Baekhyun looked at the beautiful woman in front of him. Her hair was midnight-black and it flowed over her shoulders. She had soft lips, they were a shade of rosy pink. She had a cheerful character. She had glossy skin. She had a bouncy personality and a sugary voice, which he adored. Not content to be just another drone, she wore vibrant clothes. He had technically known her his whole life. She was mature and clever. She could be a great mother to his kids one day. 

But still, Baekhyun couldn't bring himself to ask Taeyeon to marry him. He didn't know why but he just didn't feel like to do it. The whole setting felt just so.... wrong.

Flashbacks of his mother constantly hinting him to settle down with someone already came to him. His father talking about retiring and handing the business down to him had been constant. The world out there wasn't old-fashioned anymore but he knew he couldn't let his parents down. They had always been so good to him, throughout his life, and even at the present telling him to marry anyone he wished to. He had the choice of choosing the person he would like to spend the rest of his life with, but he had to do the thing. Marry.

He was only 19, but still there was that aura of pressure on him.

He knew there was no one in that town he related to more than Taeyeon, he admired and respected her immensely too. 

Maybe love will grow between us.........

He kneeled down on one knee, right on the porch, as the sun was setting in front of them. He pulled the ring out from the glove department from his coat. He kept remembering how ecstatic his mother had been when he told his intentions to her.

"Kim Taeyeon, Will you marry me?"

Baekhyun looked at the range of expressions flicking across her face. 

"What?"

She looked shocked at first, sceptical next and finally had a shadow of sadness on her. Baekhyun was thoroughly confused at her reaction. Her fingers closed around the box as she gently pushed it towards him.

"I wouldn't mind spending my life with you at all Baekhyun-ah, but please, please, think about this clearly. For all i know, you would mind later and i don't want you to regret anything."

"I have thought about it Taeyeon!"

"How about you spend a bit more time on this? By the end of the year, if you still want to, we'll get married,"

Baekhyun looked at the sad expression on her face which convinced him to listen to her. Taeyeon always helped him to make the right decisions and if she wanted him to wait, he would.

"Now go home and have a rest, why don't you?" she gestured towards his house.

Baekhyun nodded absentmindedly, as he awkwardly got up and started walking. He saw Taeyeon waving at him as she went out the gate, leaving Baekhyun with tons of questions. He was pretty damn sure she didn't have anyone else in her life, as he wouldn't have asked her if that was the case. Just 2 years ago, when they both had turned 17, she had talked to him a long while about this. Their families highly approved of it too. But first of all, what was up with that expression on her face which looked so...... dejected. It was like she was reminded of something horrible, but God knows what.

                                                                                 -------------

After he had somehow managed to explain his mom about it even though he couldn't understand himself, he went to his room. He lay on his bed, confused as ever, his legs halfway down. As he bent over to remove his boots, his eye caught something shining, because of the small amount of sunlight which managed to spill out through his curtains. 

Curiosity getting the better of him, he pulled out the rather heavy chest towards him.

He lifted the lid carefully and peered inside. There was a faint smell of jasmine. It was filled with a variety of things ranging from university t-shirts to medals. He picked out two shirts, which looked exactly the same, but were vastly different in sizes. One was really big while the other seemed small enough to fit Baekhyun. He felt an urgent need to try it on. As he slid it on, he was quite surprised as it fit him perfectly. He looked at the mirror and felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. His father hadn't been keen on sending Baekhyun to university at all. "I want you to learn to handle the business from me," he had said. Baekhyun shook his head to clear the thoughts and rummaged further into the trunk. There were a lot of things university students might usually have along with a few personal items. There was a beautiful plain silver bracelet with 'To my B' embedded on it. How strange that the 'B' person had the same first letter as him. But it was pure coincidence anyway. He slid the bracelet onto his hand and marvelled on how beautiful it was. As he stared at his hand for a few more seconds he felt a strange sensation, and along with it came a pounding headache. It actually  his felt as though it had come like a train, the sensation so overwhelming. He clutched his head as he slowly rose from the bed and removed the shirt. He went near the door and shouted that he wouldn't have dinner that night and quickly went in again. At the state he was in, he couldn't even imagine eating. 

He turned off the lights and went to his bed, hands never leaving his aching head. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he slipped into unconsciousness. 

                                                                              -------------

Baekhyun scans the horizon as he goes on walking, the air was rich with winter jasmine, a green meadow bathed in the humid light of a sinking sun, the goats – walked with hanging heads, open mouths and the long, floppy ears swaying to the rhythm of the stumble trot – they too, seem to crawl. Creeping their hooves, they raise a cloud of red dust that wrapped and accompanied them during the whole way. 
There is a group of people laughing, standing in a circle out of their mud houses. A few girls were sitting near the group, playing with what seemed like hay.
He walks towards a shady canopy of trees ahead and looks around. There was a rustling sound and he turned towards it. As he looks at the person coming towards him, he feels his heart thundering against his chest. Even though he hadn't seen the stranger before in his life but he felt like he knew him better than the back of his own hand.
The boy is tall and lean, with dark hair that flops down his face and a smile so beautiful it took his breath away. His clothes are old-fashioned and strange. At his neck is a scarf with a weird design, tied in a particular way.
Chanyeol, he thinks, His name must be Chanyeol.
"Hey," Chanyeol says smiling. His hand reaches to grasp Baekhyun's, holding it tight.

Baekhyun sits up with a start, heart racing. He wonders where he is for a moment, as his eyes adjust to the light of his room. It was already morning. He lets out a relieved sigh, because he had only been dreaming. He remembers examining the strange trunk and a big headache coming his way the night before. His head felt much better now. But....that dream was so... realistic. He could remember the dream very clearly. It was as clear as day in his mind. He recollects the gorgeous boy in his dream, who had his heart pounding. Chanyeol. That name rung through his mind. How did I know his name? He hadn't ever heard the name before, but it came so naturally to him. The dream was weird.. but it was a good kind of weird. He could feel something on his hand and peered at it. It was the bracelet. As he took it off, he realized he had it on his hand in the dream too. Strange. He gets up from the bed with a shrug, because after all it was only a dream. He did feel a tad disappointed though.

He walks down the stairs and finds his mother humming a tune and happily doing something in the kitchen. He walks to her and slings an arm over her shoulder. She sends a smile at him and resumes her cooking.

"Why didn't you have dinner yesterday?", his mother inquired .

"Didn't feel like it. But i'm really hungry now."

The smell of bacon and eggs, wafted up to his nose and his stomach growled in response. His mother chuckled at that and continued preparing the food. He wondered if he should ask her about the trunk upstairs, and proceeded to do it.

"Do you know anything about the trunk in my room?"

His mother froze when she heard his question. "Why?"

"Simply. Just curious."

She clearly hesitated then she let out a reply. "I- It was here before we moved in."

"Oh. Okay," Baekhyun shrugged. So it was probably a few years old.

                                                                              -------------

Baekhyun was lazily wielding the hoofpick of Blaze, one of the horses of his father's livery, that afternoon.

"HEY!! I'm really sorry i'm late!", hollered a voice behind him. At the person's approach, the chestnut horse nickered and dropped his forefoot at the sudden interference, knocking Baekhyun's cap askew in the process.

"Who the- Oh it's you, Sehun. You could have come without announcing it to the whole place, couldn't you?", Baekhyun deadpanned. Sehun pouted. "I thought you missed me~", he whined.

"As if. Now get to work or I'm telling Mr.Oh you would rather take care of your dear grandmother this summer," He said with a smirk to the younger. Sehun gaped for a moment and then quickly started working because there was no way he would let that happen. He did love his grandmother, but he already had a horrible time the past year. As time went by, both of them got busy working with only an intrusion from Mr.Byun to check up on them.

Baekhyun Blaze's mane one last time and thought of having lunch. He looked at Sehun, who was tending gently to a mare. He smiled; the animal outweighed the younger a lot but the kid knew what he was doing. If Baekhyun should be really honest, Sehun looked as thin as a whipsnake and about as shapely, except maybe his which the older would about. He snapped out of his thoughts and told Sehun to wrap up for lunch. 

The both of them sat on a stack of hay, munching away on their lunch. Just then, someone put their arms around both of them.
Baekhyun knew instantly who it was.

"Luhan, we're having lunch for God's sake so you can fondle us later."

He stuck his tongue out playfully and came to sit in front of them. Luhan's family owned a nice big ranch, easily one of the biggest in the region. It was located in the outskirts of the town, but it wasn't too far from the livery barn. Both of their families had a solid relationship from long before, so naturally they were the source for their horses and wood.

"Do you want some?",asked Sehun uncharacteristically shyly. Baekhyun wondered why the brat was so acting so soft and How come Sehun's sharing his food?!? and then he noticed the light blush dusting his cheeks. Oh. Sehun was acting strangely with Luhan the past few weeks but then Baekhyun had brushed it off too caught up in his own miseries. Baekhyun chuckled inwardly. Now I know all about your little crush Oh Sehun.

Luhan politely declined saying he was full and hung his hand loosely on Sehun's shoulder as he went on blabbering about his seemingly annoying relatives not realizing the effect he was having on the latter. Sehun made him have a bite anyway, insisting that they were too delicious. Luhan hummed in agreement. Finally he finished chewing and was going to continue on his banter on his relatives and stopped suddenly as Sehun wiped a bit of the sauce from the corner of his lips. Baekhyun clearly observed how Luhan's eyelashes were fluttering and his face going red. How the bloody hell could I have not noticed this??!?

As he watched the scene unfold in front of him, he remembered his dream. He knew he had not experienced anything towards him as he had in the dream. That boy- Chanyeol - looked at him with so much of.... love. And the most absurd thing was that the feeling was mutual. But that couldn't be possible. How could he have such strong feelings towards a mere dream?

Both the lovebirds in front of him had returned to their casual state; Sehun listening and Luhan talking. Maybe he could ask these both about a few things...

"Hey guys, listen up," Baekhyun started. Both of them turned towards him and waited patiently for him to start. "I had a weird dream yesterday involving a boy who I've never seen before in my life," Who was pretty gorgeous, " and i felt like I knew him when in fact I didn't, it was intense too and it looked like it was set in the 1800s judging from the clothes," he said carefully, waiting for their reaction. 

"So?",Both of them echoed, as if it wasn't anything big.

"Well, the strange thing is that I'd been wearing a bracelet which I didn't exactly remember was on me before i fell asleep, which was because of a nasty headache which I got, which happened right after I was peering in an unfamiliar trunk and which turned out to be the property of the previous owners," Baekhyun finished his rant grandly by flailing his hands. 

"I honestly think you need to get married or something, because i don't see what's special in this," Luhan said and stood up. "Anyway just have a pint of beer to cool your mind, and don't think you could have hidden your rejected proposal from us. I think you're just stressed from it, so focus on convincing Taeyeon, will you?"

Baekhyun nodded inanimately, feeling a tiny bit dejected. Maybe Luhan was right, maybe it was his stress-induced mind forming these dreams which mean nothing.

But what he missed was the worried glance Luhan had sent to Sehun when he had talked about his dream...

                                                                                     ------------

 

"We need a supply of tincture of aconite because we've almost run out. That's about it for now," Sehun told Baekhyun, who was jotting down notes for his father.

"Great, thank you Sehun. You've been a great help," Baekhyun says gratefully to the younger who scoffs. 

"You say that everyday."

"Surprisingly, you do help out here after all," Baekhyun says with a cheerful tone. Sehun shrugs but his eyes visibly lighten up as he raises his hand to wave at somebody. Baekhyun stretches his neck and sees Luhan opening the gate. 

"Have you guys finally finished your work?", Luhan asks with a smile. Both of them nod. "I'm sure Sehun here works really hard with you too," He says ruffling Sehun's hair who was blushing and muttering that he does. Woah, I never got that reaction Baekhyun thinks as a smile creeps up on his face. If both of them did confess to each other, then they would have a lot of time to get to know each other before any kind of commitment because Baekhyun's parents were most probably the only ones who wanted to get their son married this early. If things had gone my way I would have been indulged in higher studies rather than marriage. He did love the horses and the process of taking care of them, but he had other interests which he would have loved to pursue.

                                                                                         ------------
Baekhyun felt gloomy as soon as he woke up. He had unconsciously thought that he might get that dream again which felt impending to him, but all he had got were several dreamless nights. Looks like Luhan is right. He heaved a sigh and pushed himself out of the bed to wash up. He went down the stairs to find his mother knitting something. He greeted her and slipped into the kitchen to have some breakfast. After a hearty breakfast he was about to slip into his room to get ready but his mother stopped him.

"Kyungsoo called a few minutes ago. He has some good news to tell, so go call him back."

Baekhyun nodded and moved towards the telephone while contemplating what the news might be. He dialed the number written at the address book next to it and heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Baekhyun?"

"Hello Kyungsoo! Its me." Baekhyun said as he clutched the phone tighter as he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

"It's wonderful to hear from you after so long! How are you?"

"Fine. How about you and Jongin?"

"We've never been better. In fact, I have to tell you something about us."

"What is it?", Baekhyun asked, wondering about the good news.

"We're getting married next spring and we'll be coming there to hold a nice country wedding. Our parents think we've fooled around enough. But we're really excited to see you- and everyone too, of course."

To say Baekhyun was surprised was an understatement. He was outright shocked. Both Kyungsoo and Jongin were younger than him. He knew they liked each other since they were teenagers but no clue that they were so romantically involved to take a big step. Both of them had gone to a bigger city since both of their parents wanted them to study further. Weren't they still in college? And there he was thinking that his parents wanted him marrying early.

"Hello? Hello? Are you there? What happe-"

"I'm fine, just lost the network for a few seconds," Said Baekhyun, cutting him off.

"Oh okay. It's still long away though as it's still year hasn't ended yet. But I couldn't wait to tell you, I'll be informing the others too now."

After a few more minutes of small talk with Baekhyun trying not to act as puzzled as he felt, they said their farewell and hung up. Here was everyone, muddled in love, while his heart felt empty as a dry desert.

                                                                                 -------------
After a good day of hard work, His friends had agreed to meet up at the town's tavern for a round of drinks to celebrate Kyungsoo and Jongin's wedding even though they were not present. Baekhyun had kept it to a minimum and had eaten a lot of food instead, as he was really hungry. It had been great to have a nice chat with his friends. But it had left him exhausted as he went home and went straight to his room, and lay on the bed.

 A letter had arrived from Kyungsoo that morning, after a few hours of their conversation. Kyungsoo had planned for the letter to arrive today, so that he could disclose the news before it arrived. It was really sweet and Baekhyun could almost feel the happiness drifting towards him. He had written various things like how they discovered a restaurant where the food was absolutely delicious to how Jongin had proposed to him. Strangely this time he hadn't mentioned his studies at all, but he was probably too happy to remember to write about it. There was a drawing of how their rings looked like, and as Kyungsoo was a good artist it was easy for him to see clearly, and he basically cooed at the intricate flowers engraved on the ring along with their initials. He felt happy as both of his friends seemed so ecstatic.

As he stared on the ceiling for a few minutes, smiling at the rings he remembered another ornament which was a symbol of love too. He sat up on the bed and unearthed the trunk, the smell of jasmine wafting up to his nostrils, and unearthed the silver bracelet. He slipped it onto his hand and laid down on the bed again. He held up his hand, and maybe it was just his imagination, but he could feel happiness and love drifting from it. Whoever the previous owners were, must have been very much in love. He envied them even though he didn't know them because it must feel so good to give something like this to someone you love and moreover so good to receive something like this from the one you love. Baekhyun soon was lost in his thoughts and drifted off to sleep.

                                                                                -------------

A soft breeze caresses Baekhyun's face and cools his body.  The sky is a brilliant hue of blue with white silvery clouds gliding against it. There was a vast expanse of a lush green meadow, trees scattered everywhere accompanying the sound of grasshoppers clicking. He sees Chanyeol in front of him, waiting with a hand stretched out. Immediately, he gives his hand to him, who then clutches it tenderly and starts walking.They were currently at a cool restful shady corner with light filtering lazily through the tree tops that meet high overhead and shut out the direct sunlight. He could see from another opening the mud houses which he could distinctly remember. This time, there were women talking outside their house with the men drinking something, while two of them played musical instruments, a Violin and Kettle Drums to be precise. Few young women were dancing in a circle, their frilly skirts and lacy blouses swirling about. They stood there watching for a while, hands intertwined. Chanyeol pulls him towards the midst of it all, and Baekhyun readily follows, because he knew he would follow Chanyeol anywhere without a doubt. They laughed and twirled along with them, while the onlookers had bright smiles on their faces, their hands clapping along with the music. They dance along until they are breathless and dizzy, smiles never leaving their faces.They looked at each other, hearts thumping, and not just from the dance.

Baekhyun wakes in a tangle of his sheets, momentarily forgetting where he is. He realizes he's been sweating and pushes the sheets off his body. That dream. Again. He looked at his hand and sees the silver bracelet on his hand. He quickly takes it off, spooked out of his wits. Was the bracelet causing it?.... No, that's utterly ridiculous. He isn't scared because he didn't like the dream but because he loved it. There were no explanations coming to his mind. He took a deep breath and decided to blame it on the bracelet for the time-being.
                                                                          ------------

Baekhyun worked diligently that evening, mainly to somehow forget the dream that was clear as glass in his mind. Sehun and Luhan, along with his other friends, had been worried about him, constantly asking him questions, but he had decided to brush them off not wanting them to think he had gone bonkers or something if he told them. 

Sehun nudged him lightly in the side, and he turned. "Taeyeon has come, she wants to talk to you. I'll be outside," he said and walked out. Baekhyun turned his head and found Taeyeon fidgeting with her hands. 

"Hello," Taeyeon greeted him. "How are you?"

"Hello Taeyeon. I'm fine. How about you?"

"Very fine, thank you," she said and hesitated for a moment. "Its been two weeks Baekhyun. I know we were supposed to come to an agreement by the end of the year, but my conscience keeps pricking me when I remember you. Both our parents want us to do this as soon as possible and I guess there's no use in stalling you anymore." She looked into his eyes and said. "That is, if you still agree."

Baekhyun felt conflicted with his mind, to say the least. He knew he should agree right away but he kept remembering the feelings he had in those dreams which he might never would be able to give Taeyeon or get from her. As his silence extended, he saw Taeyeon's face crestfallen and felt upset at himself. She might be confused about it too, and there was no use of adding his in the mix. There wasn't any choice anyway.

"Of course, I agree."

Taeyeon let out a small smile at his words. "Do you want it to be at the end of next month? You always found winter romantic. It'll be the end of the year too and we have a month and a week to prepare, which is enough time."

"Great." Baekhyun said smiling back. He couldn't believe it was happening. Atleast it was someone he knew and respected and not a total stranger. "Let's keep this between us for this week and at the start of December we'll break the news."

Taeyeon nodded and turned to leave, waving her hand in farewell. Baekhyun waved back. As soon as she was out, he swiftly sat down and took deep breaths. It is really happening...

                                                                       ------------

As Baekhyun lay at bed that night, he realized he wasn't single anymore. He was a woman's fiancé. He would have massive responsibilities after that and he had to focus on being someone whom she deserved. One week more before they would announce it. One month and one week more before they would finally tie the knot. He definitely knew that his parents would try to cheer him up by reminding him that theirs was an arranged marriage, and love had grown naturally. Well, for love to grow between him and Taeyeon, he would definitely have to take Chanyeol out of his mind. The dreams were precious to him, they made him feel like everything was right in the world. Reality isn't too soothing, though.

One last night, he decided. He wasn't sure that the bracelet was the thing that caused his dreams but there was no other explanation at all. He put it on and prayed he would get that dream once again, just once again, because he wanted to experience the love, the soothing environment, the happiness but mostly Chanyeol. Just once more.

                                                                               -----------

Baekhyun woke up the next day and heavy disappointment fell over him. He had a dreamless night this time, which means his obviously ridiculous assumptions that the bracelet had something to do with the dreams were wrong. But now he felt plain desperation, he wanted to see that smile again so badly. 

                                                                             -----------
A few days had passed, along with dreamless nights. Baekhyun had begun to believe that the dreams had been illusions. Today was the last day everyone would be unaware of their decision. He felt a wave of desolation befall him. Sehun and Luhan, along with his other friends, had long since stopped asking him what happened, because of his evasiveness.

In a corral, on another side of the building, a string of horses stood dozing with their tails twitching lazily at flies with three boys munching on sandwiches, also lazily. Baekhyun had been in an even damper mood all day knowing tomorrow it would be announced. He didn't know why, but he dreaded it more than the wedding day itself. Perhaps, because it was nearer. Sehun excused himself mumbling something about checking on his grandmother for a few minutes. Baekhyun decided to take his mind off things and do something. He and Luhan were alone, it was the perfect opportunity, seeing that Sehun rarely left Luhan alone.

"Hey," he poked Luhan with a finger, "Did you know Sehun fancies you?"

Luhan nearly choked on his sandwich. "What?!?"

"You heard me," Baekhyun let out a sly smile.

"How do you even know?"

"It's so blatantly obvious that i'm surprised I figured it out before you. So, you do like him back, right?"

"N-No."

"Oh come on! I've known you longer than anyone so don't you dare lie to me." Baekhyun said mock-threateningly maintaining eye contact with a smirk.

Luhan looked like he was about to protest but then finally gave up. "Well yeah, I do. But I'm not too sure about Sehun."

"Why don't you ask him? Where has your boldness gon-" Baekhyun's words were quickly muffled by Luhan's hand.

"He's coming! So be quiet," he hissed.

"Okay, but only if you promise to go ask him" Baekhyun whispered.

Luhan quickly nodded and continued eating his sandwich like nothing had happened as Sehun came.

                                                                              -------------

That night, as Sehun helped his father arrange a few books, a knocking noise came from the door. 

"I'll get it!", He yelled as he went to the door. He opened it and was pleasantly surprised to find Luhan standing there in worn dark blue breeches, a brown shirt, black suspenders and a flat cap. Which suited him very well, in Sehun's opinion. 

"Hello, could I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Sehun said with coolness which he wasn't feeling. He guided him to the porch and sat on a chair and signalled Luhan to the same.

"Do you remember Baekhyun's strange dream? Do you think it has anything to do with..." Luhan trailed off knowing Sehun got the message.

"It might be, for all we know. But we can't be hoping forever." Sehun said sincerely.

"You're right, he should be able to atleast live happily." Both of them contemplated it for a few more minutes, but didn't come to any new conclusion. They were frustrated, but ultimately just wanted their friend to be happy.

Luhan stood up. "Thank you for this. I was just really confused on what to do. I am older but sometimes a second opinion is needed."

Sehun stood up too. "Its okay. You can talk to me anytime."

As they walked to the gate, Luhan spoke up. "This isn't the only reason I came. Do you like me Sehun?"

"Of course I do."

"No, I meant the other way."

Sehun felt himself at a loss of words. Was he that obvious? They were in the dark so he couldn't see Luhan's expression and thankfully the older couldn't see his. It had been years already, and finally he had noticed.

"I-I do, actually."

Luhan remained silent as they neared the gate. Sehun couldn't stand his curiosity so he grabbed Luhan's hand and abruptly stopped. "What about you?"

Luhan turned his head and Sehun noticed him smiling. Oh no, he probably thinks I'm a fool. But he was taken completely by surprise when Luhan put his hand on Sehun's head and tilted it a bit down and kissed him. On the lips. He broke away and locked his eyes with Sehun's.

"I do too, and we've waited too long." With that came another kiss and then he was gone, just as suddenly as he had come.

Sehun was left grinning widely as he walked back into his house, still feeling the tingling sensation on his lips.

                                                                                      ------------

Luhan had come by a few minutes before to give a huge hug to Baekhyun and at that moment Baekhyun knew everything had gone well. Baekhyun was laying on the bed again this time but for different reason. Taeyeon had told him that she'll be there in the morning at his house so that they could do the announcement together. And he wasn't looking forward to it as from tomorrow felicitations would be told towards them, everywhere they would go, and also the preparations for the wedding would start. Instead of Taeyeon who should be on his mind, it was occupied by a tall person with dark hair which fell across their face along with a beautiful smile with dimples. He was clearly infatuated, but with the wrong person. And what's worse is that the person didn't exist at all.

The stress of the day had clearly taken a toll on him, as he felt his eyes closing sleepily.

                                                                                   -------------

They were walking through the woods, sunlight filtering through the trees, blush pink mallow flowers on either side of them. Hares were scampering away from them up ahead. Chanyeol holds Baekhyun's hand in his, and even though Baekhyun could not make out what exactly Chanyeol was saying, he could feel the warmth of his skin against his. They arrived at a wide glade, where the trees fell away, revealing the sky and the ocean up ahead. They stood still, taking in the spectacular view up ahead. They could hear the waves crashing, their melody calming. The sun's rays peacefully float, resting on the water. Timid clouds are rarely exposed, leaving the sky to beam blue.
 They were at the edge of the woods, so Chanyeol jumps over, turning back to help Baekhyun climb it. He was dressed in a white shirt,upon it a waistcoat ed, and sleeves rolled up. His bare arms which were slightly tanned, reach up to help Baekhyun down.
As soon as he was down, he spins away from Chanyeol's arms, running towards the sea, laughing. Chanyeol follows him, laughing all the way too. 
Chanyeol takes his hand again, helping him over the rocks. They slide through the gritty sand and stones, until they're at the ocean's edge, cool water rushing at their feet. This time Baekhyun gestures Chanyeol to remove his boots and pulls him forward to wade through the sea, the water soothing against their bare feet. And then Chanyeol's hands fold around Baekhyun's shoulders, holding him close, so close that Baekhyun could hear his heartbeat. They stay like that for a few minutes, basking in each other's warmth. Chanyeol trailed feather light kisses up his neck, sending tingling sensations through his body.He feels Chanyeol's gentle kiss on the edge of his lips, soft and tender, so gentle he could almost believe it’s the kiss of a breeze and not a boy.. Chanyeol was so close, that Baekhyun could smell the alluring fragrance of jasmine from him. Baekhyun looks up at Chanyeol's rosy lips and he knows that, all he wants now is to kiss Chanyeol to convey his love to him. He reached his hand up to his face and cupped the left side as he leaned in closer to him. Baekhyun closed his eyes in antcipation, fingers threading through Chanyeol's soft hair.

Baekhyun opened his eyes, which adjusted to the half-light of the room. He shut his eyes immediately, as if that would help him go back to the dream. It's not real, but i want it to be so, so much. He opened his eyes again as he realized there was no way to go back to it. All I wanted was to kiss him. The dream was so vivid in his mind that he could almost taste the saltiness of the sea. Then he realizes that he does taste the saltiness, but it was from his tears, which were streaming down his face.

I'm going crazy, Baekhyun thinks, Normal people don't experience things like this. With that realization he washed up and got dressed in a record amount of time. It was dawn, and everyone were still sleeping. He adjusted the stirrups on one of the horses and took off at a canter, back straight, the reigns in one hand, the other resting on a thigh. He rode silently for a few minutes and stopped abruptly in front of his destination, Taeyeon's house.

He hadn't rung her, not wanting to disturb the rest of the family. He walked towards the right side of the house, where he knew was Taeyeon's bedroom. He knocked at the glass of the windows. There was some shuffling before the curtains were opened. She peeked and saw that it was Baekhyun and quickly opened the windows too.

"Come out," Baekhyun said with a determined face, not wanting to stall time by greeting. Taeyeon nodded as she looked at his expression and disappeared. Baekhyun walked towards the front door. He heard Taeyeon undo the locks before she opened the door and stepped out, slowly closing the door behind her.

"What is it?", she asked with a tone of worry in her voice.

"Let's get married this Saturday," Baekhyun said and added. "Please."

"W-What? Why?"

"Trust me on this one, Taeyeon, If you do care about me."

Taeyeon was surprised at his words and with a little hesitation she nodded her head. "Okay. But its only five days away! What about the preparations?"

"We'll manage," said Baekhyun, and out of relief, gave her a hug and thanked her profusely. 

                                                             -------------

That day, both of them, arm in arm, went to each other's houses and broke the news to their parents. Their parents had no objection whatsoever, but were a little confused about the wedding being only five days away. Baekhyun had reassured them saying that it was best for it to be done as soon as possible, and a simple wedding was what both of them wanted. The news had gotten through town pretty quickly and everyone congratulated Baekhyun and Taeyeon wherever they stepped foot on. His family and friends had been a little strange while they expressed their felicitations, which had Baekhyun confused, but he concluded that it was probably because he was too young for a man to get married. But all in all, everyone were delighted for them. He had rung up Kyungsoo and Jongin to break the news and invite them. They were surprised at his decision at first and then readily agreed to come to his wedding.

                                                          --------------

Kyungsoo and Jongin came back to their town on Thursday, two days before the wedding. There was a warm welcome for them as they were meeting after a long time. Jongin left Baekhyun and Kyungsoo alone for them to talk and went to hang out with their other friends. Thus, both of them were sitting together on Baekhyun's bed, reminiscing their childhood and what not. Kyungsoo had been asking him if everything was alright and the reason behind the abrupt desicion. Baekhyun simply disregarded it. Finally Kyungsoo fell silent, thinking that Baekhyun wasn't going to reveal anything. But in fact, every fibre of Baekhyun's being wanted just to spill out everything to him. Kyungsoo was reading a book on the a chair at the other side of the room, and seeing him, Baekhyun decided to blurt out everything.

"Hey, Kyungsoo, I have something to tell you," Baekhyun said, indecisively.

Kyungsoo looked up from his book with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"This probably might mean nothing and I might have been just stressed out, but the reason I wanted to get married as soon as possible is because I've been having strange dreams."

"Go on, I'm listening."

And at that, Baekhyun spilled out everything, right from his pounding headache to the strangely beautiful dreams, from his false assumptions about the bracelet which appeared on his hand in his dreams to the late 1800s dressing style everyone had in it. He told him everything, all the feelings that had surfaced and how confused and terrified he had been. Kyungsoo listened to every bit of it seriously, not interrupting even once, waiting for him to tell it all. When Baekhyun had finished, Kyungsoo looked at him with a strange expression which very much looked like he was worried and unsettled.

"Baekhyun, have you by any chance, dreamt about this decade at all?"

"No, I haven't, it was all set in the 1800s."

"Was there a pattern for these dreams? Think clearly."

Baekhyun thought about all the nights when he had the dreams. It was only when he was particularly stressed or anxious about something, now that he thinks about it. "Only when I was stressed, but I've been stressed the past couple of days too and I never had any such dreams again."

"I've studied about this, and I think it will not occur again, as your mind is so intent on blocking it." Kyungsoo said. " So you're safe from it for now surely. But it's not too late Baekhyun, If you don't want to marry, you don't have to."

Baekhyun shook his head this time. "It's best for me to forget all about it and just continue living my life properly. I can't just let down everyone too. But thanks for listening, Kyungsoo."

"Its okay," Kyungsoo said, standing up. "But remember, If anything.. strange happens talk to me first." He bid farewell to Baekhyun and let himself out to go to his parents' house, as Jongin was probably waiting for him there.

                                                                  ---------------

Kyungsoo had gone to his parents' home, and indeed his fiancé had been waiting for him. After dinner, they had gone to their room, and he had told everything that had happened to Jongin, who had been equally worried by it.

"I can't take it anymore, Jongin. He deserves to be happy. I almost told everything to him but stopped myself because we aren't supposed to tell him. Why is life so cruel to him?"

"I know, Kyungsoo, and I understand. It has been a year and there is nothing we can do about it. His parents have taken the right decision, because he would have been terribly hurt. Maybe life's giving him a chance and we should just support him all the way."

"You're right," Kyungsoo said, laying his head on Jongin's shoulder.

                                                                   ---------------

That night, Baekhyun looks up at the stars, sitting in his favorite seat on the porch. Taeyeon apparently wanted to talk to him one last time, so he was waiting for her.

He heard someone bounding up the pathway to the porch. It was Taeyeon. She sat on a seat beside Baekhyun. "Are you nervous?"

"Kind of, it is an important day after all," replied Baekhyun, lifting his gaze up to the stars.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Taeyeon spoke up again, "Baekhyun, look at me."

Baekhyun obediently turned his eyes towards her, as she sounded quite serious.

"Are you sure about marrying me, Byun Baekhyun?"

"Of course I am sure."

"Absolutely sure? ", Taeyeon asked, looking worriedly at him.

"I'm sure, Kim Taeyeon," Baekhyun replied with assuredly, with sureness he didn't feel. ...Am I sure?

                                                                        ------------

Baekhyun adjusted his suit in the mirror, adjusting his collar. Today was the wedding.The town church was booked along with plentiful, delicious food and drinks, great music and decorations. He had requested Kyungsoo to be his best man. He had thought that his other friends would feel bad, but they were understanding about it . All that was left the wedding itself.

 The couple went in an open carriage, breathing the warm air deeply and turning their faces to the sun. They went smiling, in beautiful clothes fit for a prince and princess. Taeyeon sat wearing an elegant silver-gray wedding dress, with a sprig of dried baby's breath in her hair, beside Baekhyun, dashing in a dove gray top hat, gloves, Prince Albert coat and trousers. The church came in sight and the carriage stopped. Baekhyun alighted agilely and reached up a helping hand to his bride to be. With his gray-gloved hand he took her bare one, squeezing it much harder than necessary, sending her a silent message of his nervousness. "Its okay," she whispered to him.

The crowd was waiting for them outside, obvious happiness on their faces. Baekhyun started walking towards the church, the crowd following him. He recieved felicitations left and right, even before the vows were spoken. A priest stood there, motioning for him to take his place. Music started, and an adorable little flower girl, proceeds down the aisle just before the maid of honor, scattering rose petals along the bridal path. After the bridesmaids had taken their place, Taeyeon and her father, arm in arm, come up the aisle.

Taeyeon takes her place in front of Baekhyun, looking beautiful as ever. He tells himself that he'd done the right choice, chanting it in his mind.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in the sight of God, to join this man and woman, in the state of holy matrimony....." Smiles broke out everywhere, even a small one on the face of the priest as he continued bellowing the words.

"if anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace", The priest said loudly. Silence filled the hall. After waiting for a few minutes, the priest was going to continue, then the doors opened with a loud bang. 

"I object!", yelled a deep voice. The crowd gasps, and whispers among themselves. Needless to say, the guests were in a tizzy. Baekhyun squinted his eyes from the sunlight to an outline of a tall person to see who it was, along with everyone else in the hall.

Whom he saw there, absolutely shocked him to no end.

Standing there, panting and gasping as though he was very exhausted from something, well dressed in a sharp and well-fitted suit, was Chanyeol.

                                                                   -------------

The crowd had become very confused now, whispers increasing. But everyone fell silent gradually, wanting to know what was happening.

"Chanyeol?!", Luhan stood up from his seat and asked loudly, his voice echoing through the room. How did Luhan know Chanyeol?! Baekhyun felt his mouth agape in incredulity.

"Chanyeol! Is that you?", This time it was Kyungsoo who yelled. How does Kyungsoo know how Chanyeol looks like?!?

"Wait Chanyeol, You have to listen about something first!", Baekhyun's mother shouted, standing up from her seat. Next to her was Sehun, hand over his mouth. What was happening??

The seemingly furious man standing there didn't pay heed to anyone's questions, only focusing his gaze on Baekhyun. 

"How could you do this?", He asked slowly with obvious sadness.

What?, Baekhyun wanted to ask, What are you talking about and what is happening? There were tons of questions on his head but he was speechless. There were so many things going on in his mind that he couldn't talk, couldn't get himself to say the words. A dull, nagging, persistent pain had started in his head turning into a throbbing, pulsating headache. He grabbed his head with his hands, as he could feel his knees go weak and then everything out. 
                                                                
                                                                                  ------------

Waking up, Baekhyun's vision was hazy. He could feel a slight pain on his elbow and knees, along with a dull pain on his head. After blinking his eyes a bit more, he could make out Kyungsoo leaning towards him and saying something.

"Hello? Hello? Baekhyun can you hear me?"

Baekhyun opened his eyes fully as his vision cleared. He was laying on the bed in his room. He slowly nodded his head. "What happened to the wedding? Where's everyone?", He asked groggily.

"Everything's all right, trust me. Now I'll be giving you a pill so drink it down. I promise you I'll explain you everything after you wake up again." Kyungsoo tilted Baekhyun's head and put a pill in his mouth, immediately replacing it with water. Baekhyun drank it obediently and closed his eyes, momentarily reassured by Kyungsoo's words.

                                                                                -------------

 

This time, when Baekhyun woke up, he felt much better. His head felt normal, and his eyesight clear. He turned his head and saw Kyungsoo and Jongin on the sofa in his room, sitting as though to keep watch on him, but had fallen asleep. Kyungsoo had his head against Jongin's shoulder and Jongin's head was upon Kyungsoo's. The whole sight warmed up Baekhyun's heart and he desperately wanted to leave them alone as they slept peacefully, but he felt hopelessly thirsty as his throat felt as dry as a desert and severely dehydrated.He sat up on his bed and cleared out his throat as much as he could.

"Kyungsoo? Jongin?", he called out in a sand papery voice.

At his call, both of them abruptly woke up. Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun sitting up on his bed and went towards him, Jongin following behind.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Baekhyun nodded his head and gestured for water. They immediately got the message and Jongin quickly scampered away downstairs. He came up in rapid speed with a glass of water in tow and handed it over to Baekhyun, who drank it eagerly. Sehun and Luhan visited him too, and after Baekhyun reassured to all of them that he felt normal and pleasant, All of them went and sat on the couch, expressions grim.

"Should we...", Kyungsoo trailed off, looking at the others.

"Do it. His parents have agreed too.", Luhan said, to which Sehun and Jongin readily agreed. "Kyungsoo knows about this better than us, and he's probably best suited to talk to Baekhyun now." At that, he got up and motioned for the other two to follow him. "All the best," they said together and went out of the door.

Now it was only him and Kyungsoo in the room, and they both were facing each other. "Are you sure you're ready for the truth?" , Kyungsoo asked. 

"Yes, I want to hear it. Whatever it is," Baekhyun said, wondering what the 'truth' might be.

"Do you remember when you woke up at the hospital last year?"

Baekhyun simply nodded.

"What's your first memory from after you woke up?"

"Everyone crowding around me, and telling me that I tripped my head on the turntable in the livery," Baekhyun said.

"Well, for starters, that's not true." Kyungsoo said, with a sad smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to explain everything to you now, so listen carefully, and don't interrupt until I finish. Got it?"

"Yes, now please tell me what's going on properly?"

Kyungsoo's smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.

"Baekhyun, you're not 19 years old. You're 24. And no, do not interrupt until I finish," said Kyungsoo, looking at his flabbergasted expression, sad smile once again gracing his features. "When you turned 18, your father did give you permission to go to university, along with me and Jongin. Fortunately, we got into Harvard.  We met Chanyeol there, who you got close to faster than one of those bullet trains. He agreed to be your roommate, and things did escalate from there. Both of you were made for each other."

"He was studying law, while you pursued your specific interest in history. I studied neurology, and Jongin went for business. You might probably think I'm making this up, but you have to trust me on this. There is significant proof for it. Anyway, when you turned 23, we decided to visit the town as we hadn't in so many years. We decided to go by train, and both of you rented a car for yourselves. This is when things went terribly wrong. A truck collided with the car, resulting in Chanyeol thrown out of it, while you got stuck inside it. Fortunately for you, some pedestrians carried you to the hospital as you were knocked out unconscious. These people hadn't noticed Chanyeol, and he possibly he was there until some other people noticed him and carried him to another hospital. Both of us had no idea where Chanyeol was, at all. Some of the town folk recognized in the hospital and alerted everyone. Naturally we came to you, when we got the news, and when you first gained consciousness, we asked you about Chanyeol, and you had forgotten all about him. We prodded you for more that day, and you still didn't answer anything to hint us if you remember anything about the past few years. You complained about a big headache right then, and fainted. The doctor then informed us that you were suffering from retrograde amnesia, which resulted you in not remembering anything from the past few years, which led you to think you're 17. We went to the site of the car crash but we didn't find Chanyeol there, nor any evidence that he was alive, which led us into thinking he was dead. Everyone discussed and simultaneously came to a decison, mainly from your parents, that there was no use in trying further, and it was better for you to lead a new life. Your parents told us to go back to the city, to avoid raising any suspicions from you. And we did, although reluctantly. As you had moved to this part of the small town only a few years ago that time, It was easy enough to explain about this to anyone recognizable to you. Remember you told me how Taeyeon had been reluctant to accept at first? The reason for that was this. You had a substantial chance of recovering your memories within a year. But till now, you hadn't shown any sign of recollection, and a year is going to end next month, which was why she agreed finally. The catch here is that you hadn't told about your dreams to anyone. When you told me, I thought you were finally remembering, but you were only showing signs of psychogenic amnesia, which means repressed memories coming by hypnosis or dreams. And in your case, dreams. The reason why your dreams were set in a bizarre period of time, that is the late 1800s, is because of your successful study of different aspects of history in the past. We all thought it would be better to leave it at that, not wanting you to be majorly upset in any way. But to our great surprise, Chanyeol is alive after all, which brought us to this situation. And now you know who that trunk actually belonged to" Kyungsoo stopped, letting Baekhyun process all the sudden information in his head.

So this is why my parents persuaded me to settle down, this is why Taeyeon was hesitant to answer, this is why Luhan and Sehun told me to think nothing of it, this is why Kyungsoo and Jongin are getting married now as they had been together for plenty of time, this is why all the felicitations from people close to me felt strange. Baekhyun felt tears prick his eyes. This is why one of those shirts fit me perfectly, this is why I had strange dreams........ and this is why there was the letter 'B' on the bracelet.

There were so many things that were out of place, and now he knew why. Kyungsoo didn't have to show any evidence, Baekhyun could work it out himself. All the pieces fit in the puzzle but there was one piece which didn't. He couldn't remember anything at all.

"Any questions?", Kyungsoo asked at last.

"Where's Chanyeol?", Baekhyun asked genuinely, wondering what happened to him after this.

"We've explained everything to him. He was clearly devastated but he understood."

"Can I meet him?", asked Baekhyun. He didn't know why, but the words flowed naturally from his mouth.

 Kyungsoo looked puzzled but eventually replied, "Sure", and went out to call him in.

The door opened and Chanyeol hesitantly came inside. He sat on the sofa in the room and rubbed his neck awkwardly. Finally, Chanyeol took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry for interrupting it. I had no idea what had happened to you. I hope you forgive me."

Baekhyun nodded, "It's not anyone's fault. Only mine. I'm sorry I don't remember."

"You're the same. Always putting others before you." Chanyeol said, looking into Baekhyun's eyes, then a teardrop rolled by his cheek.

Baekhyun could hear the sadness in his voice, could see it in his face. He had expected rage, and lots of fury expected from his part but what he got made his heart break.

Chanyeol stood up. "I guess I better go."  Baekhyun thought of protesting, but didn't know how.

"Could I ask you something?", Chanyeol muttered, visibly nervous.

"Sure. Anything."

"C-Can I kiss you once, before I go?"

Baekhyun's eyes widened and he was speechless. What am I supposed to answer to that? ....But I've caused him so much hurt... He decided to agree and nodded his head and stood up.

Chanyeol went closer to him, albeit hesitantly. Baekhyun could feel his heart racing because it was like his dream, but it was happening in real life. Now more than anything, he wanted to feel Chanyeol's lips on his. There were no problems. No stress. No overthinking. Just them.

Chanyeol bent down, his lips against Baekhyun's cheek, brushing it lightly—and still that light touch sent shivers through his nerves, shivers that made his whole body tremble. "If you want me to stop, tell me now," he whispered. Baekhyun shook his head slightly. "Its okay," he whispered back.

Soon it felt as though his heart had skipped a beat the moment right before it happened. Then, he felt a warm, soft pair of lips caress his own and he slowly closed his eyes as Chanyeol held him closely. As the kiss between the two of them progressed, Baekhyun s his arms up and around his neck to be closer to him. Throughout the kiss, Baekhyun feels it as if it is something familiar to him and just like that his mind opens up.

Baekhyun starts remembering.

"Study hard and make us proud!", His parents yell at him, standing in the garden.

"Hello, I'm Chanyeol and I'm sorry for knocking your suitcase over," A tall guy comes up to him, with a sheepish smile.

"Let's be roommates!"

Chanyeol is smiling brightly as he comes closer. "Did you say you like me? Because I do too!"

"Thank you," Chanyeol says and hugs him, and the fragrance of jasmine wafts up to him.

"Both of you better come fast! Jongin is not going to leave you any of the chicken!" Kyungsoo walks into their room.

A bouquet of roses is to his hand. "Happy first anniversary to us!"

"Chanyeol give my books back, I have to study!" Baekhyun yells at him. "But you have to give me a kiss first." Chanyeol says with a smirk, sitting calmly on the couch.

"I've gotten the internship." Kyungsoo says with a self satisfied smile.

"Please could both of you make out somewhere else," Jongin says, kicking them with his legs.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

"Would you like to come with us?"

"But I want us to go in a rented car once we reach there," Baekhyun says, a pout directed at Chanyeol.

"We'd much rather take the train because we've already booked it, unlike you two."

"How are your parents like?", Chanyeol says while driving.

There was a dreadful noise, blaring horns and crunching metal. He was aware of the dangerous smell of burning rubber. Then everything went black.

He could remember it all now.

Once the first tear got away, the rest followed it, gushing like a stream. His lungs rummaged for oxygen, and his sobbing had the same force of someone drowning. The flesh under his ribcage throbbed, his cheeks burned, and his mind created memories and scenarios that made the tears continue.

Chanyeol looked shocked as to why Baekhyun was sobbing. "What happened?"

"I remember," Baekhyun said in between sobs, looking up at Chanyeol with shimmering eyes. "I remember," Baekhyun said again, burying his face in Chanyeol's chest, clutching his suit jacket as if his life depended in it.

Chanyeol was frozen but when he looked at Baekhyun's eyes, he knew that it was true. He hugged him tighter, silent tears on his face too.

"Thank you for remembering", Chanyeol says, voice cracking.

"Thank you for not giving up," Baekhyun says, voice muffled.

 

Baekhyun quickly wipes his face from his sleeve, and does the same to Chanyeol. He gives him a bright smile, which Chanyeol reciprocates.

They intertwine their hands. "How does it feel to meet the 'man of your dreams', literally?"

"Pretty good, I have to say." Baekhyun said, smiling all along.

With that, they go out, to tell the good news to everyone.