Chapter 3

A/N : This chapter is probably rated PG -18. It does not have , but it is not clean, either. Sorry! :\

[Minho’s P.O.V]

                   I woke up to the sunlight blinding me. My arm felt stiff and for a second, I forgot where I was. Then the memories of last night crashed back to me.

                   I look down at Taemin who was sleeping on my chest. My arm was draped over his petite body. I smiled. He looks so angelic in his sleep.

                   I didn’t want to wake him up, but I had to get to work. I was about to open my mouth and call his name when I stopped. Something in me stopped me from waking up the sleeping angel. We could stay forever like this.

                   We had talked last night till the hours of dawn. We talked about everything and anything, and although he had opened up to me, I couldn’t seem to break down my walls. I could feel him breaking down my walls bit by bit, but it wasn’t enough to make me open up to him. Not yet.

                   . I suddenly remembered. Onew wanted me to run some errands for him today. He was the boss. He’s got this condition thing going on that makes him one of the clumsiest people ever, but he can put up a fight if he needed to. I joined his gang when I was looking for a gang to join. Thank god I did. Turns out he really is a dubu deep down. Even then, I had been late for the last couple of days and if I didn’t show up on time today, he was going to order chicken for dinner for the next whole month as punishment. I think I’m the only one in the gang that doesn’t get beat up if I do something wrong. In my opinion though, eating nothing but chicken for a whole month is worse.

                   Before I woke Taemin up, I leaned down and kissed him on his forehead. It was a stolen kiss. How would he react if he found out?

                   He smiled in his sleep. If it wasn’t for the soft, calm breathing, I would have thought he was awake. “Taemin-ah… Taemin?” I called his name a few times softly in his ear.

[Taemin P.O.V]

                   Mmm. This is a nice dream. I was in a lavender field with Minho, running around, laughing. Some banana milk was set out on a picnic mat along with some fruits. We stopped running and sat down. He popped a grape into my mouth and kissed my forehead. I could live like this forever.

                   “Taemin… Taemin…?” I hear him calling me with his deep voice. He was calling me softly and I could feel his breath on my ear. Wait, what? How can I feel his breath on my ear? I slowly woke up from my beautiful dream to find Minho actually calling me.

                   I blinked a few times and realized I was lying on his chest. I could hear his steady heartbeat. Blushing, I sat up and looked around. Oh, right. We were talking here last night. The sunflowers look beautiful in the sunlight, I noticed.

                   Minho stood up beside me and said, “Taemin, I have to go. I’ve got some things to do.” Those words dropped me back to reality and I realized why they sounded familiar. It wasn’t the first time those words came from his lips.

                   As he started to walk away, I stood up and ran up to him. I only hesitated for a second before wrapping my arms around his waist. I rested my forehead on his back. I could feel him tense up from my touch, but I didn’t let go.

[Minho’s P.O.V]

                   I froze when I felt Taemin’s arms snake around my waist. The same kind of touch that had haunted me for years. I wanted to push Taemin away, but something about feeling his forehead rest against my back made me stop for a second.

                   He used to hold me like that. Vince. His name sent a chill up my spine. I could feel the hurt on the verge of crushing me when the memories of him came back to me.

                   He knew I was gay. He knew it so darn well. He was my crush. He was so handsome. Beautiful, even. I had gotten up the courage to confess and he turned me down. That wasn’t the worst part.

                   One night at the bar, he came onto me. We did it. I didn’t even think that much. I wasn’t really drunk. I had waited for the moment forever. We did it at his place. When we were done, he told me he loved me. I believed him.

                   The next day, I was surprised to find him still there. It went on for a couple of months. We would cuddle, kiss, and do everything like any other couple. He always hugged me from the back. It was our thing. When I was cooking, he would hug me from the back. No matter what I was doing, he liked to hug me from the back. I trusted and loved him so much I would have given my life for him, if he asked me to. I was so naïve.

                   It wasn’t until one day when he saw me talking to another guy, when he got jealous. I was only being friendly. He had chained me and forced himself into me. He said I had to pay the price. He said that I was his and nobody else’s. At that time, I was happy to hear those words. It meant that he loved me, right?

                   He had apologized afterwards and claimed that he got jealous only because he loved me too much. I forgave him in that instant. I shouldn’t have. I should have gotten away from him the second I could.

                   Who knew something so beautiful can be so deadly? The next incident was when I was just talking to a passerby. He asked for directions and had accidentally brushed his hand against mine, causing me to blush. I thought nothing of it, but Vince did.

                   The punishment was different this time. When he forced himself into me, he didn’t apologize afterwards. He smacked me instead. He sent a punch to my stomach. I thought it was going to be over soon, but when he picked up a knife I knew I was dead.

                   He held it above my arm, with a look in his eyes that still haunted me till today. He slowly made a cut down my arm, causing a flow of blood to flood down and make me wince. I took the punishment silently. I had thought it was my own fault for making him hurt me like that.

                   It went on for months. I would put up with whatever punishment he decided to give me. After a couple of incidents, he would just hurt me without reason. He would be kissing me gently a second and hurting me another. It was unpredictable, but I endured it. I loved him, that’s all that matters, right?

                   It wasn’t until one day when I overheard him talking to his friend over the phone. Turns out, I was just a dare. The night at the bar, where we started, his friends had dared him to make out with me and it naturally led to more. And now he was just using me to release his anger.

                   I didn’t believe what I heard. It couldn’t be. He loved me, right? I endured his punishments for another month before my friend, Yuri, woke me up. It wasn’t love, she said. Love isn’t supposed to be like that. I didn’t believe her, until I eventually got up every ounce of courage I have to leave Vince. I hadn’t turned back ever since, but sometimes the memories still haunt me at night, when I’m alone.

                   “Hyung…? When are you coming back? Are you coming back at all?” Taemin’s voice broke through my thoughts. I fell back onto Earth with a thud and realized that tears were flowing down my cheeks.

                   I turned around and faced Taemin. “Taemin… I’m sorry I left you that day. Can you stay with me, please?” My voice broke. I finally let my walls crash down.

                   Taemin looked shocked at seeing my tears. He nodded and wiped away my tears. He’s such an angel. He led me to a bench under the shade and we sat down, side by side. Although I was taller and bigger than him, he held me while I cried. I cried and cried and cried like there was no tomorrow. It had been a while since I cried like this. Taemin ran soothing circles on my back as I told him everything.

                   He listened silently. When I was finished, he finally spoke.

                   “I’ve only met you yesterday, I know that. I know some people will be against us, but it’s the truth anyway. I love you. I don’t know how it happened, and I guess I never will, but I do. I won’t hurt you, I promise. Just don’t run away.” He said, looking at me with such sincerity in his eyes I feel myself caving in.

                   “I… I feel the same way, but… I don’t want to be hurt again.” I finally answered. It was everything I wanted right now to be with him, but my past was stopping me. I don’t ever want to be hurt that way again.

                   “Let me show you. I won’t hurt you, I promise. Just let me try.” He pleaded.

                   “No… I… I don’t want to be hurt like Vince had hurt me. He’s a part of my past and I can’t change that, but it does make me think twice about falling in love. Some scars never heal.” I pulled up my shirt sleeve and showed him the scar on my arm from where Vince had cut me.

                   Taemin kissed my scar lightly. “Can we just try, please? I understand, but please just give me a chance.” Taemin said, looking up at me. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me lightly on the lips. The kiss was soft and sweet.

                   I sighed. It wasn’t like I could stay away from Taemin, I guess. I might as well give it a try. I nodded my head slowly. I hope I wouldn’t regret this as I saw Taemin’s face light up with excitement.

                   “So… hyung, did you really have something to do when you wanted to leave just now?” Taemin asked me suddenly.

                   . Onew is so going to make me eat chicken until I go nuts. I would have pulled out of being in a gang, but Onew hyung treats me well. Vince broke me and I decided that I should just let myself break more and entered a gang. I slowly healed, but Onew hyung kept me doing what I did. He was the one who gave me shelter and food when I had none. I owed him that much.

                   Looking at Taemin relaxing with his head on my shoulder and my arm around him, I smiled. Maybe this could be the start of something after all. It’s probably going to be worth eating chicken for a whole month.