Day eight

My one and only: Remember love, tonight at 7 😘 😘 😘 be on time ❤❤❤

Yixing laughed after reading the text. Tapping on the phone’s screen, he wrote down a reply while shaking his head and smiling. How could Yixing forget about their ‘date’ tonight, when Joonmyeon had talked about it since yesterday? Even so, his ‘boyfriend’ had reminded him again, this morning and now, one hour before it began. Maybe Joonmyeon was the forgetful one. Or perhaps Joonmyeon just wanted Yixing to continuously read the name of who send the texts. ‘My one and only’… That had been Joonmyeon’s idea.

The day before yesterday Joonmyeon had asked Yixing what contact name he used for him. It had been simple, it was ‘Joonmyeon.’ But that name hadn’t been good enough for Joonmyeon, who had saved Yixing as ‘love of my life.’ So, he suggested the name change. And Yixing had done it, for some inexplicable reason, but not before shaking his head and muttering they were really one of those cringe couples… A fake couple, of course.

After reading Joonmyeon’s response to his text, basically a few emojis, Yixing sat on the bed and stretched his arms. Staring at the clock, he should better start to get ready. In an hour, they were going to have dinner at Joonmyeon’s house. However, it was going to be a special night had Joonmyeon said. Whatever he meant with ‘special,’ Yixing had no idea. Either way, going with his old sweatpants and a tank top might not be the right outfit.

So Yixing took a shower, got dressed up, and now he stood in front of the mirror trying to comb and style his hair. From time to time his eyes fell upon the photo string he and Joonmyeon had taken a week ago. It had indeed passed a week since they ‘got together.’ Somehow it felt longer than that. Maybe it could be attributed to the fact he and Joonmyeon met and talked daily, and Joonmyeon was an actor who could play a pretty convincing boyfriend. Even their routines like each day Joonmyeon would wish Yixing good morning or good night, and their dessert eating days, also made things a bit more real. But at the end of the day, everything was an act. Yixing always tried to remember that.

And on the eight days that had passed, Yixing hadn’t forgotten his feelings for Kyungsoo. He still yearned and thought of the older man, but it wasn’t to the same extent as before. Being with Joonmyeon was indeed making him ignore his broken heart, put aside his unhappiness and instead focus on whatever the two were doing. It hadn’t always work, though. There had always been moments in which Kyungsoo was on his mind again. Joonmyeon did his best to make Yixing forget about it. Too bad he couldn’t do much when Yixing was alone.

Yixing looked himself in the mirror for the last time, smiling. He had done a decent job with his hair and clothes. It seemed better than the last time he had gone over to that house. He wondered why he was putting this much effort for a simple dinner with Joonmyeon and his family, but he might just as well go with it. Something told Yixing that after this ‘relationship’ ended, he wouldn’t be dating anytime soon. At least the time with Joonmyeon would be a valuable experience for the future. He’d know what to expect in a relationship (kind of). Yixing left his room, went down the stairs, said goodbye to his parents, and made his way out.

Joonmyeon’s house was located twenty minutes away from Yixing’s home. It took less time by car. But Yixing didn’t mind walking. He had to tell Joonmyeon to not come and pick him up. As Yixing strode, he looked at his surroundings. The sky was a mixture of warm orange tones, the sun was settling for the day. He enjoyed the feeling of wandering through the streets, of the wind rustling his hair a little, of the calming quietness disturbed by the sounds of crickets. Walking like this was one of the things Yixing would miss when he moved to the city next year. He could already imagine what kind of chaos he’ll face over there. When Yixing stood outside Joonmyeon’s house, it was the night time. He rang the doorbell. 

Not even two minutes later, “Yixing!” Joonmyeon greeted him, opening the door with a smile on his face. “You’re exactly on time, love. Everything’s ready.”

“Of course. With your reminders, Joonmyeon, anyone would be,” Yixing said, stepping inside. Joonmyeon laughed a little.

While Yixing began taking off his shoes, Joonmyeon said, “Oh, and just so you know, it’ll only be us, tonight. My parents are eating outside.”

Yixing nodded, although he wondered why Joonmyeon hadn’t said it before. Well, it was for the better. He wouldn’t have to try hard to pretend or  ‘act,’ in front of other people. He still remembered how that night when Joonmyeon had met his parents had gone. While Joonmyeon had nonchalantly won over Yixing’s parents, improvising so many things, even going as far as joking with them, Yixing had tried to nervously follow the game. He had been anxious and always alert whether his parents would find out they were lying. Not that Yixing would end up in trouble, he just didn’t want to explain why Joonmyeon was helping him in the first place.

“Do you mind if I put my hands around your eyes? It’s a surprise, and I don’t want you to peek.”

Yixing squinted his eyes. What was Joonmyeon planning? Either way, Yixing didn’t mind, and he liked surprises. So, Joonmyeon walked to stand behind Yixing and put his hands around Yixing’s eyes. Joonmyeon gave instructions to him and slowly guided them somewhere. They walked until Yixing felt the grass touching his feet. When Joonmyeon withdrew his hands, and Yixing opened his eyes, his mouth fell open at the view.

They were standing in the backyard. A table and two chairs were underneath a tree. From the tree hung a few lanterns, but there were also lights surrounding the branches, lightening the area. And on the other side of the yard, there was a whiteboard? But in front of it, Yixing saw blankets laying on the grass, along with a bunch of fluffy pillows, and a small table with something on top.

“Happy first week anniversary, love!” Joonmyeon said, grasping Yixing’s hand and taking him to stand next to a chair. He brought the chair backward and signaled to Yixing to sit down.

Yixing sat down, looking at the table, perplexed. The table was covered with a white tablecloth, in the center there was a vase with bright red flowers, and next to it was a lit candle in a glass holder. There were also glasses and cutlery. Everything was perfectly arranged. It the perfect intimate and romantic dinner. And Yixing was bewildered, his mouth was still hanging open. Had Joonmyeon done all this for their first-week anniversary? A fake anniversary?

Suddenly, Joonmyeon grabbed Yixing’s hand across the table. Yixing looked at him and saw Joonmyeon grinning. The lights that shone were reflecting on his face an endearing glow. His hand felt warm and soft. “I remember you said you wanted a candlelight dinner at a restaurant for your first date. This isn’t it, neither is it our first date again…. But I hope it’s somehow better?” he asked nervously, his smile vanishing rapidly to be replaced with worry.

Yixing blinked in confusion. So, Joonmyeon had prepared this for him? Just because Yixing had said, he wished to do it for his first date? He knew he could expect to do any activity with Joonmyeon, visiting lighthouses in another town, eating parfaits at the ice-cream shop, or going on a hike in the woods, for example. But to prepare this fantastic dinner place outdoors? Sure, Joonmyeon took the acting part seriously, but this? Where did the motivation to fix this kind of romantic gesture come from? Meanwhile, Yixing hadn’t planned anything. He hadn’t even thought that first week anniversaries were significant. Yixing gulped. “Are you kidding me? This… This is incredible.”

Joonmyeon squeezed Yixing’s hand lightly. He sighed in relief before saying, “I’m so happy to hear that, honey.”

“But… Why? Why would you do this?”

“I told you, it’s our first week anniversary!” Joonmyeon’s lips curved in a wide smile.

“It’s a fake anniversary. And this-this is something you’d do for your boyfriend.”

“You are my boyfriend.”

“Fake boyfriend.”

Joonmyeon chortled. He shook his head a little while he bit his lip. Then, he breathed in and spoke, “I told you, Yixing, I’m just staying in character, the one where I’m your ‘boyfriend.’ This is what I as your boyfriend would have done. Plus, I tend to get a little nervous with romantic scenes, so this actually helps me.” Joonmyeon let out a laugh while scratching his head timidly. “That’s it.”

Although that was the explanation, Yixing still couldn’t quite understand why he went all the way to do this. “Even so, isn’t this too much? And I have nothing for you.”

“You deserve just as much, or more than this,” Joonmyeon muttered, averting his gaze. When he stared back at Yixing, he happily added, “And don’t worry about it! Lots of people forget their anniversaries. I wasn’t expecting anything either. Now don’t think too much about it. Just go with it and have fun!”

Should he do that? Yixing had mixed feelings about this. He was still bewildered. This couldn’t be compared to what he and Joonmyeon had done before. It was the most romantic and sweetest deed someone had ever done for him. But it was all fake, Joonmyeon had most likely not felt any emotions while arranging this and only saw it as a convenient way to improve his acting skills. It basically meant nothing to him. Yixing didn’t know why that notion made him feel slightly disappointed. Then again, everything was an act, so it shouldn’t mean anything. He couldn’t help thinking that if Kyungsoo had ever done this for him, how would he have felt?

The sound of someone clearing their throat surprised Yixing. Hadn’t Joonmyeon said they were alone? When Yixing looked sideways, he saw Baekhyun standing there, which was weird because their mom had told him Baekhyun was at a friend’s house. Instead, his little brother was standing there, wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a vest, there was even a tablecloth hanging from his arm. Basically, he looked like a waiter.

“Good night, gentlemen. Are you ready for your meal?” Baekhyun said, using a very formal tone Yixing had never heard before.

Yixing furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“I said if you were ready for your meal,” Baekhyun replied matter-of-factly.

“I mean, what are you doing here dressed like that Baek?”

“I hope you don’t mind, Xing-Xing,” Joonmyeon stepped in, “When I asked Baekhyun what your favorite food was, he offered to help me out some more. We fixed everything together.”

“Really? He did that?” Yixing said, squinting his eyes while looking at Baekhyun.

“Gosh Yixing,” Baekhyun answered, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, letting go of his waiter-mode. “Can’t I ever do something nice for my dear brother?” He shook his head. “Just tell me, should I bring you guys the food or not?”

There was the Baekhyun he knew. Yixing stared at Joonmyeon, who in return gave him a look that said it was up to him. “Su-sure,” Yixing said. Baekhyun smiled proudly before walking back to the house.

“How much are you paying him?”

Joonmyeon laughed. “It’s enough, I promise.” But then he got anxious. “This is not a problem, right? He said he had asked your parents for permission.”

Well, either their parents knew it, and they had fooled Yixing, or Baekhyun hadn’t said anything. Still, there wasn’t any problem as long as Baekhyun didn’t break anything. “No, it’s fine, Joonmyeon. Let’s just hope he doesn’t drop anything.”

“He practiced earlier, so I think he’ll do fine,” Joonmyeon reassured Yixing. “It kinda makes this more like a real restaurant experience, doesn’t it?”

Yixing nodded, smiling back at Joonmyeon.

When the dinner started, Baekhyun took care of bringing each plate (one at a time), he refilled their apple juice drinks and made sure to clean the table after each meal. It had been an excellent service, more than what Yixing had expected, honestly. Baekhyun was undoubtedly full of surprises.

They had a three-course meal. First, they ate an appetizer, Yixing’s favorite shrimp salad. The main course was Yixing’s favorite noodle dish. And he wondered how on earth Joonmyeon had cooked the food, or where he had gotten it from. When he had asked, he was surprised to find out Joonmyeon had prepared it himself. Everything had tasted delicious, and the flavor had reminded him a bit of his mother’s cooking. He thought the food was as good as Kyungsoo’s, maybe even a little better? But Yixing didn’t say it out loud. They had also talked during the whole dinner, just like they always used to. Soon Yixing forgot all his earlier confusion, disappointment, and whatnot. He had listened to Joonmyeon and just enjoyed the talk and food. Lastly, for dessert, Baekhyun carried with him a parfait. And Yixing understood why he and Joonmyeon had gone hiking yesterday, instead of going to the ice-cream shop.

“Did you prepare this too?” Yixing asked, pointing with his spoon at the parfait that was at the center.

Joonmyeon laughed. “No, darling, that I had to buy it.”

Yixing smiled. He buried his spoon on the ice-cream and took a bite. It was sweet, tasty. Yixing took another piece and another until he realized Joonmyeon wasn’t eating at all. Joonmyeon just stared at him in delight. And Yixing sighed inwardly. Well, Joonmyeon had done all this for him so he could do this small task. He took a strawberry and raised the spoon in Joonmyeon’s direction. That made Joonmyeon look confused at first until he smiled and leaned in to eat the fruit.

“What made you change your mind, love?” Joonmyeon asked.

Yixing rolled his eyes. “If I hadn’t fed you, I would have eaten this myself,” he said, taking another bite to fed Joonmyeon.

Joonmyeon chuckled. “I just thought you look cute while eating.” After saying that he shook his head, “I’m not saying that otherwise, you aren’t cute, I mean you are really beautiful Yixing!”

For some reason, those fake words made Yixing a little flustered. He stared at the parfait, not quite wanting to show Joonmyeon his red face. It had to be false, right? But despite acting, Joonmyeon had seemed serious about it, his look and voice seemed to have reflected sincerity. A part of Yixing thought he was. ‘Beautiful.’ Nobody had called him beautiful before, not anyone who wasn’t joking or was his mom. Yixing didn’t know what to say, so he just took another bit of the ice-cream and shoved it in Joonmyeon’s mouth. Hopefully, that would keep Joonmyeon quiet from saying more embarrassing, confusing, stuff.

Baekhyun took away everything when they finished the dessert. Joonmyeon reached both his hands across the table to grab Yixing’s hands. He was smiling and asked Yixing, “Did you have a good time, love?”

Yixing gulped, oddly his heart skipped a beat for the first time. Looking at Joonmyeon’s face, holding his hands… Either Joonmyeon’s acting had gotten extremely good, or Yixing was stupid, but why did everything seem so real now? He knew it wasn’t. It was an act! And well, he should pretend just like he had done before. Just stay in character, Yixing, don’t think too much about it, he told himself. “I did. It was wonderful. Thank you… Baobei.” Yixing flinched. He had already said a term of endearment fifteen times today, but he still had added that word at the end. Why?

Joonmyeon tilted his head to the side and continued smiling. They stared at each other in silence, holding hands and just looking.

“Why do I always come when you two are about to kiss?” Baekhyun asked. Yixing swiftly withdrew his hands while Joonmyeon let out a laugh. When Yixing stared at his little brother, the boy was no longer clad in his waiter’s uniform.

“Are you ready, Baekhyun?” Joonmyeon asked.

“Yeah, I put everything in the dishwasher. I just came here to say I’ll be leaving now.”

“Okay, don’t forget to take the envelope from the kitchen counter on your way out. Good night, and thanks for everything, Baekhyun!” Joonmyeon thanked Baekhyun.

“You’re going home? Wait I’ll go with you,” Yixing said, getting ready to stand up.

“Yixing.” Baekhyun raised one hand, gesturing Yixing to stop his motion. “I’ll be fine. I’m not a kid. I have my bike, and it’s only half past eight. Also, I think your boyfriend has a something else planned, don’t be rude!”

Yixing hesitated, he switched glances between Joonmyeon and Baekhyun.

“But you can go if you want,” Joonmyeon reassured him with a smile. Meanwhile, Baekhyun shook his head with a disapproving and judging look on his face.

Yixing sighed. Baekhyun was right. It wasn’t as if dangerous things occurred in this small town. His brother would get home safe and sound. “I’ll stay.”

Baekhyun grinned. “Okay then lovebirds, my work here is done. Good night,” he said, waving goodbye to them. Yixing and Joonmyeon waved back. And so Baekhyun left the backyard, leaving them all alone.

When Yixing no longer saw Baekhyun’s frame, he looked at Joonmyeon. “So… What are we doing now?”

Joonmyeon smiled for the nth time that night. He got off his seat and walked to stand next to Yixing, offering his hand. “Follow me, love.”

And Yixing did that, his hand sweated a little while Joonmyeon took them to the other side of the garden where the blankets and pillows were. They sat down on the blankets. And Yixing understood why there was a whiteboard, or actually a white screen, on the front. He saw Joonmyeon reaching to the small table, turning on a portable DVD projector. They were going to watch a movie on that screen. It reminded Yixing of a drive-in movie date.

“Baekhyun must have prepared the snacks before leaving. I’ll be right back.”

Yixing nodded while he saw Joonmyeon standing up and going inside the house. He leaned back, resting his head on the fluffy pillows. The waxing moon and the stars could be seen in the night sky. And Yixing went back to feeling confused about so many things. The line between what was true and fake was starting to blur. Joonmyeon and his convincing perfect-boyfriend-act began confusing him. Was it even an act? Of course, it had to be. Joonmyeon was pretending to like Yixing, but still, what if these romantic gestures were the way Joonmyeon would treat all his boyfriends? And why couldn’t Yixing just go along and be part of the performance without overthinking? Why couldn’t he take things lightly, and don’t let them affect him, just like Joonmyeon? Yixing covered his eyes with his hands and sighed. God, now he was thinking about Joonmyeon. Why did it have to feel so different tonight, compared to the other days? Joonmyeon was still Joonmyeon, his classmate with the perfect scores who apparently dreamed of becoming an actor.

“Don’t tell me your sleepy, Xing-Xing. The movie hasn’t even begun.”

Yixing removed his hands from his face and opened his eyes. Joonmyeon was lying a little distance next to him, holding a remote control with his hand. He had put the bowls with snacks between them.

“Should we cancel or are you gonna be awake? If you wanna go, it’s okay,” Joonmyeon said, staring at him fondly.

Yixing shook his head. “No, I’m not sleepy. I was just thinking that… Your boyfriend is gonna be a lucky guy, Joonmyeon. With all the stuff you do and how you put so much effort, he’s gonna be very happy.” Yixing didn’t know why he had said that. But he did think that whoever Joonmyeon ended with was going to be lucky indeed… If Joonmyeon was an affectionate and caring boyfriend for real. But surprisingly, when Yixing thought about it, even if he didn’t want to admit it, that made him feel slightly jealous.

Joonmyeon beamed. “Well, let’s ask him… Do you feel lucky, darling? Are you happy?”

Yixing chuckled and shook his head. Of course, that boy was always staying in character. “You know what I mean.”

“Let’s just watch the movie, Yixing.” Joonmyeon laughed it off. He pressed down a button on the controller. And the movie’s introductory credits began playing.