10 mins, and I'll be out of here!!! See you soon baby!

The exclamation marks in the message said it all. But just in case the punctuation marks weren't obvious enough, Minho couldn't hide his excitement one bit. The smile that reached his eyes was proof as well. In fact, it was blinding enough to bring all attention onto him if not for the models on the runway who were on their final catwalk to close the fashion show, which Minho had been personally invited to as a VIP. Still, even with all that was happening on the runway, his smile had caught the attention of someone... someone whose curiosity had now been piqued…

“Minho!”

Upon hearing his name in the quiet car park, Minho stopped in front of a car that was parked 3 cars away from his and didn’t hesitate to turn around with his default professional polite expression, readying himself for the socializing he most probably had to do. When he saw Yuri walking speedily, almost running, towards him, Minho tensed up and quickly scanned his surroundings to make sure there was no suspicious person (aka the paparazzi) lurking around. Although the rumour of them had died down, it was still better to be safe than sorry. Thankfully, since Minho had escaped the after party where everyone including the media was at, there was no one else around in the underground car park.

“Noona, you shouldn't be here.” Barely moving his lips, Minho said in a low voice once Yuri was within earshot.

The actress nodded with an embarrassed smile, “I know, but we didn't have a chance to talk to each other just now and I haven't seen you in ages... I just...”

Minho frowned. “Yuri noona, is everything okay?”

“Minho, you know how true friends are hard to come by in our line of work...” Yuri looked into Minho’s eyes worriedly, “I hope one rumour hasn't destroyed ours.”

“It hasn't...” Minho shook his head and gave a reassuring smile to his close friend, “Noona, I've just been too busy.”

Yuri’s eyes lit up with hope, “Are you free now then? We should go out for drinks.”

Minho awkwardly shifted his weight on his feet, not sure how he should turn Yuri's invitation down since he was indeed supposed to be free considering he could leave in his own car. He had plans though, a date with Kibum that he wouldn’t miss for the world.

“Umm Yuri noona...”

“You have plans?”

“Yeah... I'm sorry, I-”

“Are you seeing someone?”

Minho froze. Yuri's straightforwardness had caught him completely caught off guard. Yet, before Minho could figure out how he should respond, Yuri broke into a teasing smile and nudged the actor on his shoulder as she asked, “You are, aren't you?”

Knowing there was no point denying the truth since Yuri could see through him this easily, Minho decided it was better not to lie to Yuri anymore and express his concern to the actress as he creased his eyebrows and pleaded, “Noona... I had my reasons for keeping this from you, so please don't-”

Yuri was having none of Minho’s nonsense. Cutting Minho short, she raised a hand to slap the actor on his arm while increasing her volume just enough to show her anger as she called out his full name, “Choi Minho!”

Minho swallowed as he met Yuri's eyes nervously.

“Aish, how can you call yourself an actor when you can't even act at the most crucial moment and lie when it’s necessary?! How are you going to face the paparazzi like this?” Yuri scolded her long-time friend with another punch on his arm, “You need to brush up your acting skills, sweetie.”

Upon understanding where Yuri was coming from, Minho let out a sigh of relief and laughed. The actress soon found herself laughing along as well.

“I'm happy for you, Minho.” Yuri said sincerely with a warm smile after the laughter had died down, “Love doesn't come easy for us either... Don't let it slip away alright?”

“I know, Yuri noona, I won’t...” Feeling thankful, Minho knew he was friends with Yuri for a reason.

“But I must say, I'm disappointed that you're ditching your friends now that you met someone special.” Yuri narrowed her eyes playfully at the actor.

“Please stop teasing me.” Minho groaned jokingly.

Yuri giggled and shooed Minho away, “Alright alright, go, have fun, do what lovers do... I'll see you around?”

Minho nodded, “Just so you know, noona, I'm still here whenever you need me.”

Yuri grinned, “I know you are, dongsaeng.”

With a nod and wave, Minho returned the smile and resumed his walk towards his car, his footsteps even lighter than before because it honestly felt damn good that he now had the blessings of one of his closest friends in the industry. Somehow, it made his relationship with Kibum feel just that little bit more real, more solid, more normal.

*

“You're happy today...” Kibum commented in a mumble without even sparing his boyfriend a look as he continued to struggle through a reading he had to complete.

With the university entrance exam coming up in less than two weeks, Kibum had no time to waste. He knew it was horrid of him to bring his readings along for his date with Minho at an exclusive café recently opened by Minho’s friend (which meant they didn’t have to worry about their privacy being invaded) especially since they hadn’t been out in public for the longest time. But Kibum was in a state of anxiety now that he had begun the countdown to exams. He just needed to finish up two more pages of the damn reading but it was taking him longer than expected what with Minho smiling at him like an idiot every single time he took a peek at him while turning a page. And so, Kibum ultimately cracked and broke his silence as he then waited for his boyfriend’s reply.

Minho flashed Kibum yet another one of his charming smiles and casually answered, “I'm always happy when I get to spend time with you, bummie.”

Kibum finally looked up only to roll his eyes at his boyfriend, “Please stop. We’re in public.”

“Stop what?”

“You know what.”

“I don't.”

“Alright, fine, if you want to be this way, I won't talk to you.”

“Kibum, you haven’t even been talking to me in the first place…”

“Well, I was planning to give up on my reading and talk to you but-”

“You sure you were?”

“It’s ok if you don’t want to believe me, Minho…” Kibum shrugged, slowly picking up his reading again as he sneaked a look at his boyfriend to see his reaction.

Minho smiled as his eyes met Kibum’s, “Go ahead, bummie, if you want to choose your tortuous readings over me, then I guess I just have to wait. It’s nothing new anyway.”

“Why do you have to make me the bad guy here?” Kibum huffed, “My exams are in 10 days but I’m out here with you, doesn’t that say enough?”

“Kibum, I’m just playing with you, relax.” Minho hid a chuckle behind his hand and quickly pushed the waffle bowl of ice cream that he had been eating while Kibum was studying towards his boyfriend as a peace offering, “Here. For you to cool down.”

“I got you, didn’t I?” Kibum smiled smugly at Minho as he leaned forward and took a big scoop of the quickly melting dessert into his mouth.

Minho raised an eyebrow in question at his satisfied boyfriend.

“You thought I was really angry and panicked, didn’t you?” Kibum asked even though he wasn’t interested in Minho’s answer since he already had an answer in his mind, “You’re always defenceless against me, Choi Minho.”

Shrugging his shoulders casually like he was defeated, Minho simply smiled in reply and silently watched Kibum as he continued to enjoy each and every mouthful of ice cream. He knew better than to interrupt Kibum when he was having his one on one time with his favourite dessert.

Indeed, it had been long since they were out in public together like this. And as much as Minho wished everyone knew that Kibum wasn't just an average friend he was meeting, it was simple moments like this that Minho treasured the most. Yes, they were childish, always arguing and always playing with each other, but the actor probably couldn't (and shouldn't) ask for more. Even with all that said, there was still a part of Minho that hoped his relationship with Kibum didn't have to stay this secretive. The way things were made him feel like they were doing something wrong, that they were a mistake which had to be covered up. Minho hated feeling this way because their relationship was most certainly far from wrong and definitely not a mistake.

Every minute spent with Kibum made Minho feel as if he could burst with happiness... he could barely contain his feelings anymore, always on the verge of wanting to shout it out loud for the whole wide world to hear. Even if no one cared, Minho still wanted to declare that Kibum was his, that he was blessed to have met the right one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted the people he loved and who loved him to be happy for them. And it wasn’t only that, Minho also wanted others to be jealous and envious of what they shared; he wanted others to wish to be like them, to want what they have. The fact that he couldn't made Minho feel bitter inside: not only for himself but for Kibum as well. It frustrated him that Kibum couldn't get what he truly deserved, that he couldn’t give Kibum all that he deserved – the acknowledgment of their love, the freedom for them to love. Their relationship wasn't that much different from any others but then again, it wasn't like any others. It was almost as if Minho was married (to his job) and Kibum was his affair that had to be kept secret.

Minho absolutely hated the fact that Kibum couldn’t enjoy a normal relationship because of him. He couldn’t help but wonder if there came a point in time where Kibum did hold it against him or worse still, if Kibum ever had regrets of choosing to be with him before. It scared Minho to think about the possibilities to his questions and as his mind was flooded with such unwanted thoughts, the actor insantly shook his head as if the action would help him clear his mind.

“You alright?”

With Kibum’s voice bringing him back to reality, Minho refocused his vision on his boyfriend who now had concern etched on his face and nodded, “Yeah. Nothing to worry about.”

“Something troubling you?” Placing his spoon back onto the side of the plate that held the now destroyed, unrecognisable waffle bowl, Kibum ignored Minho’s attempt to end the conversation and prodded on, “You know you can talk to me about anything right?”

Minho nodded but hesitated after, not knowing if he should let Kibum know what he was thinking about.

“Talk to me, Choi Minho.”

With Kibum narrowing his eyes dangerously at him, Minho knew it was an order he had to listen to. And so, Minho took a deep breath and revealed his thoughts in one shot.

“I was just wondering if you ever regretted being together with me.”

In the seconds after he spoke, Minho had imagined all sorts of reactions he would get from Kibum but his boyfriend bursting out laughing was definitely not one of them. At that point in time, Minho was more confused than angry with Kibum’s reaction, completely not understanding what on earth was so funny about his question.

“I’m sorry.” Upon feeling Minho’s stare, Kibum apologised as he calmed himself down and cleared his throat, “I just didn’t expect that.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You angry?”

“No.”

“Minho…”

“I’m alright. Let’s just talk about something else ok?”

“So you’re not interested to know my answer anymore?”

“Not exactly.”

“But I want to tell you.”

“Kibum, if it’s going to be-”

“I’m always asking myself why I’m with you.”

“And if you had just let me finish, I would have told you that’s exactly what I didn’t want to hear.”

“Listen first, idiot.” Kibum sighed, “It’s times like this when you get on my nerves that I question myself why I’m even with a person like you… and when we argue, when times get tough and I get frustrated, I’m not going to lie, I have my regrets. Come on Minho, you and I both know our relationship isn’t an easy one.”

Minho’s shoulders sagged, but not for long, because when Kibum took a breath and reached out to hold his hand as he continued, the actor brightened up in an instant.

“But Minho, I’m almost always never serious. I don’t even know why you’re even worrying yourself over this. You should know that if I ever did want to give up on us, I would have done that long ago. You think I’d be that stupid to waste so much time on a relationship that I think isn’t going to work out in the end?”

Minho laughed as he flipped Kibum’s hand so he could interlock their fingers tightly together, “Does that mean you think we’ll last forever?”

“Forever, no. I don’t believe in forever.” Kibum answered in all seriousness as he looked at their entwined hands and ignored the disappointment in Minho’s eyes since he knew it was going to be gone the next instant when he continued to say, “But for this lifetime, yes… as long as you don’t do anything wrong.”

True enough, by the time Kibum looked up at Minho, his boyfriend had a blinding smile back on his face. They stayed silent for a moment, just looking into each other’s eyes until Minho squeezed Kibum’s hand as he breathed out.

“Do you trust me, Kibum?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Then believe me, I would never have the guts to do anything stupid that would put myself at risk of losing you.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Minho.” Kibum said as he tightened his grip on Minho’s hand, “If you ever-”

“I won’t.”

“You better not.”

“God if only I could just seal my promise with a kiss…” Minho mumbled under his breath, his eyes boldly looking nowhere else but Kibum’s lips.

“We should leave then.” Kibum suggested with a shrug.

“Great idea.” Minho grinned, extremely satisfied that he and Kibum had the same plans in mind, “Your place or mine?”

“Yours.” Letting Minho’s hand go, Kibum said as he stuffed his long forgotten readings into his bag and prepared to leave the cafe, “Your apartment’s bigger.”

“Right, we do need the space…”

Kibum leaned forward and smacked Minho on his arm.

“What?”

“Stop being so indecent.”

“Am I?”

“Shut up and get the bill.” Kibum said as he pushed his chair back and stood up first.

“Yes baby.” Picking up the tab, Minho followed and walked alongside Kibum.

As they moved towards the cashier to settle their bill, the couple continued arguing in a volume only the two of them could hear.

“You’re insufferable.”

“But you still love me.”

“Please shut up.”

“I will, later, you know, when we’re busy doing what we do best.”

“Minho, if you continue being such a pain in the - shut up, it’s not a pun- you can forget about all the plans you have in your mind.”

Although he was being threatened, Minho let out a laugh much to Kibum’s displeasure. He just couldn’t hide the amount of joy he derived from teasing his boyfriend, or actually, from just being with Kibum. So just before they reached the counter to pay their bill, Minho found himself leaning down just that little bit to bring his lips close to Kibum’s ear so he could utter three words that he realised he didn’t say enough to Kibum all this time.

“I love you.”

Minho wished he could linger and enjoy the closeness they shared in that moment in time, maybe even press a kiss to Kibum’s cheek and observe his boyfriend’s reaction to his words, but the circumstances were against him. And so, Minho immediately returned to his normal posture and took a step forward as he finally reached the counter and exchanged a word of thanks with the manager of the café that had been under his friend’s orders to pay special attention to them. As Minho did just that, Kibum was left standing behind, absolutely shocked that his boyfriend had suddenly surprised him with those words that probably should not have been said in public. Yet, Kibum was secretly happy, in fact, actually overjoyed that, out of nowhere, Minho had told him he loved him, because it made him all the more certain that Minho was worth every little bit of his love. It was a simple act but Kibum would never admit to Minho that it meant the world to him.

Author's Note: wow, i have so much to say, i don't even know where to begin. let's see. hmm. so i haven't updated this baby of mine for more than a month... and trust me dear readers, i wanted to. but life just got into the way. my best friend's heart got broken, which just utterly shattered mine and it was hard for me to come up with the amount of fluff i eventually did for this chapter. i do apologise for the long wait but i'm thankful from the bottom of my heart that you lovely people are still subscribing and waiting for updates. it means so much to me. and i came across this post on tumblr that expresses everything i feel for you guys so perfectly so do give it a read! :) AAA is sadly coming to an end, which actually explains the long wait because i didn't want to end it nicely at chapter 25 and kept brainstorming for more ideas so i could lengthen the fic but i failed. truth is, i always knew how i wanted to end this right from the start so it feels like the right time to finally write the ending out in the next chapter. and after thinking about it for a bit, i have decided that the next chapter would be the last! with that said, i hope you've enjoyed the story even more than i enjoyed writing this! do continue to stick with me until the very last sentence of this fic yeah? ^^ all my love goes out to you who took the effort to find your way here and read this story of mine. i can never thank you enough. ♥♥♥