“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun wrinkles his nose as he enters his friend’s apartment. “You need to get someone to clean the house.”

“I will.” He yells from his room. Apparently he’s changing. “I just need to get done with filming before I have time to think about the house.”

“Right.” Baekhyun rolls his eyes before plopping onto the couch. Chanyeol comes out a minute later with fresh designer clothes, ready to get back on set.

“I need to go now. Just make yourself home or whatever.” Chanyeol scoffs as he spares a glance at his best friend. “Not like you aren’t already. Bye.” Baekhyun waves casaully before watching him rush to the door, pulling on his shoes as he double-checks his keys.

“By the way,” Baekhyun says loudly so Chanyeol could hear. “I know where she works. And I know that there’s a guy she’s really close to.”

Chanyeol sighs heavily as he opens the door. “Don’t care. And stop stalking my ex-wife.”

The door bangs shut.

“I don’t care, stop stalking my ex-wife.” Baekhyun mocks in annoyance, his voice a pitch higher than usual. “Right. So apparently now I’m the stalker and care more about my friend’s ex-wife than my friend does. Great.” He rolls his eyes before calling off the private investigator. He knows where you work, so nothing else really matters.

“Hey, looking pretty good.” Yixing comments with a large grin as he watches you make a latte after many failed attempts. “You’re starting to get the hang of it.”

“I have a good teacher.” You grin at him. He merely waves you off with a laugh.

A costumer comes up to the cashier and Yixing flashes her a handsome smile. “Good day, miss. What would you like to order?”

The smell of coffee and the quiet murmurs of customers as they fill the small café is really soothing. You find yourself easing into your new life, and it was much easier than you expected with Yixing’s help.

Occasionally, your thoughts drift back to Chanyeol and your old life. Acting was fun, to say the least, and it was all you ever wanted.

Right now, you’re not sure what you want. Maybe you’re still trying to test the waters, still looking for a right path to wander down.

Work ends smoothly and, like usual, Yixing waits for you outside the closed café before walking you home like the gentleman he is.

That particular night, you think it’s probably a good idea to tell him about everything. Not only has it been bugging you constantly, but Yixing is a good friend and you trust him. He’s not the type to gossip or pry into other people’s business, so you think it should be okay.

“Thanks,” you tell him with a warm smile once you arrive at your apartment.

“No prob,” he grins before waving you goodbye. “See you tomorrow!”

“Yixing,” you call just before he could turn around. He looks at you with slight confusion. “Would you like to come in for a bit?”

“Oh, I couldn’t.” He declines politely, not sure what to do with your offer.

You smile again. “Please?”

Knowing something’s on your mind, Yixing nods and enters your apartment for the first time. He’s extremely respectful and polite, only sitting when you tell him to. He seems a but uncomfortable in your house, but you suppose that’s normal since you aren’t really that close with him yet.

“Tea?” You ask as you enter the kitchen, and he nods, thanking you when you hand him a cup.

“So?” He starts slowly, sipping on his tea. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”

You bite your lip. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Yixing smiles kindly at you, setting down his cup. He’s all ears. “I don’t mind at all. What’s wrong?”

“You know…” You start, but you’re not sure how to start. “You know about my divorce, yes?”

He nods.

“Chanyeol and I…” You force out the words. “We weren’t really married.”

“What?” Yixing spits in surprise and you quickly explain.

“Well, we were married legally, but we didn’t love each other. We just got married so we could borrow each others’ fame to be more successful.” You bite your lip and in a sharp breath. “So…eventually I got fed up with the fake life and decided to stop everything by divorcing him.”

Yixing falls silent, merely sipping on his tea as he stares off into the distance for a while. Then he finally speaks, “It’s your decision. I can’t really comment on your choices, but if I had to say something,” his lips curl up slightly. “I think you made a good choice. I don’t know about fame and all that, but if you think it’s right, it’s right. If you think divorcing is right, it’s right.”

You exhale slowly, feeling some weight becoming lifted from your shoulders. For some reason, his words made you feel relieved. “Thank you for understanding. I thought…I thought I should let you know because…”

You don’t know how to continue. Okay, sure you thought of him as a friend, but did you think of you as one? Is it okay to just go around calling him your friend?

“Because we’re friends?” He offers gently with a small chuckle. “We are,aren’t we?”

You smile widely. “Yes, we are.”

“Where does she work?” Chanyeol asks slowly as he scrolls through his phone in the changing room.

Baekhyun grins. “Curious?”

Chanyeol scoffs, but doesn’t deny it. Rolling