this was it. it was now or never. it was his final chance to confess. his brain told him to run; his feet didn't move. a resonating voice announced that the last plane of the night heading to beijing was leaving in two minutes.

two minutes. one hundred and twenty seconds. 

sehun tried to work out how long it would take him to get to the corresponding terminal but just as he finalised his plan, the same voice announced the departure of the plane. his chance was gone. it had flown away from him when it was just within his reach. 

it took sehun a few seconds to realise what had happened, but when he did he crumpled. he didn't feel his knees hitting the floor or think of the people staring at him; he felt only his heart shattering and thought only of luhan.

luhan. beautiful, beautiful luhan. 

luhan who had taken care of him when he was sick; luhan who had defended him when the other members were teasing him; luhan who laughed at every single one of his jokes and helped him to become a better person. if you asked oh sehun, luhan was perfect. he was pure in every way and he had let him slip away. 
what an idiot.

unbeknownst to him, sehun had been followed into the airport and that same person had been watching him the whole time. slowly, they made their way over and rested their hand on sehun's shoulder. for the briefest moment, sehun thought it was luhan; it happens - maybe he decided to stay and sehun would get his chance after all. he looked up slowly, hopefully, desperately.

jongin smiled gently down at him, as best friends do. he crouched down next to him and whispered words of comfort and reassurance. they stayed there for a while, but eventually jongin persuaded sehun to get up off the cold floor. sehun really didn't want to leave - he felt as though if he left, he would break. jongin practically carried the younger over to the door, out to the car and into the passenger seat; sehun was far too heartbroken to function properly. 

they were silent for most of the drive home. jongin drove, sehun stared. then suddenly, sehun spoke.

'I love him,  Jongin.'
'I know, Sehun. I know.'

and for the first time in a long time, sehun cried.