The first time Baekhyun confessed to Park Chanyeol was when they were a freshman in college. Chanyeol was confused by the sudden gesture and didn’t have the best reaction. 

“ I love you.” 

Chanyeol just looked at him like he just grown another head. 

They were not close, just acquaintance. 

So what Chanyeol did the first time was turned the other direction, away from Baekhyun and his confession. 

The next day, Baekhyun came up to him and said the same thing.

“ I love you.” 

This time, Chanyeol actually answered. “ Are you serious?”

“ Yes.” 

“ Well, I already have someone, so get over it.” 

And once again, Chanyeol walked away. 

— 

The next day when Chanyeol was walking with his boyfriend Kyungsoo, Baekhyun looked at them from the other side of the campus. 

Then when Kyungsoo kissed Chanyeol goodbye, Baekhyun took the chance and approached Chanyeol.

“ What do you want,” Chanyeol said in annoyance. 

“ I love you.”

“ Ok, you told me before, is that the only thing you can say?” 

“ No.” 

“ Good to know you can say things besides I love you.” 

“ I’ve been loving you the whole entire time, I know you have Kyungsoo, but I’ll wait for you.”

Chanyeol laughs at this. “ Then you'll have to wait forever because we’re not breaking up any time soon.” 

“ Then that’s what I’ll do.” Baekhyun smiles at him.

“ We’ll see.” 

— 

The next day, Baekhyun was away from campus for some personal business. So he got Chanyeol’s number from Sehun and decided to text him instead.

Hey.

Who’s this?

I love you.

Baekhyun. 

The cycles go on like that every day like a daily routine. Saying I love you to Chanyeol is part of Baekhyun’s daily routine, and ignoring or rejecting Baekhyun is a part of Chanyeol’s routine. 

When Baekhyun didn’t see Chanyeol for the entire day or if they were on holiday, he’ll text Chanyeol instead, sometimes he got a reply, and sometimes he got left on reading. The reply is along the line of I know, or Ok, or simply an emoji. 

—

One year later. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo finally broke up because Kyungsoo was bored and found Chanyeol too clingy. Chanyeol was drinking alone in the club when he noticed a petite figure sliding to the seat next to him on the bar. 

“ Hey.” 

Chanyeol squinted his eyes in order to see clearly. “ B-Baekhyun?” 

“ It’s me.” 

Chanyeol hasn’t seen baekhyun for the past 2 months, but that doesn't keep Baekhyun from texting him daily. 

“ Are you okay? No offense but you looks..quite bad.” Baekhyun looked him over.

“ Gee, thanks.” 

“ Why? Did Soo finally dumped your ?”

It hit too close to home and Chanyeol cringed. 

“ Oh.” 

“ I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” 

“ It’s fine, you know, what you said was right, we’ll break up eventually, maybe I’m not enough for him,” Chanyeol said solemnly and took another sip of his drink. 

For the whole night, Baekhyun just sat quietly and let Chanyeol rambled on and on about Kyungsoo while he’s crying on his shoulder. 

“ Baekhyun?” Chanyeol whispered, half asleep on Baekhyun’s couch.

Chanyeol was too drunk and couldn’t remember his way home, so he’s crashing at Baekhyun’s.

“ Hmm?” Baekhyun whispered back, hands smoothing over the taller’s raven hair. 

“ You didn’t say I love you to me yet,” Chanyeol said sleepily while resting his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder. 

“ I love you.” Baekhyun’s voice softens. 

“ Mm..Thank you.” Chanyeol’s voice is faint like a feather as he drifts off to sleep. 

A comfortable silence washed over, but Baekhyun is still deep in his thoughts rather than sleeping. 

“ I’m sorry,” Baekhyun whispered into the taller’s fluffy hair. 

Baekhyun didn’t know why he apologized, the words just came out, like fate controlled him to. 

— 

College rolled by like a puff of wind, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are now in their third year in college. Both found new people and friends to hang out with, while Chanyeol dated around, Baekhyun remains single for the past years of his college life.

The past year had been busy, sometimes Baekhyun goes on a day without talking to Chanyeol, even though they were technically friends by then. But Chanyeol didn’t mentioned it and let it slides, besides, he has his own boyfriend to stick around him and showers him with love and affections anyways. 

However, as time fades away, so does Baekhyun's feelings for Chanyeol. The phrase “I love you” that he said daily to Chanyeol became a collection where he just did it for the sake of keeping up his streaks. Did Chanyeol realize it? He did. Of course, he did, if someones been saying I love you to you every single day for the past 2 years, and then one day they just stopped, wouldn’t you be curious? 

Chanyeol was indeed, curious, and a little hurt, that his little admirer is losing his love for him. He missed the attention, not Baekhyun. 

—

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are not in their fourth year of college, and they didn't speak a word to each other for the past 8 months. Chanyeol broke up with his recent girlfriend of 6 months, and Baekhyun just got together with Jongin. 

Baekhyun and Jongin go way back, in their sophomore year, Jongin found Baekhyun crying in front of the dorm at 2 in the morning, alone. Jongin tried to comfort Baekhyun, just letting Baekhyun laid on his shoulder for two hours, mumbling and fuming about how he gave his everything to Chanyeol yet he never gave him a glance. Jongin didn't know who Chanyeol was, but he also didn’t know who Baekhyun was either until that fateful night. 

The next morning Baekhyun found himself waking up in a stranger’s bed, warm and comfy, and a smell of unfamiliar cologne. Baekhyun wasn't drunk the other night, so he remembers everything, from their small talk to Baekhyun wiping his runny nose on Jongin’s hoodie. 

Countless of nights where Baekhyun cried no Jongin’s shoulders and then buying him fried chicken to make up for the ruined shirts. They became close friends right after. 

The countless nights shared by two friends slowly turned into something more intimate, when both Baekhyun and Jongin was drunk and , alone in the dorm, it leads to them ing later that night. After their first night together, they became inseparable and hooks up here and there almost every other day.     

But it’s not until their last year in college when Jongin finally confessed to Baekhyun and asked him out as his official boyfriend. Baekhyun said yes. 

—

Today is the first day that Baekhyun and Chanyeol meet again after a long time. Unspoken words and feelings are floating in the air.

“ Hey.” Baehyun smiles at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol smiles back, admiring Baekhyun and how his eyes disappear into a crescent moon when he smiles widely. 

“ Wanna.. go sit somewhere and talk?” 

“ So..What are you doing wandering around the dance studio? Thought your major is music.”

“ Still is, I’m just waiting for Jongin.”

“ Jongin?”

“ He’s my boyfriend,” Baekhyun says with a warm smile, thinking of Jongin makes his heart all giddy and soft.

Chanyeol eyes furrows. “ You.. have a boyfriend?”

“ Yes, so now you don’t need to deal with me anymore

Chanyeol scoffs. “ Good, I thought you were going to hopelessly pine after me forever.” 

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at this and stands up. 

“ Excuse me, but what I felt for you was real, don’t question my feelings when you never even accepted it.” Highlighting the past tense.

chanyeol ignores it and say “ What did you do to make him accepted you? Did you say I love you to him every day until he got sick of it?” 

“ For your information, he actually asked me out, unlike someone.” 

“ For your information, I actually accepted you but then somehow you rejected me.”  Chanyeol is literally fuming now, spitting out each word like it’s poison, face red but eyes tearing up.

Their conversation has turned into an argument when neither side backing down.

Baekhyun let’s out a humorless laugh. “ Are you even hearing yourself right now.” 

“ And you kept on saying I never returned any feelings when it’s your fault that you didn’t remember.” Chanyeol slowly shakes his head, shoulder droops, and he starts to walk away, again for the hundredth time.

But before he can go any further, Baekhyun grabs his wrist, stopping him.

“ Park Chanyeol you can’t just ing said that and walk away what the .” 

It shouldn’t matter what Chanyeol has to say, he has Jongin now, but it did matters.

“ What I say doesn't matter now is it.” Chanyeol still avoids looking at Baekhyun.

“ It wouldn’t change anything, but I just wanted to know if all those years pining after you was a waste of time or not.” 

Chanyeol slowly nods. “Okay.”

“ About a year or so ago, you were drunk off your , knocking on my door asking to let you in. Of course, I let you in, you looked so tired and worn off, eyes looking at me the way you always did. And when I finished cleaning you off and getting you ready for bed, you look so perfect, eyes drifted and lips parted. I just wanted to kiss you right there. And then you laugh, it’s the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard.” Chanyeol looks so vulnerable right now, Baekhyun just wants to hug him.

Chanyeol swallows and continue. “ And then, you said—“ Chanyeol stops.

Baekhyun is looking at him intently now, listening to every word like his life depends on it. 

“ You actually laughed, you said ‘ you wanna know what’s funny?, all those I love you I said to you doesn’t even matters anymore, it became like a routine or streaks for me”

" You said that you said it for the sake of the daily streaks"

Baekhyun starts to regain memories from that night.

flashback.

“ You know what’s funny Yeol? All those I love you don’t even mean anything to me anymore, you think I’m still pining over you and moping over you, but you’re wrong.” He chuckled.

“ I actually found someone that loves me without me pining after him.” 

“I’m so so relieved, I thought I’m going to be in love with you forever.” Baekhyun softly laughs, still drunk. And he immediately drifted off to sleep on Chanyeol’s bed.

Chanyeol slept on the floor that night.

End of flashback.

“ I guess the saying actions speak louder than words came in a reversal for me.” Chanyeol gives Baekhyun one last smile and walks away, for real this time. 

“ Goodbye, Park Chanyeol.”

“ I love you.” 

The word is faded, it carries no weight, and soon it got blew away along with the wind  That’s when Baekhyun realized, Chanyeol never said it back. 

Fin.