Twenty-Three
Before All The Longings
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Yifan looks around the area, remembering how it was so long ago since he came here. The flower bush in front of him wasn't there before; how could he forget since the table he is sitting at the cafeteria is the same spot where the three of them would wait for the one that is studying here before they go out together. He gets on his feet, heart thumping loudly as the person he was waiting for finally appeared, and walks over to where the person had stopped midway, looking at the small friend he is with that is patting all the pockets he has, as seems to be searching for something.
"Let's go back..."
"Ah, right here. Haha, I knew I... Mr. Yifan?"
Joonmyeon turns around at the name, eyebrows shoot up in suprise at the handsome face that is standing behind him. He glances at Baekhyun that has his head tilted to one side, staring at the Chinese male.
"What are you doing here?"
"May I borrow Joonmyeon for a moment?"
Joonmyeon just smile when the younger looks at him with a puzzled face, turning to look at the Chinese male once more before facing him again with eyes shooting questions at him. "You go ahead and order first. I will be right there." He waits for any confirmation, a nod or an 'okay' from Baekhyun nbut the younger is standing frozen like a statue and he decides to just leave him there, leading the older away from the bustling cafeteria and towards the shading trees nearby. "You didn't tell him that you know me."
"Joonmyeon didn't too."
He chuckles. In the three years they have known each other, earlier was the first time he heard the older called him by his name. Hearing it the second time just now with that low voice, made his heart all tingly inside. The older never had a reason to call him whenever they were out with Luhan and Minseok. He steps under the shade, turning around and looks up at the face he hadn't seen in weeks. He was the same too, with the same reason. But everything has changed and they both found a reason to call each other's name now. "Yifan hyung wanted to see me?"
Yifan's heart tightens at the soft voice his name being called by, nodding curtly at the question.
"Did you wait long?"
"No."
"You are lucky. Me and Baekhyun were supposed to have lunch at the Medic school today but Joss couldn't make it." Joonmyeon stares at those big eyes. They look tired but somewhat calm. Is everything settled now with Bella? "What is it that you wanted to see me for?"
"I..." Yifan pauses, pursing his lips as gentle wind blows over, making a few strands of hair fall on the small forehead. He reaches out, wanting to move them to the side before stopping himself, the tip of his fingers just inches away from the fair face when he decides to lower his hand down, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Why did he come to see him? "I... wanted to see you..."
Joonmyeon keeps staring into the pair of black orbs as the older doesn't move his gaze from him either, and smiles as the meaning behind those hanging words finished being deciphered in his head. He misses him, like he misses him, but he couldn't do anything. Yes he is fine living with this love but it doesn't include not seeing the other. A glimpse whenever he wants was what he settled with himself but not even a shadow did he see for almost a month, after 'that' night. The pictures in his phone that Bella and Sophia shared with him from various occasions were not enough. He had to bear it for the sake of the couple's happiness. But the happiness never came.
"How... have you been?"
"I am fine. Just going to classes and finishing assignments. You know how it is."
Yifan nods.
"How about you? Is everything... okay now?"
He purses his lips, tearing his gaze away as he looks over the cafeteria and the small friend is caught by his eyes, eating alone at the same spot he was sitting earlier. The lunch break is only for an hour and the one in front of him still hasn't eaten. He turns back to face his front, to see a small hand reaching over his head before the hand is lowered back down with a leaf between two fingers. A soft smile forms on the pink lips and he takes a step closer, the distance between their bodies is less than an arm's away, and he meets with those warm eyes again, silently asking for a permission for what he is about to do.
Joonmyeon closes the gap between them, initiating the hug as he circles his arms around the slim torso, head shaking slightly against the clothed chest at the spilled feelings on the older's face, allowing him to read it like an open book. He found out about what happened the next morning, when Sophia showed him the text he got from Harit. Then Minseok told him about what Luhan had told him and Bella's expression before they parted flashed across his eyes. The lady has to forgive him; she was smiling when the tear fell, he thought it was a happy one.
Yifan's whole body freezes, his mind goes blank at the sudden contact as he thought he would be rejected. A small hand his back gently, as if trying to thaw him out and he lets out a breath seconds later, slowly relaxing. He can feel his back getting warmer and he brings his arms that were hanging on his sides up, wrapping them around the small body as he tightens the hug, burying his face against the side of the head. "I hurt her..."
"But you told her the truth. You can't keep lying to her and yourself forever."
He swallows those words like the bitterest pill he had ever taken, choking a sob as he tries controlling his trembles. He has been telling that to himself a thousand times, Minseok and Luhan too, but he didn't feel less miseable than the day he told Bella everything. The call from his mother expression her disappoinment didn't affect him one bit, as if he didn't already know about it. But somehow, hearing this person inside his arms saying those words, although it doesn't lessen the guilt, it makes him accept the decision he made, that the guilt would probably never lifted and he has to live with it for the rest of his life but it was the right thing to do.
"She will understand it eventually, that you did that for her, because she is a great woman and deserve someone that truly love her, instead of wasting her life away waiting for you to love her back. It will be fine, everyting will be fine, Yifan hyung." Joonmyeon hears the hitched breath and grins in pain, his body being squeezed slowly for a few seconds before the arms around him loosen. He pats the large back gently and smiles against the soothing sound the older's heart beating, welcoming the faint kiss that being placed between the strands of his hair on the side of his head. They both fell so hard, huh?
Yifan pulls away, hands holding the small shoulders before he really let the younger go. He looks at the fair face, lips curling up with eyes as clear as a pool of water, reflecting him on those black orbs. "I... should go..."
"Hm."
He reaches his hand up, pushing the hair that was covering the forehead to one side before slowly bringing it down, ghostly tracing the side of the fair face as he balls his hand into a fist, stopping himself from doing something more. He didn't know what he was expecting and what would he gain when he decided to come here to his old university to look for the younger but his heart does feel lighter than before he came. He doesn't know since when this feeling he has towards the person in front of him has swelled up and almost bursting his heart but he is glad that he finally decided to embrace it. There will be obstacles but he thinks he can handle it. "See you."
Joonmyeon nods, smiling as the older's tall figure getting farther and farther before it disappears behind the buildings. The wedding, if it was still on, was dated last weekend. The news about it being broken off already passed for quite some time but the older only now decided to see him, as respecting the day he was supposed to get married by waiting for it to pass before following his heart. Bella might not even care about such pointless gesture but he is glad that the man he had fallen for has such a heart.
"Hyung."
He turns around to see Baekhyun standing by a tree, before the younger walks closer to him and stops at his side. It looks like he was away longer than expected, with the junior had finished eating and all.
"Hyung, what... was that?" Baekhyun looks at the senior beside him. He was at the distance where the conversation that was had between the two couldn't reach his ears but was close enough to understand what was going on. He even experienced it first hand with Joss. He sees the older smile awkwardly, taking the sandwich he had gotten for him.
"It is a bit, complicated. Thank you for this."
He nods but eyes still fixed at the fair face, trying to read behind the meaning 'complicated'. "I didn't know you guys know each other."
"Yeah..."
"And I thought he with Miss Bella."
Joonmyeon smiles solemnly. "He was." He starts walking, heading towards the walkway as he unwraps the sandwich in hand. He skipped breakfast and had a full morning classes, head was full with that addictive curry rice when Baekhyun told him Joss has something to do and couldn't pick them up. They settled with his school's cafeteria but who knew he would see the Chinese male instead. The estatic feeling filled his heart to the brim but not his stomach.
"Are you guys are..."
He glances to the side at the unfinished question with his mouth full and sees the younger bringing up a scissor hand, before slowly closing the gap between the two fingers. He shakes his head. He doesn't know what kind of relationship they are having right now and to be honest, he doesn't really care. The older might not be with Bella anymore but that doesn't mean he has to be with him. Of course he won't deny when it happened but for now, he is satisfied with them talking like earlier. A glimpse is not enough anymore.
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"Really. If you had called, we could have dinner together." Minseok places the tray in his hands on the coffee table, bending down to pour some of the hot cocoa into the mugs and hands one of them to the taller before settling himself down beside him on the sofa. He looks at his best friend sipping carefully the hot drink. It seems the male had lost some weight. "Are you sure you are not hungry? I can make something quick."
Yifan shakes his head, lowering down the mug onto his lap, hands cupping around it as he absorbs the warmth from it. "I already ate."
"Alone?"
He nods. Who would he be having dinner with. He turns his head to see Minseok is looking at him with a small smile. His best friend's smile really is soothing. It feels like he is back in the university dorm with only them sitting and talking like this. "Sorry about not contacting you."
"There is nothing to be sorry about. You need time to handle everything and I know you would come to me when you are ready." Minseok puts his hand on one of the long arms, caressing it gently for assurance. He had wanted to see Yifan when Luhan told him about what happened but his husband said they should let their best friend figure it our by himself first. With everything that had happened, it will never be too late for them to help him later.
Yifan smiles, appreciating the gesture before taking another sip of his drink, eyes fix at the television showing some kind of late night movie. It has been years since they lived together and Minseok might have grown out of his hobby of watching movies in the middle of the night since he is married now but he just went with it, trying his luch as he rang the doorbell. He was going to leave right after if nobody answered the door but was glad when he heard shuffling noises coming from the other side of the door seconds later before a relieved face greeted him.
Minseok stares at the taller's side profile. Not only the face shows the weight loss, there are bags underneath the eyes. How long since his friend sleep properly? He leans back on the sofa, continue to watch the movie. There are so much things he want to ask Yifan about but he doesn't know where to start and what is appropriate to ask so he is just going to wait for Yifan to speak first.
"That person is a psychic?"
He nods, as the movie shows a male answering a call. "That guy is his teacher but he isn't very reliable and just showing off. He totally doesn't want his own student to be successful than him. Glad that detective follow his instinct rather than listening to his collegues."
"How did you know..."
"He talked to that student before..."
"...that you love Luhan?"
Minseok turns his head to the side, to see Yifan still has his eyes on the televison. Luhan said Yifan has fallen for someone else. He was angry when he heard that because even if Yifan is his friend, how could he do that to someone who loves him dearly. Bella waited for him for three years. It is not fair for her. But then he looked over at Luhan and realized he was being ridiculous. He wouldn't have married his husband if he didn't love him. If Yifan continued with the marriage with someone else in his heart, Bella will never find happiness in her life, even when she is married to someone she loves.
Yifan watches as the cop makes notes about the signs the psychic student had about the missing little girl. The mother looks so tired and lost; the same thing he heard being said about him when he was packing his stuff at Bella's shop. The staff were suprised to see him walking through the door and if they were hating on him for what he had done to their boss, they were kind enough not to show it.
"I am not sure either." Minseok meets with his best friend's eyes when Yifan finally turned to face him. He doesn't know about Yifan's love life before the university but the taller hadn't dated anyone before Bella. They were together for almost three years so it must have been hard for him to figure out what to do since he just went with the flow when he was with Bella, thinking even though it is an arrange marriage, he would fall in love with her eventually. But now something else had happened and he is trying to find out how it happened. "He had alwsys being silly with me as he was with you."
Images of Luhan joking around flash before his eyes and Yifan breathes out, watching a small smile slowly form on Minseok's lips.
"To say there was an event that made me realized my feelings towards him, I don't think there was any. We practically hung out together almost every day and it turned out I already 'like' liked him before he asked me out. I don't know when that happened either."
He nods. Luhan had always been around after he introduced himi to Minseok. It is not hard to see how Minseok would find the male interesting and that feeling eventually grew by its own. Is that what happened to him? Except for seeing each other every other day, almost everything he does he would be reminded of the male; the people he met, the places he went, the conversation he had. Whether it was consciously or not, his mind somehow would end up thinking about him. Being told nothing had happened on that cursed night, the hatred he had spiked up on his way home, finding himself hard to breathe as he sat silently at the back being drove home by the designated driver, before it dissipated into thin air the moment he saw Bella.
"Are you the same too? Trying to figure out how did you fall for this other person?" Minseok stares into those tired eyes, gesturing Yifan to take another sip of his cocoa drink before they continue talking. He is no love expert but he certainly has more experience than this best friend of his. He pats Yifan's thigh as he lowers his mug down, slowly swallowing the liquid in his mouth. "Love is a very complicated feeling. If you couldn't figure it out the why and the how, but truly believe that this person is the one, you should just go for it."
"Can I... do that?"
"Why can't you? If this person shares the same feeling with you, then you are doing yourself and them a favor." He takes the mug on the table, sipping the warm drink himself and breathes out. He really wants to know who is this special person that managed to steal his best friend's heart but Yifan himself is still trying to sort out his feeling so he knows asking about it would be useless. "So, Bella is back with her parents?" He earns a small nod. "Is your family siding with her?"
"They definitely are."
He chuckles a little. "Well, I was too. Can't really blame them, can you?"
Yifan shakes his head. It is not like he is being disowned or anything, it is just he couldn't go back there for the time being. His parents are reasonable people. Give them time and they will understand that what had happened is the decision best for him and Bella.
"The apartment is under her name?"
"Both of us."
"How many months left?"
"Two, I think. I'm not sure. But..."
"But what?"
"He saw the kidnapper had a partner. Did they get the wrong guy?"
Minseok looks up from his mug to his side and sees Yifan has his eyes fixed upfront. He turns to the same direction and the television screen is showing the psychic student talking to the detective as the kidnapper being put away. Yifan is well aware about his hobby and he is beginning to wonder if the taller came to visit him because he needed someone to watch a movie with rather than talking about what happened. "Yifan."
"Hm?"
"Does being with this person makes you happy?"
Yifan blinks once, as his mind returns to his afternoon. The waiting, the talking and the parting. Every step had a different feeling. He was anxious, wondered if they are able to meet today as he came without notice and he was at ease as the soft voice filled his ears while they were having their conversation. Feeling the other's warmth enveloped him as he poured his heart out, he felt a mixed of feelings he couldn't describe, feelings that he never felt with anyone else before. To say being with the male makes him happy? He faces his best friend with a smile, nodding gently. "And all other feelings too."
Minseok watches as the taller turns back to the television, giving it his full attention as he sips his cocoa drink. He has to admit. He has never seen the taller being this, serene before. Yifan had always been calm, playful when Luhan was with them but he changed to quiet and a bit distance after that rumor spread out. He sips his drink too, another hand patting the other's tight. Whoever this person is, he is thankful for coming into his best friend's life.
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