Three Years Later

Summer

Life is good. Sulli was satisfied with everything she'd accomplished. Being a music teacher was great, and even though her love life had been stagnant for the most part, she was happy.

She'd been on a few dates here and there, but nobody seemed to interest her much. Well, nobody as interesting as that particular someone three years ago. Nobody who knew her inside out. She knew she should at least give guys who were interested in her a chance, but Sulli didn't want to. She didn't want to admit it but somewhere in the deepest corners of her heart, she wished she could meet him again. Just once, maybe, to see how he was doing without her.

They had been friends all their life, after all, and she wished they hadn't had to separate on such a bitter note.

"One mocha latte please." 

Sulli made her order and began to read her book as she awaited her date's arrival. She'd been set up yet again by her friend and even though she'd rejected the offer, once she heard that the guy had suggested meeting at this cafe, she knew she should give him a chance. They seem to have something in common; a love for cafe's and books.

"Make that two lattes."

Sulli looked up and at once, her jaw dropped wide open as her book dropped from her hands to the table.

"Are you really that shocked to see me?" He laughed.

"O-oppa..." She stuttered.

"Neh..." He replied, imitating the same surprised tone she had, making her giggle.

"What are you doing here? You still work here?" 

"Nope. Just here for my date." He smiled.

"What? I'm your date!" Sulli laughed at how ridiculous this situation seemed.

"Really? Aish, it was my friend who set me up." He scratched his head.

"Baekhyunnie-oppa, I'm so glad you came! I've been wanting to meet you, but I lost your contact number, and I heard you moved out from that apartment."

"...That reminds me, I have yet to apologise to you. I'm really sorry about everything that's happened. I hope you can forgive me oppa."

"Ah, Sulli-ya, I was never angry at you. I just wished you had stayed in contact with me even though you were mad at Chanyeol."

At the mention of his name, she fell silent, her smile fading away.

"How have you been?" Baekhyun asked kindly.

"Great." Sulli smiled.

"I meant, how have you been, without him?" She looked away for a moment, sudden flashbacks attacking her mind. Recomposing herself, she glanced back at her oppa sitting opposite her.

 "I-I'm fine." She forced a smile.

"No, you're not..." Baekhyun returned a small smile.

"I am." Her smile deepened, but she knew her eyes betrayed her. "...I just. I miss him. That's all."

 "Anyway, how are you oppa?" Sulli tried changing the subject but Baekhyun brought it back to Chanyeol. When previously he used to avoid the topic of his best friend, now that he had found Sulli again, he was determined to bring the pair back together. If not as a couple, at least as friends.

"I'm not staying with Yeollie anymore, but we live nearby."

"Oh."

"He's doing an internship at a firm."

"Oh."

"Is that all you can say?" Baekhyun as he poked her cheek to get her attention back.

"No, I'm glad he's good."

"I can bring you to him now, he's resting at home."

"Why? Is he sick?" Suddenly Sulli was listening well as she sat upright in her seat.

"You still care about him." Baekhyun teased yet again, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Of course I do." Sulli pursed her lips. "So is he sick or what?"

"He is, just a slight fever but --"

"--Okay, take me to him." Sulli cut him off as she stood up, anxious to see Chanyeol.

All Baekhyun could do was laugh as he adhered to her request. It was a quick 20minutes drive from the cafe to Chanyeol's new apartment. Baekhyun let them in with his own key given to him by his best friend.

It was quiet inside, and the air was so still and stuffy. 

The moment Sulli saw him lying on the couch wrapped in blankets, eyes closed, breathing heavily through his mouth, her eyes began to water. She quickly rubbed at the corner of her eyes and went into the kitchen to make a mug of juice for him.

Chanyeol stirred awake as soon as he heard the blender whirring, but he was too weak to get up so he remained lying where he was.

"Someone's here to see you." Baekhyun grinned at his friend. "It's not Kim Min-Hyun ssi."

"Who is it then?" Chanyeol groaned sleepily.

"You'll be surprised."

Just then, Sulli came out with a tray of juice, a bowl of water and a piece of cloth.

"Oppa, open the curtains! It's so warm in here." 

Baekhyun went around to do as ordered, and Chanyeol's long and heavy body forced itself into a sitting position as soon as he heard that achingly familiar voice. 

"Sulli..." He croaked weakly, and she held out the drink.

"Drink this, oppa." 

He did as told, cringing at the awful taste of it. "What the hell is in this?"

"Beet Root. Carrot. Celery. Cucumber. Ginger. Pear. Good for fever." 

"I'm surprised I even have those things in my fridge." Chanyeol muttered, but realised it must have been Min Hyun who had done his grocery shopping for him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked meekly, but she pushed him back down onto the couch and began to dip the cloth in water. She placed it on his forehead for a minute, and then squeezed the water out again into the bowl.

"Baekhyunnie-oppa, this isn't a 'slight' fever. His body is burning!" Sulli nagged at the unsuspecting oppa standing nearby.

"I'm fine," Chanyeol groaned but he was interrupted by Sulli.

"You're not fine. You need to rest for a few days. Stop being so stubborn, god."

Baekhyun could only chuckle at the pair; just five minutes into meeting each other after three years and they were already bickering. It really felt like old times.

Once Chanyeol had fallen asleep, Sulli began to pack her things to leave. Baekhyun had left earlier for work, but Sulli had insisted on staying till Chanyeol fell asleep so that she could at least make his temperature go down a little. She scribbled something on a piece of paper and left it at the table. Taking one last look at the boy she had missed so dearly sleeping soundly as he snored heavily, she left.

When Chanyeol woke up the next morning, the first thing he thought was if everything that had happened the night before had been anything but reality.

Sulli, the girl he'd not seen in three years, had dropped by his apartment and taken care of him. If he hadn't been passing in and out of consciousness, he was quite sure they'd even had a little argument. It was as if nothing had changed.

But as soon as he got up and saw the note on the table, he knew it hadn't all been a hallucination. Sulli had been there, in his apartment, on his couch, tending to him.

The note she'd carefully written read:

Oppa, it's me, Sulli.

I know it is very difficult to believe that I'm here again, but I hope you would agree to meet me. There's something I have to say. Meet you at the cafe at 3 next Sunday.

Chanyeol read and reread the note repeatedly. He didn't know how he felt about it. There were a thousand things running through his mind, but he knew he should wait till the following week to settle them all.

But next week came sooner than expected, and by the time he got to Sunday, he was feeling more anxious than before. What if she was still mad at him? Had she expected him to find her after their fallout three years ago?

As Chanyeol turned the corner into the cafe, he spotted her right away at the table they used to sit at, dressed in a summer dress. Her hair was now short, hanging right above her shoulders, but she still had the same pink lips and eye smile. In fact, she looked more lady like; matured.

"Anneyong, oppa." Sulli greeted him when he arrived, standing up to bow. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as they took their seats.

"How have you been?" Chanyeol broke the silence first after a little hesitation.

"Good. I teach music now." Her features contorted into the most beautiful smile, and his hands curled into a fist as he surpressed the urge to reach over and caress her cheek.

"That's good."

Another awkward silence.

"How did you..."

"I wanted to..."

Both Sulli and Chanyeol spoke at the same time, and Sulli smiled, embarrassed, as Chanyeol grinned sheepishly.

"You go first."

"I wanted to see you... To apologise. Oppa, for the past three years, I've regretted everything. Breaking up was the right thing to do, but breaking off completely was childish and I wish I hadn't done it. Chanyeol oppa... I've really missed you. Not as my boyfriend, but as a friend. The one who used to wait for me outside my school gate every day after school. The one who accompanid me to the doctor when I was sick. The Chanyeol oppa who would cheer me up when I was sad, and who could make me laugh till my stomach hurt and my cheeks ache. I miss that, oppa."

 Chanyeol felt a huge lump in his throat as he listened to her, realising that he missed that too. 

Subconsciouly, his large hand had reached out to touch her smaller one as he squeezed them lightly.

"I missed you too, Jinri-ah."

It was the first time in a really, really long time Chanyeol had called her by her real name instead of her nickname "Sulli" she'd given herself. And she didn't know why, but she loved the way it rolled off his tongue, the way it sounded in his mouth. Like she knew it was safe with him. She was safe with him. No matter what has happened, he was still her bestest friend.

After the reconciliation, Chanyeol and Sulli spent the next few weeks catching up over meals. Whenever they had free time, they'd spend it together doing things they'd missed doing together like bowling and movie marathons over at each other's apartment.

That night, Sulli had invited both Chanyeol and Baekhyun over for dinner and since all of them had work the next day, both the boys had decided that they should leave early.

"Your cooking skills has really improved ya!" 

"Especially the sangyeopsal you cooked tonight! It's the best I've ever tasted!" Chanyeol piped in as he slipped his feet into his sneakers.

"Thanks for the meal." Both of them thanked her in uinson. 

Baekhyun was the first to turn to leave. Before Sulli could say anything else, Chanyeol leaned in towards her and kissed her cheek lightly before whispering, "I'll see you soon."

Sulli's cheek turned red, her ears becoming hot as she quickly nodded, bade a last goodnight and closed the door behind her.

As the best friends walked home in the moonlight, Baekhyun kept glancing over at Chanyeol who seemed to be grinning to himself in the dark, both hands shoved into his pocket as he hummed a jovial tune. 

"What was that all about?" Baekyhun demanded.

"What?" Chanyeol looked over at his friend in surprise.

"That kiss you gave Ssul. You can't do that do her."

"It was just a friendly kiss, Baekhyunnie. Relax. She knows we're just friends."

"Friends don't grin to themselves like an idiot after giving a kiss on the cheek."

Taken aback by his friend's words, Chanyeol stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. Somehow he could read between the lines.

"I have a girlfriend." His expression was serious now.

"EXACTLY! You can't mislead Sulli into thinking you want to get back with her. The poor girl!" Baekhyun cried.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Aish. I'll introduce her to Min Hyun and set things straight."

"You shouldn't have kissed her."

"Ya!" Chanyeol locked Baekhyun's neck in his arms, something he liked to do when he was annoyed with his smaller sized friend, but instead of making Baekhyun angry like how he intended him to be, Baek was laughing at the ticklish feeling in his neck.

"Save me!" Baekhyun screamed and laughed as Chanyeol tried to quieten him down.

"People are going to think I'm you!" Chanyeol shushed him.

"Then stop trying to kill me!" 

"Fine." Chanyeol released his grip on Baekhyun and held a hand out. "Truce?" 

 After a little hesitation, Baekhyun shook his outstretched hand.

"Truce. But you're still an idiot for kissing her."

~