The violins started humming, the piano playing a familiar lullaby.

Baekhyun started walking forward. Every step brings him closer. Every step a memory.

 

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol.” Baekhyun looked up from reading his book to see the biggest, softest, most beautiful eyes he has ever seen.

“H-hi!” Baekhyun smiled at the stranger, no, Chanyeol. “I’m Baekhyun.”

“Hi Baekhyun! It's nice to meet you.” Chanyeol smiled back at him. A smile that made Baekhyun’s heart thud loudly against his chest. Something in the air shifted and he knew, he knew this moment was something he would cherish forever.

 

Baekhyun looked at the flowers he was holding.  27 sunflowers. He laugghed and looked forward.

 

Baekhyun was waiting for his class to start, sitting outside the room he pulled out his book and started reading when two large hands covered his eyes.

“Hey babe. Guess who?” The guy whispered softly, trying hard to mask the deep voice. But Baekhyun would not mistake that voice for anyone.

“Hmmm Jongin?” He teased.

“What???” The voice was back to normal and the hands fell to his shoulders turning him around.

Baekhyun greeted the guy with a smile, “I was joking. Of course, I knew it was you.” He stood up and placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. “Hi Chanyeol.” He greeted.

“Hi Baekhyun.” They stared at each other’s eyes. “Happy anniversary!” Chanyeol presented him with sunflowers.

“Sunflowers?” Baekhyun looked at his boyfriend pointedly, he never said he liked sunflowers, did he? "Why sunflowers?" 

“Because you shine like the sun, and wherever you go, I’ll be sure to follow just like these sunflowers to the sun.”

Baekhyun blushed and pushed Chanyeol’s shoulders muttering a “cheesy” while at it.

“Wait, why are there 27 of them? Our anniversary date isn’t 27? Is it because of your birthdate?”

Chanyeol looked down in embarrassment. He shook his head no.

“Chanyeol?”

“I really wanted to give you red roses. But the flower shop got my orders mixed up. Then, because I wanted to be here before you did, I dropped three while running here. It was supposed to be 30 because of our anniversary date but I dropped three and stepped on them. Sorry.” Chanyeol’s voice sounded small with the last few words.

Baekhyun chuckled and hugged his cute boyfriend. “I love them. I love you.” He whispered into the other’s shirt.

Chanyeol grinned. “I love you too.”

Chanyeol always gave him 27 sunflowers since then.

 

Baekhyun looked up to see Chanyeol shifting from foot to foot as if afraid he’ll run away. I’ll never let you go again. Not now, not ever.

 

“Get out! Chanyeol! Just get out!!!” Baekhyun opened their closet to take Chanyeol’s clothes and threw them on the floor, outside their bedroom door, everywhere. He can’t believe this.

“Baekhyun please let me explain. It wasn’t like that. Not like what you think. Please.” Chanyeol pleaded, picking up his clothes and getting near the closet trying to put them back.

“NO! GET OUT! I don’t want to see your face right now.” Baekhyun’s face was full of tears. He cannot believe Chanyeol lied to him. All this time, all those boys night out with his friends, wasn’t with friends, it was with Kyungsoo, their neighbor.

“Why? Was I boring you out?”

“Please Baek, Kyungsoo is just a friend. He broke up with his boyfriend, Suho, my friend from college, remember? And he just needed to contact Suho so he called me over. Please.”

“So you just conveniently forgot that we were supposed to have dinner tonight?”

“No, yes, I mean…it’s just he’s my friend too and he was crying and what was I supposed to do?”

“Call me! You couldn’t have called me and told me you couldn’t make it? I was waiting outside, on the cold, for two hours. I was calling you and you weren’t answering.” More tears streamed down Baekhyun’s face.

“My battery went off, see” Chanyeol took out his phone which was dead.

Baekhyun felt deflated like all the fight in him was gone and he was just plainly tired. He sat down on the bed with his hands on his face.

“Just go Chanyeol. Let’s…let’s have some time off.”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes, please Chanyeol.” Baekhyun looked up to him with the saddest eyes and he felt like he was punched in the stomach. Because of him, those sad eyes were because of him.

“I…I’ll go if that’s what you really want.” He picked up random clothes on the floor and stuffed them in his bag and holding the others under his arms.

Baekhyun heard the door slam closed. The silence was deafening. 

 

Letting Chanyeol out the door was the greatest regret of his life.

 

Letting him back in was the greatest decision he ever made.

 

Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol. Chanyeol smiled back and stopped shuffling. They stared at each other. They were in their own world. Baekhyun walking closer and closer to him. A few more steps and you’re mine.

 

“Byun Baekhyun.” Chanyeol looked serious and Baekhyun was scared because Chanyeol was never this serious. His heart was pounding with what Chanyeol’s next words will be. Was he going to break up with him?

“I…uhm…can you come with me to the library?” Baekhyun let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Y-yeah sure.”

Chanyeol led him to the fiction section of the library, Baekhyun’s favorite.

“Chanyeol? Are we checking out books?” Chanyeol wasn’t looking at him, he was browsing the shelves, he seemed to be looking for something.

“Ah, there.” He pointed out to Baekhyun’s most favorite lane, classic novels.

“You could’ve just said we were going there be-“

“Byun Baekhyun.”

“There you go with the serious face and full names again. Is there something wrong Chanyeol?” Baekhyun was really worried. He doesn’t know what’s happening with Chanyeol.

“Just, can you help me find this book, The Little Prince? I know it’s here somewhere.” His favorite book? Baekhyun knows where it’s placed by heart. He looked down and was skimming among the rows of books where he knows he’ll find the book.

“I have a copy of it at home" He mumbled while still looking. "Why do we have to go the library to…ah! Found it!” Baekhyun waved the copy in the air with a wide grin when something dropped from the book.

“Oh what’s that?” Chanyeol sounded strained but Baekhyun ignored it and curiously picked up the paper that fell.

It fell facing down, so Baekhyun flipped it to see “Baekhyun” written on the other side.

“Why is my name here?” He looked up to see Chanyeol shifting from foot to foot.

“Open the book, maybe there’s something there for you.” Chanyeol cringed and he wanted to bang his head on a wall, that was too suggestive.

“Huh? Why would there be something here?” Despite his words, Baekhyun opened the book to see his full name on the first page.

He looked up at Chanyeol fidgeting before flipping to the next page.

“You are my rose. As the rose was to the little prince.”

To the next page

 “To you, I’m a friend.”

“A best friend.”

“A lover.”

 “And if you may”

"From this day until forever,"

“I want to be your one love”

“Your husband.”

“Your partner.”

“Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun gasped as he flipped on the next page.

“Will you marry me?”

 

Baekhyun looked up from the book to see Chanyeol kneeling down in front of him, holding out a velvet box with a simple silver band. A simple bond.

Tears of joy run down his face, he smiled and took the ring from the box.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Baekhyun said wrapping his arms around his boyfr-fiance.

Chanyeol stood up and took the ring to place it on his fiance’s ring finger.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

 

Baekhyun walked up to the aisle. Taking Chanyeol’s hands in his. Facing the altar, they start their life together. They take their vows, promising forever to each other.

Just like this, side by side, they can face the world.

 

And if life should come to just one question

Do I face this moment true?

No trace of sadness, always with gladness.

 

“I do.”