“Would you have believed me?” Mina asked, squinting in the light of the bright sun.

He seemed to genuinely think about it, finally tearing his eyes away from the sky when he had come up with answer. Still, he hesitated, watching her a little too long before answering.

“What do you want me to say?” Baekhyun asked, his usual smile playing on the corner of his lips.

“The truth of course”

“Honestly, I want to say I would. I think if I was him, I’d want to believe you, but… who knows what I would have done if I was him” He said quietly.

He watched Mina as she nodded and then he frowned.

“I’m not giving you an out” He announced.

“What?”

“I’m not telling you any man in their right mind wouldn't believe you, I’m not telling you there was a good reason for your relationship to deteriorate like it did, I’m not saying he was right” He said quietly.

Mina sighed.

“You didn’t ask me for my opinion, you asked me because you wanted to be able to tell yourself that any man would have acted the same, not all of them would have”

“You just have the answers to everything, don’t you?”

He grinned, “I like to think that I do. Besides do you really think he would have done the same?”

“Done what?”

“Do you think he would have stuck around if the roles were reversed and you hadn’t believed him instead?”

~~~~~~~~~

Mina was still trying to figure that out hours later when there was a knock on the door. She wondered why the landlord was here so early in the day, they had negotiated enough to at least earn few more days here. She pulled the door open, the spark of annoyance dying as soon as she saw him.

“How did you find me so fast?” She asked, trying to look casual, as if she didn’t care.

But she did. She cared so much about the shadows under his eyes, the way in which relief so very visibly washed over him when he saw her.

“I was so worried” He breathed, pulling her into his arms naturally, as if embracing was something they did regularly.

She planted her feet firmly onto the ground beneath her, refusing to be swept away. Pushing him back at the same time.

“Don’t do that” She said calmly.

A strange look crossed his eyes, “I was surprised you came here of all places” He said quietly.

She hesitated, the image of strength she wanted to portray cracking slightly, “I had good memories here and it felt like I was far enough away that I could take some time away… you know… from you”

He had the decency to look embarrassed, “You know I couldn’t just let you walk out and not come back for you”

“You should go” Mina suggested.

She knew what was going to happen, but she really hadn’t seen a way around it and she had bought as much time as she could. She had been so close to getting him out before he saw him.

“Hey, Mina shower’s all ready for you!” He called out, stopping right behind her.

Sehun eyes landed on him and Mina didn’t need to turn around to know that Baekhyun was probably only wearing a towel around his waist.

“Hey man, what’s up?” He asked in that smug voice of his that Mina knew he saved only when he wanted to be his most obnoxious.

Mina was fast, blocking Sehun’s path straight to Baekhyun. Placing both hands on his chest, she stopped the taller man from throttling the man standing behind her. His eyes flickered between the two and she could see the conclusions drawing in his head. She wanted to explain, but she wouldn’t let herself do it. She didn’t owe him anything.

“You’re staying with him?”

“It just ended up that way” She said quietly and before either of them could say anything else or before Baekhyun could be any more ‘helpful’ she stepped out of the doorway, shutting the door so that Baekhyun was no longer in their sight.

There was a beat of silence that passed before either of them spoke.

“Let’s go home. I’ll grab your stuff, wait for me outside” Sehun ordered.

“That’s not how this is going to work. I’m not going anywhere with you. I left you”

“Are you sleeping with him?” Sehun asked, voice quiet.

“Whatever I say won’t matter, you’re going to draw your own conclusions anyways”

“Just tell me you aren’t, that’s all I need” He promised.

More empty promises he wouldn’t keep she thought angrily.

“Because you’ve always had so much faith in me right? I don’t have to explain anything to you, believe what you want”

“Are you telling me that if I assume you’re sleeping together I wouldn't be wrong?”

She shrugged, “I said believe what you want. I don’t think you understand that I’m not trying to convince  you one way or another. I’m done wasting my time like that”

“I want to have a real conversation, I want to understand”

“I just want you to go. Now”

He glanced at the closed door behind her.

“I can’t leave you with him”

“Then take everything back. Can you do that? Can you turn back time?”

He stayed quiet.

“Right, that’s what I thought” She said with a bitter smile.

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