---- ►PART II► ----

Exiting the bathroom of the service station, Baekhyun strolled toward the little shop just in front of it where he could find French pastries, candies, sandwiches, and water. Whatever he needed was provided and lucky for him, he was famished. Someone was apparently even more starving as Chanyeol was already pondering what he should choose between a ham cheese sandwich and a mayo tomato chicken club.

“Found something you like?” Baekhyun snickered behind him as he himself was looking something to calm his hunger.

“Not really. My stomach is really easy to upset, then I need to be careful with what I eat” Chanyeol finally dropped the two sandwiches in the fridge and instead grabbed a coke and a M&M’s pack in his walk. Baekhyun followed him in the store opting for a pack of mini cakes that he used to eat every time he was in France. He must admit that they were his favorites.

“Oh poor baby with your upset stomach” Baekhyun messed around with Chanyeol, flattening his hand on his stomach and slapping him sympathetically. Chanyeol felt again the softness of the hand that just ghosted on his skin and it weirdly stirred up inside of him. He ineptly went to the cashier with Baekhyun still not conscious about what’s going on around him.

“Damn I’m so hungry” Baekhyun whined letting his head drop in front of him, locks hanging in front of his face. Chanyeol’s finger was second away to tangle in them but the man behind the cash machine was trying to ask him something he couldn’t quite understand and that perturbed him in his thoughts.

“Do you want to eat Korean noodles? It will be better than all that stuff”

“They don’t sell this kind of food here Chanyeol”

“I know but I brought some with me in my bags” Baekhyun looked at him dumbfounded. “You never know when you’re going to crave for Korean food” Chanyeol winked at the older “I think they have appliances to boil water in any case they have a microwave over there”

“Are you kidding me? You can’t do noodles in a microwave” At this moment, Baekhyun lost it and guffawed so loudly, tears gathered in the corner of his eyes.

“Do I look like stupid to you? You seem to have a good laugh whenever you are around me” Chanyeol frowned and that made Baekhyun doubt whether he was sincere or he was just having fun with him once again.

“You need to accept the fact that you are a funny one that’s all. Let’s go eat outside the weather is quite nice” Baekhyun added as the taller followed his way.

They were outside eating to fullness, happy to have been able to cook Korean noodles in a place as this one. Chanyeol joined Baekhyun’s thought as he checked the sky and the sun shining through. Indeed, it was a good day. Chanyeol might have been tired from his long trip since his departure in Seoul, but so far, there was nothing he would have changed. When Sunny came talking to him while he was queuing to register his luggage, he pretended he couldn’t hear anything with his earphones. He had seen her walk in the area for about one hour, talk, ask things to people and the last thing he needed, was to be bothered by her. Apparently, avoiding her wasn’t something easy to do as she persisted, when she stayed stood up in front of him for a good 10 minutes. He thought she might have been crazy to make such a strange request when he listened to her but now, he wasn’t regretting it. Instead, he was accepting it. Maybe this was meant to be and Chanyeol was believing in fate. Maybe he was destined to meet Baekhyun and it wasn’t so bad after all to be around him.  In 4 hours, he had already learned a lot about a person more than what he could learn with some people he met for a full day. He had that strange need to know more about Baekhyun and just for that, he wanted to stay there longer. Somehow and deep inside, he knew that they were bound to be friends. He looked at the little park with the green yard and he just wanted to lay there to activate his digestion. The brunette was half laid on the table, his head on his two crossed arms. Chanyeol wanted to touch Baekhyun’s hair because from where he was, it looked fluffy and silky; a combination that fitted Baekhyun so much and the more he was getting to know him, the more he could see it. Chanyeol anxiously drummed his fingertips on the wooden picnic table as Baekhyun turned his head still on his arms but only now, Baekhyun was looking at him.

“Can I ask you something?” Chanyeol asked again and the other nodded as he yawned and stretched like a cat playing with his wrists. "Why did you want to be a surgeon? I’m convinced there might be a good reason behind that. It’s not everybody that can become one. I think you need to have a pretty good determination”  Baekhyun’s look totally changed as the taller asked the question, as if he was in danger or his privacy was being invaded today.  

There was a thin line Baekhyun wasn’t ready to cross and that question triggered in his mind. Was he ready to reveal to one stranger right now what a lot of person around him wasn’t even aware of? Baekhyun didn’t want to expose his secret. Even though he decided to reinvent himself for a few days, he couldn’t answer. It was something too heavy to let that out just so lightly. Did he already trust Chanyeol to share that with him? There were all questions Baekhyun started asking himself when he heard Chanyeol’s request.

“It was just something I wanted to do. I was pretty smart at school so I normally pursued this path. No reason particular” he added.

Chanyeol didn’t need more to know that the guy was lying and he knew better that he shouldn’t push him to know the end of the story. If he wasn’t saying the truth that meant Baekhyun just didn’t want to talk about it. It was as simple as that so Chanyeol didn’t ask more.

“Okay. Maybe we should go then. I think we need to keep going if we want to arrive at destination…not that it bothers me to stay with you but I’m expected” Chanyeol sorted everything on his trail and put everything in the trash on their way. “Believe me, if I’m not there on time I’ll here from my mother for over 50 years…this is how annoying she can get if something doesn’t go as she said"

“You didn’t tell me why you were in France for, by the way?” Baekhyun stopped in their walk at Chanyeol’s question.

“Why do you want to know so much stuff about me?”

“Sorry if I invest myself in this trip! You said it yourself you wanted me to talk to you and I shouldn’t even be thinking to sleep during the car ride. I also can shut up...”

“I’m sorry” Baekhyun let out all confused “I’m just not used to do this kind of thing” He sighed with difficulty, not shivering because of the light weather but rather the closeness they were having right now. That was just threatening to Baekhyun and his thoughts.

“What kind of thing exactly?”

“Sharing things about my life”

“I thought we were just talking about casual things” Chanyeol answered dumbly.

“Nothing can be casual when you are telling people about your life…I think” Baekhyun had this thing inside of him that turned his insecurities into something different.

“Let’s forget about this. Do you want me to drive?  I think you should rest?” Baekhyun agreed to it. He needed some nap time to recharge his batteries but at the same time he wasn’t sure about being able to find an ounce of sleep next to someone he didn’t know. And just like that, they started the second part of their trip. They were almost halfway and for each one of them, time was running out.

When he was able to relax and let his mind only follow the music playing ♪, he found himself whistling to the melody and for the first time since the beginning of this short road trip, Baekhyun allowed himself to empty his mind. He could not be careful with the driving codes, not stress over what was waiting for him in Nice and finally, not think about what to do with the guy driving next to him. 

Chanyeol was giving him too much interest lately, but at some point, Baekhyun realized it wasn’t fair to him if Chanyeol was the only one to ask questions. Not to mention that he was also keen on getting to know the guy. Maybe it was out of courtesy at first, but at the end, Baekhyun still wanted to know him. He seemed to be a nice fellow though, someone comfortable to be around and with a sense of humor Baekhyun wouldn’t qualify of excellent but still pretty decent.

“So tell me what exactly bring you here?  Work? Travel? family obligations?”

“Can I play the friend-in-need card?” Chanyeol smirked, making Baekhyun slide in his seat uneasy.

“Oh! I see” Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was just acknowledgement or plain disappointment that escaped from his mouth. Anyway, the latter couldn’t be accepted because first, there were no expectations on his side. At least that’s what he wanted to convince himself of. “You must be a pretty good friend then”

“Well let’s say that I owe that person a lot so of course I would come"

“Won’t you tell me who is that person? "

“Well hum …” He was pondering answering that question but before he found an answer to it, Baekhyun cut him.

“Finally a subject that shut you up…I never thought that would be possible”

“I’ll answer after you tell me what’s the big secret behind you being a surgeon” Baekhyun snorted because it wasn’t that big of a secret, just sad memories he didn’t like to relive. That’s just how things were.

“Okay then we gonna let those answers for later” Baekhyun said readjusting the blanket on him as A/C was a bit too strong on him.

He watched as Chanyeol turned off the buttons without him uttering a word.

“Later when exactly?” Chanyeol was intense on him with a level of seriousness Baekhyun had barely seen since they departed. “You know when I get off in Cannes, we won’t see each other anymore, so I’m curious to know before it happens” and then, the glare was full of mirth in Chanyeol’s eyes, the seriousness all gone while he bang his head on the music ♪. His question required interesting thinking on how Baekhyun wanted to pursue that new friendship and in the moment Baekhyun couldn’t think of not seeing Chanyeol again. It was obvious in his mind, at this hour, that they would keep in touch after this unexpected road trip. Still he wasn’t sure they were on the same page.

“It feels weird to say we are not going to see each other after that” he giggled hiding his new born fear.

“That’s the fun in it. If we are not going to see each other, you have to tell me all your dirty secrets now, because I’ll have no use of them in the future. The fact we both know the issue of this, we can speak at ease” Baekhyun his hair, listening carefully at what the driver was saying.

“Okay” Baekhyun let the word die on the tip of his lips but Chanyeol noticed how he was shaking all over. “I should probably call my mom. Otherwise she’s gonna freak out” Chanyeol didn’t say anything but he took it as an excuse to avoid his request. The latter couldn’t say the conversation was either short or long, but the repetitive short answers from Baekhyun had him wondering what kind of relationship Baekhyun was having with his mother. When the older turned off the phone, Chanyeol was still dubitative.

“Was that something I wasn’t supposed to hear? Because I’m pretty sure you were acting like you didn’t want me to overhear”

“No…” Baekhyun trailed “Of course no…this is our usual conversation my mother and I”

“Complicated?” Chanyeol offered a sympathy smile which Baekhyun replied with one too.

“Yes it is ...let say it is” Baekhyun said with thoughts playing inside his little head.

“Okay I won’t ask more, don’t worry” Chanyeol tried to keep eyes fixed on the road but his curiosity was bothering him, in the good way though. But what he could consider as good might have been considered as intrusive by the smaller.  Apparently, knowing that they would not see each other after this encounter was not enough to distract Baekhyun. The latter was still decided to keep it down about everything that he could say about his life. It was his choice and Chanyeol needed to understand and respect it. But that was being difficult as the only thing the younger wished, was to crack open that little shell of Baekhyun. He wanted to know about everything that Baekhyun was. Chanyeol didn’t realize at first how bad he wanted this, considering the fact they had only been with each other for a few hours. He recognized Baekhyun’s smile. It was thankful for not trying to intrude longer but still it didn’t stop Chanyeol wanting more. Just when he thought he wouldn’t obtain any more from him, there Baekhyun spoke.

“My mom is getting married again after tomorrow with a man I never met” He said his fingers drumming the music on the arm rest ♪.  To that, Chanyeol didn’t know what to say, so he figured out the best thing was to just stay quiet. The silence was indeed very long and heavy so he assumed this was Baekhyun’s limit. “My mom left my dad when I was 16…She chose to pursue her career in France as an artist and although I can understand what she did, I still resent her for that and I also feel guilty” The way Baekhyun’s voice cracked was enough to know the subject was quite painful to talk about and Chanyeol almost wanted to tell him that it was okay if he stopped. But that wouldn’t have been correct to do that if the guy was well decided on being open with him about his life. Chanyeol wouldn’t kid himself, deep down he wanted to know.

“Guilty about what? If she left, it was her choice to do so?”

"It looks that simple said like this, but she only knew hardship since I was born" Baekhyun grimaced, turning his own face in a cute mask.     "I can understand at some point she wanted to be gone and just live her life far from all these complications. I think at some point we both became guilty and that wasn’t bearable anymore”

" I don’t know what happened in your family but she is your mother. The minute she had you inside her you were his responsibility. A mother can never leave her son behind. I think there will never be a sufficient reason that would explain that" Baekhyun could sense the subject was bothering Chanyeol more than it should.

"I know maybe that’s why we have this kind of relationship. Maybe I haven’t forgiven her yet…but I don’t know if I have the right to be mad her"

"I can’t understand a mother leaving his son behind though"

"I’m not asking you to judge her…you wanted to know so I told you but you can’t judge her" Chanyeol swallowed hard, furious with himself for letting his emotions taking over. There was a silent that followed and neither of the two knew what to say but yet it was becoming a habit between them.

"I know everything about being abandoned …I have been adopted when my mom decided on her own she couldn’t take care of me”

"Oh my god" Baekhyun wished he had shut up for this one.

"It’s okay. I came to a term with that already but still I don’t know how a human being could do that" His tone sounded so categorical.

"Maybe she didn’t have a choice "

"Maybe... but this is something I guess I will never know” Again, the silent felt suffocating for Baekhyun and just thinking about what he was about to say had him hitch everywhere in every kind of way.

“My mom…she did a lot of sacrifices for me…. I had a heart transplant when I was 10” Baekhyun could tell by the way Chanyeol stomped on the break he wasn’t expecting that. "Long story short, she did a lot for me, so I can’t be mad at her even if I want to. So know you have the reason why I wanted to be a surgeon”

“You do know I have tons of question now?”

“Please don’t ask them. I do not wish to talk about my past...It’s still awful memories I wish I could forget” Chanyeol could definitely understand that. No matter how he was willing to talk about his life, there was a limit to what he was willing to reveal and all the secrets about his adoption were one of them.

After the revelation, it had been difficult to go back to the free conversation they had before. Chanyeol wondered if he hadn't burn some bridges. The simple elements Baekhyun were willing to share should have been enough to satisfy his curiosity but he had to push. During the all-time he spent thinking about his wrongs, he hadn’t realized the guy next to him had literally fell asleep. At the same time, it seemed a traffic jam had formed on the road, slowing their speed and delaying their arrival time in Cannes. Alone with his thoughts, surrounded by car, and barely not moving at all, Chanyeol got lost in the webs of his mind, biting and eating on his nails. He turned his head, eyes falling on Baekhyun. The latter was sleeping soundlessly with a blanket tucked under his chin. He had that peaceful face that made Chanyeol smile with relief. In the depth of his oblivion, Baekhyun looked as innocent and cute as a baby captivating Chanyeol more and more. Eyelids closed with the length of his eyelashes laying on his cheeks was a beautiful sight of Baekhyun to see and Chanyeol was thankful. Baekhyun's bang was almost hiding his eyes and the taller got too tempted to remove those interfering locks out of the way. The car was stuck in traffic, and unconsciously, Chanyeol’s finger find their way to Baekhyun's face and tuck those rebel locks behind his ear. Unfortunately, the action stirred Baekhyun out of his slumber. Chanyeol watched him with interest stretch, his t-shirt sliding up his torso at the same time. Awkwardly, Chanyeol turned his gaze elsewhere, trying to not focus too much on the fascinating man next to him. Baekhyun didn’t say anything but inside his heart was racing with no idea or no reason to explain it. He put the blame on Chanyeol and on the way the guy touched him so delicately and with care. It was like a butterfly caress; he could still feel the warmth of Chanyeol’s touch there. He rubbed his eyes trying to get rid of the sleepiness on his face as he saw the situation outside.

“Oh no way! we are stuck in traffic” Baekhyun said horrified as he took a look at his watch. If he wasn't sure now, he knew he wouldn’t be able to arrive there before 8pm. He checked the GPS to confirm that there were about 2 hours left before they arrive.

“Are you okay? Do you want to switch? If you're tired I can drive, now…thank you for letting me sleep”

“You're welcome. For now, it’s okay but I might need to stop to buy some more water and use the restrooms"

“Then let’s stop at the next rest area. I will have to charge my phone again and let my mom know I will be late tonight” With a nod from Chanyeol they just did that as they made a stop 20 minutes later. Unfortunately, weather wasn’t on their side. The minute Chanyeol pulled over, it started pouring outside having them reconsider their last stop.

“Okay I’m going to find somewhere to charge my phone while you do what you have to do” Baekhyun said as he was trying to put the hood of his grey hoodie on before opening the door and running to avoid being all wet.

…

Chanyeol was all set and done when he found Baekhyun leaning on a high table with his phone in hands. It sounded like he was having a conversation with his mother but when he got closer, he understood the exchange was between Baekhyun and Sunny. He could even hear her giggles through the phone. Chanyeol approached silently not wanting to disturb the smaller.

“Can you stop…I told you I don’t think he is” Baekhyun said in the phone still oblivious about Chanyeol’s presence. The taller didn’t know who or what they were talking about. He didn’t care about the conversation and wasn’t trying to eavesdrop it either. After all it wasn’t his business.

Instead, his eyes were absorbed on the view that was Baekhyun’s perky . The smaller was flaunting it around, unmindful of how excruciating it could be for Chanyeol. One too noisy grunt gave him away. When Baekhyun turned around, he looked surprised as a deer caught in headlights. Chanyeol didn’t take long to realize the latter was actually talking about him. Regrettably, the way he was stuttering his name was another proof for Chanyeol.

“Have you been here long?”

“No, I just came out of the bathroom” Chanyeol lied and he could see the sight of relief as Baekhyun’s chest raised up and down.     The brunette ended his conversation so quickly, Chanyeol almost found it funny.     

“Did you call your mother?”

“Ah yeah everything is okay. She’s a bit upset I’m not here yet but it’s gonna be fine…I think. She said that all my family is already there only me missing…Of course I’ve always been the ugly duckling in this family anyway” Baekhyun pushed the thought off with a smile.  “Let’s go! I hope you have everything; I don’t want to make another stop in our way.

“I got all I needed” Chanyeol said flatly. It was still torrential out there and so Baekhyun was hesitant to sprint under the rain.

Baekhyun had this strange impression that Chanyeol was colder than usual but however he couldn’t find a reason to the sudden change of behavior. Chanyeol stood in front of the extra-large French window of the shop, where postal cards and key chains were sold. He was intensely looking at the parking lot but Baekhyun knew he was deep in his thoughts so instead he stood next to him.

“Maybe we should wait here for a bit… it’s hailing now. It won’t be good on the road” Baekhyun didn’t want to believe him at first but the small crystals falling outside on the floor was enough to tell him Chanyeol was right. Baekhyun didn’t say a thing at this point, it didn’t matter if he was coming later. It was already pass the due time he was supposed to arrive, so what was 20 or 40 minutes more to wait. What was frightening at the moment was Chanyeol’s face. Right now, it was stern and focused on something he had no idea of and he deeply wished he could know what was bothering Chanyeol.     

“Is there something wrong Chanyeol? Do you…”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure” Baekhyun put his dainty fingers on the window, freezing because of the coldness.

“Sorry if I sound a bit blunt but…, I was wondering if we were both playing for the same team? I know when I say it like that, it sounds absurd” Chanyeol asked with effort, trying to hide his embarrassment behind a laugh. He dove his two hands in his front jean pockets and stuck his forehead on the window, not far from Baekhyun’s fingers. He turned toward the older, his back against the transparent material looking at Baekhyun, who was still looking at the parking lot. For an answer, Chanyeol only got a smile and look of disbelief.

“What team? What are you talking about?”

“Sometimes I’m wondering if you are just too dense or you just like playing dumb ...but I’m quite sure you are not stupid”

“What? I really have no idea what you are talking about” and for sure Baekhyun wasn’t sure what he was saying but deep inside he had an idea of all that was about.

“Forget I asked …it’s getting quieter outside we should probably go” Chanyeol smiled but Baekhyun perfectly knew that was just a mask in order to dissimulate the awkwardness threatening to spoil the all trip. Baekhyun just nodded and tagged along. But though the hailed outside stopped, it didn’t diminish the wind strength and the water still pouring. They reached the car, their clothes getting wet but as Baekhyun tried to open the door he realized Chanyeol was also waiting on the passenger side for him to open the door.

“You are the one with the keys” he yelled hoping to be heard but Chanyeol couldn’t hear a thing with all the noise surrounding them and water hitting their face.

“What?” Chanyeol yelled leaning on the top of the car, not deciphering a thing over what Baekhyun was shouting.

Baekhyun gave up and decided to take the keys himself. He went around the car to reach Chanyeol, his hair was damp and at this rate he was going to have to change clothes, or get a pneumonia in France, or even die of a pneumonia in France. Now that he was in front of Chanyeol, he didn’t want to waste his voice more than he did already. So he just extended his hand as a sign for Chanyeol to give him the keys so that he could drive the rest of the way to Cannes. But instead or having the automatic key in his hand, Chanyeol grabbed his wrist and in a swift move, he had Baekhyun pressed between the car and him. Before Baekhyun realized just what was happening, Chanyeol had grabbed Baekhyun’s jaw softly. He framed his much bigger hand on Baekhyun’s wet and cold skin. Still it seemed like it was burning under the touch. In something that Baekhyun couldn’t explained, he let the guy have his way and do what he had secretly lusted for the past 5 hours and 15 min. At that point, Chanyeol didn’t want it, he just simply needed it for the sake of his sanity. It never had to wait that long to make the first step with someone he was attracted to but again, Baekhyun was different. He didn’t want to scare the smaller man away, he needed Baekhyun to want that as much as he did. Nevertheless, time was running out and he was trapped in something he never predicted. He would have regretted it forever if he hadn’t tasted those lips. Baekhyun was walking on a cloud. The way Chanyeol’s fingers pressed on his face was nice. Chanyeol was subtly him with his tender lips, weakening him in the knees. Baekhyun looked for support and eventually grabbed the back of Chanyeol’s wet black shirt for dear life. While kissing the black haired man, Baekhyun became conscious of this attraction he had for the taller and at the minute, there was no other place he wanted to be right now. Although he tried to avoid this rapprochement and Chanyeol’s heavy obvious hints during all the trip, he was glad and thankful Chanyeol finally took the lead for the both of them.                                 

At the beginning of their trip, he never thought they could have been on the same page in a ual way. Baekhyun had been scared inside to find out, because of disappointment. He finally sacrificed his wants rather than try out. He perfectly knew that behavior because that is what he had been doing for the past 7 years; hiding his feelings and what he truly wanted. Chanyeol was cradling Baekhyun’s face, putting pressure behind his head to have him even closer, chastely kissing him to heart content. In his euphoria, Chanyeol didn’t realized how rude he could be right now. But there was an addiction preventing him to stop. Baekhyun let that moment happened as he answered to the moving lips on him. Then, he opened his eyes and regretted it instantly.Baekhyun always thought it was so cliché and romantic to kiss under the rain but as he was experiencing it right now, there was no way this could be considering as it. The only thing he got, was rain drops blinding him from any sight possible. It even had him retract in their mixing moment. It was definitely not glamorous and to top that, they were both wet to the bones.

“Can I have the keys of the car please?” Baekhyun extended his hand hesitantly this time, fearing his heart to burst like a few minutes ago. Chanyeol gave him back the key card awkwardly. When Baekhyun walked back to the driver side, he wondered if there was a possibility that this trip become even more awkward than it already was; And if he was surviving this journey, he should be canonized, that’s how much he deserved.

For another second, he considered changing clothes. Driving being wet from head to toes wasn’t the best idea. He was quietly on his seat with uncomfortable clothes sticking to his damp body, fingers already wrinkling from too much humidity. He purposely checked the GPS device so that his eyes would not cross Chanyeol’s. It was also strategic in order to quickly evaluate how much time before he drop his burden in Cannes and go on with his life. No words were exchanged between them for about 20 minutes but Chanyeol suddenly crossed to go on the back seats, almost kicking Baekhyun with his red sneakers. Baekhyun perfectly heard a grunt from Chanyeol as he landed on the seats behind. Chanyeol didn’t say a thing but Baekhyun could see on the retro viewer that he was looking through his bag to find fresh and dry clothes to change. Baekhyun kept a careful eye on him, nobody knew if Chanyeol decided to strangle him from behind. But instead, Baekhyun watched how Chanyeol removed his black t-shirt, at the same time revealing skin that Baekhyun’s fingers was dying to touch. Subsequently, he noticed the defined lines of Chanyeol’s long torso, underlining his thin but firm muscles as he moved. Basically, the smaller was following his every move.

“Could you focus on the road please? It would be a shame if we ended up in an accident at that point” Chanyeol said as he pulled on the hem of his new tee shirt and took a towel to dry his hair.

Baekhyun suddenly tried to focus his attention elsewhere and especially on what was going on in front of him. The weather was still bad and he also hoped to arrive there safely. Instead, he tightened his hold on the wheel. He was slightly trying to find warmth as he was freezing right now. He barely noticed when Chanyeol had straddled back to his seat and there he was, sat next to him again.It seemed that silence was what their exchanges were mostly made of, and for the rest of the trip Baekhyun was well intended on keeping it that way. But as they were getting closer to their destination, there was something burning on the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue.

“Why… did you do it?” Baekhyun asked out of the blues “I mean the kiss” He added when Chanyeol’s quirked an eyebrow at him. There was a hint of a smile on Chanyeol’s lips though.

“Because I wanted to…not gonna feel guilty about that” Baekhyun acknowledged what he was saying and that didn’t stop to blush profusely. “Don’t think too much about it, it was just a one-time thing, you know… just like a one night stand …this kind of thing”

“I see… so does that mean you kind of recently liked me or was it just an impulsion on the moment…you know that minute you act only on hormones?”

“I don’t know maybe both…maybe I got to know you better and I wanted to kiss you “ 

“Well I almost thought you were into me since we met at the airport” Baekhyun joked laughing at himself.

“Igot to say when your friend showed me your picture, I couldn’t say you were an ugly duckling either…I can’t resist eye candy”     Baekhyun got to admit to himself that Chanyeol’s wink was not only y but confidence boosting. Also the predatory look was intense.

“I never thought your personal taste was in men.” Baekhyun heard the little snort from Chanyeol.

“As I said… you’re oblivious but that makes you attractive nevertheless” 

“You are not that bad either” For the first time Baekhyun was sure he has seen a faint blush on Chanyeol’s face.

When the smaller checked the GPS, he realized they were 5 minutes away from the arrival point. His hands were sweating profusely inside, fearing the separation with Chanyeol. They barely had something but Baekhyun felt suddenly frustrated. He wanted to dig deeper but with no clue how to make the first step.

“I think that’s where I’m getting off Baekhyun. Can you park somewhere? I’ll take my things and let you go”

Somehow, this moment Chanyeol have been anxious about, was happening too soon. Eventually, the car came to a stop, both of them stayed in the car contemplating their surroundings.  Baekhyun had parked near the Carlton hotel, unaware yet if he could get a ticket here. The bay just in front appeared magnificent, the weather had turned clement and at 8.30 pm, they were able to see the skyline and the sun setting, creating a nice palette of blue purple and sand color. Baekhyun took a look at the piece of clothes Chanyeol had in his hands since he changed outfit earlier. Now that they were at a stop, Baekhyun wondered why he still had it until Chanyeol handed him the black and red tee-shirt.            

“I think it would be better if you change clothes. Yours should still be wet. I’m afraid you will catch a cold otherwise” It wasn’t common for Baekhyun to accept this kind of little attention from others but he finally extended his hand to take the cotton tee-shirt.

“Take care of it it’s one my favorite. Take it as thank you gift for taking me with you until here” 

“I thought that trip already was” Baekhyun pinpointed with tease in his voice.

“No, that trip was just a nice meeting …I think I’ll go now.” Chanyeol stated, opening the door going to the back seats to get his bag.

“Just a nice meeting” Baekhyun murmured while the fabric he had in is hands. When he stared at the empty seat next to him, Chanyeol became memories in a second.                                                                                    

“Hey don’t pout Baek” Baekhyun was startled as he jumped on his seat. He reluctantly turned in the other’s direction. Chanyeol was outside standing on the side of the car, leaning on the open window. A smile cracked on Baekhyun’s face. It’s funny how he tried to hide it away with a biting on his upper lips in contrast with Chanyeol’s face, all serious face at that moment.

“Aren’t you going?”  The smaller asked, masking his insecurities and his wish for Chanyeol to stay longer there. Carrying his bag over his right shoulder, Chanyeol looked around, his elbow still on the car window frame. He was running out of ideas to buy time before the unavoidable parting between them finally happen. Beating around the bush had never been Chanyeol’s specialty anyway.

“I don’t know…do you want me to go Baekhyun?” Chanyeol looked at him, anticipating his answer. He couldn’t read in Baekhyun’s mind at the moment and he wished he could. Baekhyun was avoiding his stare, looking determinately at the wheel. It seemed there was no answer from the older. The hesitation, the avoiding, all were signs. Chanyeol could just sense the rejection coming ahead but though that was the outcome, he needed something at the moment. In an urgent need of fondling Baekhyun’s plump and smooth lips, Chanyeol decided to cut whatever was about to come from Baekhyun’s mouth. His face was too close, his stare too intense as his hand ended on Baekhyun’s jaw, pulling Baekhyun toward him. The kiss had been too addictive to stop. It would have been an understatement saying it let both of them out of breath, heads in a cloud, needing oxygen to breathe and get back on earth. And the other second, just before Baekhyun got time to grab Chanyeol’s tee-shirt to keep him close, Chanyeol was getting away from the car still looking in its direction and vanishing away with a military salute. Just like that the guy disappeared from Baekhyun’s sight and his muscles seemed frozen on the spot, he couldn’t make a move. It let Baekhyun with a sour taste in his mouth and an ache inside. Somehow his heart tightened but anyway it was all over now. Thinking about everything that just happened in a few minutes, there was no reason for Baekhyun to stay longer there. He sighed heavily, set up his GPS in direction of Nice and just started the car.