“Because, if you could love someone, and keep loving them, without being loved back . . . then that love had to be real. It hurt too much to be anything else.” ~ Sarah Cross

         When he returned home, he found Sehun and Jongin waiting for him. They looked nervous and Tao was starting to get anxious.

“We decided to accept your offer Tao. I am sorry to be so egoistical but we’ve come too far to stop now. Just tell us if you ever feel uncomfortable or anything similar. We will try to be as gentle as possible with you. Damn, I can’t believe I am saying this to me best friend!”

“It’s okay, Sehun. I am aware that things won’t be the same between us ever again but we will worry about that later, alright? We can do this!”

It’s funny the things you would be capable of doing for love. If somebody had told Tao before he met Sehun and Jongin that he would not only fall in love with them but also carry their child, he would have laughed in their face because things like that happened only in the movies. Well, the things Tao was going through at the moment felt very real.

Six months after they started their rather peculiar relationship, Tao was starting to feel that this just wasn’t meant to be. He had no symptoms of a potential pregnancy and he didn’t know how to break the news to Sehun and Jongin. The only thing he found strange was that he was eating a lot lately. He had always been a heavy eater due to his very active lifestyle but this was just ridiculous. When he noticed he had gotten a belly, he was internally panicking. Sehun and Jongin were making fun of him and he was upset. He decided it was high time he talked to somebody about this. He went to his doctor and told him about his acute hunger and about the fact that he had put quite some weight on in the past three months. His medic told him he needed to run some basic tests to see if there was anything wrong. When his doctor informed him about the cause of his rather unusual symptoms he almost had a heart attack. He found out he was pregnant and wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this. Sure, he was happy but at the same time sad. He was already in his fourth month and that meant that in 5 months’ time he was going to have to leave Sehun, Jongin and his baby forever. He was so scared he wouldn’t be able to separate from them when the time would come. He really wished for a miracle. He wanted a chance to be happy but he was not sure God could give it to him.

When he told the news to Sehun and Jongin, they were basically floating with happiness. They kissed Tao over and over again and dragged him into their bed to cuddle. Now they finally had the answer as to why Tao was developing a bump and to them it was incredible to believe that a tiny little baby was already growing inside. Tao just wanted to cry because it seemed that people like him did not deserve to be happy. Seeing Sehun and Jongin being so affectionate with each other made him realize that he would never fit into their perfect life. He had been the third wheel in their relationship from the beginning and he would continue being one until the end. He was more resolute than ever to go back to China after giving birth. He was so tired of loving so intensely but never having the chance of receiving the same kind of love in return. It was time to end this once and for all even if it meant living with his heart broken for the rest of his life. 

All throughout his pregnancy, Sehun and Jongin had been extremely caring but Tao was certain it was all because of the baby that was about to arrive. He didn’t dare hope they might have gotten to feel more for him than gratefulness or just what a friend might feel for another because this was the real life and in the real life things like that don’t really happen.

That didn’t mean, however, that he wasn’t basking in all the care and attention they were giving him and the baby. In fact, he was ecstatic about how much they were spoiling him. He had to admit there were many moments in his pregnancy when he had been extremely moody and hard to get along with, but Sehun and Jongin hadn’t even complained once. Sometimes, Tao felt guilty for taking advantage of their kindness and their love for their future baby but he knew he wouldn’t be able to feel this kind of affection ever again after givin