"You could definitely do better than him. There's plenty of guys out there are way better than that bastard," Jongdae said while Baekhyun rolled his eyes from his spot on the couch. He knew that as soon as he told his friends about his break up, there was bound to be at least one person who was going to say that. But he made an exception for Jongdae simply because the latter was his best friend and he had Baekhyun's best interest at heart.

Baekhyun huffed. "Easy for you to say. Junmyun is like the epitome of perfection," he grumbled. Kim Junmyun was the ever perfect gentleman and well known boyfriend to Jongdae. He seemed to be the only person able to deal with Jongdae's and still keep a smile on his face at all times though Baekhyun swore he saw it falter a twice.

"I know," Jongdae said back, a proud look on his face. "But you'll find someone just as perfect. Baekhyun, I don't think you'll stay single for long. I mean, look at you. There's got to be some guy who's into short brunettes."

Baekhyun glared at him but it didn't last long. He thought back to the night at the bar. Chanyeol's face was still so clear in his mind. It had been three days since the incident at the bar and Chanyeol hasn't sent him another text message or called and Baekhyun wasn't going to be the first to break the silence. Who knows? Maybe they weren't just meant to be either. Of course, Baekhyun still found it ironic that he was dumped and hit on by two different people in one day.

He turned his attention back to Jongdae. "Yeah I don't think I'll be seeing anyone for a while."

~~~~~~

Baekhyun liked bagels.

It was probably the only reason he went to the bakery almost every morning. The one down the street from his home made great breads and pasteries that came with homemade cream cheese and when you added a nice, hot cup of black tea to it, the perfect, quick breakfast has been created.

This morning wasn't much different. His friend Minseok was working the front counter and Baekhyun didn't even have to say his order before the older man was off, toasting a plain bagel and calling for someone to make the tea.

"You know me so well," Baekhyun said with a grin as he handed Minseok his card.

"Well you do come in everyday ordering the same thing," Minseok replied back, laughing a bit under his breath as he slid the card through the machine and it handed it back to Baekhyun along with a receipt.

Baekhyun shrugged. "Can't help it. You guys make great bagels and I like being consistent," he said.

Minseok handed smiled as he handed him a brown paper bag and his tea saying, "And no one is blaming you." His face fell into a frown. "Hey, are you alright? I heard about what happened with you and--"

"Yes," Baekhyun answered quickly. "I'm fine. We just weren't meant to work out." He took in Minseok's concerned expression and sighed. "Thanks for asking though. It's nice to know I have friends who care."

"It's no problem, Baekhyun. Hey, I'll see you tomorrow morning?" Minseok asked.

"Most likely," Baekhyun chuckled as he stepped to the side, letting the next customer walk up to the counter as he grabbed a few sugar packets off the condiments table and throwing them into the bagel bag. He heard Minseok ask, "Hi, how can I help you?" in the background.

"May I have a medium ice coffee with two creams and two sugars, please? Thank you."

Baekhyun whirled around.

Chanyeol glanced off to the side and his face broke into a smile when he saw the brunette. "Hi there. Baekhyun, right?"

The shorter nodded dumbly as he took in Chanyeol's appearence. The taller was dressed simply in jeans and a white T-shirt with a blue LA Dodgers varsity jacket. On his nose were a pair of thick framed, black glasses which Baekhyun thought suited him really well. His smile was all teeth.

Baekhyun cleared his throat. "Uh, hi," he greeted back awkwardly. He didn't know why he stuck around until after Chanyeol paid for and recieved his coffee. As soon as the taller got his drink, Baekhyun made a beeline for the door and walked out at a brisk pace.

"Hey wait!" he heard Chanyeol call from somewhere behind him. Baekhyun tried to pick up his face but he got caught in the busy crowd of people making their way up and down the street. Also, Chanyeol had the benefit of longer legs as he caught up to Baekhyun easily. "Where are you off to?" he asked casually, falling into step with Baekhyun who had given up trying to get away.

"Work," Baekhyun said simply, distracting himself with his tea. He took a careful sip and winced at the temperature of the water.

Chanyeol nodded and made a sound of understanding. He followed Baekhyun as the shorter made a cut through a large park in the center of their city. There were joggers and bikers out for their morning exercise and fast paced people making their way to their jobs. The weather was breezy and comfortable, the sun shining down on them and Baekhyun couldn't help but wonder if the glare was bothering Chanyeol because of his glasses.

But that wasn't the matter at hand.

"Why are you following me?" Baekhyun asked as they walked down as curvy path through the park. They passed by green trees and flower buds that have yet to bloom.

Chanyeol glanced down at him. "You never called me and we just so happen to run into each other," he said.

"I was thinking you were going to call me," Baekhyun said quietly before realizing what he just admitted.

Chanyeol looked at him and grinned. "Ahh, so you were waiting for me to ask you out?"

"Absolutely not!" Baekhyun denied stubbornly. "If I actually wanted to go on a date, I would've called you."

"Doesn't seem like it to me."

"Well then you're wrong."

"I don't think so," Chanyeol disagreed as he sipped his coffee. "You see, if you really weren't interested, you wouldn't have given me your number. Now, please tell me a real reason as to why you don't want to try dating me." When Baekhyun didn't answer for a while, Chanyeol turned to him and saw the latter with his cup held up to his lips but he wasn't drinking from it. He seemed to be thinking extra hard over Chanyeol's question. "Hey, are you alright?"

Baekhyun huffed. "Listen, Chanyeol, I think you're really nice. I do, I truly do. All those things you said to me were sweet. It's just--" He sighed as he tried to put words together. Baekhyun has never been one to know how to openly express his emotions through words. "I just feel like it's a bit early. I mean, I just-- Like, I-- I just went through a break up a few days ago and to suddenly be dating someone else is like-- I mean, what would people think of me?"

Chanyeol frowned. "Why would you care about what people think?" Then, in a quieter voice, he asked, "Do you still think about him sometimes?"

Baekhyun shrugged one shoulder. "On occasion. There's no romantic feeling anymore though. Mostly just random moments."

"Hmm," Chanyeol hummed. He walked up ahead and stopped right in front of Baekhyun, his eyes boring into the shorter's through his glasses. "Baekhyun, are you afraid to trust me?" He watched as Baekhyun's eyes widened before he looked away.

Bingo.

"If that's the case then you don't have anything to worry about. Everything I said to you at the bar has been true and is still true to this day," he says earnestly.

Baekhyun took a step back. "I-- I don't know, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol seemed to think for a moment. "Alright how about this? Dinner sounds a bit too intimate for our situation. At least let me treat you to lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah. This Saturday. There's this nice restuarant a few blocks down from the coffee shop we were just at. It's very casual. If you're willing to join me on this one date, I can show you that I treat you better than that other guy."

Baekhyun in a breath as he thought over the request. Chanyeol saw the apprehensive look on his face.

"You can still back out," he added with a small smile. "I wouldn't blame you. I know I'm very straightforward and headstrong and maybe a bit too--"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, I'll go to lunch with you," Baekhyun said again.

Chanyeol blinked. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yeah. Isn't this what you wanted?" Baekhyun asked back.

"It is but I don't want to force you into anything."

"You're not. I'm going on my own free will."

Chanyeol was silent for a moment as it all worked through his mind. "Y-yeah! Totally. Um, I'll text you the address and the time?"

Baekhyun nodded. "Sounds good," he said, offering a small grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work." He side stepped around Chanyeol's body and went on his way down the path.

"Uh yeah, sure," Chanyeol said absentmindedly as he waved at Baekhyun's retreating form. "See you on Saturday!"

Baekhyun turned around and as he walked backwards, he gave Chanyeol one of his best smiles before turning back around and Chanyeol swore, a piece of his heart left along with Baekhyun.

~~~~~~

He felt like Saturday rolled around a bit too quickly.

Baekhyun looked into the mirror one last time to make sure his outfit was on point. Even if nothing was going to come out of this date, he might as well look his best for disappointment.

When he stepped out of his apartment building, he began his trek down the street. He was about halfway to the restaurant when he noticed the dark clouds starting to come in, signaling on coming rain.

Great. It's going to rain and I'm umbrella-less. Absolutely ing fabulous, he thought as he groaned inwardly and continued at a faster pace till he came to the restaurant.

Chanyeol was standing in front of it dressed casually in a thin sweater and jeans. He was leaning on a long umbrella handle. When he spotted Baekhyun, he smiled and waved before walking over.

"I seriously thought you were going to ditch me," he said, laughing it off.

Baekhyun smiled. "You offend me. When I make dates, I keep them."

"Well that's good to know," Chanyeol nodded along. "Now let's go. I think the rain is going to be coming soon."

They both walked into the small restaurant. It was a quint little place doused in soft lights and warm shades of brown and tan. They picked a seat near the window. The first few minutes were quiet as they looked over the menus and ordered their drinks.

"So," Chanyeol began when the waitress walked away after taking their food orders, "What do you do?"

"What?"

"You said you had a job. Mind telling me what you do?"

"Oh, well--" Baekhyun started before letting out an awkward chuckle. "I'm an artist."

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.

Baekhyun nodded. "Yeah. I paint. I like to stick to the traditional paint brush and canvas but right now, I'm trying my hand at digital art and sometimes, if I'm really feeling up to it, I do a bit of photography as a hobby."

"That's really neat," Chanyeol replied back, his eyes twinkling and it looked like he actually found Baekhyun's profession amazing.

"Thanks. I'm preparing for my next exhibit at the gallery downtown."

"Nice. Better than what I do at least."

Baekhyun scrunched his eyebrows and asked, "Why? What do you do?"

"I teach guitar lessons," Chanyeol said with a shrug.

"Do you really?" Baekhyun asked excitedly.

"Yeah. It's fun and I get to teach something I love to people all the time. But painting and taking pictures sounds so much better."

"I don't think so. They're both forms of art," Baekhyun said thoughtfully.

Chanyeol smiled back at him. They both went silent, trying to come up with a new topic to talk about. Well, Chanyeol was trying. Baekhyun chose to try and not meet his eyes during the awkward atmosphere.

"What's your favorite color?" Chanyeol asked suddenly.

Baekhyun thought for a moment. "I have a few, actually," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks flush lightly.

"Well, which one do you find yourself using a lot in your paintings?"

"I guess... I'd have to say red. I really do like red though. There's so much passion in just that one color, it's amazing. It's so vibrant and bright and just-- warm. Red is something you see a lot. I like to think of it as the color of life, the color of love but also the color of hate and anger. It's the color of kisses and blood and energy. It's a fury of rage and war but at the same time, lust and zeal. Red is an obsession," Baekhyun finished. He took a deep breath but it came out slightly choked when he realized that he went on for a good minute about a color. He was about to apologize when he saw Chanyeol staring at him intensely.

There was a pause.

"Could you describe blue to me?" Chanyeol asked suddenly.

"Blue?"

"Yeah."

Baekhyun was taken aback but he granted the taller's wishes. "Well," he began, "With blue, I think it matters what shade it is. Blue is another color of life. It's the water around and in us. It's the sky above us. It could describe our inner sadness and the emotions that we feel. But blue could also represent relief and hope as well. It's a really pure color to me."

Baekhyun paused as he looked over to Chanyeol. "What's wrong?"

The taller shrugged. "I just like hearing you speak. You talk with a lot of emotions and it's almost like your telling a story," says Chanyeol.

"Oh," Baekhyun said, looking down onto his lap to hide his blush and the smile threatening to break free. "I'm just speaking my thoughts."

"Please keep going, I could listen to you forever."

~~~~~~

Chanyeol was an interesting character.

He had an older sister who looked like the shorter, female version of himself. When he was younger, he used to have a pet ferret. He's allergic to cats. He was clumsy and loud and Baekhyun found himself liking all six feet and two inches of him.

Chanyeol did make him feel special. He was always quiet when Baekhyun was talking, only saying something once in a while or laughing. They spoke a little bit while eating but most of their focus was put on food.

Afterwards, Baekhyun managed to convince Chanyeol to split the bill with him. By the time they stepped out under the awning of the entrance to the restaurant, the rain was falling at a steady pace. It wasn't falling too hard but Baekhyun still dreaded walking in it.

"How about we call you a taxi?" Chanyeol suggested.

"That would be great but what about you?"

"I live around the corner and I have an umbrella so I'll be fine. You, however, don't have one and you said you live a few streets away." He opened the umbrella and held it over the both of them. "Come. Let's see if we can hail you a cab."

Baekhyun grinned as they walked at the same pace on to the sidewalk and stood waiting for an empty cab to pass by. He could feel the warmth radiating off of Chanyeol from the small distance between their bodies. Quietly, he says, "I really enjoyed today."

"I did too," Chanyeol replied and Baekhyun didn't even have to look at him to know that the taller was smiling widely. "We should do this again sometime. Of course, that is, if you want to."

A cab spotted them and came to a slow stop in front of them. Chanyeol walked Baekhyun over to it and opened the door for the shorter and Baekhyun felt his heart beat faster at the small gesture. Before he stepped in, he quickly turned back to Chanyeol, "Thank you for today. I'll text you," he promised with a smile before stepping into the cab and shutting the door.

Chanyeol watched the taxi drive away. The rain was cold around him but on the inside, he never felt warmer. He felt red.

~~~~~~

The next time they meet up was when Baekhyun called Chanyeol out a few days later and they both went out to Chipotle and bought lunch again together. They were planning on having another lunch date in the park but the weather took a turn for the worse. In the morning, the sun was out and shining but by the time noon rolled around, the sky had grown darker and before either of them knew it, the rain began pelting down.

And just their luck, niether of them had an umbrella this time.

They ate inside Chipotle instead before rushing back out and trying to hail a cab but when none were coming by, they ran under the awning of a nearby book store, both dripping wet.

Even though he was soaked and chilled to the bone, Baekhyun felt strangely alive. "We have the worse luck!" he exclaimed as he laughed, feeling the water dripping from his hair. Chanyeol laughed along with him.

Baekhyun looked up at him and saw how close they were standing. He was pressed up against the taller and he could practically count Chanyeol's eyelashes. He felt a large, warm hand reach down and hold one of his own. He manuvered his fingers to fit inbetween Chanyeol's.

He smiled hesitantly. "We're a bit close, don't you think?"

"Then why aren't you pulling away?" Chanyeol muttered. He reached up and swiped his thumb tenderly against Baekhyun's cheek, wiping away the drops that fell from the tips of his hair.

Because I don't want to.

"I really do like you a lot, Baekhyun. I could only hope that you you feel the same way about me." He chuckled. "I guess you could say I feel blue."

Baekhyun's free hand came up and held onto Chanyeol's arm as he angled his head and got onto his toes. Chanyeol held his face gently as he kissed Baekhyun back. Their lips were warm and wet against the cold water falling around them. Their lips moved slowly and unsurely, still only testing the boundaries with each other.

They pulled away slowly. Chanyeol caressed Baekhyun's cheek and the shorter couldn't help but smile.

"I feel red," he said inbetween giggles.

Chanyeol smiled softly. "So do I." He placed his lips over Baekhyun's again and this time, Baekhyun pulled his hands free and wrapped them around Chanyeol's neck. Chanyeol held Baekhyun close, hugging him to his body. Their lips moved with a new amount of certainty now that they know that they both want this.

Outside it was cold but they felt curiously warm.

im planning one more part to this guys, just hold on.

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