As soon as we arrived to Macau, the love that Chanyeol and I had been trying to avoid because we weren’t smart enough came to life. We took pictures, he managed to learn some Chinese and tried – unsuccessfully- to communicate with the locals to buy or just to talk, went for late night walks, daytime picnics…the same things I did when I was with Joonmyeon.

Joonmyeon. Where is he now? Is he alright? Does he hate me for doing this? Why do I think of him?

Did I do the right thing?

‘Byul, there’s something I want to ask you’, Chanyeol said while we were having breakfast in bed, day 2 in Macau. I looked at him while putting half a toast in my mouth. ‘When we go back home, I want you to go live with me again’, he asked softly. I finished my toast and sighed. ‘I thought we were going to take this slow, weren’t we?’, I asked back. The truth is that I really didn’t want to see Joonmyeon watching me taking my stuff to move on to Chanyeol’s place. 

- I’m not asking you to go there personally – He said while holding my hand – I’m not even asking you to go back there

- The rent won’t pay itself, Yeollie – I told him calmly – It’s either I live there and occasionally sleep at your place and the other way around or I just leave.

- But if you go there and see him, it’ll be awkward for you, Byul – He said worriedly – I’m not so stupid as to see that you do think about how he is doing at the moment.

- I’m sorry – I said truthfully.

- Don’t worry – He said kissing me – I guess it’s natural.

- Thank you – I smiled as well, putting my head on his shoulder.

- I will go for you there and move your stuff – He said simply

- Would you do that? – I asked

- Yes – He said nodding – I really, really, really want us to be what we were that weekend. I will make you happy, Park Byul.

I sighed and hugged him, and he smelled my hair, leaving soft kisses on my head. ‘Chanyeol, what happened back there?’, I asked him, thinking about that weekend, the weekend that changed our lives. ‘Don’t think about it now’, he said softly. I chuckled and patted his lower lip with my index finger. ‘No, I’m talking about that weekend. I had never seen you in a romantic kind of way before that weekend’, I admitted. Chanyeol took a deep breath and held me tight. ‘We were friends for so long that you didn’t have time to think of me as someone else but just a friend. After all, we slept in the same place, and even acted as if we were alone many times, especially me’, he said, and I remembered all the times I had caught him plain asleep in the living room, or all the times he would call me from the bathroom to get him stuff I don’t even want to mention now. ‘I was in love with you from the start, but being next to you was more than enough for me. I would see you when you woke up, and when you went to bed, and even if I couldn’t hold you in my arms the way I wanted, I knew that every single day I would have you near me. It was enough for me’, he said calmly. I lifted my head to kiss him.

- Remember that day when you asked me what were all those paper cranes on jars doing at the piano? – He asked

- The ones you left in there for a while, until the sun washed away the colors of the cranes?

- Yes. I had made them for you – He said shyly.

- Why did you do that?

- We had been living together for a year that day. I made two for month: you one, one was me, the other one was you. I was going to give them to you that day, to confess my feelings for you.

- Why didn’t you do it?

- That day – Began Chanyeol, clearing his throat – I remember you opened the door and began talking about the guy you had just met. It broke my heart, so I took them and placed them there. I played it cool, saying that I had made new ornaments.

- I’m sorry – I said sadly. I had never thought he did those cranes for me.

- It’s alright. I knew you had never thought of us as a couple so I wasn’t angry. I just decided to keep waiting for you.

- Why did you keep waiting? I mean, you didn’t know if I could ever feel the same

- Because the only dream I have in life for me is to be able to wake up next to you, and hear your voice telling me that you love me – He said slowly – And that’s why I waited.

I hugged him and kissed him as many times as I could, until he sighed sadly. ‘Until the weekend happened and you went away. Then I made the worst mistake I could have done’. I looked at him and ruffled his hair. ‘Don’t go back to that, Yeollie. We are together now, and even though all that we had to go through, my love for you is still intact’, I said, and he smiled.

‘Chanyeol’, I called his name the next morning. I heard him growling from his side of the bed. ‘Aren’t we going back today?’, I asked softly, while giving small pats at the lump that my boyfriend has turned into. He shook and growled some more. ‘Weren't we supposed to leave today?’, I repeated, while he slowly turned to face me, opening his eyes little by little. ‘Ah, yes. But our flight departs at night’, he said, stretching himself to reach my waist.

- Why? I thought we were leaving this morning –I told him while ruffling his hair

- I have a surprise for you – He grinned, sitting up to kiss me

- Surprise? – I repeated

- Let me take a shower and let's go out – He said getting up - There's somewhere we need to be right after lunch.

- Chanyeol, you're scaring me – I said: he smiled and shook his head

- Trust me – He chuckled.

He took me to the restaurant at the hotel and immediately after we finished, he pulled me to the beach, where I could see a big tent with people who actually signaled us to come closer. ‘What's this?’, I asked him while we were walking. He shrugged, ‘I brought you here because we are taking our pictures’, he said simply. ‘Our pictures?’, I asked again, while he began giggling. ‘Yes’, he said confidently, ‘I got us a photo shoot’.

- Chanyeol… - I began, trying to tell him that I couldn’t be a model

-Don't say anything and go get some make up on and dresses with the woman there – He said, pushing me towards the lady who was waving me to go to her - I will go to do the same – He continued, pointing himself – I’ll meet you here in a while. I love you – He finished, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.

- I love you too – I said softly while the make-up artist pulled me to a chair.

After a while, I got makeup on and tried some dresses repeatedly, until the lady told me I was ready to go out. When I lifted my head to look outside, I saw Chanyeol wearing a tuxedo. I couldn’t help myself from opening my mouth: there, in front of me, was my teenage years’ friend, my first love, Park Chanyeol, looking as handsome as imaginable. We must have looked funny, because when I came to my senses he had the same face I had: we were both perplex. ‘You look beautiful’, he said softly, coming closer to see my face and grab my hand. ‘I didn't know you could look this handsome either’, I smiled softly.

- Magic – He said bluntly, ruffling his curled hair

- I think I can understand why I’m in love with you – I chuckled.

- You can? – Asked Chanyeol, clearly impressed

- Yeah – I nodded happily, standing on my toes, patting his nose - You are perfect, Park Chanyeol

We took many pictures, and we dressed different outfits. We posed together at the beach, at the hotel, and even inside a special studio. We checked them after we took them, and went home with some unedited ones on our phones. ‘The pictures are just perfect, Byul’, said Chanyeol softly, while I was sitting with my back supported on his chest. ‘I know. We look so happy’, I told him, unable to hide my happiness. Because I was happy with him, the man I had been waiting for what I thought I had been an eternity. ‘I can see how much you think I look handsome in there’, Chanyeol whispered while I was zooming in one of his close ups. I turned my head to look at him and nodded: ‘You do look handsome. Are we getting this pictures on printed versions too?’, I asked him.

- Yes. They will send them to our place once we choose the ones they email us after editing – He explained. I nodded softly.

- I had never done that before. Thank you, Chanyeol – I smiled and kissed his cheek

- I know. I wanted us to do sowing we had both never done. And it went just fine, didn't it? – He said while hugging me and kissing my head.

- It did – I agreed peacefully - I love you, Park Chanyeol.

‘Ah, I really don't want to leave’, I sighed to my boyfriend’s ear while we were finally sitting at the plane, ‘These three days were perfect’, I smiled. Chanyeol looked at me with a big, asymmetrical smile: ‘We could stay’, he said.

- Could we? – I asked, tilting my head

- Yes. – He said crossing his arms - We could find jobs and work here and stay forever.

- You can't speak the language – I chuckled

- I believe I communicated petty well with the locals – He answered cockily

- You didn't. They laughed at you.

- Not like you could understand, miss ferret – He gasped

- I didn't need to be Einstein to see that they were laughing at your poor language proficiency. But it was good for me – I reckoned, putting my head on his shoulder

- How so?

- You looked incredibly cute there all puzzled, trying to get them to understand what you were saying – I laughed

- Ah, I'm cute know, aren't I? – Chanyeol asked while putting his hands on his face, trying to emulate a cute little boy. I laughed and kissed him.

‘Sometimes, Park Chanyeol. Only sometimes’

Is this real? Am I living in the dream one more time?

I love you, Park Chanyeol!