Please make sure to read the Author's Note at the bottom! :D

Chanyeol ran into Lee Taemin once in the food court, and ever since he hasn’t been there again. He’d tell himself he wasn’t hiding, but there was no other reason for him to be eating premade kale salad on his bed. He was allergic to kale.

It hurt to see the person Baekhyun had, momentarily and drunkenly, chosen over him. Really, even in a drunken state, one doesn’t forget that they have a boyfriend of two years. So the drunkenness shouldn’t even be brought up. Baekhyun was just a .

Chanyeol wondered if Taemin had truly been the first and only affair. Baekhyun had said he was, but he had also lied about the event for nearly two months. Chanyeol didn’t want to think about it. If he did, he would start to suspect every single person Baekhyun had ever had any interaction with. Considering Baekhyun and Taemin hadn’t even had history before that night, anyone could be a suspect.

Putting his plastic plate on the unused side of the bed, Chanyeol hugged his knees and stared at his phone. A part of him wished it would ring, and Baekhyun’s face would illuminate the screen like the good old days. He wasn’t sure if he would decline the call to give himself a sense of power, or accept it just to hear Baekhyun’s voice again. He hadn’t seen him since the day he was in this room to gather his things. He stared at the second key card, still sitting in the exact same spot on the desk.

With a sigh, he picked up his phone. The part of him that wanted to believe that this was nothing but a plot element in a melodramatic movie was disappointed that the phone still didn’t ring. He stared at the screen, almost willing it to do something, anything. All it did was idle out.

Defeated, he put the phone back to its charging position and went back to eating his sad, nearly expired kale salad.

He wondered if there was a quota of apologies Baekhyun could reach for Chanyeol to forgive him and take him back. He wondered if he would take him back after a thousand apologies, and he wondered if Baekhyun would even give a thousand apologies.

He wondered if Baekhyun would move on easily. Would he move on and be with Taemin after? That would hurt.

He wondered how long he would sit in his bed, eat bad salads, and mope over the loss of a relationship that ended in betrayal. He told the critical part of his mind that two years don’t just erase themselves because of one bad experience, but the critical part of his mind thought that they ought to.

“Great,” Chanyeol said to the empty room. “Now I’m having arguments with my own brain. I’m losing my mind.”

His phone rang, and it caught Chanyeol so off guard that he shrieked. He immediately shut his eyes, terrified of knowing what face was on his phone now. He simply waited as it rang, and rang, and rang. Finally, when it was over, he pried one eye open and looked.

It wasn’t Baekhyun at all.

It was Sohee.

Chanyeol sighed.

***

Baekhyun sat on Nanna’s bed, staring at his phone. He wondered if it was even worth pestering Chanyeol about talking to him. It wasn’t like he deserved to be heard.

He heard the front door open and close, and instantly forgot about his own troubles to hop up and help his grandmother carry her groceries in. Nanna didn’t hesitate to slide the bags onto Baekhyun’s waiting fingers. “Good morning, Baek,” she said.

“Good morning, Nanna. You should’ve woken me up to go shopping with you.”

Nanna shrugged. “I managed while you were at school, why shouldn’t I manage now?”

With a sigh, Baekhyun followed her into the kitchen with all of the fridge restock. “Anyway, I think I need to get a part-time job. Maybe even at the grocery store, so that we can get discounts.”

Nanna scoffed. “If you apply, they’ll fire Jang Sungah.”

The boy furrowed his brows. “Who is that?”

“Some kid. She’s the slowest worker there, but absolutely sweet and well-meaning.”

A laugh and a snort. “Are you telling me I can’t apply to the grocery store to save some slow girl’s job?”

“I’m saying stay the at home, Baekhyun.” The cursing wasn’t exactly new, but it being aimed at Baekhyun was a novelty for sure. “You’ve been gone for three and a half years, and the first thing you think of is trying to escape again.”

“Nanna, that is not what I want. I just don’t want to burden you with an extra mouth to feed without an extra income.”

“We survived on my pension before you left, we can sure as hell keep doing it now. Just stay at home, Baekhyun. Keep me company.”

Baekhyun wrapped his arms around his Nanna’s waist from behind, and buried his face into her shoulder. “Nanna, I wouldn’t dream of ever leaving you. You know, before Chanyeol and I broke up, we really did want you to come live in the city with us.”

Nanna sniffled, patting Baekhyun’s hands. “Baekhyun, I’ve missed you so much,” she admitted.

Baekhyun felt every negative feeling of leaving Nanna behind crash into him in waves. He thought back to exactly how many of those times he almost convinced himself to just quit and stay. He thought back to how it had been every single time, each one harder than the last.

Baekhyun sighed.

***

Joonmyun bowed, and waited for Professor Choi to say something. She finally did. “Good, Kim Joonmyun. Does anyone have any questions, or comments?”

No one made a peep or so much as moved a muscle to scratch their heads.

“Okay, you can go ahead and take a seat.”

Joonmyun shuffled to his spot in the centre. He barely stayed mentally present for any other presentation that came after him. It wasn’t until Professor Choi had to call a name multiple times that Joonmyun pulled himself out of his fog.

“Last call for Zhang Yixing?” she yelled. “Jeez, skipping a performance? Some nerve. Alright, next up, Kang Dohee? Please tell me you’re here.”

Kang Dohee laughed in a way that put wind chimes to shame. “Yes,” she announced as she made her way to the stage.

Joonmyun really didn’t pay much attention to Kang Dohee’s presentation. He was busy, lost in thought. Did Yixing really not want to see him that bad? Had he really skipped a performance to avoid Joonmyun? Joonmyun had been stressing out over this class for the fear of seeing Yixing after his confession. To know that Yixing didn’t even want to see him made it so much worse.

Kang Dohee was the last presenter. After her, the class was dismissed. Joonmyun half-heartedly packed up his stuff and shuffled back up to his room.

He opened his door and flung himself onto his bed. He did not weep. He didn’t even cry. He just felt a deep, burning void. Damn. He assumed this was what it felt like to breakup with someone you’d never dated.

Shortly after, he heard a knock on his door. Not wanting to talk to anyone, he pretended not to be in.

The knocking persisted. It persisted for so long Joonmyun guessed that the knocker’s knuckles were pretty bloody by now. He groaned and got up, flinging the door open with an angry, “What?!”

Standing in front of him with a casual suit and a lopsided smirk stood the neon orange sign Joonmyun had gotten so used to.

“Yixing…” He cleared his throat, and his mind. “What are you doing here?”

“I think I owe you a dinner date.” From behind him, he pulled out a bouquet of daffodils.

Joonmyun rolled his eyes. “Is this some sort of joke? What, are you trying to apologize for not realizing my feelings earlier? I am a theatre major after all. I can act, thank you very much. No need to apologize for believing my role.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Yixing said. “I do believe we had a bet? Loser takes the winner out for dinner? Am I mistaken?”

Joonmyun blinked. “But you didn’t even…” Realization dawned on him. “You skipped on purpose. You made sure you would fail so no matter what, you would lose the bet.”

The other half of Yixing’s mouth joined the smirk to form a full blown toothy grin. “I mean, I had to give you a chance,” he said with a wink.

Joonmyun wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t even smiling. “Yixing, whatever game you’re trying to play, I don’t want any part of it.” He tried to close the door, but Yixing stopped it with a hand and a foot.

“Joon, listen to me. I have something very important to tell you, and yes it includes an apology.”

Joonmyun stared blankly into his eyes. They looked like pools of chocolate and Joonmyun hated himself for still wanting to tak