As soon as the very tired and dehydrated teenager steps through the door of his own apartment, he’s met with the sound of loud laughter and the warm smell of hot chocolate. Around his small dining table sits his three friends, clearly invited by Jongin, who’s the only one with a key to Baekhyun’s apartment. Speaking of Jongin, the boy is still dressed in only a pair of sweatpants, the same clothes he went to sleep with last night. He’s currently choking on the scolding hot chocolate, coughing so hard that some of it splashes onto the white table.

Jongdae and Sehun are also having a blast, so it seems. While Jongdae is busy saving Jongin’s life, Sehun is letting out inhuman noises while recording the bizarre incident, tears of joy amusement down his flawless face. Baekhyun – who’d been feeling quite down during the remaining time of his shift- can’t help but to smile at his friends, immediately pouring a glass of water and handing it to a purple-faced Jongin.

Once Jongin is able to breathe normally again, the four friends sink down into the hard chairs, letting their laughs die out at last. “You guys are completely mental,” Baekhyun chuckles as he wraps his arm around Sehun’s shoulders.

“Man, you should’ve seen the way you looked when you choked on that drink, Jongin!” Sehun laughs and wipes away non-existent tears from his eyes. “I honestly thought you were going to pass out there for a while.”

“Glad you recorded the whole thing instead of actually helping me. I could’ve died for heaven’s sake.”

“At least you would’ve died while laughing with your best friends,” Sehun jokes and lets out a loud cry as Jongin kicks his shin under the table.

The two youngsters start to bicker as per usual, so Jongdae motions for Baekhyun to retreat into the living room with him instead. Baekhyun throws his legs onto Jongdae’s lap without getting any complaints as soon as he lies down on the sofa. His friend can probably tell that Baekhyun is exhausted to hell and back, so that’s perhaps why he doesn’t question Baekhyun as he asks for Jongdae to give him a well-deserved leg massage.

Baekhyun can’t help the moan slipping out from his lips as Jongdae’s fingers start massaging his tense calves.

“Tough day at work today?” his friend asks and smirks at Baekhyun’s failed attempts to hold in his embarrassing moans.

“Not really. Just tired, since a certain someone insisted that it would be a great idea to drink champagne on a weekday. That certain someone doesn’t have a job, so that’s probably why he thought he was clever.”

“I assume that certain someone is our lovely friend Jongin?” Baekhyun only groans and nods in confirmation. “Well, I heard you have something to look forward to tomorrow. A blind date means getting off your shift earlier, right?”

. Baekhyun hadn’t even given the stupid date a single thought today. But Jongdae is right. He will get off earlier tomorrow so that he has time to get ready for the evening. Although the idea of going on a date tomorrow doesn’t sound the least appealing today, he knows he’ll be at a better mood as soon as he gets to sleep. Just like he’d reminded himself hundreds of times already, the worst thing that could happen is for the date to be a complete catastrophe, but that would be it. He doesn’t have to meet the guy ever again and that’s why Baekhyun doesn’t need to be worried. Worrying just makes things worse and it always makes Baekhyun ill to his stomach.

“I’ll go and fetch you a glass of water and something to eat, then you should go to bed, okay?” Jongdae lifts his friend’s legs off his lap and makes his way towards the kitchen where the two youngsters are still bickering like an old married couple.

Baekhyun contentedly accepts the ice-cold beverage and the banana his friend hands him. It’s ridiculous really, but he can’t help thinking about that costumer’s fondness of yellow books as he peels the colourful fruit. This is not the time for Baekhyun to be reminded by that arrogant punk, so he shakes all thoughts of him from his head and quickly eats his tiny meal.

As soon as he swallows the last bite of the banana, he lies down on his couch, his eyelids immediately getting heavy as he rests his head on the velvet cushion. He whispers a thanks to Jongdae when the other puts a blanket over him, making sure to refill the empty glass of water before he switches the lights off and leaves the living room.

It’s summer, so it’s still bright outside, but Baekhyun couldn’t care less. All he cares about right now is sleeping, so that he will wake up feeling fresh and - hopefully - in a better mood tomorrow. After all, he wants to make a good first impression on his date. It takes him no time at all to fall asleep to the sound of his three best friends laughing in the kitchen.

- - -

Week Three – Wednesday

Just like the two previous days, the mysterious costumer walks into the store by lunchtime, both to Baekhyun’s exhilaration and dissatisfaction. This time, though, Baekhyun decides to not utter a single word as the man steps through the door, looking as dark and gloomy as ever.

It’s the same procedure today. The man spends almost half an hour looking through different stacks of books, all the while Baekhyun sips on his tea and eyes the strange man.

He just can’t understand why the customer doesn’t want to interact with Baekhyun. Is it because the employee doesn’t look anything like the tattooed man? Is it because he thinks he’s too cool and important for Baekhyun? All the latter wants is to be a good employee and for the stupid man to not criticise Mr Lomander’s choice of staff as soon as said old man returns to work.

Baekhyun’s eyes are dry and itchy from staring too much, when the man finally drags his gigantic feet towards the counter. It’s not really surprising when yet another yellow book is placed onto the wooden surface of the desk. The history of Swedish architecture, Baekhyun reads as he turns the book in his hand so that he can see how much it costs. First a children’s book and now this?

“Architecture? You never cease to surprise me”. Baekhyun had to speak at last. It’s in his nature.

Of course, the man doesn’t answer, just taps his long fingers on the polished counter. Baekhyun wants to throw the book in his face just so that he will get a reaction, any kind of reaction would be great.

A stupid idea crosses Baekhyun’s mind. “Mr Lomander called me this morning.” The new topic seems to gain the man’s attention as he lifts his head so that he can look at Baekhyun from behind his dark fringe. “He wanted me to remind the weird, arrogant customer- who always buys yellow books- to not treat his staff like they’re non-existent. Oh, and he also wanted to remind the same guy that it wouldn’t hurt him to open his mouth to speak once in a while.”

The man lets out a heavy breath and stares at Baekhyun like he wants to strangle him right there and then. The shorter of the two tries his best to act indifferent, not wanting the other to think he regrets outing the words.

At last, the man speaks. “How much does the book cost?”

Baekhyun groans inwardly. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

“Why would I have to talk to you?”

“Because that’s what people do when someone speaks to them or asks them questions!”

Baekhyun hadn’t meant to raise his voice and he immediately regrets it when he sees how the taller man raises his eyebrows. He watches as the man raises his hand to his face and starts twirling on one of his snake bites piercings. The simple action shouldn’t look as intimidating and hot as it does.

The man repeats his question as he continues to eye Baekhyun with curiosity. “How much for the book?”

It’s a lost battle, and the smaller knows it. “It’s ₩1000.” The man hands him the money and accepts the white plastic bag Baekhyun gives him to carry the book. He turns on his heels and opens the heavy door.

“Have a good day, Mr Grumpy Pup.”

Baekhyun’s eyes shoot up as he watches the man winking at him before leaving the shop. He actually winked at him! That’s one of the last things he thought he would ever see the scary man do. His stomach feels weird, almost like it does when he’s riding roller coasters or whenever his parents are showering him with compliments of what a good son he is.

And Baekhyun is scared because he knows his stomach and he knows himself. And he certainly knows his stomach shouldn’t react like this when someone like him winks at him.

After calling Mr Lomander and informing him about his plans this evening, Baekhyun closes the shop at 5 pm and waits outside for his friend to pick him up. Jongdae just got his driving license and wants to drive as much as possible lately, so that’s why Baekhyun had agreed for him to pick him up even though the walk home is relatively short.

When they reach Baekhyun’s apartment, an excited Jongin greets them by the door, just as if it was his own apartment and not his best friend’s. Baekhyun’s two friends help him with looking decent and getting dressed. Being the simple man he is, he decides to wear a pair of casual black jeans, a white button up and his favourite dress shoes.

When it comes to styling hair, Jongin is a pro, so he gladly offers Baekhyun to style it for him, to which Baekhyun of course accept the offer. He’s nervous at first when Jongin combs through his hair and parts his ordinary bowl cut fringe. The younger then blow-dries his fringe to the left side of his face, making sure to add some unknown cream to add some texture to it. To complete the look, Jongin straightness the remaining hair, finishing by spraying some mist into the hair.

All it takes is one look in the bathroom mirror and Baekhyun is in love with his new hairstyle. It makes him look more mature than his nineteen years of life, giving him the illusion of appearing at least a few years older. Baekhyun thanks his friend by giving him a kiss on the cheek, to which Jongdae make grossed out noises.

Wearing makeup isn’t something he usually does, but he doesn’t contradict when Jongin applies some BB cream onto his already decent skin. Jongin also persuades him to wear a thin layer of lip tint and some brown eyeliner to enhance the colour of his eyes.

“Have you eaten anything today?” Jongdae asks as the three friends finally have some time to relax in the kitchen. Baekhyun is supposed to be at the restaurant at 8 pm, so he doesn’t have to leave for another thirty minutes or so.

“I drank a strawberry smoothie before I left for work this morning. Didn’t really feel like eating any lunch today.” He thinks about the tattooed man who comes in during lunch time every day at work.

Jongdae immediately stands up and grabs an apple from the fruit bowl. He sets it down in front of Baekhyun and waits patiently for him to pick it up.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, not really unaccustomed to his friends always checking up on him. “Guys, it’s been almost half a year since I last fainted. You really don’t have to worry anymore.” His stomach growls as he takes a big bite of the apple, already feeling his energy increasing.

“Last time you told us not to worry, you ended up at the hospital with scary tubes pumping nutrition into your lifeless body. All while the both of us,” Jongdae looks at Jongin who nods in agreement, “just stood there like idiots, neither of us able to help you in any way.”

Sighing loudly, Baekhyun thinks back about the time when the stress and pressure had won over him. School had been insane, him handing in assignment after assignment. Sure, he’d graduated with perfect grades, but he lost his physical health in the process. But he’s better now, he really is. He always eats at least two times a day, even though he may not eat the biggest portions. After several months of seeing a therapist and being handed a personalised eating schedule, he finally feels healthy and relaxed again.

He finishes the apple in a few more bites while his two friends observe him nervously. “And look where we are now. I’m happy and I’m healthy and that is all because of you guys. So please stop blaming yourselves for what happened months ago.” The core of the apple is thrown into the bin beside the refrigerator and he confidently meets the other boy’s eyes.

Jongin exhales and sinks down into one of the chairs, pouring up a glass of water to Baekhyun in the process. “We know, we know. But you can’t blame us for being worried about you.”

“I’m older than the both of you, so it’s actually my job to be worried about you. Not the other way around,” Baekhyun laughs but accepts the water and sips on it while the three friends continue on with their chatter as if the serious discussion never happened.

- - -

As expected, Jongdae drives him to the fancy restaurant that is located on the outside of Seoul. He made sure to bring money so that his date won’t have to pay for him too, especially now since they’re apparently the same age. Jongdae makes him promise to call as soon as he wants to go home so that he can come and pick him up. With a last encouraging hug, the two friends part ways and Baekhyun heads towards the extravagant entrance.

Two elegantly dressed men open the glass door for him as he approaches them. He bows politely and gives the waitress his full name. She checks his name on the list she carries in her arms and motions for him to follow her up a short stair. 

He doesn’t feel uncomfortable while walking through the extravagant restaurant. After all, he was born in a wealthy family, so eating at these types of restaurants isn’t uncommon for him.

The waitress walks in front of him and then stops when they reach a small table set for two. Baekhyun halts immediately as he notices the man sitting down at the table, and by reading the other man’s face, he can tell that he is as surprised as himself. The waitress drags out the chair and Baekhyun sits down numbly, and he forces himself to look at her as she hands them their menus. She lights a candle and places it in the middle of the table, then she excuses herself and walks away. Baekhyun gulps as he sneaks a look at the other man again and is relieved when the familiar person doesn’t meet his gaze. 

It’s the arrogant, tattooed man from the bookstore.

Baekhyun wants to sink through the floor and call Jongdae straightaway.

Even though they’re clearly in a really expensive restaurant, the man looks like his normal self. The choker around his neck is thinner than usual, though, a simple satin one with a small golden ring combining the two necklace strings. Instead of a washed out T-shirt, his upper body is clothed in a black denim shirt.

It’s a very colourless outfit, but it’s what to expect from someone like him to wear.

Before he’s able to come up with an excuse to run for his life, the other man opens his mouth, for the first time being the one to start a conversation.

“Not you again.” Okay, that wasn’t the response Baekhyun had hoped for. His head snaps up in annoyance as soon as the words leave the other’s pierced mouth.

“I wished I could say the same, but I’m not a complete like you.” Baekhyun is taken aback by his own boldness. Baekhyun may be many things, but he’s not one to take from people who don’t even know him. “So now. You can either leave or you can stay and try to enjoy good food since our lovely friends actually managed to book a table here.”

While stubbornly chewing on his lower lip, he grabs the menu and looks through it, trying his best not smile when he notices the man following his action. Eating at an expensive restaurant is apparently not something the pierced man does very often. His intimidating looks and bitten expression make him look way out of place. It’s almost amusing.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the waitress appears again and writes down their orders. Baekhyun snorts when the man orders a bottle of red wine and tofu salad. He doesn’t strike Baekhyun as the type of man to drink wine. And who the hell orders a simple tofu salad when you can buy a medium rare steak with Hasselback potatoes?

“So…” Baekhyun begins and almost chokes on his water when the tall man looks at him. “Who was kind enough to set you up on this romantic date?”

The man must be getting bored of giving Baekhyun the silent treatment because he takes less than a few seconds to answer. “One of my closest friends told me that it would be a great idea. I’ll probably kill Joonmyeon as soon as I see him.”

“Joonmyeon, huh? Well, apparently he conspired with my friend, Jongin, and here we are now. Who said having friends is a good thing?”

The man just shrugs and observes the waitress as she approaches their table again, this time balancing a wine bottle on a silver tray. She pours the wine into two glasses and then backs away, informing them that their dinner will be ready in less than thirty minutes. That means thirty more minutes of hell.

“Since we’ll have to spend some time together this evening, why won’t you tell me your name?”

Dark eyes stare into Baekhyun’s. “Why do I have to tell you my name first?”

“Have it your way.” Baekhyun leans back in the chair, though still sticking to the rules of etiquette and straightens his spine. “My name is Byun Baekhyun and I’m nineteen years old. I currently work at a bookstore and live in my own apartment in a peaceful part of Seoul.” He takes a sip of the wine and cringes inwardly at the taste of it. Wine isn’t his favourite type alcohol, so to say.

“It’s Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.” The man states it so casually, his fingers playing with his eyebrow piercing.

Baekhyun had expected his name to be Cool--Dude-Wine-Lover-324, but Park Chanyeol is okay too, he assumes.

“Did you say that you’re nineteen? As in you just graduated high school?” Baekhyun nods in answer to his question.

“Yeah, so we’re the same age. Although you actually look quite older than me.” The smaller laughs and takes another sip of his wine. He needs something that will ease his evening with this man – Park Chanyeol- and wine will have to do.

Chanyeol clears his throat and scratches his face, just below one of his protruding ears. “Ehm… I don’t know what your friend told you, but I’m not nineteen,” he begins. His dark voice –although not willingly- sounds like music in Baekhyun’s ears. “I graduated high school a few years ago, six years to be exact.”

you, Jongin.

“Wait, are you serious?” Baekhyun is suddenly in panic mode. “Is this even legal? Is the two of us going on a date legal?”

Chanyeol shakes his head in disbelief and Baekhyun is startled when the older man sniggers. Does he actually find this amusing?

“Baekhyun.” Baekhyun’s body shouldn’t feel like jelly by Chanyeol just saying his name out loud for the first time. “I’m 25, so there’s nothing to be nervous about. Calm down, jeez.”

“That’s easy for you to say! Last time I agreed to go on a stupid blind date, my date turned out to be older than my grandparents!”

This makes Chanyeol laugh at loud and Baekhyun stills in his chair. For a split second, the older man had let his façade drop, and he had actually laughed at Baekhyun, showing his teeth and all. Baekhyun stares at the other man and it seems like he suddenly realises that he’d been amused in the other’s company. A familiar frown washes over the man’s features once again.

So Chanyeol is six years older than himself and Jongin had clearly not known about this, or if he had, he’d made sure not to inform Baekhyun about it. Still, six years is not that bad, and it’s obviously not as bad as a 70 years age difference.  

Their food arrives at last and both of them are silent as they munch on their food, taking a sip of wine once in a while. Baekhyun notices how Chanyeol sorts all the red beans from his salad, his nose wrinkling slightly as he puts them into a napkin. It’s a cute gesture for someone as intimidating as him.

Baekhyun attempts to start a few conversations while they wait for their note. The wine bottle is now almost completely empty and Baekhyun is beginning to feel quite tipsy. He curses at himself for drinking even though he has to work the next day. This time he has no Jongin to put the blame on, only himself.

He’s pleased whenever Chanyeol answers his question, although none of them are personal at all. All he knows about the other is that he’s vegan and that he also lives alone in a flat around this area.

Once the waitress appears with a note that could make any man with a decent income cry, Baekhyun reaches for his wallet to pay for both their food, since he’s the youngest and that’s how he was raised. A big hand placed above his petite one stops him just as he’s about to hand the waitress his card. Chanyeol looks as unperturbed as always as he hands the waitress his card instead, only shaking his head when Baekhyun tries to insist to pay. Maybe Baekhyun is judgmental, but Chanyeol doesn’t strike him as someone who has enough money to pay for two expensive meals, plus a bottle of luxury red wine.

The two boys stand awkwardly beside each other outside the restaurant when Baekhyun’s phone finally rings. As soon as he answers, he’s bombarded with questions from Jongin who asks about the date. Baekhyun lowers the volume and feels his cheeks getting pink as he hushes his embarrassing friend; all while Chanyeol side-eyes him like he’s a complete idiot.

Jongin informs him that Jongdae is on his way to pick him up and that he’ll probably be there in about twenty minutes.

“Was it your friend Jongin?” Chanyeol asks as soon as Baekhyun ends the call. The younger tries his best to look indifferent and nods in answer.

“How are you getting home tonight? You said you live nearby. Is it a walking distance or do you need a ride?”

“Joonmyeon, you know the guy who set me up with you,” Chanyeol adds when he notices the confused look on the shorter boy’s face. “He’ll pick me up in a few minutes or so. I texted him just before we paid the bill.”

That means Baekhyun will get to see one of Chanyeol’s friends, which actually feels quite personal. He can’t help but feel excited and nervous as they wait in silence for their own personal drivers. It seems like the punk man isn’t as detested by Baekhyun’s presence as he’d been the days before, in the shop. He’s actually a decent man, Baekhyun admits to himself, even though Chanyeol isn’t the most talkative person he knows.

 Five minutes later and a white Bentley is pulled over a few feet away from them. Out steps a rather short man – probably the same height as Baekhyun himself – dressed in a cream suit, a light blue shirt complementing the man’s skin tone. On his feet rests shiny white and brown brogue shoes, a white necktie completing the look.

This can’t be Chanyeol’s friend. There’s no chance in hell.

“Chanyeol, my dear friend.”

Well .

The stranger’s eyes land upon Baekhyun and he nods his head, a wide smile spreading across his flawless face. He reminds Baekhyun of his friends back in high school, the ones who were born with silver spoons up their arses. How someone as wealthy-looking as this guy could be Chanyeol’s best friend, is a mystery to him.

“You must be Baekhyun! I’ve heard nothing but good things about you from your friend Jongin. Nice to meet you.” Baekhyun takes Joonmyeon’s outstretched hand and shakes it politely. 

“Nice to meet you too. I assume you’re Joonmyeon?” The grinning mad nods and averts his attention towards his friend.

“You ready to head home, Channie?” Chanyeol reaches for his friend and puts him in a headlock.

If Baekhyun isn’t mistaken, the nickname made Chanyeol’s ears turn red. He suppresses his giggles as much as he can while he watches the always so stiff man turn into a dork with his friend. Baekhyun kind of wishes Chanyeol would be this relaxed in his company someday. It’s an absurd wish, though, as he realises that they two of them will probably never meet again. They’re too different and Chanyeol is clearly not impressed by Baekhyun’s attempts to befriend him.

Chanyeol finally releases Joonmyeon from his death grip and the smaller of the two stumbles backwards while laughing loudly. “Till next time, Baekhyun,” he wheezes as he motions for Chanyeol to follow him back to the car.

“Yeah, goodbye.” Baekhyun watches as the two friends open the car doors. Chanyeol sits down in the car and closes the door without saying a word. It’s when the car begins to move that the right side window rolls down to display the tattooed man. He throws Baekhyun an unreadable look and dips his head slightly, almost like goodbye gesture.

“Till tomorrow, Mr Grumpy Pup.”

A weak smile spreads across his face as the Bentley passes him, pretending not to take any notice of the warmth spreading through his body at the familiar nickname and the thought of Chanyeol wanting to visit the shop tomorrow.

- - -

The ride home consists of Jongdae asking hundreds of questions, but not getting any answers since Baekhyun doesn’t feel like retelling everything twice. So they wait until they reach Baekhyun’s apartment before Jongin welcomes them and the three of them crash down on the large couch in the living room.

“How was Chanyeol? How did he look? Was he nice? Was he hot? Who paid for the dinner? Did you kiss? Do you want to meet him again?” The questions leave Jongin’s mouth as soon as Baekhyun agrees to let him ask questions.

Ignoring all the questions, Baekhyun states, “I’ve met him before.” Jongin grasps dramatically like he’s in a reality show.

 “Are you and Chanyeol already friends? Did he friend-zone you? Did you friend-zone him?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends. He’s a regular at the bookstore.” Baekhyun grins when he sees the disappointment spread across the younger’s face.

Jongdae decides to join their conversation at last. “Okay, so you’re not friends. But what do you think? Do you want to see him again?”

Baekhyun doesn’t have to think before he answers. “He will drop by the shop tomorrow, or at least that’s what he said before leaving.” The answer seems to make his friend satisfied as they move on to the more curious questions, like how Chanyeol looks and if he’s Baekhyun style.

To say that Chanyeol isn’t Baekhyun’s ideal type would be to put it nicely. Chanyeol is nothing like his previous boyfriend. Luhan had been the same age as himself, and he looked like a fairy compared to tough Chanyeol. Luhan wasn’t covered in tattoos and piercings, and he’d been talkative and funny and basically everything Baekhyun already is. That’s probably why they didn’t work out.

Jongdae leaves at midnight, informing the owner of the apartment that he made some breakfast that Baekhyun can heat in the morning. He leaves before Baekhyun can say his thanks. As every other day this week, Jongin decides to stay with him this night too, not that Baekhyun is complaining. Any kind of company is always appreciated.

Week Three – Thursday

“You don’t happen to have an exemplar of I am Malala? You know the girl who won a Nobel prize a couple of years ago?”

Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows as he walks up to where Chanyeol is standing in the middle of the shop. Today was the first time the older one was the first to greet Baekhyun as he stepped into the store twenty minutes ago. The younger walks past him and goes through a box with unsorted books. After a while, he finally finds what he’s looking for.

He hands the book to Chanyeol whose lips are quirking into an almost invisible smile. “This one doesn’t have a yellow cover?” It’s more of a question than a remark. Chanyeol turns the book in his hand and shows Baekhyun the mustard coloured spine. “Jokes on me.” He rolls his eyes and is just about to make himself another cup of tea when a dark voice stops him.

“Have you heard anything from Oliver?” He can tell that Chanyeol attempts not to act curious or worried.

Baekhyun sighs as he thinks about the phone call he’d gotten as soon as he opened the shop this morning. “Mr Lomander’s wife doesn’t have much time left. They won’t be able to stop the spreading of the cancer.” Chanyeol looks down onto the worn-out floor, dragging his fingers through his black fringe. “He won’t be back until… yeah.”

They stand in silence for a moment until Baekhyun breaks it. “Do you know his wife, by any chance?”

“She usually helped Oliver with running the shop. I’ve known her since I was a kid.”

He must’ve come here for so many years, Baekhyun thinks. He gets the urge to talk to Mr Lomander, to listen to his part of the story, to see what he has to say about mysterious Park Chanyeol. “I know it doesn’t change anything, but I’m sorry.” It’s a pathetic attempt to try to comfort.

“Yeah. Me too.”

The always so humid air in the store suddenly feels chilly. This is the last thing he thought he would talk about with Chanyeol out of all people. But this is not a time to be upset, not at all. For Baekhyun is pleased that Chanyeol even visited the store today, that the tall man was the first one to initiate a conversation. Shaking all the depressing thoughts from his head, the younger smiles weakly. He thinks about the question he’d been dying to ask for the last couple of days.

“The books you buy…” Chanyeol looks up after noticing the uncertainty in the other’s voice. “You always buy yellow books and I just can’t help but wondering why? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“Do you find it weird that I only buy yellow books?” Chanyeol seems amused by the sudden change of topic.

Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. They just don’t seem to fit into the dark and gloomy atmosphere you always surround yourself with.” The taller raises his eyebrows, eyeing Baekhyun with curiosity. “You’re always wearing black clothes, black tattoos, black hair. It’s almost like your soul is black.” A loud snort from Chanyeol. “It’s your concept and I totally get it. It’s just weird because yellow is such a lively colour, too colourful to fit into your intimidating image.”

He really has to stop talking so much, because Chanyeol is looking at him in this really weird way. Almost like Baekhyun is foolish for asking such a question, but he – to the former’s surprise – answers it anyway.

“I just like the colour.”

What a disappointing answer.

Forgotten about his tea already, Baekhyun roams the shelves, sorting the many books in alphabetical order. Chanyeol keeps him company, although the man doesn’t open his mouth to speak again while he studies book after book. Just as Baekhyun is emptying one of the boxes filled with dusty books, he finds one that should suit Chanyeol’s taste. He puts it aside for later and continues his boring task, all while humming to his favourite song.

When the two of them stand on either side of the counter thirty minutes later, Baekhyun puts the exemplar of ‘’I am Malala’’ into a cheap plastic bag. Before he hands Chanyeol the bag though, he slips the book he found in the box earlier into it as well. Chanyeol notices because he immediately grabs the bag and looks down in it.

“I didn’t pay for this one,” he exclaims and knits his eyebrows together, an action he seems to be repeating quite frequently.

“It’s one me,” the younger assures and grins as he takes in Chanyeol’s bewildered features. “You strike me as a person who likes to read about OCD.” It’s a wild guess, but the book was yellow and since Chanyeol even bought a Pippi Longstocking book a few days ago, he figures that his gift isn’t too bad.

“OCD, you say?” The man’s lips quirk as he looks down on the two colourful books in his bag. “What would you say if I told you that my work in progress is about that exact illness?”

Baekhyun frowns. “Work in progress?”

“Never mind.” Chanyeol sniggers, actually sniggers! The action makes a deep dimple appear on his left cheek. Dimples are, unfortunately, one of Baekhyun’s biggest weaknesses.

And why the hell is he staring at Chanyeol? Suddenly realising his embarrassing stare, he fixes his fringe with a of his fingers so that it’s not as flat.

“Since I bought you a book, you have to buy me a cup of coffee sometime.” The words slip out before he even thinks about outing them. A steady blush spreads across his cheeks as he realises what he just said.

Chanyeol seems just as taken aback, but he doesn’t show it. “You can brew your own coffee here in the shop?” It’s a question more than a remark.

“I could,” Baekhyun agrees. “But brewing coffee here is free. And you owe me something that costs money.” Why doesn’t he shut up and pretend he never said anything?

“I didn’t ask you to buy me a book?”

Baekhyun wants to die, too humiliated to even care anymore. “Just take me out on a cup of coffee and I won’t bother you again!” His loud voice rings in the empty shop.

“What time is it?” The man’s question throws Baekhyun off guard.

He looks down on the Rolex Jongin had for bought him last Christmas. “2 pm… Why?”

Chanyeol nods and backs off, still keeping his eyes locked on Baekhyun’s. He’s just about to walk out the door when he suddenly halts.

“Be sure to be back here at eleven tonight. And it would do you good if you change into more…” His dark eyes roam over Baekhyun’s body. He’s wearing his regular clothes, just a pair of beige khaki pants and a mint green Ralph Lauren T-shirt. “Well, less fragile clothes.”

Oh.

With that being said, the tattooed man steps out of the shop, leaving a bemused Baekhyun behind. 

- - - 

 Source

As promised, here's part two! Thank you all for subscribing! Don't forget to comment on what you think about this fic so far!