A/N Just to be clear, most of the conversation Chanyeol and Baekhyun has is in English-English, not just in text. Also, I don’t really know how big Busan is, but in this story, it’s a small and close-minded town

I apologize for the mix ups of he and she in some parts, I apologize for the possible plot holes and I apologize for the grammatical mistakes.

Story written in third-person, but more towards Baekhyun’s point of view.

Texts in Grey Font are conversations through the phone

Texts in Italic are scenes that take place in another time frame

Mild Warnings: Overuse of the word ‘awkward’, too much dialog to be acceptable, poor distribution of plot, brief mentions of , inside jokes about the sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’, some cursing, immature ‘Yo momma’ jokes, and slight crack

haha…..enjoy

 

Lass /las/

noun

1. A girl or young woman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chanyeol…..” Baekhyun fidgeted in her seat.

“What is it Lass?” Chanyeol asked, not leaving his sight from the calculus paper.

“Promise me something”

“Sure” He agreed, not noticing the seriousness in the latter’s voice.

“When we’re 40, and both of us are single, let’s get married” the male looked up from his paper to his right, where the petite girl was siting.

Chanyeol let out an amused chuckle. “Baek, I think you’ve been watching too much How I Met Your Mother”

He stopped when he noticed the falter in Baekhyun’s eyes.

 

“I promise”

 

 

 

 

She met him when they were 6.

Busan was a small town and most folk would sign up to get into this school because it was the most well-known and there weren’t many schools. It was normal for the same batch to grow up together and continue 12 years in the same school, from middle to high school. So friendships that were made along the way, run deep.

She saw him sitting in line with other kids, a bit lanky and tall, larger-than-normal-ears, and his smile was a bit awkward too. But what caught her attention were those big sparkly eyes. Without realizing it, the young girl had developed a small crush. But it never grew beyond that. They were put into the same class and both had made their own friends.

Just like that, they grew up and were separated into different classes, the male excelling more than the girl and ending up in the front classes, the girl; staying in the middle.

It wasn’t until their senior year did they end up in the same class again, next to each other, in the first row, with a gap in between. Chanyeol’s best friend, Sehun was seated a couple seats away and He was seated with his friend Jongin; Jongin on the left and himself on the right. She was seated with her best friend Luhan; Luhan on the right and herself on the left, putting Chanbaek in the middle.

 

/poorly drawn desks/

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Chanyeol” he had said, in fluent in English, pushing up his 6-year-old glasses up his nose (a little awkwardly if I may add), mustering up the courage to talk to a girl.

She was surprised at the English, intrigued that there was someone else in this small town who spoke fluent English, but then she gave an awkward smile and pushed up her own outdated glasses, proceeding to shake his hand “I know, we were in the same class when we were six” She laughed a bit.

Before Chanyeol could say anything else, the teacher walked in and cut them off.

 

 

 

“I feel kinda bad that I don’t remember we were in the same class before” He said after class, scratching the back of his head and turning to his right, where Baekhyun was “Buuut, to be fair, I don’t have much memory of my childhood” He had added in an awkward laugh.

Sensing that there was more to the statement, Baekhyun tilted her head “Can you tell me why?” Hoping she wasn’t crossing any boundaries.

Chanyeol was taken aback, if it was any other person, he wouldn’t have said it, but the girl in front of him was different “I have dissociative amnesia, and my childhood left some memories I don’t want to dive into” He said, preparing himself for the pity speech to follow.

Instead, he felt a hand on his knee “I admire your strength, I know how hard it can be to hate yourself for having something you can’t control” She had finished with a smile that made Chanyeol feel as if he was finally not alone in the world, but also curious to know what distresses the girl in front of him

Realizing that she hadn’t told her his name yet and wanting to change the subject, she said, “by the way, my name’s Byun Baekhyun, my friends call me Baek.”

 

 

“I dealt with depression for quite a while because of my family, but I’m getting better” Baekhyun opened up to Chanyeol one day, during a free period. Even telling him her sisters ran away when She was 12, even though they were found eventually, her family was never the same again.

“I’ve never told anyone before” Baekhyun fiddled with her thumbs and looked up at Chanyeol

He didn’t say anything, but the look in those clear eyes hidden behind those outdated frames gave enough comfort to her.

 

Chanyeol would tell Baekhyun the bullies he faced because of his social anxiety (He didn’t tell her how easy it was to talk to her despite of that) and he told her about being in the shadows of his brother, who’s better looking, who excelled in sports and studies, and who’s furthering his studies abroad.

Baekhyun would put a reassuring hand on his knee and say words that threw away his doubts and insecurities.

 

 

 

Their friendship deepened very much in just a short period. Both understanding each other more than their best friends could. Chanyeol called her ‘Lass’, a subtle term of endearment to him, and Baekhyun might have secretly knew it too.

They were so compatible, both watching American sitcoms and Harry Potter movies, making inside jokes, both making ‘Yo momma’ jokes (“Yo momma so fat, when she walked past the TV, I missed 9 seasons of How I met Your Mother” Baekhyun never cracked up so much in her life), both understanding what was outside this small little town, both having dreams beyond that place.

“I’ve always wanted to be a singer, my mom’s an amazing singer” Baekhyun told Chanyeol with sparkles in her eyes that stirred up emotions in Chanyeol’s heart.

She told her that her father forbid her mother sing after they got married, she guessed because her father fell in love with her when he first saw her on stage, and he didn’t want to share that to anyone. But he didn’t think that it would make her resent him.

Chanyeol wanted to say ‘I would never do that to you’, instead he said he’d love to watch her mother sing and Baekhyun agreed enthusiastically.

 

“I really want to take a course in Geography, but my dad doesn’t approve” Chanyeol said with a let-down sigh

She put a reassuring squeeze on his knee, “You’ll figure it out Chanyeol, whatever you do, I know you’d do great, I mean, you’re good grades will get you anywhere”

Chanyeol felt at ease when he was with her, and so did she.

 

The way they comforted each other sort of stuck. For Chanyeol, it was the gentle squeeze on his knee; For Baekhyun it was the look in Chanyeol’s expressive eyes.

 

Their appearances matched too, both having out dated glasses and awkward limbs. Everyone had an awkward phase, but they grew feelings for each other despite that.

 

Chanyeol fell harder when he first saw Baekhyun and Luhan performing on stage for Teacher’s Day, she’d taken off her glasses, styled her hair, put on makeup (that fierce eyeliner almost pierced his soul) and put on a flow-y sundress (all with the help of Luhan of course).

The voice that came out of her pouty mouth was what had him in awe.

After that performance, he felt like he wasn’t worthy of having her.

And Baekhyun sensed it, but she didn’t care, so she reassured him in every way she can.

 

The two understood each other so well sometimes, it surprised themselves. And they knew of the deeper feelings that were growing between them, but for the same reason, they didn’t dive into it.

Some classmates that sat behind them were secretly shipping them. The Breakfast couple that spoke English and always blocked the way to their seats because they always turned to face each other, with their knees almost touching.

The pair ignored the knowing looks.

 

 

 

Once, when Baekhyun was flipping through old pictures, she found a class portrait of her 6 year old class and squealed when she found Chanyeol with the big eyes that she adored and he was smiling so brightly, this Chanyeol that was so pure and innocent, this Chanyeol, that started this whole ordeal.

She brought the picture to class the next day and showed everyone the adorable Chanyeol she had a crush on and Chanyeol was hiding in embarrassment, although he was secretly elated because he saw how cute Baekhyun was when she was six, and it might have stirred up the butterflies in his stomach again.

 

 

 

“Baek, let's go have lunch!” Luhan turned to her best friend and pulled her out of the class.

“Omg, did you hear about EXO-” Luhan was talking about EXO again while chomping down her lunch, being an EXO-L herself, Baekhyun would usually join in just as enthusiastically, but she was a bit preoccupied with her thoughts that day.

“And then Xiumin took off his shirt and OH-MY-GOD I died and- Baek! Are you even listening??” Luhan flailed her hands in front of Baekhyun’s face breaking her out of her reverie.

Baekhyun turned to look at Luhan with a stern face and she held her hands, a thing they did when it came to serious talk. “Do you think me and Chanyeol are compatible?” She asked her best friend. Luhan tilted her head and pretended to think very seriously while tapping her chin.

“One hundred percent!” She said after all that silly acting and laughed at her best friends un-amused look.

“Why, does my Baek have a crush?” Luhan wiggled her eye brows right in front of Baekhyun’s face, invading her personal space.

Baekhyun scrunched her nose and pushed her away. “Tsk, he’s just a good friend lulu”

Luhan rolled her eyes knowingly “suuuure.”

 

 

 

 

“Baek, what are we? We’re not exactly friends, but not exactly a couple either…”

 

 

 

“We’re something in between”

 

 

 

 

It was July that year when Baekhyun told her seatmate;

 

“I’m dating Jongin”

 

“Yeah, I know” He smiled, ignoring the clench in his heart. “I’m happy for you”

 

They both knew that was a lie

 

Their friendship faded a bit after that, both knowing why

 

 

 

No one saw it coming.

They always thought the Breakfast couple would get together, but not this.

Baekhyun and Jongin in a relationship.

She had accepted his feelings, because at the time, she was deprived of affection, even though she knew it wasn’t Jongin’s affections she wanted. She said she’d give it a try, thinking that if someone loved you enough, you could learn to love them too right? She was foolish, unaware of the feelings she’d hurt in the process, including her own.

It was easy at first, she basked in the attention Jongin gave her, never having had anyone love her like that before, he made her blush with his cute texts and his meaningless “I love yous.” Jongin had took the liberty of switching places with Chanyeol when they had free periods, Baekhyun secretly hated him doing that, but his sweet words made her push that thought to the back of her mind.

 

 

It was all fake sunshines and sparkles but it didn’t even get to a month before she realized, she wasn’t in love with him, she just was in love with the idea of him loving her. It filled her with guilt. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she held on.

But then it got worse when he started hurting her through his uncalculated words and actions.

She was just having fun with her friends across the school field after school, not caring about anything, laughing louder than usual. She was still cheery as she stepped into her class, seeing her boyfriend sitting cross-legged.

“You know you didn’t look very pretty like that out there” Jongin had said to her, his eyes showing slight disgust. Baekhyun flinched, immediately grabbing her things and heading back home, her insecurities eating her up.

The next day, she got a poorly folded paper flower in her desk drawer and an apology note written in messy words ‘I’m sorry, I love you’

 

Sometimes, Jongin would openly stare at other girl’s full asses, which Baekhyun knew she didn’t have, making her insecurities claw at her skin even more. She’d pretend to laugh it off and let it slide.

 

Mistakes kept happening and ‘I love you’s were misused as apologies.

By then, she was caught in her own trap.

 

The longing stares from Chanyeol didn’t help much either.

 

“Hey, since exams are coming, I need some time to study, so no texts and calls okay?” She said as an excuse, really, she just need time to think.

She’d never felt more at ease that week, when Jongin was not on her mind, when there were no notifications on her phone, no hurtful words and complicated stares.

When they were at the breaking point of their relationship, Jongin pulled Luhan into the mix, making her the middle person, Luhan was conflicted and didn’t know who to side with, so she decided not to side with anyone. Leaving Baekhyun even more hurt and alone. You’re supposed to side with me! I’m your best friend! Did 6 years of our friendship mean nothing to you?

Amidst all this, Baekhyun missed Chanyeol so much, but she knew she couldn’t drag him into this. It was enough having him sit in between the couple he envied. Because of her, Chanyeol and Jongin were on bad terms, making the tension even worse.

The 4 classmates in the front row suddenly lost the cheeriness they once had.

 

By the end of July, Baekhyun had broken it off, saving them from all the drama that could have scarred their friendships even more.

She cried the night she did it, not because she had lost a boyfriend, but because it suddenly hit her that her first relationship was wasted with a guy she’d never even had feelings for.

 

 

It took a while for Baekhyun to trust Luhan again but she did, she’d always been a forgiving person.

Chanbaek were back to their usual selves, being friends with lingering feelings.

And Baekhyun avoided Jongin like a sore thumb.

 

 

 

 

“Can I tell you a secret” Baekhyun said as she rolled over on her single bed.

“Sure, Lass” Chanyeol sat up, suddenly curious.

“I kinda knew you had a crush on me when we were in high school” Baekhyun said, biting her lips.

“Yeah, I think everyone knew, I wasn’t exactly subtle about it.” Chanyeol let out a pitiful chuckle. “Now that I look back, I don’t really know what was stopping me from asking you out” he laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.

“……You should’ve” She said with hesitation

A bit taken a back, he pushed on “If I’d confessed before Jongin, would you have said yes?” The male asked with hope.

“yeah” She said, but continued before he could say anything. “But……seeing how far away we are from each other now, I think we would’ve eventually fell apart, and I don’t think I would have been able to bear it” She sighed “I knew we would take different paths, and I didn’t want to hold you back”

 

“I lied” he said

“About what?”

“I did know what was stopping me”

“Guess we both had the same thought”

He let out a sad chuckle, and she frowned in regret.

 

 

 

 

The year ended faster than they wanted.

In October, graduation came, everyone was happily celebrating and fake sobbing, running around and taking last selfies. Baekhyun wanted to enjoy herself, but she couldn’t because Jongin was friends with almost everyone and she couldn’t pretend to be happy with her classmates, knowing Jongin was nearby. The awkward tension was still floating between them. Despite that, she was satisfied with spending her last day with Luhan.

It was also the last performance she and Luhan had in school.

They sang a song dedicated to their classmates.

But Baekhyun had her eyes set on a particular person in the crowd of thousands of students when she sang the words.

 

♪ we might be apart but I hope you always know

you’ll be with me wherever I go ♪

 

 

The class stayed back for a final gathering with pizzas and coke. One of the benefits of growing up together with the same batch of people is that you don't have to care about looking good in front of each other, because well, you've seen all the bad sides. So they all chompped down the pizza like nobody's business. Except for the 2 shy front row students with glasses.

 

When they finished downing the food, the two stood in front of each other, not knowing what to say.

“Hey, just for graduation’s sake, do you wanna hug?” Chanyeol suggested jokingly

But Baekhyun smiled and hugged the tall giant.

 

Their limbs molding together.

Their hearts beating faster than usual.

Both feeling each others’ warmth for the first time

Both memorizing the scent that lingered on the latter’s school uniform.

Both not wanting to separate.

 

They didn’t notice the phone cameras of hardcore shippers snapping like their life depended on it.

 

As they separated, they blushed so hard it had their shippers squealing.

 

 

 

---

 

Eventually, the final exam flew by, and their classmates planned a celebration party.

 

Baekhyun had planned in her head the perfect goodbye present for Chanyeol; her first kiss.

 

Even though, she had been in a relationship with Jongin, she saved a lot of her firsts; her first hand holding, her first hug (already gone /winks/), her first date, her first kiss and her first time.

She might have been saving it for a certain special someone.

 

She had played it out perfectly in her mind

She would have pulled him to a corner and slap one on him, Chanyeol would have had his eyes even wider than usual, Baekhyun would have laughed at his face and Chanyeol would eventually join in.

 

But this wasn’t a Korean drama, and Baekhyun chickened out.

 

Maybe if she knew Chanyeol was thinking about doing the same, she wouldn’t have backed out.

 

So, just like that, they said their goodbyes and she didn’t know it at the time, but that was the last time she’d see him before they went off to college.

 

---

 

 

Love is a series of unmissed opportunities

Regret is the bitterness of not taking them

 

 

---

 

Baekhyun left for college the first month the following year, and got a course in Performing Arts in Seoul, she was so excited to focus on her own dreams so she pushed her past to the back of her mind.

It was around that time when Baekhyun finally broke out of her shell and found her own sense of style, ditching her glasses for contact lenses, growing out her hair and dyeing it chestnut brown. She updated her social medias very often and loved the attention it got her.

Loving it even more when she received notifications that said “real_pcy liked your photo.”

Performances and exams caught up and Baekhyun was busier than ever, she was happy pursuing her dream, but at the back of her mind, a flimsy awkward giant lingered. She wondered how he was doing.

 

The first time they contacted each other was around April.

They picked up their friendship where they left it and suddenly everything was okay.

He told her he got a sponsored education in Gwangju and that he’d be going there in August. It was in Engineering, and although it wasn’t what he’d hoped for, he decided to go with it. The fees were covered and the starting salary was quite high.

“Just make sure, it’s a decision you make yourself Chanyeol, not your dad, not you family, not anyone else” She said sternly with a tight-lipped smile and soft eyes, and even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the comfort it gave.

 

 

They contacted each other occasionally to talk about things in their current lives.

 

Baekhyun talking about her eventful days in class, when her vocal coach would push her voice to newer heights, and every time they tried something new, she didn’t think she could do it. Chanyeol would beg to differ; he knows Baekhyun can do so much more she thinks she can.

Chanyeol would talk about his annoying roommate and tiring courses, of scientific terms that confused Baekhyun, but she continued to listen anyways, secretly wishing she was there to comfort him.

 

One night, Chanyeol decided to push further.

 

“Hey Baek?” The male asked as he sat on his bed

“Yeah?” She answered sleepily

“maybe one day, in the future, when we’re not that far away from each other anymore, we could give this a try?” Chanyeol asked with hope

“Yeah, I’d like that” Baekhyun smiled through the phone

“Do you still remember our promise?” She asked jokingly

“I don’t think I’d forget” he laughed “I wish you had said 30 or even 25” He whined slightly.

She let out an exaggerated offended gasp “You can’t change Ted Mosby’s promise!”

“Alright, alright, whatever you say Lass”

 

 

 

 

Their relationship came to a point where they were flirting too much to be acceptable.

 

“Let’s play a game” Baekhyun said over the phone one night

“Sure, Lass” As usual Chanyeol agreed to the girls antics.

“Let’s tell each other random facts about each other, okay I’ll start” She didn’t even wait for his approval, she knew he’d agree to anything she said.

 

They told each other things that were too personal for a friend to know but they didn’t mind.

“I don’t wash my pants for several days at a time” Chanyeol said, worrying that he might disgust the object of his affection. But Baekhyun scoffed “As if all teenagers don’t do that” making Chanyeol laugh in relief.

“I snack way too much, it’s disgusting” She said and Chanyeol laughed with her. “I’ll buy you all the snacks you want Baek.” Baekhyun smiled in satisfaction,

“Even a whole pack of Bonbons?” Baekhyun said with a fake serious tone. Chanyeol laughed and threw his head back “Even a whole pack of Bonbons” He agreed through his eye-twitching laugh.

 

 

 

“Sometimes I think about you being next to me” Baekhyun said while biting her lips

“Hmm, and what am I doing next to you Lass?” Chanyeol asked with a flirty tone.

“Lots of things……but mostly cuddling, I really like cuddling” She blushed when Chanyeol giggled “Even though I’ve never done it before” with that, Chanyeol laughed, hard.

Baekhyun whined “I just like the thought of being engulfed in someone’s warmth with our limbs tangled”

“Well there’s enough warmth to give here Lass” Chanyeol winked behind the phone, and Baekhyun rolled her eyes, but blushing nonetheless, imagining Chanyeol with a teasing smile.

When they ended the call, it was 3am, and Baekhyun was squealing into her pillow, annoying the hell out of her housemates.

 

 

 

They had a fight once.

 

Baekhyun often times told Chanyeol about the financial problems of her family, how it burdened her father, and how she wished she could help.

Chanyeol not thinking through his words, said “it’s okay Baek, I’ll have plenty of money when I work” his tone a bit too cocky.

Baekhyun was offended “If you think I date guys because of their money, then I don’t think you know me at all” She scolded before hanging up the phone

 

When Baekhyun woke up the next morning she found a plethora of missed calls and texts from her tall friend, and she felt guilt eat her up. Immediately calling Chanyeol and apologizing, saying that she overreacted and blurted something about hormones and mood swings.

Both of them forgave each other within seconds.

But Baekhyun still felt guilty because she knew the latter had stayed up all night trying to apologize, even though he had an 8 o’clock class in the morning.

 

They never fought after that

 

 

It would make her day when she saw the rare photos of Chanyeol posted on his poorly managed Instagram account.

They never used video calls or face-timing, because it simply wasn’t their thing.

So rare photos like that showed Baekhyun how Chanyeol is slowly changing to be a well-groomed young adult.

Sometimes, she wanted whine and say that it wasn’t fair Chanyeol got to see her more because she’s more active on social media, but she knew he had social anxiety, so she didn’t want to push him. Instead, she’d go through those photos he’d posted before, again and again, till she was satisfied.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, they’d venture into topics a little too personal

 

“Do you e?” Baekhyun asked Chanyeol bravely one night and she could imagine him spluttering over his words.

“I-I mean, I’m a h-healthy teenage boy, w-what do you expect?” Chanyeol spluttered and Baekhyun laughed so hard.

She changed her tone again and asked “Do you e to me?”

“…………”

“…………………………………yeah”

Baekhyun giggled so much it was adorable. “You’re so cute” She could imagine the tips of Chanyeol’s ears all red and blushing.

“Hey, stop giggling y-you—evil…-little-baby” He spluttered over his words and made Baekhyun giggle even more.

“Do you e to me?” He asked in payback, and wore a -eating grin when Baekhyun became quiet.

“………if I’m completely honest……..” She said, dragging out the suspense.

“No.” Baekhyun giggled again when Chanyeol whined in defeat.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t do it because I get too blush-y the moment you pop into my mind” She said while blushing, and Chanyeol smiled in victory.

Chanyeol wanted to say that sometimes, he thought of them making sweet love. Where Chanyeol would shower her with all the love she deserved, and make squirm under his touch. But he didn’t, he just continued listening to his beloved talk about random stuff, cherishing the short conversations they can had.

 

 

 

Sometimes, Baekhyun would set herself up for teasing.

 

“you know….when we were six years old….” Baekhyun said nervously

“Baek, don’t leave me hangin here, you know I hate suspense” Chanyeol whined after 15 seconds of silence

“Ihadacrushonyoubcuzyouhadprettyeyes” She uttered so fast, Chanyeol almost didn’t hear what she said, almost.

“What?? Say that again” Chanyeol teased

Baekhyun let out a frustrated sigh “I said, Ihadacrushonyoubcuzyouhadprettyeyes”

“Huh, sorry the connection is ba-”

“I SAID, I HAD A CRUSH ON YOU BCUZ YOU HAD PRETTY EYES” Baekhyun yelled through the phone, knowing full well the latter was teasing her.

Chanyeol giggled so much it was adorable. “Awwww, I’m imagining 6 year old Baekhyun fawning over my good looks”

“I’m hanging up”

“Wait Baek no-”

Doot doot doot

 

 

The pair never told anyone else about their undefined relationship, Baekhyun didn’t even tell Luhan (Who was furthering her studies in Busan). It was their own complicated little secret.

They always contacted each other when it was close to midnight, when they had both finished their school work and when they were supposed to be sleeping. Baekhyun would apologise for keeping the latter up, but Chanyeol would say “I always want to talk to you, Lass”, and Baekhyun’s heart would flutter.

Baekhyun was happiest when she’d wake up from a dream with Chanyeol in it. Her classmates asking her why she’s in such a good mood and she’d smile to herself.

 

 

 

Sometimes, when one of them were doubting their relationship, they’d push further

“Baekhyun, if I asked you to be mine now, would you accept me?” Chanyeol asked one day, suddenly finding courage.

Baekhyun furrowed her eyebrows and frowned in guilt “Chanyeol….you know how I feel about long distance relationships”

Baekhyun had seen her sister in long distance relationships before and they never ended well. The longing turning into loneliness; the love turning into hate; the promises tuning into affairs.

It scarred her with fear of losing Chanyeol the same way

 

Chanyeol smiled in defeat “alright, I won’t push you.” Doing anything Baekhyun wanted him to do.

But he wanted to tell her that they were different, that they can fight through it and that their love can beat the distance, but his doubt stopped him from saying it.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Baekhyun felt bad holding Chanyeol back and stringing him along, she felt like she was toying with his feelings (she didn’t know that Chanyeol was feeling the same way)

 

This guilt ate her up even more when Sehun told her that Chanyeol had a lot of pursuers at his college, of course, Sehun didn’t know about their complicated relationship.

So one day, she said something that she immediately regretted “Hey Chanyeol, just so you know, if you want to date someone else, I won’t stop you” It was a clear lie

Chanyeol chuckled shakily “I’m more worried you’d find someone else first, Lass” ‘because you’re beautiful’ he wanted to say

“You wouldn’t stop me?” Baekhyun asked bitterly

“If it means you’d be happy” He said, even though his inner-self was clawing at his throat, yelling at him for telling a big fat lie.

“Why are you asking anyways?” He let out a nervous laugh

“Sehun told me about your…pursuers” Baekhyun said with hesitation, and bit her lips

Chanyeol suddenly wanted to fly to Seoul and punch Sehun in the face (Sehun was studying there too), he sighed, “Baek, they don’t mean anything really, I couldn’t do that to you, it feels like I’m cheating” Chanyeol said in a comforting tone, wanting so much to hug his beloved and throw away all her doubts.

Baekhyun felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders, and she was grinning so widely it was creepy.

“Well then I should tell you that you don’t have to worry about anything too, because there aren’t any guys who are after me” Baekhyun smiled.

“They don’t know what they’re missing, you’re perfect” Chanyeol blurted out the last part.

When Baekhyun giggled and all the stress Chanyeol had been building up from all the college work was suddenly gone.

Then, they went back to their flirty selves

 

 

 

“You know what Lass”

“What?”

“You’re my Robin”

 

 

Eventually Baekhyun was busy with her college life again and 2 months flew by without them contacting each other.

Even when she was free sometimes, she couldn’t bring herself to dial that number she knew by heart. She just didn’t want to continue stringing Chanyeol along, knowing that she was the one who didn’t want to start their relationship, but still openly flirting with him before. She was conflicted with guilt.

But one day she mustered up the courage to call him.

“Heyy there stranger” She said nervously when Chanyeol picked up.

“Hey Baek” Chanyeol said, and Baekhyun felt at ease just listening to his deep voice.

As they continued talking, Baekhyun felt like Chanyeol wasn’t as into the conversation as usual, but she brushed it off thinking that he was stressed or tired.

 

when it continued on like this during other calls, she knew something was up.

“So….Chanyeol, find yourself any crushes lately?” She asked jokingly, testing the waters

She wasn’t prepared when Chanyeol said yes.

He told her it wasn’t even a crush, more like admiration. He told her it was a girl who his class was trying to set him up with, and he tried, he tried, to fight off the feeling, but the teasing eventually got to him and he couldn’t help it and he kept apologizing.

It sounded like he was going to cry.

Baekhyun had laughed and told Chanyeol it was okay, that he didn’t need to apologize for anything

“It’s not like we’re in a relationship Chanyeol” Hiding the agonizing pain in her chest, she smiled through it, as if Chanyeol could see her.

Chanyeol didn’t know what to say, he felt so guilty for hurting his beloved, he felt like he had committed an unforgivable crime.

“Listen, Chanyeol, I have to go, I have assignments to do, bye”

“Baek-"

 

Doot doot doot

 

 

 

Surprisingly, that night, Baekhyun didn’t shed a single tear

She told herself that it was silly to be sad about it and that it didn’t matter (yeah, right)

So, she pushed every single thought and memory about Chanyeol at the back of her heart and she went to sleep, in denial of what had just happened.

 

That was the last night she’d dreamt of Chanyeol.

 

 

Everyone has their own Robin – the person you loved very much but cannot be with.

And whoever you’ll meet, whatever you’ll do, nothing will be like it would be with Robin.

 

It was a couple of months later when Baekhyun was scrolling through social media when a photo of him popped up, as mentioned before, Chanyeol rarely posted pictures on social media, and Baekhyun would have been so exhilarated to see him after so long.

If only his hands weren’t around another girl.

If only they hadn’t been smiling mockingly at her.

 

Baekhyun threw her phone on the ground so hard, she was surprised it didn’t break.

But something else did.

Suddenly all the tears she had been suppressing those months poured out of her agonizingly, it was a painful sight to see.

 

 

The regret; for not accepting him while she had the chance

The pain; of having her heart broken for the first time

The betrayal; of his lies

The confusion; of how he could do this to her

The wails; of her fragile heart

She had felt it all at once and she couldn’t do anything about it.

It was her own fault, because she was a coward, because she was a fool.

 

That night, she finally understood how someone could cry themselves to sleep.

Cause that’s what she did.

For weeks.

 

 

In another life, let’s not be friends

Because friends can’t hold hands

The thrill of loving you

I’ve forced myself to ban.

 

The memories you’d left

They’re mocking me

Like the feelings I felt

That I thought you could see.

 

In another life

Let’s not be friends

Because Best friends

can’t hold hands

 

 

 

Sometimes, Baekhyun would stare at their chat-room online blankly and type out ‘I miss you’ but she’d delete it because she was afraid of being pushed away.

She didn’t know that Chanyeol would be looking at the words typing…. appearing and disappearing, like they were mocking his mistake.

 

You might think that they're just being childish

You might think that it was just a small little matter to affect them so much

But it was more than that.

 

He didn’t call her, because he was doubtful of the direction their relationship was going.

He didn’t call her, because he didn’t want to keep pulling her on this undefined relationship.

He didn’t call her, because he didn’t want to distract her from her dreams.

He didn’t call her, because he wanted her to move on.

To find a real partner, a real person, who could actually hold, kiss, cuddle and comfort her the way he couldn’t

 

And she was doing the exact same thing.

 

 

With time, she moved on as life forced her to.

Of course, sometimes, she would think about the love that could have been. The thought of it made her frown in regret,but eventually it became a thought that made her smile in melancholy.

Few years later, she graduated and signed up for auditions after auditions. She pursued her dream, putting love and relationships at the back of her mind. Her career became her first priority.

 

And he did the same

 

 

 

“Okay, I’ll cut to the chase, do you have a crush on me now?” Chanyeol asked one night

“Hmm, I’ll let you figure that out” Baekhyun hintedly smiled “You should look up the definition of ‘crush’, it doesn’t exactly fit this situation”

Chanyeol never googled so fast in his life “a brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable or inappropriate”

“Exactly.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Which part of this statement is wrong??” Chanyeol pulled his hair in frustration

Baekhyun giggled “Figure it out yourself dummy”

“Oh, forget it, I'll just fap in the corner now, all these hints you girls drop are just plain confusing”

Baekhyun laughed so hard she teared up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘A brief but intense infatuation for someone, especially someone unattainable or inappropriate’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Byun Baekhyun, where the eff are you? I thought you said you were coming?! if I don’t see yo in front of me in five-“

“Cool it Lulu, I’m walking pass our old class right now, Jesus, you’re like my mom” Baekhyun rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Don’t you dare talk to your mom like that young lady, I’ll ground you for a week” Luhan said threateningly. “I’ll see you later Bae, I see some nerd-turned-hotties across the room, byeee” with that Luhan hung up and Baekhyun rolled her eyes the second time.

 

Across the long hallway an overly decorated banner was sprawled across the front door of the Event hall of their school. ‘Class of 2014-10 Year Anniversary!’

She cringed at the amount of sprinkles on the banner, knowing full well who made it (Luhan, of course)

 

Baekhyun was anxious to go in there and seeing the people she left behind years ago to pursue her dreams, anxious to see him. It had been 8 years since they last spoke, and 9 years since they last saw each other.

Baekhyun had taken the liberty of blocking the man on all social media accounts, wanting to completely forget of the heartache he’d brought.

She stopped in front of their class and pulled at the lock, surprised to see it unlocked.

It was night time, so there wasn’t much light , just enough to illuminate the classroom

The air of the room was still the same, there were still short desks and chairs that were poorly sized for teens, there were half broken chalks on the floor, broken windows and vandalized walls.

She smiled as nostalgia washed over her.

Seeing the seat she’d left years ago, she sat down and looked to her left, imagining an awkward giant smiling goofily at her.

Feeling herself choke up, she looked away.

Only to have her soul literally jump out of her skin when she saw a man leaning against the front door.

“JESUS ING CHRIST!” She yelled and clenched at her pounding heart.

The culprit threw his head back and laughed at her shocked state

“YAH! PARK CHANYEOL!” She yelled in anger and threw her purse at the man who caught the thing swiftly while laughing

“Aw come on Baek, I didn’t do it on purpose, I was just standing there~” Chanyeol whined apologetically.

“Rather creepily if I might add” Baekhyun pouted in anger and crossed her arms as she stood up.

 

Suddenly Chanyeol was silent as he stared at the woman in front of him.

Maybe it was the dim light shining on her, maybe it was the beautiful bodycon dress that hugged her curves Chanyeol didn’t know she had, maybe it was the way her hair fell perfectly on her shoulders, maybe it was those beautiful eyes that never aged a day.

Yes, Baekhyun was a woman now (a ing stunning one if Chanyeol might add)

And Chanyeol was star-struck.

Not knowing what happened to the guy because of the dim light, Baekhyun stepped forward and waved her hands in front of the giant.

“Hello~ Earth to Chanyeol~”

That broke Chanyeol out of his reverie.

“You look beautiful” He blurted out, not regretting it when he saw the blush on her face.

“W-well, you don’t look so bad yourself” Baekhyun said back, looking at the good looking man who wore a white button up with the sleeves rolled up, showing the veiny muscles he didn’t have before, black slacks and leather shoes. His hair was styled perfectly and those cringe-y glasses were finally gone

Chanyeol smiled in satisfaction.

 

“Hey, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to go in there yet, care to accompany me?” Chanyeol asked, testing the waters.

And how could Baekhyun resist those eyes?

They sat down in the seats they sat in 10 years ago, and talked about things that the other had missed, Baekhyun is now a vocal coach at a prestigious university and Chanyeol is a chemical engineer at a petroleum reservoir.

They talked for hours, not caring about the booming music and laughs coming from the event hall. And as they talked, it felt like all the years faded away, and Baekhyun forgave Chanyeol for the heartache he’d left.

 

 

“Hey Baek, are you single?” The male asked nervously and scratched the back of his head

Baekhyun raised a brow “Um, yeah, I am…. How about you?”

Chanyeol brightened up and then became nervous again when he asked “Do you-urm-maybe- remember o-our promise?” He laughed nervously

Baekhyun let out an amused chuckle. “Chanyeol, let’s forget that promise.” Baekhyun said as she put her hand on Chanyeol’s knee.

Chanyeol’s eyes widened and then smiled in defeat “O-ok-”

“Let’s make a new one” She cut him off

The male was so confused so he shut up and let the woman continue.

“When we’re 28, and both of us are single, let’s get married” Baekhyun said with the serious tone she had all those years ago.

Chanyeol grinned so wide, he almost ripped his lips

 

He placed a hand softly on Baekhyun’s cheek and pulled her close until their mouths were millimeters apart.

“I promise.” He said, before claiming the first kiss reserved for him all these years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Wait-wait-wait, hold up, Park” Baekhyun put up her palm on Chanyeol’s mouth as he tried to apologize

“So you’re telling me that girl, was you’re ING COUSIN?!” Her voice in a furious tone, Chanyeol almost cowered in fear

“bhmm pfft ehmph” Chanyeol tried to reason, with Baekhyun’s hand still on his mouth.

Baekhyun was so pissed at herself, she wanted to jump off a ing cliff.

She was so busy chastising herself, not noticing her lover already pulling off her hand.

“mph-” She was pulled into a kiss that could have solved everything.

When they pulled away, Baekhyun had a face full of tears, which had Chanyeol flailing his limbs trying to stop the tears from flowing, hating being the cause of the tears.

“Baek, it’s okay, I-I mean we’re together now right?” He held her hand and kissed the back of it.

“Plus, if we had been together those years ago, who knows what might’ve happened, for all we know, we might have broken up and ended up hating each other, we were so young and innocent then. A-and we’ve both pursued our careers, who knows, if we’d been together back then maybe, it wouldn’t have ended up the same, and I think everything happens for a reason and-”

The giant was cut off when his petite fiancé tackled him onto their shared bed

“I wuf yew Phark Chnyol” The words muffled because Baekhyun was nuzzling her face into Chanyeol's chest.

“I love you too Park Baekhyun” Chanyeol grinned, and combed his fingers through Baekhyun’s soft hair soothingly.

“Chanyeol, promise me something” Baekhyun said, fidgeting on top of him.

Chanyeol laughed, knowing that look “Sure, Lass” He said, deciding to play along.

“When we’re 30, and we’re both ready, let’s have a baby” She said as she bit her lips.

Chanyeol was stunned at first, but seconds later, he smirked and flipped them over, looking down at his beloved.

“Why wait until 30, I’m ready now”

 

 

 

And they proceeded to make Chanbaek Juniors

 

 

 

 

 

THE END!

*Throws Confetti everywhere*

 

 

 

 

A/N Just to clear up some confusion

Ted Mosby is the male lead in How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom with 9 seasons

Robin is the girl he dated but broke up with

 

Highlight the following if you wish to know more, but there will be spoilers about the sitcom!

But they got back together in the end

They made a foolish promise to marry each other if they were both still single and unwanted at the age of 40 (they didn’t do that though, it was years after 40 when they got back together)

Yes, I know it’s complicated, but I highly recommend you watch it!

The  cringey poem ‘Friends Can’t Hold Hands’ was written by me, inspired by the chinese song ‘Let’s not be Friends’ by Eric Chou

The song LuBaek sang for graduation is Wherever I Go by Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana

 

Oh and for some visuals,

Chanyeol looked like this in the end

Baekhyun looked like this in this dress

Baekhyun kinda looked like this when she was six

Baekhyun looked like this when she performed for Teacher's Day

 

 

New update: I just realized I didn't even include Sehun in any of the plot /facepalm/ I'm so sorry Sehunnie T.T, maybe I'll come back and edit it another day, but for now I'm just going to leave it as is.

New New update: I just finished editing the grammatical errors, so sorry if you read those and cringed

 

 

Thank you so much for reading!

-yen