'I love you.'

1.7k, unhealthy amount of fluff, from this prompt, gif credit

She laughs, hard, at the stupid, lame joke Chanyeol just said. She seems genuine, too, apparently finding his corny puns funny, and Chanyeol is a little bit amazed by the fact – because his friends always sigh exasperatedly at his puns and beg him to stop.

“Oh—my god,” she wheezes after coughing. “I’m so, so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Her boisterous laugh has drawn people’s attention to them, and Chanyeol guesses that it’s not the first time it happened to her.

They had told him that Yoon Bomi is a loud girl, that she would be a perfect fit for him. Although Chanyeol didn’t think she would be that loud, he thinks perhaps they’re right – about her being a perfect fit for him.

He shrugs, his chest feels warm after the refreshing laugh and it makes him stupidly proud. “… I like your laugh…,” he says, lowering his gaze to the white tablecloth instead.

Chanyeol hears her intakes of breath and he wonders if he’s being too bold at their first meeting – their first date that their friends arrange – but then he hears a soft mumble, “Thank you,” and when he glances up the girl is blushing.

Chanyeol smiles, the possibility of a second date just rise from 75% to 150%.

*

“I have something for you,” Chanyeol says, smile brighter than the sky outside the café. He pulls something out from his bag and when he raises his hand, he’s holding a small pink teddy bear with red scarf around its neck.

“Uwaaa,” Bomi’s own smile blooms. “For me? Thank you!” She takes the stuffed doll from him, ruffling the bear’s fur and touches the nose before looks up back to Chanyeol. “What’s the occasion?”

Chanyeol takes a sip of his latte before he answers, “No reason. It just reminded me of you.”

“Really, now?” the tilt on Bomi’s lips is teasing. “Which part?”

He grins, teeth on display, right eye smaller than the left, doesn’t realize that he has a little bit of foam from his latte on the corner of his mouth. “The cute part.”

*

They had been on a lot of dates after the first one, there were cafés and restaurants and movies and water park and amusement park and aquarium and a friend’s wedding, and Chanyeol doesn’t think he wants any other person in the world anymore, except for the girl who’s sitting next to him.

They’re by the river, in a rather secluded spot, rolling out a mat and bring snacks and drinks.

Chanyeol plays music from his phone and Bomi hums to them all, already familiar with the songs in his phone by now.

They’ve been drinking, but it’s not the alcohol. It’s quiet and serene around them, but it’s not the situation. She looks really pretty tonight, but it’s not only about her looks.

It’s just Chanyeol and his feelings, for her.

He reaches out for her hand and Bomi glances, smiling, continues to hum lightly.

“… Can I kiss you?” he asks, out of the blue, and he can tell Bomi is surprised.

They had been on a lot of dates and Chanyeol had held Bomi’s hand before, but there’s no label on their relationship yet, and for sure, there hasn’t been a kiss happened so far.

Chanyeol hopes to change that.

Bomi stares and Chanyeol waits patiently, eyes locked on hers, undeterred.

He gets the answer from her smile and the nod that follows after.

*

Chanyeol bites back a smile, amused by the amount of concentration his girlfriend gives at choosing which cake to buy – black forest or the cheesecake. Bomi takes dessert very seriously. If anyone says It’s just dessert or I don’t eat dessert, Bomi will stare at them hard as if they grown two heads (and one of them has Voldemort’s face).

They decide to meet up at the café Bomi likes – because they sell the best cakes and sweets there – and despite coming there at least once a month, Bomi still has difficulties at deciding which cake to buy every time.

“Come on now, I have an appointment after this,” Chanyeol finally says, picking the cheesecake and putting it on his plate. Then he picks the black forest and places it on Bomi’s plates, ignoring how Bomi’s eyes go wide at the decision made for her.

“But—”

Chanyeol was already in front of the cashier, opening his wallet to pay for them both. He looks over his shoulder, still amused at his girlfriend and her obsession with cakes. “We can share. You can have half,” he nods to the cheesecake in his plate, chuckling after when Bomi’s face brightens.

They both know that Bomi will be the one who eats 90% of the cakes, and Chanyeol is okay with that.

*

Chanyeol loads the luggage into the trunk and closes it before he returns to the driver seat, fastening his seat belt. Bomi climbs up to the front seat a minute later, singing the latest song from BEAST, throwing her bag carelessly to the back seat.

“You don’t forget your phone? Purse? Ticket? Toothbrush?” Chanyeol asks the girl, already accustomed with her tendency of forgetting things when packing.

“Uuuh…” Bomi stops singing and grabs her bag back, checking everything inside. “Yeah. Nope. I’m good!” She takes out her traveling toothbrush and grins to Chanyeol, showing it off to him.

“Okay. We’re leaving, then.” Chanyeol starts the engine and he already steps on the clutch, changing the gear, before he remembers something. “Is your seatbelt on?”

Bomi looks down to herself, at the same time Chanyeol turns to look at her.

“Oh.” She grins sheepishly realizing that indeed, she hasn’t put on her seatbelt yet. Chanyeol can only shake his head, leaning over the gear to help Bomi puts her seatbelt.

She leans forward and pecks his cheek, giggling. “Thanks, my personal assistant, I will raise your pay.”

Chanyeol says nothing, opting in rolls his eyes instead.

*

“Ng… I dreamt about you last night,” Chanyeol mumbles sleepily, eyes closed and left cheek pressed into the pillow under him. The phone lays on the right side of his face and Chanyeol counts on his cheek to hold it up.

“Really? What did I do?” Bomi’s voice can be heard from the other line. She’s definitely more awake that he is.

“Umm… you’re here. With me. Cuddling.”

Bomi is quiet for a while. “… That sounds nice.”

“Mmmery.” Chanyeol probably means very.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she tells him, “… and we’ll make you dream comes true.”

“S’good…”

“My flight is a little bit late, so I’ll take the taxi—”

“NooooWW—“ It’s a no but Chanyeol yawns right after, “… I’ll pick. Up. Station—Airport.” A pause when Chanyeol re-thinks his words. “… I’ll pick you up at the airport tomo—rhoowww.” He yawns again.

Bomi chuckles, “Okay, you really need to sleep now.” Her boyfriend lets a protest in the form on sleepy groan, and Bomi laughs again. “No, really. I need to go. And you, Mister, need some rest. Talk to you tomorrow, Sleepyhead. Bye bye, love you.”

Chanyeol only wakes long enough to put his phone aside before he nuzzles to his pillow, having another dream of the girl he misses so much.

*

“Um, I will. … okay. Okay, bye. Love you too.” Nana ends up her phone call and she looks up to her company across the table, right on time to catch Chanyeol’s uneasy expression. “What?” she asks, raising her eyebrows, but the guy just shakes his head, scratching his nose. Nana catches on. “Really? You’re still allergic to ‘I love you’?”

Chanyeol frowns. “I’m not allergic!” He just doesn’t think it’s necessary to say it often.

“Fine, you’re not, but you say it once in a lifetime. When did the last time you tell Bomi you love her?” Nana presses on.

“Hmm…” Probably when Bomi moved to his apartment and they spent the night together. That was a couple of months ago. He thinks he said it to her back then. Maybe.

“Exactly,” his friend doesn’t wait for Chanyeol’s answer. “And when did the last time Bomi said she loves you?”

“… This morning.” When they woke up and Bomi said she wanted to sleep five minutes more, but Chanyeol let her sleep and made the breakfast instead. Bomi gave him a kiss, a grin, and an ‘I love you’.

Nana snaps her fingers. “HA!”

“What did I miss?” Bomi shows up, putting down Chanyeol’s strawberry juice and her own Ice Americano on the table before she sits next to Chanyeol.

“There’s this thing that I don’t understand,” Nana directs her attention to Bomi now. “You’re like… an ‘I love you’ dispenser. You looove saying it, and you can’t stop saying it. And I remember clearly that you used to be so upset with your ex-boyfriend cause you think he doesn’t say it as often.”

“Hmm…,” Bomi drinks her coffee and scrunches her nose at the bitter taste. Without being asked Chanyeol pushes his own glass to her and Bomi takes it, sipping the sweet juice. “True.” Nana is her best friend and she’s also the one who introduces her to Chanyeol, her co-worker, naturally she knows about Bomi and her past.

“So why it’s okay with Chanyeol?”

“Because…,” Bomi glances at him and Chanyeol raises his eyebrows, anticipating the answer. “I already know that he does, he doesn’t need to say it anymore. Hehe. Aren’t you? You’re in love with me aren’t you?”

Chanyeol scoffs at his girlfriend’s confidence, but really, he can’t say no to that, so he just pulls her ear playfully, rubbing and playing with it after.

“See, see!” Bomi turns to Nana, still grinning. “You can see the love in his eyes when he looks at me!” She looks around, making sure no one pays attention to them, before landing a quick kiss on Chanyeol’s lips. “Don’t worry, I know, I love you too.”

“… Thanks,” Chanyeol mutters, ruffling Bomi’s hair, not only for the ‘I love you’, but also for her understanding. Because he had a problem too before, with his ex-girlfriend, when she thought he didn’t love her just because he didn’t say it out loud.

He thinks – he knows that he’s lucky to have Bomi.

And Chanyeol does.

Love her.

…

“I’m still here, you know?” Nana says, tapping her nails to the table. “Stop sending love laser with your eyes, it’s gross.”

At first I just wrote random drabbles but then I realized I can make it like they're one story. I'm sorry for the excessive amount of fluff, I don't know why I keep on writing them in established relationship in this collection...