Nineteen
Before All The Longings
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Grace steps inside the shop and her eyes immediately spot the giant waffle drawing at ther back of the shop. Bella never fail to mention the place whenever they saw each other and even her own employees and customers would ask if she had been there. The shopping district is quite a distance from her restaurant and house and she just couldn't even find the time to visit.
The counter where her favourite spot is is full and Bella chooses the nearest empty table to it. She loves being drown by the delicious smell of pancakes and waffles as they are being made and most of the time Harit would be behind the counter making the orders and talking to him is fun. But right now the male is nowhere to be found.
"Hi, Miss Bella. Sorry the counter is full today."
She receives the menu given by the waitress with a smile, passing the other two meny sheets to Grace and Yifan. "It is fine. Full tables mean great business. Is your boss busy today? He usually helping you guys around this time."
"Mr. Harit is out at the moment. He probably be back soon."
Grace watches as the two females exchanging words, with big smiles on both faces. Of course. Even when she has her own restaurant, if a shop like this opened nearby, she would be eating there almost every day too. She also has a few regulars that she knows more than just their name.
"Then, take your time."
The girl smiles at ther and she smiles back, watching the girl going back to her work before shifting her focus to the menu in front of her. The photos of the desserts are so well taken that it is making her drool. She looks up across her where Yifan and Bella is sitting, wanting to ask for recommendation when she sees her cousin has this look on his face that is unfamiliar to her.
"I can help you finish that."
Bella beams at Yifan's offer. "Then, I am going to order extra." She turns to the older one amongst them that is looking at Yifan in disbelief and taps her hand, earning a look back from Grace. "Are you done choosing?"
Grace blinks, gathering her thoughts before pointing at the first choice in the menu. She watches as Bella places their orders to the same waitress that came to them earlier before the girl leaves and the younger continues her conversation with Yifan. It has been a few weeks since she last saw this younger cousin of her but she has known him for the rest of her life and the Yifan that is sitting in front of her is not him.
"Outdoor? Isn't indoors better? What if it rains?"
"It is only the ceremony outdoors, the reception ans such are indoors."
They are discussing about the wedding and her cousin is speaking out his opinions about it. Grace slowly leans her back on the backrest, trying to convince herself that what she is seeing right now is really happening. Yifan has changed, for the better. At least for Bella. But she can't get rid of this bad feeling at the sight of this 'new' Yifan. What happened to the male that resulting to this change of behavior?
Bella senses the pair of eyes that has been staring at her direction and glances to her front. The older has her sight on Yifan and she purses her lips, hiding her smirk, It must be so weird to her seeing cousin reacting like this and although Yifan is still a little bit awkward, he is trying so hard adjusting and she is grateful for that. "Hey."
Grace snaps out from her thoughts and shifts her gaze slightly to the side where Bella is sitting. "Hm?"
"Are you free this weekened? Wanna go with me to checkout some wedding dresses?"
"Ah, I..."
"You should go. It would be fun."
Bella smiles calmly as Grace's eyes slowly widen at the comment of her cousin. The Yifan they both know would never say something like that. Even the Yifan she first met two years ago, before the change to 'cold' Yifan, probably would just smile and nod. It is simple but it would be a sincere one, not 'trying so hard' like this. But the male is giving his best just like he promised so she really don't have the right to say anything about how awkward it is.
"Here are your orders..."
Grace blinks once as she collects her senses back, eyes following a slender arm placing one plate of food after another before the owner excusing herself away. The delicious smell enters her nose but her mind is still trying to process the earlier scene and couldn't really appreciate the prettily decorated dessert in front of her. "Yifan."
"Hm?"
She stares at the younger that is busy chewing his food before looking up to properly face her. He is waiting for her next words but she apparently has lost them all. A ringing breaks the silence between the three of them and she watches as Yifan answers his phone, telling Bella he will be back before exiting the shop with the device against his ear.
"Now he is away, you can ask me." Bella smiles at the older after swallowing her foor, knowing too well what is going on inside Grace's mind.
"How... Is that really him?"
She chuckles at the question and doesn't know how to answer it properly. She cuts a small piece of her pancakes and puts it in , eyes never left this cousin of Yifan. "That is really your dear cousin. People can changed, you know."
Grace purses her lips. Of course she knows that fact but not her Yifan and this drastically. Something big must have happened as Bella is happy with the changing too. But what?
"He is trying so please don't say anything to him that might affect me. He changed for the better which is for me and if you do that, you won't get invited to the wedding."
She pulls closer her plate of double choco waffles as her mind wanders at the said event. She was told about it by her mother that was told by her sister, Yifan's mother. Her cousin and Bella never actually tell her anything as they probably know she would know about it one way or another. With that happened for the past few months, her dislikeness towards the female has dissipated and acutally is happy for the younger.
"Can I have some of yours?"
Grace nods as a piece of pancake being placed on her plate before her own waffle being teared away and goes into the other's mouth. She stares at the happy face enjoying the food for a moment before breathing out. Both Bella and Yifan look happy but somehow she isn't sure the ending would be the same.
"Bella."
Bella turns her head to the side and Harit's handsome face greets her. "Hey, you are back. Busy day, huh?"
Harit smiles weakly as that isn't the case. "Not exactly. I just came back from the hospital." He sees pretty eyes widen at his words before gesturing at the empty seat, asking permission to sit next to this acquaintance of Bella he never met.
Grace nods and smiles allowing for this man to seat with them. She guesses he is the owner Bella was talking about and the mentioned of 'hospital' makes her want to know more about it too.
"Hospital? Why? Are you sick?" Bella gets a headshake.
"Not me. Joonmyeon." Harit hears a gasp from the two ladies and leans back on the chair. He had the same reaction when he heard about it from Sophia too.
"Wha... What happened? Is it something serious?"
He breathes out. "He fainted yesterday at the university. Luckily he was with that Chanyeol guy and they went straight to the hospital. Sophia told me the doctor said it was nothing serious. A mild fatigue from his cold. Also she said Joonmyeon hasn't been feeling very well for the past few days and she thought it was because he is stressing from the exams."
Grace observes the tow friends that look really worry about the younger male. She doesn't know Joonmyeon that well but she can't help feeling fascinated at how Joonmyeon's life finds its way to entangle with Yifan's. The lines maybe thin but it is there and connected with the strongest knot.
Bella sighs as she cuts a small piece of her pancakes and chews on it. "So that is why I don't see Sophia anywhere. I thought someone changed their shift with her again."
"She was here until two. Joonmyeon told her to go to work since their father is with him and I offered to drive her to the hospital as I wanted to check up on him too."
Grace glances at the grandfather clock near the cash register. It is already three-thirty.
"Maybe I can go visit him tomorrow." Bella looks up at Harit. "We can go together."
Harit just smiles. "He is being discharged today. I wanted to stay until then but his friends came to visit and I just..." He laughs awkwardly. He doesn't know who was that dark and tall guy but the male made him feel small, and he doesn't like it.
"Ah, I have to meet with a client at four. Maybe I will send him a fruit basket or something later." Bella cuts another piece of her dessert and glances to her side, where the plate of food is barely touched and the space is still empty. "Yifan still haven't finished talking? I wonder who is calling."
Grace cranes her neck at the comment to look for her cousin and finds the male standing a table away from them. She raises her hand to inform Bella but the owner besides her beats her to it, waving at Yifan as he calls his name. It's small and she doesn't know if Harit noticed it but the flinch Yifan made was as if he was lost in his thoughts and Harit's voice pulled him back to reality. She purses her lips at the forced smile on her cousin's face as the make walks back to their table. She doesn't like this new Yifan.
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"I think you should stay for another day, hyung. Your face is still a bit pale." Baekhyun examines the older's complexion. He was suprised last night as the message notification that popped up after he plug-in his dead phone was from Chanyeol but that couldn't compare with the content of the message.
"I am fine. I'm always this pale."
Joss wants to retort but he just watches silently as Joonmyeon convincing Baekhyun again and again about his condition. He noticed how the male was acting a bit down since two days ago but it is study week and half of his friends looked worse than that so he thought nothing of it. He can't help feeling a bit guilty since he should be more attentive with him being a future doctor and all.
"Are you sure?"
"I am. Besides, I have exams this Saturday. I need to finish ready my notes."
"I told you me and dad can bring those notes here. Your health is more important than some exam, oppa." Sophia smiles at the two visitors when their eyes meet before looking concernly at her brother as she comes closer to the bed. She hands over the cans of juices to Baekhyun and his boyfriend and proceeds to sit beside Joonmyeon on the bed. "But you never listen."
"Because it is not just 'some' exam, little sister. I am too lazy to retake it if I failed."
She pouts a the older's words before sighing.
"I am really fine. And we are going for a vacation after my exams, right? I will get plenty of rest there. But right now, I really need to use the restroom. Yesterday's spicy soup is finally kicking in."
"Can you walk? You want me to carry you there?" Joss gestures with his two hands like someone would carry a bride and laughs when he gets a slap from the two best friends. Baekhyun has started to show his feelings when he got jealous and although it hurts, it makes him happy.
Baekhyun watches as the older makes his way towards the door before he disappears at the other side of it and turns back to face the girl that is sitting on the bed, frowning when the pretty face has this worried expression on it. "Sophia?"
"We has spicy soup two days ago."
His breath hitches at the statement, turning to look at Joss that has his brows knitted together like he does.
"Oppa didn't eat during breakfast yesterday and Chanyeol oppa said oppa was in the library the whole day even when he asked to have lunch together. He thought that was why Joonmyeon oppa fainted but I know it is more than that."
"He hasn't been feeling well lately, has he?" Joss gets a widened eyes before a small nod follows it.
Baekhyun lets out a breath. So Joss noticed it too. He should just tell him about it and 'this' could be prevented.
"It was last weekend. He said he was tired but he was still the same on Monday too. Dad was worried too but he said it is because of upcoming exams. But then this happened."
"Just like two years ago."
Baekhyun's eyes widen as he whips his head to look at his boyfriend. They didn't know each other two years ago. How does Joss know about that?
"Two... years... ago? Oppa fainted like this before too?"
Joss frowns but nods. "You didn't know? Joonmyeon..." A tug on his sleeve cuts off his sentence and he turns to his side to see Baekhyun shaking his head slightly at him, making his forehead creases even more. What is happening?
"Baekhyun oppa, please, tell me." Sophia gets a pursed lips from the smaller male and turns to the taller one. "Oppa..."
"It was around a week after the incident." Joss ignores the repeated tugs on his sleeve. He doesn't know the whole story and what happened between Joonmyeon and his family but the girl deserves to know what happened to her own brother.
Baekhyun listens silently as Joss tells about what happened from his side of the story. How he was nearby meeting his friend when he saw a group of people gathering at a corner before being informed by the same friend the next day that that 'Joonmyeon' guy from the rumor had fainted. 'From stress,' his boyfriend continues. There are so many details being left out but Sophia just sits there, asking no question. It is better this way.
"Thank you, oppa." Sophia smiles at the older as her eyes catches her brother's figure right by the door. She wants to know more but she is afraid she can't handle it. It happened after their late mother's outburst and she just couldn't imagine how everything was eating her brother from the inside.
"Oh, hey. Do you guys want to come with us to eat later?"
Baekhyun forces himself to smile as Joonmyeon makes his way to the bed. "No, thank you, hyung. You three should enjoy your family time together."
"Dad won't mind, though."
"Then can we follow you to that vacation too since I could use some." Joss chuckles at the slap on his arm. "Kidding. So, where are you guys going?"
"The beach!" Sophia beams. "We are going after oppa's exams. I already told my bosses and got their permission too. Will you two be going somewhere too?" She looks at the couple in front of her and sees the taller glancing at Baekhyun with a small smile on his face.
"I will be going home. And I was thinking to bring you with me."
Baekhyun puzzles as the two siblings are smiling suspiciously at him before he turns to his side, hoping for an explanation but Joss is looking at him with the softest gaze. "Hyung?"
Joss holds his urge to pinch the clueless face for the millionth time as his boyfriend is staring at him with his big eyes. The younger would sometimes lost in his own thought in the middle of a conversation and he had to tell everything again. "I'm going back home after the exams. If you don't mind, I want to take you with me to see my parents."
Baekhyun feels blood rushing up towards his face as his mind finished processing the words coming from the mouth beside him. Joss wants him to meet with his parents?! Already?! Isn't it too soon? Does he even worth to bring home to meet someone's parents? He turns his head slowly to face the siblings and sees Sophia and Joonmyeon still have that same smile plastered on their faces. Does he need to answer now? In front of them? "Ah... I..."
Joss smiles softly at his flustered boyfriend trying to answer his invitation before facing Joonmyeon. "I think we should take our leave. Your father must have been touring the hospital for several rounds already." He hears the girl giggle as he and Baekhyun met with Sophia and her father at the payment counter settling the bills and the thought of the elder decided to leave the youngsters to talk croseed him mind when only Sophia returned.
"Ah, okay then. Thank you for visisting me. And a big thank you for the cake!"
Sophia takes a seat on the chair beside the bed after the couple left, watching her older brother taking out a cake box from a familiar-looking paper bag. It was something new to her seeing such a sweet couple up close like that. Joss might a bit taller for Baekhyun but the both of them look so cute. And how smoothly Joss was asking Baekhyun to meet with his parents. She looks up at Joonmyeon that is his lips at the sight of the pretty cakes. Will he does the same when the older finally met with someone he loves? She wonders who might the person be.
"Here."
She opens at the spoonful of cake being offered to her and takes a bite, enjoying it more than she should. As expected a dessert from a famous bakery. "Oppa."
"What?"
"If you find someone you like, you should bring them to meet us too, you know." Sophia waits for an answer as her brother is busy eating the cake before he swallows and a smile appears.
"Who needs them when I have a cute sister like you."
"And a great dad like me."
Sophia turns around and is greeted with a kiss on her head by their father that just entered the room. She chuckles when Joonmyeon get scolded because he should be changing his clothes instead of eating since they need to leave soon and just sits there silently, watching their father trying to pull her brother off the bed and her brother holding on to the bed for his dear life. Right. Who needs other people in their life when they have a happy family like this?
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