*4 years ago*

Yixing was walking through the halls of his high school. This is his third year of going here but everything was better this year. He only had to take his favorite classes, he had the most amazing friends in the world and as of 2 weeks ago he also had a boyfriend. The gods seemed to be smiling down on him and granting him everything his heart desired. Not only was his boyfriend the hottest, iest and most gorgeous guy in existence but as a bonus he was also Yixing’s best friend. They had met a few years prior and it only took a quick conversation to know that they belonged together. Yixing always believed they were soulmates but without the romantic feelings, that was until 3 months ago. He noticed that the most interesting conversations were with him. He realised his heartbeat picking up whenever he laid eyes on the boy. He felt how nervous and clammy his hands got whenever he was around him. However the biggest change in himself that he discovered was that he smiled a lot more when he was with him. He brightened his day, his life and made everything better. That did not mean Yixing was lonely or unhappy without a boyfriend. It meant he was a different person with or without one. Without a boyfriend Yixing is someone who loves everyone dearly but struggles with friends or family leaving him, feeling like all the love and time he invests in others is not returned. With a boyfriend Yixing feels blessed because he finally found someone who can give him the love he so desperately needs and craves to receive from others. Having a boyfriend, or his 2 loyal friends for that matter, means getting to love and be loved in return. Yixing is happy that after all that he has been through he finally has reached the perfect picture, his perfect picture. Yes it is bad to let your happiness depend on others, he thinks about it all the time and wished that he had the ability to change that about himself. However he also took great pride into his loving and kind nature, his want and need to look after others and to make sure that they are happy and comfortable. In a way that’s what brought him happiness too even though it was a tad lonely sometimes.

“Xing” he heard behind him and he turned around to see his boyfriend running towards him. His strong but slim figure advancing to him, a bright smile on his beautiful but small face, a twinkle in those magnificent brown orbs of him. Seeing him like this Yixing’s heart expanded and threatened to explode out of his chest. How on earth did he ever get so lucky?

“Hi babe” he greeted him when the boy finally reached his side. Yixing immediately wrapped his arm around the other’s waist and held him closely to his side. It was a habit of his to keep his loved ones close like this. He thought it was because of his hidden fear of people leaving him and of being isolated. Not that he ever thought Luhan would leave him. The older had made a promise to him to always stand by him, to always have his back and to always love him. He had said: “Whenever times get hard, no matter how often we fight or disagree, who leaves or who stays I swear, I promise to always work my hardest to maintain our friendship and to always be by your side”. It’s a promise that Yixing will carry with him and never forget for it was the most sincere one he had ever heard from someone.

Luhan’s arm was draped over his shoulder. The elder was never one for much skinship in public. What Yixing hadn’t noticed was that the skinship was toned down when the two boys started dating. However it was something that was seen by a really close friend of his; Baekhyun. He didn’t trust Luhan and was shocked when both boys had told him and Sehun that they were a couple. He thought it unfair that Luhan was the one to get Yixing for he believed that the elder’s intentions were less than honorable. However that didn’t mean he voiced his opinion. Yixing and himself were just friends right? If Sehun was here he would tell him to stop sending death stares towards Luhan. But why was he doing that? What was it to him that Yixing was dating Luhan? Nothing right. Exactly it was nothing and Baekhyun needed to learn to see it as such.

The couple was walking down the corridor towards their next class followed by a crabby Baekhyun and a very amused Sehun. “What are you guys up to this afternoon?” Sehun asked all of them. “Luhan and I are going into town to look for a couple item” Yixing said. It has been his idea and Luhan didn't want to do such a thing but with a little bit of pouting and cute actions he had gotten his way. “Just because Yixing wants to do that” Luhan muttered loud enough for everyone to hear it. Baekhyun rolled his eyes at this. “You’re a ” he said aimed at the oldest of the group and walked past him, with bumping shoulder as to get his point across. Yixing stood there looking very confused. Luhan wanted to chase Baekhyun and give him a piece of his mind and Sehun was left feeling worried because he knew exactly why his friend was acting this way.

…..

It has been a few months that Luhan and him have been dating but Yixing still didn’t realise how distant they had gotten. He really was a fool in love. They still kissed every now and then but they were heated or suggesting to go further than that. Luhan did initiate skinship but it was always an arm around the waist or holding hands. Never did the two hug or cuddle in public (occasionally in the bedroom if one of the two slept over at the other’s). Yixing just thought that the elder had trouble with those kind of things since he was his first boyfriend. They both weren’t too experienced with dating the same but Yixing responded on instinct and would react the same way how he did with his very first girlfriend. His opinion was that if you love a person romantically you’d want to be as close to them as possible, which meant sharing kisses, holding hands and eventually have . Last night he had tried again with Luhan, making the kisses hungrier, using more tongue and even biting the elder’s lip. However when Yixing moved on top of his boyfriend and had grinded himself onto the other he was pushed off with Luhan saying he didn’t want to do this. Right this moment he was sitting on the steps of the frontdoor of their school with Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun, am I not attractive?” Yixing started. He felt incredibly insecure about this whole thing with Luhan. Perhaps it was something that he did or perhaps Luhan just wasn’t ready but it had been months since they started dating and Yixing craved a more intimate relationship with the elder. Baekhyun was a bit flustered when he heard the question that was just asked. What would have caused Yixing to doubt himself like that? Normally he is fairly confident in himself. If he was honest with himself he didn’t feel comfortable answering this question. Lately he’d been feeling weird towards Yixing. He envied the looks he gave to his boyfriend. He wanted to be on the receiving end. Baekhyun had noticed how angry he was with Luhan whenever he saw him dodge Yixing’s attempts at skinship. He was convinced that Yixing deserved to be treated better than than and he had caught himself thinking that he would do better if given the chance. He was in denial and he knew it very well. But he dealt with Yixing not having eyes for him other than being friends and his happiness was more important so whatever he was feeling towards the older was tucked away safely in the confines of his heart. However that still didn’t solve the predicament Baekhyun was in now. How on earth could he answer this without seeming like a total idiot?

“Personally I think you are very handsome Yixing. You are nice too, you have a big heart and a caring nature. I think those are admirable qualities that would have the power to make you seem attractive to some. Why do you ask? Normally you are quite confident.” Baekhyun answered and took pride in the fact that he actually sounded nonchalant and normal. Yixing shrugged his shoulder and sighed. “Luhan doesn’t want to get intimate with me. I don't know if he isn’t ready yet or that he doesn’t think I am attracted enough. I have been ignoring it. I’ve been in denial Baek.” he said with his eyes cast down. The boy that once seemed so happy and strong now looked exhausted and defeated. Baekhyun was worried and at the same time he feared that what the older meant with denial was something Sehun and himself had seen from the start; that Luhan wasn’t in love with him. He had noticed it from the start. Normally Luhan would always give you a hug, touch your arm, hold your hand but ever since he started to get romantically involved it lessened. At least it did with Yixing whilst the skinship with Sehun only seemed to grow. If it was Baekhyun then he would have said Luhan was dating the youngest of the group. He took in Yixing’s face once again and the heartbreak was present in the deep frown that graced his once delicate features. If his gut feeling was right then Luhan would have to run for his life.

“What do you mean with denial Yixing?” Baekhyun asked, wrapping his arm around his best friend (and I suppose crush as well). The elder scooted closer so that he could fully lean into Baekhyun’s presence. He had always enjoyed the smaller next to him. Baekhyun was a person he could built upon, he could trust him, always and forever. “I have the feeling that Lu doesn’t know how to deal with having a boyfriend. I don’t think he was ever ready to take this step with me. I know he loves me and we have made our promises and we’re true to them but will he ever get to where I am? Do you understand what I mean?” Yixing said softly. The defeatment seeped through his voice making him seem even more pitiful and sad. Baekhyun did know what he meant and he was terrified that his best friend’s hunch was wrong. However he had to comfort him because that was what he needed the most right now. “I do get what you mean. If Luhan truly loves you then he will get there. All you can do is point out you’re in it for him. Be patient. We all go at our own pace. Perhaps Lu is a little slower” Baekhyun spoke. He hated hiding things from his friend but technically he didn’t lie. If Luhan loves Yixing then he will get to Yixing’s desired point. But was Luhan’s heart in the right place he wondered.

*****

1 year and 2 months their relationship, or well fake relationship lasted before Luhan told Yixing the truth. All this time his best friend had been lying to him. He had been toyed with, played, deceived and whatever other word you can find for this situation. He had been shocked at first but then realisation kicked in. Deep down in his unconsciousness he had known that Luhan was playing a game with him but he was too in love to see it. He literally was blinded by love, by trust, by the promises and good faith that he had in his former best friend. They had said forever. He had promised forever, no matter how hard it would be he said he would fight. But Luhan broke that promise. He bailed on the one thing that was true between them, or well it was true to Yixing.

It happened at school and it cause quite a commontion. Yixing was having lunch with Luhan when the latter decided to tell him that all the time they spent together as a couple was a lie. He said that he had never been romantically in love with him and that he had used Yixing to make another person jealous, and to, in a weird way, let that guy know he was a homoual. What surprised him was that he wasn’t sad. Sure his heart was just ripped out of his chest and torn to pieces but what he felt the most was anger. He was hurt not because he lost the person he was in love with for the past year and a half but because he was betrayed and used as a toy by his best friend. The following what he did was something he would never have done if he was in a right state of mind. He grabbed his carton of milk, opened it and poured it all over Luhan’s head, then squeazed it together and threw the empty carton in the elder’s face. Baekhyun and Sehum came sprinting towards them when they saw it happen and demanded an explaination. “That just told me our relationship was based on a lie. He…. He never even ING LOVED ME” Yixing shouted and walked away. Baekhyun now red with rage flung himself at Luhan and started punching him in the face, chest, arms, whatever he could reach. Yixing regaining a bit of his sanity and conposure ripped both boys apart and assured Baekhyun that he was fine. “There will be more pain in your future if we ever meet again. I suggest you go and take your lies and schemes with you. Come on Yixing this isn’t worthy of our time” Baekhyun threatened and then too Yixing’s hand in his. Yixing looked back once and in that short period of time Luhan could see how badly he has hurt his friend. He saw how wrong he was, how stupid he had been by thinking this was going to work. He felt guilty for ruining his friendship. His perfect friendship…. No he didnt lose a friend. He lost his brother. Because of his own greed and stupidity he had lost the one perso that meant the most to him in the world. That one look in Yixing’s eyes made him realise what an idiot, no what an he really was.

There was one person throughout this commontion that had not moved, spoken or even took a breath. Sehun stood there while his two best friends walked away, stood there seeing Luhan’s face filled with guilt, stood there thinking, wondering, pondering and fearing. He was scared that the person Luhan did this for was himself. He was scared that the person Luhan did this for wasn’t himself. He wanted to be mad at him but he couldn’t. Sehun was conflicted in choosing his best friend or the man that he himself was in love with. Did he go for loyalty or love? In the end Sehun opted for loyalty and made his way out of the cafeteria and finding his two best friends. However in his heart he swore that he would never let Luhan go. One way or another he would find a way to fix this all and to discover whether or not Luhan was in love with him as well.

*****

A/N: Sorry my lovely readers for taking so long with this chapter. I thought it would be difficult to write this but it turned out that it was actuallly a breeze. I hope you enjoy it. Now this one cleared up a lot of stuff. On why Yixing is the way he is, on why Sehun was acting so strange and who the mystery man in Sehun’s home was. There will be around 2 more chapters and then I am ending this one. I hope you aren’t too disappointed with this sad news. Thank you all for making this experience a good one. I love you my dear readers ♡