[CONTENTID1]Chapter 19[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]You hurt me. are you happy now?[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3] 

Luhan welcomed the next morning with a whimper and a headache -- but that didn't mean he would stay in bed all day. Having risen early, he headed towards the kitchen and prepared breakfast the first thing before tidying up the penthouse. By the time the clock struck 8, the house was spotless except for the white plastic bag on the couch he had yet to touch. 

He peeped through it, hands to himself, and saw that there was a box inside. He left the plastic bag on the sofa, thinking of putting it on the dining room table but then leaving it be -- it was Sehun's business.

After he was done, he headed to his room to change into some more appropriate clothes. Lay, a friend of his and a culinary student, offered him a job to design his first cafe and Luhan didn't think twice before grabbing the opportunity.

He's currently jobless so he might as well help a friend. Since his car was in the shop, he needed to leave an hour earlier so that he won't get stuck in a traffic jam. Taxis were also kind of hard to get in the morning and he was left with no choice. He made a note to renew his subway card as it had expired a week ago. Luhan huffed at that -- huh, what perfect timing.

When he passed the living room, Sehun had seated himself at the table with the morning newspaper, a cup of half-filled coffee in front of him. He kept his focus solely on the paper, not sparing a glance to the doe-eyed boy. Luhan did the same, figuring it was best not to acknowledge each other.

He punched in the code and headed out the door, still slipping his shoes on as he waited for the elevator. When it arrived, he stepped in and pressed the lobby button, watching the doors close. Only seconds later, they opened again to let Sehun in.

Luhan instantly brought his gaze down, looking at his feet.

"I'll bring you to work." Sehun offered out of nowhere.

"I'll be fine on my own. I can get there by taxi." 

"It's hard to find a taxi in this area."

"I'll make sure to call one, then."

"Fine, do whatever you want! It's hard talking to a thick-headed person like you."

Sehun glared at him, storming away as soon as their elevator reached the ground floor. Luhan clicked his tongue, his eyes following his husband's hurried steps until he was safely in his own car. He didn't peel his gaze away until the car had pulled into traffic.

He crossed his arms, feeling furious at being called thick-headed. How long was this going to happen? It didn't seem like their cold war would die down any time soon. Luhan assured himself that it wasn't his fault -- Sehun always liked to create distance between them and Luhan certainly wasn't to blame for that.

Luhan had given up so many times -- now was the perfect time to start taking his own feelings into consideration for once. He wouldn't let Sehun blame him for things anymore and, if the doctor got mad, then that wasn't his problem. Sehun had to learn a lesson.

He truly felt sorry for standing up to Sehun but he'd had enough. He wasn't giving up this time!

_

Only the heavens knew how shocked he was when he arrived and saw Lay and Kai sitting comfortably, even laughing with a cup of cold drink in each of their hands! He even rubbed his eyes until they became red because am I really seeing Kai here or is that my imagination? After being engulfed in a big hug by his friend, he realised that everything was real. 

Explaining that the two would be working on the project together only earned Kai a sharp pain to the rib. Luhan felt pretty satisfied after giving Kai the pinch of his life, although he was still a little upset about this reveal. It wasn't Kai's fault either -- both had no idea that they were going to work together and Kai had only been informed when he'd met Lay earlier.

Lay explained that he wasn't actually expecting Kai and Luhan to know each other, yet alone be best friends.  He was glad that the two already had established chemistry; his cafe would turn out amazing now.

By the evening, all of their work was carefully planned and Lay offered to buy the two dinner. Luhan being Luhan, he rejected the offer as per usual. After all, he did have a husband at home that would return from work soon with an empty stomach. He didn't want to upset Sehun for no reason.

Kai kept insisting on driving him home and every time he pleaded, Luhan would only shake his head and decline politely, followed with an eye roll every time Kai wasn't looking.

Sometimes Luhan doesn't get his friend -- it's not like Kai was oblivious to Sehun's anger when he'd dropped him off the other day. Heck, Kai probably already had a good idea on just how awful Luhan's marriage actually was.

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