"Why didn't you let the driver drive?" Chanyeol asked while watching the car window slide down as his fingers pressed against the button for it.

"Because I wanted to drive." Baekhyun answered plainly, gripping the steering wheel with one hand and his other hand's elbow resting on the open window casually.

"But why did you give him money to take a cab and go to the hotel? He could just sit in the back seat, while you drive to the hotel." Chanyeol asked through a confused expression.

"And listen to our conversation while we get awkward about a third person's presence? No thanks." Baekhyun said nonchalantly as he used his free hand to run his fingers through his rough brown locks falling on his face. His hair lost their softness because of not being taken care of for so many days.

But somehow, the flowing air passing through Baekhyun's disheveled hair, the way his plain white shirt was fluttering with the speed of the car, how his brown eyes were focussed on the road ahead, the way his fingers were gently wrapped around the leather of the steering wheel, how was mouth was humming an unknown countryside tune, it all felt beautiful to Chanyeol.

Every time Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun, he felt the urge to confess rising like bile inside his anxious system. And he wanted things to be perfect, nothing less than what Baekhyun deserved. But everything felt vaguely average when compared to Baekhyun who seemed like the marble piece of perfection.

Chanyeol looked outside the window, feeling the soft wind caressing his skin, he placed both his arms on the edge, folded inwards and rested his head on them, letting the wind flow through his hair. He closed his eyes when he felt sun rays hitting his skin. It was a sort of a feeling when the sun feels sweeter and wind cuts deeper. And Chanyeol was loving it.



 

Suddenly an abrupt screech and cry followed by car breaks brought Chanyeol out of his comfortable stance. He ran out of the car, not caring to close the open door and so did Baekhyun only to find an injured kitten bleeding by the side of their car tire.

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun who's skin became as pale as snow at the very sight.

"Ohmygod-Oh-My-God! i- I killed- I, I didn't -"

"Baekhyun relax!" Chanyeol nearly screamed as he bent down and swiftly picked up the bleeding kitten in his arms with ease. Baekhyun's eyes widened on seeing this as he said, "Why- Why are you- "

"It's not dead." Chanyeol said in a low tone after he lightly pressed his two fingers around the cat's neck and felt the pulse under his finger pads.

"It's not! Oh thank God! I thought I ki-"

"Will you ing drive quickly to the hotel!"

"Right!" Baekhyun shot back and jumped into the driver's seat, and so did Chanyeol, and raced the car back into life.

"I'm sure there must be a hospital nearby, we'll find a vet quickly and-" Baekhyun muttered.

"We don't need the hospital, just drive quickly to the hotel." Chanyeol said as delicately started rubbing the forehead of the beautiful fainted white creature in his arms.

"But we must take it to the vet! It's bleeding-"

"It's only a fractured leg with a couple of cuts and scratches. She fainted out of shock. That's all. She's very young, you see." Chanyeol said as he petted the kitten carefully, relaxing her nerves gently with his tender touch.

"Oh! That's a relief!" Baekhyun said as he jumped the red light and saw the hotel building in the near vicinity.

"But how did you crash? Did you not see her?" Chanyeol asked looking at Baekhyun directly.

Baekhyun gulped as he thought to himself that saying- you looked so gorgeous with the wind flowing through your hair and sunlight casting the shadow of your hair on your forehead, I forgot that I was driving- didn't sound like an answer decent enough.

"Oh we reached." Baekhyun said as he pulled the breaks in front of the building, diverting Chanyeol's attention from the initial question. There were a ton of people surrounding them, looking at them but Chanyeol didn't give a damn.

Chanyeol quickly ran out of the car and into the hotel, Baekhyun hurriedly threw the keys to the chauffeur and ran after Chanyeol, letting people stare for they wanted. He found Chanyeol on the reception, telling something to the receptionist.

"- yes please, quickly arrange these." Chanyeol said, and the blond receptionist nodded and ran off quickly away from the reception area.

"You would have a room booking by the name of Byun Baekhyun- psychiatrist." Baekhyun said to the neighboring receptionist.

"Wait, for a broken leg we must go to the hospital. Why are we going to the room?" Baekhyun asked worriedly as it suddenly hit him.

"Hold up! How do you know it has a broken leg?" Baekhyun's eyes widened as he looked at Chanyeol with shock evident on his face. But as soon as Chanyeol opened his mouth, the receptionist spoke up,

"Yes sir. It's room no. 711. And here are your keys." And she handed the keys to a shocked Baekhyun.

Baekhyun took the keys and turned back to Chanyeol who was looking at a person in distance.

Baekhyun followed his gaze and saw a lady was approaching them with a bag and Chanyeol looked relieved. Soon Baekhyun realized it was the same blond receptionist he was talking to when Baekhyun reached.

Nothing was making sense to Baekhyun.
Why were they in a hotel?
How did Chanyeol figure out a fractured leg?
Why is this blond lady bringing a bag to them?!

She reached them and said, "It has everything you asked for." while pointing at the bag.

"Please take it, Baekhyun." Chanyeol asked while looking at the kitten.

And Baekhyun took the bag from her and Chanyeol started making his way to the lift with Baekhyun tailing behind.

As soon as they entered the lift and the doors closed, Baekhyun erupted, "Can you ing explain-"

"I'm a vet." Chanyeol said while his eyes were fixed on the breathing of the small creature in his arms.

"WHAT?!" Baekhyun screamed out. "You are a vet?! How? Since when? Why did you never tell me?" Baekhyun felt betrayed that Chanyeol never told him about his profession.

"It never came up." Chanyeol shrugged simply, like it was no big deal.

"What do you mean it never came up! You said you were in college with Kyungsoo and Kai told me that Kyungsoo has majored in business, so I thought you too-"

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun with an expression that read- 'are you kidding me?'

"You assumed it. Not my fault." He replied casually.

And the temporary anger and betrayal transformed into something deeper and more hurtful. Guilt. For the first time Baekhyun realized that he didn't know Chanyeol much. He knew his rarely shared past and everything but not much about him as a person. He didn't know if Chanyeol preferred dusk or Dawn, he didn't know Chanyeol's favorite movie and other simple yet most important things. Yet Chanyeol knew Baekhyun so well, Baekhyun started feeling guilty for not knowing the man he claimed to love. Was it even love if he didn't even know Chanyeol well? Seeing the dull expression surfacing on Baekhyun, Chanyeol spoke up,

"We were in the same university- ting tong-"

And the lift doors opened as Chanyeol made his way out of the lift and continued,

"Soo majored in business and finance, but I was in zoology and then decided to be a doctor for animals when an injuired squirrel died in front of me and I couldn't do anything to save it."

"Okay." Baekhyun mumbled as he was still shocked and guilty and then silently opened the door of their room.

Chanyeol removed the bedsheet from the bed with one hand while holding the cat in the other and kept the sheet on the floor messily and slowly placed her on the crumpled bedsheet.

He quickly reached for the bag and opened it. After wearing a mask and gloves, Chanyeol started cleaning the cat with sterilised cotton and then began building a plaster on the broken leg with wet POP and white bandages.

Baekhyun just sat there, next to Yeol, and watched the boy treating the injured animal with intense care. And Baekhyun realized one thing, that he has never wanted to know someone as badly as he wanted to know Chanyeol. The smallest and minutest things about Chanyeol mattered to Baekhyun. And that's all that mattered at the moment.