❝For a second they looked silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible and inevitable❞ - Leo Tolstoy.

∞

8:39 pm 

Baekhyun thought wrong when he imagined the silence of home greeting him. He thought wrong when his heavy footsteps with a heavy heart walked through the door to be ready to greet the silence, because, as soon as he stepped inside, the familiar giggles, and laughter went through his ears like a blessing, and the sight in the living room had his heart erupt with a bliss. 

Areum, Seojun and Gayoung were seated on the couch, with Seojun seated between them as both mother and daughter were making two ponytails in his hair with their soft giggles echoing in the living room as Seojun was whining about having the hairstyle same as his mommy and sister who had their hair tied in two pigtails. 

"Aw, my adorable baby." Gayoung cooed, smooching his cheek twice as Areum laughed, softly fixing his bangs. "Wow, Jun-ah, you look so pretty!" 

He giggled, eyes sparkling as he looked at Mongryong seated on the floor by the couch. "Really?!" 

He stared at him with a satisfied face, making the three of them giggle together as both of them hugged Seojun before Gayoung began to take pictures of themselves on her phone. 

The sight had Baekhyun's lips curve in a soft smile, his eyes were glistening with a warmth, the sight he missed for two days, the people who had become his favorite, and her, who had become more than favorite, something he never thought he'd feel, yet here he was, which was unknown before but now it was not. 

And as soon as his eyes had stopped at her, his heartbeat raced, he couldn't help but stare at her with a feeling of pleasantness until his unpleasant thoughts occurred in his mind enough for his heart to sink in a not so pleasing way which pierced the spot right there. 

Whereas, Gayoung who was taking pictures of her little beans with a smile, until her heart felt strange, an odd sensation which had her stop her actions to coming to a realization of him being here around her, and the feeling had her heartbeat quicken enough to tilt her head towards the direction of the entrance door. 

Their eyes met, a warm chills ran through them, their breath hitched, as they stayed still staring at each other unable to even blink, because that's how much they wanted to look at each other, as a wave of bliss erupted in their hearts followed by a sudden nervous and shyness of their fond feelings. 

"Dad!" 

Areum exclaimed, as soon as she took a notice of her dad's presence to hop off the couch with a happy squeal to run toward him following Seojun with a beaming smile along the Mongryong as both of them were quick to hug him when Baekhyun crouched down to their level with a laugh leaving his lips as he was tackled down by them yet the laugh was a joyful one as his heart warmed at their love for him. 

"I missed you two so much!" He exclaimed, kissing their heads tenderly while both of them made themselves comfortable on either side on his lap as he held them safely with Seojun hugging his neck with a smile. "I missed you more." 

"No, I missed you more." Areum interjected, as she hugged Baekhyun's neck as well until both of his little ones began to banter about who missed him more, and he could just stare at them with a fond smile to immediately intrude with a chuckle. "Okay, okay, my little ones missed me the most, okay?" 

Both of them nodded with a giggle to kiss his cheek as his nose scrunched with a giggle where Mongryong also leaned towards him as Baekhyun took his time to pat him gently as their little talks continued. 

Then there stood by the couch, Gayoung, staring at them with her ever fond look and smile as she couldn't help but be blessed by the sight and seeing him home had hit her heart with a wave of peace since the place felt incomplete without him, like his presence around them, around her. 

In each other's lives. 

"Did you miss mommy?" 

Areum's words had her snap out, and her eyes locked with Baekhyun the moment she looked at him surprised, with his words from their phone call rang in her ears and in his mind enough for their hearts to jolt up with a sudden warming blush as Gayoung couldn't help but look away from him. 

Seojun beamed. "We missed you, so mommy missed you too." 

Gayoung's eyes widened, blushing but the fact he wasn't wrong made her blush even more as she looked at Seojun only to feel his gaze on her as she swallowed. "Come on, let's get up, dad must be tired." 

Areum and Seojun were quick to nod, as both of them got up with Baekhyun standing up as well while coming to her where she was standing, and the more his steps got closer, the more she felt nervous for some reasons, yet she was unaware of him feeling the same until he was standing by her. 

Now they were realizing why things felt different. 

Because they were developing that certain emotion for each other, not something they hated, but it came to them unexpectedly, bloomed in their hearts when they weren't ready yet to embrace the feeling and it was hard for them get used to this fact, as well as confront each other with this new bloomed feeling which seemed difficult at the moment because they were unaware of the other one's too. 

"Dad, hug mommy quickly!" 

Both of them turned to Areum with a surprised look to look at each other with a nervousness and it was so perplexing to admit the fact of how they were so comfortable hugging each other when they were unaware of their feelings but now, the nervousness and shyness had engulfed their hearts to proceed. 

Yet they were craving to be in each other's embraces. 

Seojun exclaimed, with a whine. "Quickly!" 

Baekhyun stared at Gayoung for a moment, and feeling his gaze, she turned to him only to lock eyes with him, staring at each other with an intently soft gaze bored together, before he held out his arm opening it a little for her with a hesitation where she bit her lip, stepping closer to him to wrap her arms around his waist with the exact hesitation and the next second, he wrapped his arms around her. 

They stood still, awkward, nervous, shy, but the moment they felt the warmth of theirs around them, it was enough to have them melt in each other's embraces, enough to tighten their hold, enough to pull closer to the warmth they were craving in, the comfort they missed. 

Gayoung's head buried in his shoulder by the curve of his neck, as an unconscious sigh of relief had left her lips, where Baekhyun tightened his hold, his face nuzzling into her hair softly as a sooth formed in his heart which had them engulfed in each other by a solace. 

No matter how much they wanted to be away from each other, their hearts were winning over them to have them closer. 

A sudden realization had hit them hard, the fear and pain engulfed in their hearts which pierced their spot right there unpleasantly, enough for Gayoung to lighten the hold as she pulled her hands off from his waist, where he unwrapped his arms around her to face each other while masking a smile with a painful heart. 

"How did your seminar go?" Gayoung managed to ask, as she looked at him and Baekhyun stared at her, slowly reaching out to caress her bangs like usual but something stopped him, as his hand halted in front of her face to gulp down a lump harshly because his feelings were deepening which he feared at the moment to drop his hand to his side yet his own action pierced his heart with a displease. 

He let out a hum. "It went well." 

An unpleasant piercing sensation ran through her heart the moment he dropped his hand, and that's when the realization came to her of her getting her hopes up, something she was getting afraid to do, something which might hurt her later if her feelings deepened, yet her heart hurt at his gesture to look down for a moment to nod back at him with a light smile. "That's good." 

They were smiling at each other, but their hearts were hurting inside and their eyes could tell yet they were unable to see it or they didn't want to see it. 

"Dad, did you buy my sports car?" Seojun hugged his legs, and Baekhyun looked down at him with a smile. "Yes, little Spiderman." 

"And my chocolates?" 

"Yes, princess." 

Both of them squealed, making him and Gayoung to chuckle at them as they looked at each other at the same time to exchange smiles, this time, not a forced one, not masked by any pain but a smile of their warmed hearts to see their little ones happy. 

Their talks didn't end here, because after washing up, Baekhyun was back having chit-chats with his little ones in the living room, but couldn't seem to get enough of teasing Seojun about his two little ponytails along with Areum as the living room was filled with joyful laughter which was missed since two days and Gayoung was glad to see it. 

Not long before, Gayoung was in the kitchen, making dinner while stealing glances at her little beans but her eyes would just stop at him, unaware of his gaze stealing glances at her as well, until she found Baekhyun no longer with them, which had her ponder over him being in the room. 

However, he was here, she felt him right behind her to stand beside her before mumbling softly. "Let me help you." 

Her heart skipped a beat, before shaking her head with a nervous chuckle. "It's…. It's okay. You must be tired, so you should rest, Baekhyun." 

"I'm not that tired, Gayoung." He uttered, not able to shrug the tingles in heart the way she took his name softly, the way he missed it for two days and Gayoung met his eyes, and a wave of tickle erupted in her stomach which made her look away. "Okay." 

There was a day when they didn't know how to start a conversation, and it was when they got married, but they had past that phase enough to get comfortable, enough to get closer but it felt like they were again on that phase, and now it was because of their new developed feelings, bringing an awkwardness, nervousness, between them. 

Yet there was a fear in his heart, and a crushing pain of her hope in her heart had stopped them from embracing the emotion. 

"You're doing it wrongly." Gayoung uttered, with a frown as soon as she saw him cutting the vegetable wrongly and Baekhyun took a glance at her to glance back at the vegetable with a confident look. "No, it's supposed to be sliced like this." 

"No, you have to cut them in a straight way." 

"This is straight, Professor." He tilted his head, giving her a look and Gayoung gave him a look back. "More like a zigzag, Doctor." 

Baekhyun glanced at the task of his, to focus as he blinked a couple of times only to see a zigzag shape before giving a shrug. "But vegetables are supposed to be ground in the dish anyway." 

"That's because you can't admit that you're not talented enough." She rolled her eyes, and Baekhyun raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Is that a challenge, professor?" 

She shrugged. "Think whatever you want, Doctor." 

Both of them stared at each other, to realize their childish banter only to smile with a chuckle leaving their lips together. 

"Give me the knife," She took the knife from him with a smile before pointing at the cabinet. "You should just lay out the plates because that's what you're talented in." 

"I'm talented reaching up to the cabinet," He trailed off, walking to the cabinet not before speaking up behind her. "But you're not." 

Gayoung let out a jaw drop gasp and Baekhyun could just chuckle. 

And no matter how much they try to get away, their hearts would always find their way to each other. 

Soon enough, after the dinner, it was time to sleep but Baekhyun was frowning with a pout on his lips when he found his little ones in the room with a whine of their mommy to sleep with them in their room, not because he had any problem but he was a little jealous of the trio teaming up leaving him behind. 

"Why can't I sleep with you?" He pouted, as he glanced over at Gayoung walking inside the kids room not before meeting her eyes and he swore he found a teasing glint behind it as they stood at the doorway with Areum placing her hands either side of her waist like her mother. "Because you are tired and mommy is going to read us a story so we'll sleep together tomorrow." 

"But I want to!" He whined, and Seojun giggled, patting Mongryong as he walked in their room. "Dad, you're like a baby." 

"Who's calling whom baby?" 

He mumbled, frowning as both of his little ones imitated him to giggle as they walked inside closing the door behind, leaving him baffled as he grumbled to lean his back against the door with a thought of how they were making up a gang of the trio yet he couldn't get mad because he, himself has come to love that person as well, but too occupied by the heavy emotion in his heart to confront it. 

At the moment, the door opened, flinching him enough to stumble back as the action was unexpected but a hand had palmed his back, the hand he was familiar with, the hand which always comfort him as he straightened himself to turn back to Gayoung who had a surprised yet worried look on her face. "Are you okay? What were you even doing?" 

"Oh, I was," He paused, suddenly out of words as he couldn't just tell her that he was thinking about her, that he had came to a realization of his love toward her, and that it was something he couldn't share it yet with her which had his throat tightened and Gayoung tilted her head, a glint of softness in her eyes. "What happened?" 

He stared at her for a moment. "Nothing." 

As if a dejavu had hit them, a sudden flashback of two day back crossed their minds, how she was being nervous enough to avoid his gaze, and now he was being nervous enough to avoid her gaze. 

Somehow feelings were being shared yet again. 

Gayoung just nodded, giving him his space before looking over shoulder. "They were pranking you." She met his eyes again with a light smile. "They were actually waiting for you to be home so they can be with you." 

Baekhyun looked over her shoulder, behind her towards his little ones to find them hopped on their beds before he met her eyes confusingly. "But how would we fit in those beds?" 

"We can just sleep in our room." She stated, giving him a look of 'seriously' and Baekhyun bit his lip with a sheepish look. "Oh." 

Gayoung just shook her head with a smile, thinking, as this is the person she has fallen in love with, and that's when her smile faded away the moment her heart overtook the heavy feeling over the pleasant one as she let out a sigh. "It's late, we should sleep now." 

She walked past him outside to their room, letting out her deep breath, leaving him perplexed as she still wasn't being her usual self because until now she would have lectured him about him being easily pranked by the kids but she didn't, which left a disappointment in his heart not knowing how she felt hurt for doing this enough to feel disappointed in herself. 

Soon they were gathered in their room, Areum and Seojun were lying together on the bed between Gayoung and Baekhyun clad in their nightwear, with Mongryong sleeping in his small bed of his which they just shifted in their room for a night with the trio of dad and the kids secretly enjoying Gayoung's scared face seeing the puppy in the room yet she couldn't seem to refuse since she also happened to like him as well. 

Areum and Seojun were getting ready to hear the story by their mommy who was opening the story book but as she was about to start, with her back against the headboard, her head tilted toward Baekhyun who was already looking at her with his torso facing toward her as he had propped himself up on his elbow while palming his head. 

Gayoung gave him a confused look. "You're going to listen too?" 

"Can't I?" He questioned back, looking at her innocently and she frowned, pursing her lips to look back at the book. "You're not a kid though." 

"Who says only kids can listen to the stories?" 

"Well, it's a bedtime story and it's for kids." 

"To help them sleep so might as well listen to it." He uttered, his eyes staring at her side profile, his heart itching for her eyes to meet his', since she wasn't looking at him, but she did, enough for his heart to skip a beat, her eyes met his' with a done look at his words to look back at the book. "Fine." 

Gayoung bit her lip, suddenly feeling conscious of his gaze at her, enough to churn her stomach with a ticklish sensation, enough for her to feel nervous that she couldn't look at him in the eyes, before beginning to read the story, and in between, Areum and Seojun kept questioning about it and to her surprise, Baekhyun was part of it, which made her realize that he could be a kid sometimes. 

"And, so-" She paused, the moment she heard soft snores beside her as she tilted her head to the side to see her little beans sleeping with Baekhyun who was also snoring softly with his arm wrapped around his little ones and the sight had her heart beam with a softness as her lips curved in a warm smile. 

For a moment, she just stared at them with a fond look in her eyes, as she reached out caress her little beans head softly until her hand stopped just over his head, and tightened to swallow the lump harshly as her eyes teared up pondering over if she could just give in to her feelings, to embrace it but then the thought of feeling the pain all over again crossed her mind, enough for her tears to roll over her cheeks as her heart ached. 

Withdrawing her hand, she wiped her tears away with a deep breath to place the book on the nightstand beside her to lay down by her side, facing them as she wrapped her arm around them to drown in her sleep. 

As if Baekhyun had felt the movement, he grasped her hand in a firm yet gentle tug where she didn't flinch away as the warmth of his felt safe enough. 

And their hearts were reaching out to each other yet again. 

___________

1:30 pm 

There's a saying that the more you hide your feelings for someone, the more you fall for them and the more you try to get away from them, the more your heart would crave their presence to have them closer. 

In one way or another, Baekhyun and Gayoung had to admit to that saying because they were feeling exactly like that, and if they thought that it'd be an easy task to get adapt to their current situation after the night, then they were so wrong because it was getting even harder for them to avoid their presence as their hearts were craving for each other. 

However, their own occupied thoughts and their disturbing unpleasant feelings in their hearts were stopping them, but inside, they were hurting as well, the aching pain was there whenever they took a step back from each other. 

But like it's said, the heart wants what it wants and it wants the warm embrace of theirs and so, in one way or another, they will have it, no matter how much they try to be away from each other. 

However, more than anything, they missed each other, their random banter, their laughter of laughing at anything which wasn't even funny, their night conversations with the coffee in the garden, they were missing it all and not being able to do anything about it, sent a throbbing ache in their hearts. 

Baekhyun was seated on the couch of the living room, back from his work earlier since he had gotten a half day off but he hadn't changed his casuals, his eyes focused on the closed door of his room where Gayoung was behind that door, and several thoughts crossing his mind if things would go like this from now on, if them being away from each other would take away the only comfort and peace of theirs, and all he could answer himself was a no. 

He didn't want that, yet he was doing exactly that, and the most disturbing question was if he should give in to his feelings, if he can give himself a chance to embrace his feelings once again, that he wouldn't get hurt once again but the answer he could get was none.

He was confused, his heart was reaching out to embrace the feeling but a wave of uncertainty kept holding him back. 

At the moment, the door opened, flinching him as he snapped out looking away the moment Gayoung walked out, not before locking eyes with him to erupt in a confusion of him still seated on the couch because as far as she knows, he'd get changed after coming back since it's uncomfortable for him. 

She cleared . "Aren't you going to change?" 

He stared at her for a moment before giving her a nod. "I will." 

Both of them stared at each other, suddenly out of words again as a wave of nervousness and awkwardness hit them but the more they did, the more their hearts raced with a warmth as Gayoung looked down for a moment before giving him a light smile. "I'm making smoothies for the kids, would you like one?" 

Strange. 

Whenever she made it, she never asked because she knew his answer yet she found herself asking again, and she wasn't the only one who felt that. 

Yet he just nodded, smiling back. "Sure." 

As soon as Gayoung walked in the kitchen, a deep breath exhaled out her lips at how nervous she was by just standing in front of him, by just locking eyes with him, as a sigh left her lips. "This is so weird and I don't like it." 

Shaking her head, she fetched the strawberries from the fridge before beginning to chop them in pieces to quickly grind them as the shake was ready just to be poured in the glasses, as she reached out, opening the upper cabinet only to find the glasses on the upper shelf which was difficult for her arm to reach as she let out a huff to instantly turn around only to gasp subtly to find Baekhyun standing in front of her. 

His eyes were widened like hers, as if both of them were too surprised by their own actions, before Gayoung took a step back in reflex not aware of the opened cabinets' door almost bumping onto the back of her head but Baekhyun was quick to palm her head from behind to pull her closer to him unconsciously as he locked his eyes with her to whisper. "Careful." 

Her heartbeat quickened, and she was quick to step back but a tug in her hair behind her head had her yelp to instantly hold her head to graze her palm against his wristwatch tangled in her hair as she met his eyes with a surprised look. "You didn't take off your watch?" 

Baekhyun blinked a couple of times to press his lips together. "I forgot." 

"Seriously?" 

"I'll get it out." 

He stated, immediately coming closer to her as she felt his warmth against her enough to make her breath hitched, where Baekhyun had his head tilted to take a better access to the back of her head, with his other arm wounding around her as his cheek was pressed against her temple to feel her skin against him with a warmth where Gayoung's lips were pressed against his shoulder and in the flow her hands had clutched his shirt either side of his waist. 

In a way, they had engulfed each other in their embrace like they craved it, like it was meant to be and how weird it was that they didn't want to let go of the warmth, yet it left a wave of ache in their hearts. 

As he untangled her hair, he leaned his head back to face her, as she tilted her head up at him to meet his eyes, close enough, unable to let go of each other as their eyes bored intently, there was a warmth, softness, and the pain was evident in a hidden glint, yet it felt hard to see through it.

At the moment, his phone buzzed, and it didn't stop once but buzzed a couple of times, which had him pull away his hands with a wave of disappointment as she did the same while both of them left with a fluttering blush of theirs. 

He fished out his phone to find Yixing's continuous texts as he began to check it, and an unconscious chuckle left his lips to which Gayoung looked at him confusingly. "What happened?" 

"Yixing is at Soo-Ah's home, and her parents arrived at the same time." He said, before letting out a snicker. "And he's panicked." 

A surprised chuckle let her lips. "What?" 

"Wanna see?" He raised his eyebrows and Gayoung was quick to nod, as he pushed his phone toward her while both of them standing close, reading his texts which did nothing but made them giggle together as Gayoung chuckled out. "He's literally asking a feedback from her parents." 

Baekhyun giggled. "Guess you're going to get the feedback, no?" 

"Oh, Soo-Ah wouldn't be able to stay quiet about it either