A/N: long chapter ahead! I hope you guys enjoy it~ c:

“Bae,” You muttered, fumbling with the hem of your dress, “Where exactly are we going?”

“Some place,” He took a glance off to the road to smile at you, “Don’t worry. You’ll know everyone there!”

You simply nodded to his side profile before staring out of the tinted windows. He began to hum along to the songs that were playing as he drove. Resting your chin onto the palm of your hand, you sighed. It was a dark night out s Baekhyun’s car whizzed by the buildings and light posts. You watched as the buildings flickered by. Billboards woodshed by with a flash, adversity the next big thing. You watched the other cars past by until you couldn’t watch them anymore. A mellow balled song played in the background, fitting your exact mood. Your mind suddenly flashed back ahead. You bit your lip as tears welled into your eyes.

No… I can’t think of him now. I… I have to let him go.

You shook your head, trying to get the smiling picture of him out. You blinked, hoping that your tears would disappear.

“Are you okay, Ji Ji?” Baekhyun asked, giving you a worried glance. Biting your lip, you nodded.

“I… I’m alright,” You managed to breath out without your voice wavering.

“Don’t lie to me,” He muttered, taking an exit. “You want to cry, don’t you?”

Spot on.

You just glanced at him, a bit shocked. You turned away quickly, not wanting to meet his eyes. You know that if you did so, you were going to lose it.

“Oh come on, Eun Ji-ah. We’ve been best friend for years now. Don’t act all shocked,” He rolled his eyes, a teasing smile on his face.

“I’m not,” You lied, staring blankly out the window. “Bae… why do these things happen to me?”

“What do you mean?” He questioned with a frown.

“Him,” You stated bluntly as tears filled your eyes again.

“Oh,” He blinked, “Well… we all have hardships in life- a bump in the road, you know? We make mistakes and fall all the time. But from that, we learn not to do so; we prevent ourselves from making that same mistake and falling again. These things just take time; they take time to get into and to get over.”

“I… I see,” You mumbled as Baekhyun pulled into a parking lot, “Love can be so stupid.”

“Why yes, yes it can.” He chuckled, getting out of the car to help you out. “It’s the best feeling in the world. But being crushed by it, it can be the worst feeling in the world. Love is a beautiful yet cruel thing; it’s a double edged sword.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed. A scowl was plastered on my face as the music blasted throughout the room. Reserved especially for tonight, the pace was filled with familiar people. I stayed against the wall, eyeing the dance floor.

“Chanyeol-ah,” A voice spoke over the blaring music, “Why aren’t you dancing?”

“Oh, Joonmyun hyung.” I faked a smile, “My stomach kind of hurts. I just need to stay put for a bit.”

“Ah, jinjja?” Gwenchana?” He asked, worried.

“Gwenchana,” I nodded, “Oh, by the way hyung, the punch was spiked.”

His eyes widened as he glanced at the punch bowl. “Crap, crap, crap.” He cursed under his breath, walking quickly to the punch bowl.

I smiled a bit, watching hyung frantically running about. He paced back and forth, yelling at the other about the spiked punch. I let out a heavy sigh, closing my eyes as the music changed to a slower song. I relaxed a bit, keeping my arms crossed, I hummed along to the song, although I’m not one of the best singers. I peeped open an eye, just in time to see two familiar people walk in.

“Eun Ji noona! Baekhyun hyung!” I heard Sehun say. I straightened up quickly, shoving my hands in my pockets. I glanced up, my eyes widening.

Eun Ji walked in with a red dress that fit her perfectly, hitting right above her knee. She complimented the dress with a white blazer. She looked amazing. I gritted my teeth other, my body filling with anger. She had her arm linked with Baekhyun’s.

“What? Eun Ji’s here?!” Kyunsoo exclaimed, skipping over ot hem. “Eun Ji! Baekhun hyung!”

I grimaced, watching the scene play out. Everyone was ecstatic to see them. They chatted happily with each other, laughter erupting throughout all of them. I crossed my arms again, cursing under my breath.

Why is she here? And with him… why? But, she looks amazing… as always.

“Chanyeol, come over and say hello!” Luhan called, ushering my over to the group. I shook my head, not wanting to be near the two of them. All eyes were on me, watching me carefully.

“Ani,” I muttered, “I’m fine here.”

“Chanyeol ge!” Tao chirped, skipping over to me. He grinned widely at me, tugging at my sleeve. “Come and talk! Talk to Eun Ji!”

“Tao, it’s okay.” I forced a smile, “I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“No talking?” He questioned, tilting his head. “But ge, Baekhyun ge is here too! You have to talk to him!”

Before I could answer, Tao pushed me towards her and Baekhyun. I forced a small smile, waving a bit to them. Eun Ji, with eyes wide, immediately released her grasp on Baekhyun.

“Eun Ji-ah,” Kyungsoo droned on, “I learned this new recipe…”

“Baekhyun ge! Here’s Chanyeol ge!” Tao chirped happily, “Talk now?”

I glanced at Baekhyun, meeting eyes with him. Having an awkward eye contact moment, I looked away and shook my head to Tao. I wasn’t ready to talk to Baekhyun, not just yet. I opened my mouth to speak but quickly closed it as Baekhyun spoke.

“No, it’s okay, Tao.” He gave the boy a small smile, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “We’ll talk later.”

He ruffled Tao’s hair before walking towards the punch, brushing his shoulder against mine harshly. I stood there, my mouth slightly agape. Baekhyun and I were always so close, ever since we were little. We rarely got into fights. But even when we did, we never stayed mad at each other for long. Now, it’s different. He’s grown up, matured. It’s not all fun and games anymore.

“Ahem,” A female voice coughed besides me. I groaned quietly as I turned around. Opening my mouth to snap back, I quickly closed it. My eyes widened as I took a step back.

“E-Eun Ji…” I managed to squeak out. My heart was pounding quickly as my mind drew only one question and nothing else- why was she here?

“Chanyeol,” She smiled softly to me. Her voice was music to my ears as if angels were calling me, “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

“I-It has. How have you been?”

How could I be nervous? I’m just simply talking to Eun Ji. Nothing else.

“I’m,” She paused, hesitating a bit. “Better, I guess. How are you?”

I shifted awkwardly in my spot, scratching the top of my nose- a habit I’ve done whenever I was nervous. “I’m… well.” I stated simply, nodding a bit.

She nodded back, unsure of what to say. We stayed silent, letting the music blast around us. I played with my fingers, unsure of what to do. I glanced back up, sneaking a glance at her. Her head was tilted to the side as she watched the dance floor. Her hair cascaded in a waterfall of curls, falling past her shoulders. The light shimmered on her skin, distinguishing her features. Her blazer was off of her shoulders, exposing them to hungry eyes. Her tight, red dress showed off all of her curves and defined them even more. She was beautiful, more beautiful than I remembered.

She turned her head back, her eyes meeting mine. My eyes grew wide as my cheeks flushed a crimson red. Her lips were pursed in a straight line, her eyebrows furrowed. I looked away quickly, scratching the tip of my nose. She chuckled softly, causing me to look at her once more. She raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms with a teasing smile on her face. I blinked, just to make sure that she was smile at me and not anyone else.

Yup, she’s still there.

“Nervous?” She asked, stepping closer to me.

I simply nodded, mesmerized by her. She stepped closer, toying with the tie that hung around my neck. She tugged on it, causing me to move closer to her. Smirking, she tilted her head, running her fingers from my shoulder to my chest.

“Chanyeol-ah,” She breathed, near my ear. I gulped loudly. How could she be so mesmerizing?

“Do you know how much pain was in? Do you know how many tears I’ve shed? Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to do this to you?” She spat.

Before I could ask her what she was talking about, she slapped my cheek. Hard. I stumbled back a bit, holding my cheek with wide eyes. There were tears in her eyes, threatening to fall. She was trembling, her hand clenched into a fist.

“Eun-“

“Save it.” She replied, monotonously, her eyes glassy. “We’re done here.”

“Eun Ji!” A male voice called. Without looking, I knew the voice was Baekhyun.

I walked away, my fists clenched tightly. The other called after me, shouting over the blasting music. I shook them off, ignoring them as they continued to shout. I pulled open the door to the alleyway, closing it quickly and leaned against the wall. I closed my eyes, noticing that I’ve been crying the whole time. I let out a long, shaky sigh as the tears continued to gall. I slumped against the wall, pressing my back against it. I slid down the wall, letting myself crumple into a ball and sobbed uncontrollably.

Why am I being like this?

I wiped away my tears, my hand shaking. I rubbed my tender cheek, exhaling shakily. It was sore and it hurt. I was sure there was a bright, angry red mark on my cheek. I sighed, tilting my head to face the dark sky. There were barely any stars out, just a few twinkling dimly.

“I need to calm down,” I spoke to myself, closing my eyes. “I need to get my act together. I need to man. I need to get over her.”

I sighed once more before standing up. I brushed the dirt off of my legs and back. I reached a shaky hand out, grabbing the doorknob. Closing my eyes them slowly them, I took a deep breath.

I’m going to move on. I’m going to forget her. I’m going to, just you wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Eun Ji, gwenchana?” Baekhyun asked, his arm around your waist.

You simply nodded, biting your bottom lip. You didn’t want to cry, not in front of everyone here. Your mind flashed back as Chanyeol stormed off, his eyes filled with tears. You didn’t know that you hurt him that bad. You didn’t slap him too hard… did you? You took a shaky breath before forcing  a smile at Baekhyun.

“I’m fine, really. Don’t worry so much about me,” You ruffled his hair, “But thank you, Baekhyun. Thank you.”

Falling for your act, he smiled back, his eyes twinkling. He pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face into your hair.

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” He asked, concerned. You shook your head.

“Good,” He mumbled into your ear, “I don’t want him to hurt you anymore.”

Your eyes widen as he spoke those words. You pulled away slightly, your hand on his shoulders.

“Wh-What did you say?” You asked, searching his eyes.

“I don’t want him to hurt you,” He repeated, “And I absolutely don’t want him near you.”

Without thinking, you blurted, “Why?”

“Because I can’t stand seeing you hurt. I can’t stand seeing you in such a bad state. I can’t stand hearing and seeing you cry. I can’t stand knowing that I can only hold you and tell you that everything is going to be okay,” He spoke sincerely, quivering slightly.

He glanced at the floor, embarrassed. You felt a smile grow on your face. You cupped his face, causing him to look at you. You glanced into his eyes, smiling brightly at him.

“Oh Bae,” You laughed, “You just being here for me is all I need. You’re the best, Bae. You really are.”

You smiled at him, making him smile back. He pulled you into another tight hug, burying his face into your hair.

“Eun Ji,” He breathed into your ear, “You’re the best. Honest.”

You laughed, squeezing him gently, “I couldn’t have wished for a better best friend than you.”

“Neither could I,” He replied, smiling.

You kept him in a tight embrace as a smile stayed on your face. You suddenly felt a bit happier, feeling as if something had just lifted off of your shoulders.

Maybe… maybe I really am getting over him.