being careful not to touch the still-bleeding arm.

“Seat belt,” Baekhyun reminded as he buckled his own seat belt securely over himself.

Chanyeol winced in pain as he reached over for his seat belt and Baekhyun immediately leaned forward to help him. Their faces were dangerously close to each other’s and Chanyeol could feel the caress of Baekhyun’s breath on his cheeks. From up close, Baekhyun’s eyelashes appeared even longer, and his pink, rosebud lips looked moist and inviting. The mere sight of this drove Chanyeol’s heart into overdrive and he had to close his eyes to will the naughty thoughts away. He could not help but imagine what other uses Baekhyun might have for his pretty lips, and he wondered if Baekhyun knew that he was being such a tease.  

However, Baekhyun seemed oblivious to the scarlet tinge on Chanyeol’s face as he grabbed the steering wheel and drove off. He drove in silence, eyes darting over to check on Chanyeol’s condition occasionally. It seemed like the wound had already stopped bleeding, much to his relief. Chanyeol, on the other hand, looked out of the scenery flashing past the car window as Baekhyun drove them into an old, dingy neighbourhood. This was a part of town that Chanyeol had never ventured into-- it was a neighbourhood which housed the poorer folks and several street gangs. Chanyeol shuddered to think of what could be lurking within the shadows.

“This seems like a… dangerous neighbourhood to live in,” Chanyeol commented, choosing his words carefully in case it offended Baekhyun.

“This was the only place I could afford with my salary,” Baekhyun replied which a small shrug. “I thought the same too at first, but it’s actually not that bad once you get used to it,” he continued as he eased the car into a parking lot along the street.

Chanyeol quickly undid his seatbelt himself and stepped out of the car into the cool night breeze. He looked up at the building that they had parked beside. It was a three-storey, red-brick building whose exterior looked like it needed a major overhaul. The bricks were stained with wet moss in certain areas, and frankly, Chanyeol thought it looked rather sad and dilapidated, like the sort of haunted houses that you see in movies. He shuffled behind Baekhyun warily as they entered the building, feeling goosebumps travelling up his arm.

“I live on the third floor. The lift’s been out-of-order since three weeks ago so we’ll have to take the stairs instead.”

Chanyeol cringed as he made his way up the stairs behind Baekhyun, being careful not to dirty his white Versace sneakers. The stairs were littered with cigarette buds, disgusting chewing gum, and was wet with a strange, yellowish substance that Chanyeol fervently hoped was not piss. They made their way to the third floor and walked along the fluorescent-lit hallway, where Baekhyun’s apartment stood right at the very end.

Baekhyun unlocked the door and ushered Chanyeol in. He flicked on a light switch and the apartment was instantaneously bathed in bright white light. Chanyeol took a whiff of the air and was pleasantly surprised to inhale a sweet, citrusy scent. The apartment was small and barren, but  it  was very tidy and clean. In the tiny living room was  a  tan coloured two-seater sofa that looked rather shabby, and a wooden coffee table with magazines stacked neatly atop of it.

Chanyeol noticed that Baekhyun did not own a television, but in the space where the television should be, he had an array of potted plants that looked like they were very well taken care of. In particular, a pot of white orchids caught his attention the  most, its soft, tender petals reminding him of Baekhyun’s fair complexion.

“The size of my entire house is probably the size of your toilet," Baekhyun joked, motioning for Chanyeol to take a seat on the sofa.

“Your apartment is small, but it looks cosy enough. But you should consider getting rid of this moth-eaten sofa,” Chanyeol laughed.

Baekhyun smiled wordlessly. He reached  under the coffee table for the first-aid kit and quickly set to work, cleaning Chanyeol’s wound and bandaging it up. As he watched Baekhyun tend to him meticulously, he could not help but feel a small flutter in his chest. When was the last time someone had treated him so tenderly and sincerely?

“Baekhyun,” he spoke, attempting to distract himself from the foreign feelings welling up inside of him. “What were you planning to buy just now? I saw you standing outside of the musical instruments shop.”

Baekhyun suddenly seemed flustered and he reached up to rub the nape of his neck.

“What are you talking about? I was just checking my reflection in the glass, that’s all,” he said, forcing an awkward laugh. “But wait-- what were you doing there anyway? Were you stalking me?” he asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “I was really surprised to see you appear in the alley.”

Chanyeol could tell that it was Baekhyun’s attempt at changing the subject and decided to let it go. Although he was genuinely curious, he was not going to press Baekhyun any further if he did not wish to tell him the truth. After all, they had only known each other for a short while and he did not want to appear too pushy.

“What? No, I just happened to see you there. I was in the vicinity, looking for a present for my mother. It's going to be her birthday in two weeks’ time,” Chanyeol lied, pretending to look offended by Baekhyun’s accusation.

Baekhyun, however, did not seem convinced. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, his mobile phone rang shrilly. Chanyeol noticed that it was a very old Samsung smartphone-- a sorely outdated model that  had probably  seen  better  days. He  wondered  if  it  was  a second-hand phone or an old phone that Baekhyun had not had the  chance  to  replace.

“Ah yes, yes, Mr. Seo, I haven’t forgotten. Um, could  you… could you  allow  me  to  pay  you  a  little  later? There's been some  issues  and--,” he  said  into  the  phone nervously, pausing  halfway  to  pull  the  phone away  from his  ears  as if  he  were being  shouted  at. Chanyeol shot Baekhyun a curious, concerned look.

“Alright, I understand. Goodbye,” he finally answered, looking defeated. He  threw  the  phone  onto  the  coffee table  with  a loud  clank  and  buried  his  head  in  his hands.

“What happened? Who was that on the phone?”

“That  was  my  landlord  reminding  me  to  pay  the  rent for this  month. He’s coming over to collect it tomorrow,” Baekhyun answered unhappily. “I tried  to  explain  to  him that  my pay  was  robbed  from  me today, but  he  refused to hear  a  word. He's  threatening  to  evict  me  if  I  don't pay up  on  time. What  am I  going to do?” he  groaned, standing up  to  pace  around  the  living  room  nervously.

“I think being evicted isn’t too bad. You  can  come  live with me-- I  have  many  spacious  rooms  for  you  to choose from. Or if you like, we can share a room instead,” Chanyeol teased.

“Not funny, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun retorted weakly, clearly not in the mood for Chanyeol’s jokes.

“How much is your monthly rent?” Chanyeol queried, fishing out a cheque book and a Montblanc fountain pen from the inner compartment of his jacket.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he realised Chanyeol’s intentions. “No, I can’t accept--,” he began to protest, but was abruptly cut off.

“Hey, aren’t we friends now? Friends are supposed to help one another, right?” Chanyeol coaxed. “God knows I would gladly give you this money for free, but I know you’ll reject it, so just take it as a loan from me to you. You can return me the money any time you like,” he offered with a sincere smile.

Baekhyun pursed his lips, looking torn. Finally, his shoulders sagged and he shot Chanyeol a resigned look. “Alright, I’ll accept your money this time round,” he sighed. “But only because this is an emergency-- I don’t like owing other people favours. I’ll repay you as soon as I possibly can.”

Chanyeol gave him a thumbs up and handed Baekhyun a cheque for $700. “I thought that I should give you a little more since you lost a whole month’s salary. This should be enough for both your rent and living expenses, right?”

Baekhyun received the cheque from Chanyeol’s outstretched hand, an unreadable expression on his face. “Thank you,” he said softly.

“You’re welcome,” Chanyeol grinned widely. “I think I should get going now, thanks for tending to my wound.”

He stood up from the sofa to leave and Baekhyun quickly followed after him to show Chanyeol out. Just before they reached the door, Chanyeol spun on his heel suddenly. Baekhyun could not stop in time and walked straight into him, his head bouncing off of Chanyeol’s chest.

“I almost forgot! We haven’t exchanged numbers yet!” he exclaimed excitedly.

They fished out their mobile phones to exchange their numbers, leaving Chanyeol with an extremely pleased smile on his face.

“Thanks, I’ll see myself out now. Sleep early tonight, Baekhyun. Goodnight and sweet dreams,” Chanyeol said, his deep voice sounding pleasantly mellow.

Minutes after Chanyeol had left, the balmy scent of his cologne still lingered faintly in the air. Baekhyun inhaled deeply and wondered if this was what sweet dreams were made of.

--

It  was during a  particularly  busy  shift  at  the  fast-food joint the very next afternoon that  Baekhyun  received his first  text message  from  Chanyeol. His  mobile  phone buzzed  in  his jean pocket  and  he  had  to discreetly  read the  text by placing  his  phone  in  a  strategic  location behind  the  till. God  forbid  anyone should  see  him  using his  phone  during work--  a  customer h