“I love you baby, see you tonight.” He plant his lips on yours, smiling adoringly at you before stepping out of the house in a rush. You blow a kiss to him while watching his car drove away from the driveway, the smile instantly wiped out from your face and turned it into a frown.

You grab your phone as you have closed the door, calling the person that should have known the news first and beforehand.

“Hey… what’s up?” his groggy voice came out to the speaker, noticing you that he was disturbed from his nap.

“I’m going to leave him tonight.”

“Uh, ok…” you gave him some time before he shouted “What?!!”

 

That lead him to sitting next to you, eyes wide open, his hair disheveled (he practically drove out from his house to you without even bother to fix himself), staring at you seriously and pleadingly with his soft eyes.

“You can’t make a joke out of this, please. Think about it.” He begged, putting his hand on your shoulder and slightly grip it, trying to knock some sense in you.

“Think about what Tae? I’m pretty sure I’m making his job easier after this.”

“But don’t you think it’s harsh? It’s our fun night and you’re dropping this news to him infront of everyone?” Taemin sighed.

Taemin was not going to let this happen for real. He was not going to let both of the most important people in his life ended their future with a simple misunderstanding. He had been patient helping and calming himself for these past few years, should he be standing back and feel happy at this moment when he knew that you are miserable?

“I’m doing what I think it’s best for us. If he’s not happy, then I’m not going to hold him back.”

“What makes you think that he’s not happy?!!” Taemin bolted up from his seat, his usual soft face was serious. “I’ve known Kai for as long as I’ve known you! And Kai is my best friend! He would always tell me of how he was so grateful to be in love with you because you’re all what beyond he wanted!”

“Exactly! I was not what he wanted so he seek comfort into someone else’s arms instead! Someone whom I saw him with inside a lavish restaurant a month ago!” tears stung your eyes as you joined him on pouring your heart out. His eyes flashed a guilt, which you know that he knew well about that.

“You knew, but you wouldn’t tell me.” you push past him, walking to the kitchen. It was done on reflex, you needed to steer yourself away from being in the same room as Taemin. You turn the water knob on, washing your face and trying to cool yourself down.

He called out your name softly, making you turn to him. The one whom you trusted long enough, could not be the one whom you trusted at this moment.

“He would explain to you later on. I know he will. Kai will fix everything right.”

“He should have the day after I saw him on a date with that girl.”

“How would you know if they were on a date? Did you see him holding her hands or kissing her like what he did to you every single day?” Taemin scrunched his eyebrow at you, his stare pinning you down.

You bit your lip. “n-no… but it didn’t take two for most people to know that it was a date! Fancy restaurant, both of them there with no hint of significant other and talking like it was nothing to hide! Tell me if that wasn’t a date, Taemin. Would Kai think the same if I’m doing the same thing to him when that happened?!”

Taemin was silent, and you took that as an answer. You sighed and more tears coming out from you, not wanting to let this go on.

“We’re going to go to the fun night, as usual. But when we get back, I’ll break it off to him nicely and well, I don’t know the rest.” You put on a fake smile to him while your cheeks are already red from crying.

He walk closer to you, cupping your face with his warm and big hands, swiping his thumb under your eyes, eliminating the tears that coming out freely even faster when he did that.

How he wished to tell you now, but he couldn’t. Not right now, not when you’re suffering for an unknown reason and not when his best friend was deeply in love with you as well. He would let the time explain it all, but he is not the one who would be the one trying to help this time.

“If nothing works out, I would always be here for you.”

 

You linked your fingers with his, walking through the pavement. The parking was a bit difficult, it resulted to you and Kai walking a bit further from Chanyeol’s house, the host for tonight’s fun night. Kai was talking about how his new project was making him doing laps around the office to look for someone that he realised have been his department manager for so long. You were grinning slightly, listening to his adventure around the office when the door to Chanyeol’s house opened, making you blink back to reality that this is the last time that you would be spending time with him like this.

“Good! You’re here! Now I need you to sit down because Kai and I need to discuss on something.” Chanyeol pull Kai away, but not before Kai dropping a kiss on your lips before being tugged away willingly. You waved at him before spotting Taemin on the couch, his cola on one hand and his phone on another. You plop next to him, surprising him slightly.

“I thought it was going to be a fun night. Why are you on the phone instead?”

“It’s not even started yet. And I’m checking my emails, duh.” He rolled his eyes at you before locking his phone away from your prying eyes. You make a face before settling yourself next to him on the couch before Kai comes back in.

“I hope that tonight will change your mind about what you had told me just now.” he muttered, turning to look at you softly, almost pleadingly. You sighed again.

“It’s not like it was going to change much without me, Tae. He’ll be fine.”

“I can assure you that’s not what he would want, after tonight I mean.” He leaned back on the couch, locking his fingers together and put them on his stomach. He contemplated on saying it but he have to.

“I know that he would make you happier than ever.”

When Kai comes back with Chanyeol, you gave him a funny look for his words before settling down with Kai. While also waiting for the other friends to come, Taemin observed on his two beloved people are doing.

He would notice on how diligently Kai is in showing his affection to you. Wiping the crumbs off from your mouth, putting his arm at the back of the couch and let you rest on his chest, resting his chin on top of your shoulder while talking to anyone, holding your hands, letting you play with his fingers absentmindedly because he loves it, always keeping you close to him, whispering sweet nothings into your ears, making you smile (good thing that you didn’t think about the separation for now) and pepper your face with kisses that made Chanyeol and Kyungsoo gag most of the time.

When all of his friends have gathered, they would play a game, watching some movies and eating chicken and pizza on the way. Kai breaks his gaze from watching you playing your turn in monopoly and met Taemin’s eyes, which he knew that it was the signal. Taemin stood up, walk into the kitchen and brought wine and red velvet cake (your favourite) out to everyone.

You would questioned why cake and wine was on the agenda tonight when everyone would just shush you and began cutting the cake, dividing it to everyone. You held your cake and push the fork down the cake and scoop it for Kai, wanting him to taste first.

Everyone would holler over you feeding Kai the cake while the latter blushed slightly, before returning the favor to you. Taemin would just try his best to smile while his insides are sick.

When you fork the piece again and bring it to your mouth, you noticed that something glittering was resting under the piece of your cake. You put the fork down and pulling the thing out from its hideout, your eyes immediately went to Kai, your breath was cut off.

Kai was smiling widely, while Taemin was about to vomit.

 

“Thank you for doing this with me.” you whispered, gripping his arm out of nervousness. He laughed slightly, kissing your well-done hair, inhaling your sweet perfume on the way. This is the last time that he should be harboring feelings on you.

“Anything for you.”

When the music plays, he knows that it was time for him to eliminate his feelings for you forever.

Because the man that was stood on the aisle was Kai, not him. And the girl that made you having self-doubt over your relationship, was sitting with the other guests because she was Kai’s cousin. Taemin lead the way for both of you, holding his pain in as he did nothing to stop this. There was nothing that he could do to break the bond that you and Kai have.

The look on Kai’s when he receives his bride, holding your hand tightly and letting out a nervous breath because he was settling down with someone that he love, and knowing Kai, Taemin would know that he is actually praising his queen mentally  instead of listening to what the priest would say. He knew because he was doing the same thing, of course by far.

When both of you say ‘I do’, Taemin’s heart breaks.

When both of you kissed, announcing that you are married by law, a single tear slipped down his cheek, making other people think that he was actually happy for his best friends, when inside, he was dying, and he didn’t even do anything about it when he could have in the first place.

The moment he befriended you, he took instant liking towards you because he appreciates your presence in his life.

The moment he spent his time with you, he was happy.

The moment he took you to his friends’ for a fun night, Kai laid his eyes on you. When the night was over, Kai gushed about you. Taemin wouldn’t know why, but he was happy that his friends are going well together. He would joked about how he should have set both of you up soon.

The moment he said that, he was actually helping Kai and you. He felt something strange inside, but he couldn’t point that out.

The moment Kai and you announced the relationship to all is when Taemin started to stop and look upon his actions. At that time, he was sure that he was in love with you, but it was too late.

He helped both of you, although it was a pain for him to see you being happy with someone else whom is not him, even though that someone else is his best friend.

Because although his love for you is a lot, it’s nothing compared to when yours and Kai’s are combined.

He did nothing but endure the pain as his eyes trailed to your retreating figure at the entrance.

“Thank you, hyung. Thank you for introducing me to the one that I would be spending the rest of my life with from now on. I owe you a lot.” Kai raised his glass to Taemin during the speech, his face showed gratefulness. You smiled and raise up the glass to him, thanking him and mouthing ‘I love you’ to himself.

Taemin smiled and raised his glass to the groom and locked eyes with you, mouthing ‘I love you too’ to you,

For the last time.

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p/s: i kinda feel the pain and sadness while writing this, hahaha.