But ever since that chat of theirs, another routine is made. With a schedule made known by the two, they make it a point to meet every chance they get. They don’t chat on a daily basis despite wanting to – schedules still hindering; but they are able to meet for at least a few minutes every so often.

Ever since Baekhyun found out that Chanyeol leaves for work as early as 7 in the morning, he makes it a point to wake up the same time. Even if all he’s going to do is hold up his morning greeting for a few minutes and wave sleepily for him to have a good day ahead; going back straight to sleep again after for another hour before he too has to ready for school.

Ever since Chanyeol found out that there are times when Baekhyun ends up staying up late on a weekday, due to projects and unfinished works. He makes it a point to stay up as late as he does, even though all he’s going to do is watch him draw by the window. Or he makes sure to leave encouraging notes taped on his window when he couldn’t stay long – which always succeeds in doing its job because Baekhyun always ends up working with a smile plastered permanently on his face.

GOOD  LUCK

YOU  CAN

DO  IT

YOU  BEST

Ever since they both found out that they are mostly free on the weekends, they make it a point to have at least an hour chat time, whether it be late on a Friday night or a Saturday or an early Sunday morning.

Their greetings too have changed over time, the old papers too used and wrinkled with a few ripped edges due to the repeated taping and un-taping. Their new greetings this time, however, showing more affection than before. Although short, the words never fail to bring a smile on their faces and an odd skip of beat of their hearts – to which they both brush off every time.

Baekhyun:

Morn  ing

Chan ♥

Hav a  nice

day :)

G’night

Yeol ♥

Chanyeol:

G’MOR  NNG!

BAE  KKIE

YOU

NICE  DAY

SMILE

PRETTY

KAY?

NIGHT

BAEK ♥

And for every end of their chatting sessions, their personalities too show up.

Baekhyun learns that judging from the messy pile of papers Chanyeol ends up with after every chat, the messy scrawny handwriting of his words, the sometimes a skewed papers taped onto his window – Chanyeol was pretty disorganized.. and messy. He found it cute though, not at all complaining. Because despite the mess, he is still able to magically find the words he needs from the pile, holding them up like a treasure found. And it’s too amusing to watch Chanyeol clumsily fix the piles of paper after; creating one big lump he simply dumps on a box.

Chanyeol learns that judging from Baekhyun’s only hold of now a very fat pile of papers ripped from his sketchpad with little strips of sticky notes on the side that he once showed; he was pretty organized. (Baekhyun has ordered the words in piles – adjectives, pronouns, nouns, punctuation marks, emoticons; all labelled accordingly) So compared to Chanyeol’s few minutes of searching for appropriate words or worse, having to rewrite them; Baekhyun is able to easily reply in less than a minute.

For the whole time since they met and started their routine, not once have they thought of meeting up for real. That despite appearing as if 3d images on a big wide screen (their antics sometimes being caught by neighbors who looks out their windows and looks at them oddly) and sounds muted. They have not once complained.

But then…

They are also not aware that the longer they spend time with each other despite the distance of two buildings, each time they talk through their sketchpads, for every note taped and read on their windows, for every chance they are able to watch each other not so secretly. They fall in love little by little.

♥♥♥

This feeling was brought to light one night when Baekhyun witnesses what he last expected.

After hanging out at a bar with his co-workers on a Friday night after work, Chanyeol brings home a random girl. They kiss fervently, hands roaming around each other’s bodies as Chanyeol leads them both to his bedroom. Unfortunately, he has left his curtains open that night. A habit he started forgetting after greeting Baekhyun an early good morning.

Now by the edge of his bed, before he was able to push them both down, Chanyeol unconsciously glances out his window, and in a split second, his drunken state vanishes. All too abruptly, he stops whatever he was doing, which earns him a whine from the girl who immediately clings to him to leave kisses on his neck.

The sight of Baekhyun standing by his window above, a pained look on his eyes had him freezing. And before he was able to react, Baekhyun draws the curtains close. Even if it was done in a slow calm manner, it was obvious to him how affected Baekhyun was. How his act pained him, especially judging from the shining of his eyes that he did not miss.

“Heey~ Why’d you stop?” The girl whines.

“I’m…” Suddenly panicked feeling an odd pain in his chest, he stops everything. “…I can’t do this.”

“What?~” Not aware of the change of mood, the girl continues to cling. “Why? C’mon, we were getting on the good part.”

“No.. Stop. Stop.”

“Just stop.”

A little too harshly, Chanyeol detaches himself from the girl and tries to ‘patiently’ lead her out his apartment. Due to the abruptness of things, gone her drunken state as well, she leaves with an angry huff; of course, not without insulting him first for leaving her hanging after what was supposed to be a heated night.

“Don’t bring anyone home when you’re just going to get a soft . Tch-“

Ignoring the insults and angry looks he received, once he is left alone, Chanyeol heaves a heavy sigh as he looks out his window again. As a surge of prickling pain hit his chest, he punches his glass none too lightly. Gone the ual frustrations and replaced by other frustrated feelings.

What is happening? Why does it hurt so much?

He doesn’t sleep that night. His mind too busy swirling with different thoughts and images – Baekhyun’s pained look, the finality of his act of closing his curtains, the shine in his eyes; the pain he is feeling.

Why? What is Baekhyun to him to have him feeling this way?

It was a Friday night, so Baekhyun thought of waiting for Chanyeol to at least hold up his good night papers. So when he saw the lights turn on from the room below, he felt ecstatic. But what he saw instead had him freezing, papers scrunched due to the clenching of his fists. An equal surge of pain hits him as he sees Chanyeol kissing and being kissed.

The hurt multiplies tenfold when Chanyeol turns to him and they catch each other’s eyes. The look he had as if caught from doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Jealousy? But that’s just it, what right does he have to feel this way? They only chat through a window no more, no less.

The closing of the curtains tonight felt like it had more meaning. It was only a simple act that he does every day, but due to tonight’s events... it seemed like a slap of reality. Tears fall down his eyes as he sits dejectedly on the floor. His heart hurting as if a thousand needles prickling it he cries even more.

Why? Why is he feeling so hurt?

He doesn’t sleep that night. His heart too pained to brush it off for sleep. His mind too busy swirling with different thoughts and images – Chanyeol kissing, Chanyeol being kissed, the look of guilt in his eyes when he caught his; the pain he is feeling.

They don’t know each other personally. They only talk through papers. So why? What is Chanyeol to him to have him feeling this way?

♥♥♥

Early morning the next day, Chanyeol waits by his window, eager to catch a glimpse of Baekhyun and apologize. Why? He doesn’t even know. But as Saturday passes and Sunday passes too, not a single glimpse of Baekhyun, not even a movement of his curtains… Chanyeol starts to lose hope.

For the next few weeks, for reasons he has yet to understand. The situation they are in at the moment affects him more than it should. For the next few weeks, the abrupt end of their usual chats and leaving of taped words by their windows, have Chanyeol messing up his work. Too busy worrying, thinking, worrying, thinking all throughout. The desperate feelings of his want to apologize and to at least see a glimpse of Baekhyun’s face growing each day. And his change of behavior doesn’t go unnoticed by his colleagues.

“What’s up Yeol?” A colleague asks. “Having love problems?”

“Love problems?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. Though you know? You’ve been acting weird ever since that night you brought that random chick home.”

“Oh…”

At the mention of love, Chanyeol is once again left to his thoughts. Love.

After that night, Baekhyun wonders if it’s okay to go back to their usual routine. But as the images replays in his head, he decides not to do so. Too much heartache, that’s what he’s feeling. Hurt.

For the next few weeks, for reasons he is beginning to understand. The situation they are in at the moment affects Baekhyun in more ways than one. It completely distracts him from school that he ends up messing up his work most of the time. To the point that even his friends notice.

“What’s wrong Baek?”

“Nothing.” Startled from a faraway look, Baekhyun answers. “Why?”

“You’ve been acting weird lately, are you back to sulking over your break up?”

At the mention of his break up, he is brought to another wave of thoughts; realization hitting him little by little.

“Break… up?”

“Yea. The last time I saw you like this was when you broke up with your ex, something happened again? I thou