Babysteps

"Hey Sehun, your shift is done. What exactly are you doing?" 

A light brown haired young male who was focused on a toaster oven, turned to face another male with chocolate brown hair. 

"I know, I know. Just give me a second Jongdae, my bagels are almost done." Sehun assured his co-worker as he untied his apron. The toaster oven beeped and Sehun yelped in joy. "Oh yes, come to Hun-Daddy." He whispered, using tongs to take out two blueberry bagels. 

Jongdae palmed his forehead and tried to pretend he didn't hear the last couple words Sehun muttered. "You want a drink too? It's pretty slow today." Jongdae asked as he washed his hands. Sehun nodded as he brought his bagels and cream cheese to an empty table. 

Sehun sat comfortably, waiting for his co-worker to bring him a chocolate hazelnut latte. It's a nice day out. 

Everything had been going great for Sehun. He had been teaching choreography at his uncle's dance studio, he got a job at a cafe near the university he recently enrolled to. 

Sehun had been getting his life back together and he hasn't been this happy in such a long time. 

"Here you go." Jongdae sang as he set down his drink on the table. "Thanks!" Sehun said smiling. Jongdae watched his friend spread cream cheese on his bagel with a huge grin on his face. "Aren't you tired of eating here?" Jongdae asked with a disgusted look on his face. Sehun just shook his head as he took a bite of the toasted bagel. "Okay, if you need anything. I'll be behind the counter" Jongdae sighed, taking his leave. 

The cafe was a bit empty that afternoon. No chatty students, no constant moving of the chairs; the sound of music provided from the cafe and keyboards being used filled the room. 

Sehun took a long sip out of his drink before opening up his textbook to start on an early assignment that was required for one of his classes before the semester began. Well, here goes nothing. 

An hour had gone by and Sehun was sitting in the same spot with his earphones stuffed in his ears, working on his assignment. Jongdae refilled his drink a couple times and Sehun occasionally took trips to the restroom. He was almost finished with the first part of the assignment and nothing was going to distract him. 

"Sehun?" 

Being so absorbed in his work, he almost didn't hear his name being called. Sehun pulled out an earphone and turned his head to find a familiar male standing before him. 

Sehun's eyes began to adjust after staring at white pages with blank print and before he knew it, his eyes grew and his pencil fell out of his grip. 

The other male had blond hair that was tossed about because of the wind. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and cargo shorts. There were two text books tucked under his left arm and he held his phone in his right hand. His eyes were sparkling and his skin looked as smooth as silk. Sehun could feel his heart beat quickening as time ticked on. 

"Luhan?" He gulped. 

The boy's eyes gleamed brighter than it already did and a huge toothy grin sprawled across his face. "Oh my goodness, it is you! May I have a seat?" 

As Sehun nodded, he couldn't peel his eyes away from Luhan. Was this really Luhan? So many questions wracked up his brain, he almost had to slap himself to bring him back to reality. 

Sehun didn't know how to go about this situation. It's been about five years since Sehun has ever spoke to Luhan and it's been about four years since he had seen him. 

Also, was it okay to ask about that guy from the other coffee shop? Since they haven't kept in touch, was he allowed to ask about Luhan's love life? 

"Actually," Luhan began, startling Sehun. "If you're not too engrossed in your work, and if you're still hungry, want to go and grab something to eat? I'd like to catch up with you." 

There was so much emotions going on in Sehun's heart. He wanted to spend time with Luhan, he wanted to ask how he was doing and if he still loved strawberry lemonade. But at the same time, he was scared that he might say or do something that'll make him lose Luhan, again. 

But, having so much hope, Sehun nodded and the two left the coffee shop. 

The two decided on buying bentos and having lunch at a shady spot at a nearby park. Luhan sat by himself waiting for Sehun to return from who knows where. "Sorry I took long." Sehun said, taking a seat next to Luhan. Luhan just smiled and took out the bentos out of the plastic bag. 

Sehun hesitated before retrieving two bottles of strawberry lemonade out of his backpack. He handed a bottle to Luhan and tried to smile. "Here." Luhan was a bit a surprised but he took the bottle. "I'm not sure if you still enjoy it, but I noticed we didn't by any drinks." Sehun chuckled. Luhan smiled back before answering, "yeah, I still drink it. It's still my favorite, thanks for remembering." 

It was quiet as the two began eating away their bentos. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't comfortable, it was just right. 

"So," Luhan began, with the sauce from the baked chicken dripped from the corner of his mouth. "How have you been? What have you been up to?" Sehun chuckled and laughed at his obliviousness. He used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the sauce. 

Sehun began telling Luhan about how started to teach choreography at his uncle's dance studio along with Kai. Also he mentioned that he was a part time student that worked at the coffee shop they were just in. 

Luhan's eyes widened. "You? You work at a coffee shop?" Sehun shrugged with a shy smile. "Yeah, surprised aren't you? I actually grew to love coffee." Luhan picked up another piece of chicken with his chopsticks and popped it in his mouth. "So now you know why I love coffee so much?" He said between chews. 

The conversation went on as Sehun talked about school and how he wants to major in english and become a professor. 

Luhan was definitely surprised to see this side of Sehun. He had definitely matured and changed over a course of time and Luhan was impressed. 

"So, what about you?" Sehun questioned, taking a bite of his seasoned fish. 

Luhan closed his bottle of strawberry lemonade.

To Sehun's surprise, Luhan was also attending the same university as him. But he enrolled one year earlier than Sehun. He was also a part time student who worked at a local diner as a server.

"Do you still want to become a business major?" Sehun asked. Luhan smiled and nodded, "You remembered that too?" Sehun also nodded as he placed his empty bento box back inside the plastic bag. 

The two took a moment to stretch out their legs and throw away their trash before sitting back down. 

Sehun thought long and hard about asking him his love life. He didn't want to sound desperate or as if he was practically looking for some sort of hint that he was still available. 

Deep down in his heart, Sehun still loved the boy. 

Over the years, he was able to store away the heart aching memories and thought about the boy less and less. But no matter how hard Sehun tried to do the same with his feelings, it was never successful. 

But oh god, was he curious to know. 

With everything on the line and with every ounce of courage he had, Sehun finally asked the long awaited question. "So, Luhan, anyone new?" He saw Luhan smile a bit and leaned back against the tree. 

"Yeah, one." Luhan admitted. Sehun could tell he was nervous whilst answering the question and he felt a bit guilty for asking. "But, we didn't last very long." Luhan continued. 

There was a mixed feeling of confusion and relief that rested in Sehun's heart. He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. 

Was it okay to ask what happened? Still curious, he decided to ask. 

"What happened- I mean, if you're comfortable sharing and if not, it's okay." Sehun assured at the end. If Luhan wasn't ready to share any of the information, he didn't want to force any answers out of him. 

Luhan gave a shy smile as he tugged at the grass beneath him and tossed it aside. He then took a deep breath and began to tell him about the relationship. 

The name of the other male whom Sehun saw at the cafe years ago was Kim Minseok; a neighbor who lived in the apartment complex that Luhan lived in. 

Luhan explained about how they only talked for about three months before Minseok asked him to be his boyfriend. 

"I agreed out of loneliness." Luhan sighed. "It wasn't a smart decision, but his presence filled the void and I grew to honestly like him." 

It was difficult to listen to the last words but Sehun let him continue. 

Luhan talked about how he and Minseok often went out on dates and had coffee together everyday. He even mentioned about a particular necklace with an oval pedant.

"It was a gift to celebrate four months being together." He explained. "I didn't want to accept it because of how selfish I was but he insisted and I couldn't say no." 

Sehun found himself also tugging at the grass but still stayed attentive to Luhan. 

"He told me he loved me when we were six months into our relationship." He sighed. 

Sehun tugged at a handful of grass as he gaped at the other boy. "He what?!" He exclaimed. Luhan just laughed at his reaction and nodded. "Yeah, and you already know how I feel about that kind of stuff." Sehun was still appalled at what Luhan had just told him. 

"H-How in the world did he just say it?!" Sehun stuttered. "It took me-" Realizing what he was bringing up, he stopped the sentence there and muttered, "Well, you know. " 

Embarrassed, Sehun looked away and bit his bottom lip. Dammit , I shouldn't bring up our past like that! 

"Yeah, you told me on our one year anniversary." Luhan said nonchalantly. 

Sehun's cheeks grew red as he looked over his shoulder to find Luhan smiling a bit. 

"But anyways," Luhan continued. "I told him how I felt about it and for a month our connection slipped and before we knew it, the relationship ended." There was bit of sadness in his voice but he continued on. "We ended on a mutual note but we haven't talked since, I think he moved too." 

All this time, Sehun thought Luhan was still in that same relationship. He imagined them being happy and so in love with each other and it made him sick. But he would have never thought that they would break up after only seven months of dating. 

"I'm okay though. I've been okay." Luhan gave an assuring smile that made Sehun smile back. "What about you?" Luhan asked. 

Sehun gave a nervous chuckle and began telling him about how he sort of had a "thing" with someone but it didn't last long either. 

This short fling was such an embarrassing memory for Sehun, he couldn't help laugh all the way through the story. Although he felt bad, Luhan also couldn't help but laugh along with him but profusely apologized at the end of the story. 

"So why did the flame die out so quickly?" He asked, wiping a tear from his eye from laughing too much. 

The question made him uneasy. There was a real reason why the fling ended but he didn't know if he wanted to tell the truth. He could sugar coat his answer but Sehun could never lie to Luhan. 

"Well," Sehun began. "I just couldn't picture myself with, uh." His voice began shaking but he finished his sentence. "I- I couldn't see myself with anyone else."  

Luhan stared at Sehun with so much sadness and understanding in his eyes. The gaze pierced Sehun right through the heart. I really shouldn't have said that. 

"Sehun.." Luhan said quietly. "I- I'm so sorry." 

Sehun felt his heart break at those three words. He ruined it, he ruined his alone time with Luhan. 

The atmosphere changed and Sehun felt more guilty than ever. But Luhan didn't stop there. 

"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain." Luhan trembled. "I left you alone with so much weight on your shoulders and I haven't even checked up on to see if you were okay." It sounded as if he was about to cry but Sehun was so shocked he couldn't speak. 

Silence settled in and it was painful. 

"B-but," Luhan stuttered, breaking the silence. "You're okay now. I mean, you're doing so much better and it's amazing." 

"You're amazing.." Sehun breathed out on an impulse. But he immediately regretted every single syllable that rolled off his tongue. "Dammit, I mean, well.." Luhan just laughed as Sehun scrambled his brain for the right words. 

"It's amazing to see how well you're doing too. It feels really nice to see your smile." Sehun blurted out once more. 

The comment caused Luhan to laugh again and smile shyly. 

Sehun's heart melted. He loved Luhan so much and yet he let him slip through his fingers. If Luhan lost feelings, he couldn't blame him. 

As painful as it was, Sehun wanted Luhan to be happy even if it wasn't with him. 

"We each found our own new beginning haven't we?" Sehun asked, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah." Luhan sighed as he scooted closer to Sehun. 

Sehun felt Luhan's finger tips brush up against his hand that was settled between them. 

There was definitely a lot more that Sehun wanted to say. There was still so much hesitation and fear of losing Luhan once more. But with so little courage, Sehun still took the risk. 

"D-Do you think there could be any new beginning for.. us?" Sehun kept his head down and closed his eyes, afraid of Luhan's reply. 

He heard Luhan hum and whispered an answer that was different from what he expected. 

"Yes, I think so." 

Sehun quickly looked at Luhan who was already staring at him, smiling. Did he just-

"We were young and naive back then." Luhan explained. "We were aware of our feelings for each other but I think we still needed time to understand ourselves and each other." 

All the doubts and fears faded away as he felt Luhan's hand rest on his own. Was he dreaming? Was there a secret camera somewhere? This moment was too good to be true and Sehun couldn't agree more with Luhan's explanation. 

"I really believe things can be different this time." Luhan admitted while hiding his face. 

There was an overwhelming joy that pulsed through Sehun's veins. All the words he wanted to say clogged his throat. So he sat there, blushing with a goofy grin sprawled on his face.

Luhan stared at Sehun, waiting for some sort of reaction. Instead, he took the grin and the pinkness on his cheeks as a good sign.

"U-Um.." Sehun stuttered. He noticed the slight change of color in the sky, indicating that the sun was setting. "I think I should take you back to your apartment before it gets dark." He chuckled, still dazed. Luhan smiled at Sehun's current state and agreed that it was time to go home. 

The two walked side by side along the pavement. Sehun even offered to hold Luhan's textbooks in his backpack so he could rest his arms from carrying it around everywhere. 

Sehun looked down at the smiling boy and comfortably s an arm around his shoulders. Within seconds, Luhan wrapped an arm around the taller boy's waist as they walked closer together. 

This whole time Sehun believed that Luhan would be better off without him, but it was different now. He swore to himself that he would learn from mistakes and made sure that Luhan was loved by him every second of their life together. 

Although, it was a bit weird. 

A good kind of weird. 

But he was willing to get things back to the way it used to be, but a lot more joyous and serious than the last time. 

"I never stopped loving you." Sehun admitted as he mumbled the words against Luhan's silky hair. 

Luhan stopped Sehun and turned him so they could stand face to face. Luhan lost himself in his partner's eyes for a moment before wrapping both arms around Sehun's middle. 

Luhan tiptoed and captured Sehun's lips with his own. Sehun closed his eyes and cupped the boy's face, kissing him back with just as much passion. He set Luhan back on his feet before breaking the kiss for a brief moment. Sehun leaned down and pressed his forehead against Luhan's. 

"Neither have I." Luhan replied breathlessly before stealing another kiss. 

Sehun was determined to never let Luhan walk away again. 

He would never let a day go by without showing Luhan how much he means to him.

The new beginning they created may be a bit rocky at first, adjusting to each other's busy schedules and hectic school hours. But they were more than willing to rekindle their fire, taking one step at a time. 

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours because if something is meant to be then it will be.

A/N: Yay, sequel is finished :) I apologize for the ending, I wrote majority of this at four in the morning so yeah... please bear with me! I hope you enjoyed this sequel. I've been having too much angsty story lines in my mind, I just had to make something fluffy for once *__* Thank you for reading my stories and continue to support AATT, saranghae~