“Oh.”

“Hi.”

“Oh my god, sunbae.”
 

We all just stood there while the rain kept on pouring on us cold and heavy. I gawked at Chanyeol, noticing the surprised expression underneath the uniform that shielded his face from the rain. His shock mingled with an amusement that seemed to mock my very being. The only thing I managed to do was to hold the umbrella more tightly as Dara fidgeted with her fingers beside me. 
 

Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m glad we had today.
 

Did Chanyeol know this would happen all along?
 

And then he smiled, his arms leaving the grasp on the clothing on his head. They fell back to his side before finding their place inside the pockets of his pants. I noticed everything, even the single quick moment when his lips quivered. His hand didn’t move to cover him again from the rain. Instead he let the water snake down on his face, little droplets hanging on the tip of his lashes and nose. He stared at me, and then he spoke,
 

“Well, isn’t this awkward?” his voice jumping from a low baritone to a stifled chuckle. He lifted his gaze from me and then to Dara.
 

“Hi. I believe we haven’t met formally. I’m Chanyeol,” he said, extending his hand to Dara. I looked at her, both of us looking confused. But then she smiled, and took his hand in hers in a handshake.
 

“Hi Chanyeol sunbae. I’m Dara, a junior. Nice meeting you on a storm.” She beamed, biting her lip. He laughed. Oh my god, he laughed. And then it was time for me to speak.
 

“What the are you doing here?”
 

He looked at me in all his wet glory. Jesus Christ. If he ever felt a pang of jealousy, he hid it well. He was back to his usual stupid self. 
 

“I went for you. It was raining and I figured you might not have your umbrella with you so I followed.”
 

“So what were you planning? Sharing your uniform over our heads?”
 

He tilted his head, pursing his lips. “Supposedly.”
 

Dara cooed.  I cleared my throat.
 

“I guess, you should head back then. She uhm…” I looked at her, her eyes searching for an explanation. I know, damn it. “She offered me a place under her umbrella earlier. Right?” She nodded furiously.
 

“I was walking home when I saw sunbae on the road looking like a wet puppy so I offered my charity.” I groaned.
 

He looked at us amused. 
 

“You should head back now.” I repeated. Dara was quick to help me. 
 

“Yeah sunbae, I think Baekhyun sunbae is right.”
 

I looked at her and she was urging me to say something. I nodded, “Right Dara?” She grinned and then patted Chanyeol’s arm.

“Yeah…”
 

“Actually, it’s okay.” Chanyeol said in the spur of the moment. “I told coach that Yixing could play for me for a while since I had a thing to do back at home.” And then he grabbed me by my arm, taking me by surprise. I gave the umbrella to Dara in a reflex. She looked flabbergasted as well.
 

“You should be going now, Dara.” He continued as he brought his uniform over our heads so that his left arm went around my shoulders, a most awkward and blush-worthy move. “Thank you for helping my sickly friend right here. And nice meeting you!” Then he pulled me beside him and started walking. The school girl inside me squealed in delight. I didn’t know what to do. I turned my head to see Dara standing alone on the sidewalk, face still in shock. I mouthed an “I’m sorry” which she answered with a small wave and then she started walking towards the other direction. After a few moments of contemplating, I turned to Chanyeol.
 

“Chivalry is definitely dead in the 21st century.” I said, grumbling how he managed to leave a girl alone by kidnapping his best friend from her. He didn’t answer. Instead he moved me closer to him placing my head on his chest and my arms flailing aimlessly beside him. Clearly, I had the right to be annoyed. I was on the verge of asserting myself when I saw the look on his face. My annoyance dissipated.
 

He looked angry. 
 

Maybe Chanyeol felt my eyes on him because he started talking.
 

“What were you thinking?” his voice had the strength twice than what was usual. His brow furrowed and his jaw tightened. His grip on the clothing above us scared me. It was as if he could tear the clothing any moment. I gulped in defeat. His stride was faster than usual, too, that I was almost sprinting just to catch up with him. Around us, everything blurred in the rain. We turned in one corner and then I found myself in our neighborhood. 
 

“I-I’m sorry. But really, I just saw Dara on the road. It was pure coincidence, Yeol!” I reassured him, thinking he got jealous seeing his crush and his best friend together. 
 

In the rain. 
 

Under a shared umbrella. 
 

So fanfic worthy. 
 

He scoffed. “What the hell are you saying?”
 

“Nothing’s going on between us okay? So don’t be jealous.” There. I said it.
 

He stopped walking. Once again, I felt the rain on me as his arms fell back to his sides. I heard a muffled laugh. And then I felt his eyes on me. That was my cue to move farther from him. I faced him, he looked amused. “Oh. I get it. You think I’m annoyed with you because I saw you with Dara,” The amusement vanished as his brows met once again. “Get over it, Baek. I don’t care if you’re dating her or what. Just don’t walk home in a ing storm.”
 

Now, I was totally confused. I didn’t care if we were drenched all over. 
 

“I thought you liked her?” I asked, removing his arm around me. 
 

“Jesus Christ! It’s just a crush.”
 

“Wait, so you don’t like her?” 
 

“Baek it’s raining why are you asking these questions?”
 

“Answer me.”
 

He raised his hand in defeat, rolling his eyes.
 

“I like her. Yes, but what about it? She’s not obligated to like me back. I mean it’s just admiration; she can go date anybody else. I don’t love her. It seems like you’ve been confusing the two for a very long time.”

 

That went straight to my heart. 
 

“Ouch.” I started walking, leaving him on where he stood. He was quick to catch up. He held the clothing over my head, completely ignoring the fact that he was pounded by the downpour. Even if it meant getting himself sick, he just can’t let go of being so sweet. I sighed.
 

 “I thought she was your Maria.” I muttered holding his arm high to take me back under his arm. He smiled while shrugging.
 

“I don’t know. Just like what happened to you, it kinda just… faded?” I sneered. 
 

“In just over a few days? Wow, last Friday you were head over heels for her.” The guffaw that followed was so infectious, it was too hard to resist.
 

“Strange isn’t it? But in the past few days, I felt like, it wasn’t her all along.” My heart skipped a beat. I looked at him. He was smiling with his eyes closed, feeling the rain on his face. Deep inside me, somewhere, somehow, I was hoping it was me all along. I cleared my throat.
 

“But if given the chance, will you date her?” I asked, looking at my feet. There was a long pause, and I kept busy by counting Chanyeol’s heartbeats as I laid my head on his chest. When he talked, suddenly I could no longer feel the rain on my skin.
 

“Will that make you happy?” His voice lowered, almost a sultry whisper in my ear. My heart jumped but immediately sank as I remembered the deal I made with Dara. She can make him happy, not me. I looked up to Chanyeol and smiled. 
 

“Yes…”
 

“Okay.”

 

 

 

 

The house felt like an oasis in the desert. Upon reaching the street where my house was, I rushed immediately to the gate leaving Chanyeol behind. But soon enough, I could hear his shoes splashing on the puddles and his laughter mingling with the sound of the rain on the roof tops. I couldn’t help but giggle at our silliness. 
 

When I arrived at the porch, Chanyeol followed soon enough. I my heels and faced him, just in time to meet him rushing towards me. He caught me by my arm and suddenly, I felt his face a few inches from mine. He was gasping for breath with that big toothed grin and it felt almost perfect, all it needed was a kiss. But reality got the best of me, and I found myself pushing him off me. I turned to the front door and inserted my key. 
 

“Well come in, you idiot before we both catch cold.” I said, opening the door wide for him. He gladly obliged, removing his shoes as he stepped slowly inside. Upon closing the door behind him, I threw my bag on the couch and made him do the same. “Hey Baek, do you have a fireplace here or something?” he asked while he removed his shoes. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. That’s when I saw the water dripping on the floor. I whined in panic.
 

“Chanyeol. Bathroom. Now.” 
 

In an instant, I was pulling him towards the bathroom as the little droplets scattered on the floor. I opened the door and pushed him inside. 
 

“You take your time in there, while I go look for a spare towel in my room.” I said, taking my shoes off and throwing them inside the toilet with him. He made a scowl as one hit him on his knee. I giggled like a school girl and then rushed to my room. 
 

I opened the drawers just as I heard the sound of the shower turning on. Inside me, I could feel the school girl curl in anticipation, imagining a shower shared by two people. Something stirred in my groin but I managed to calm it down. Finally, I fished a spare towel in my drawer, setting aside my daydreams. 
 

Leaving the dirty thought behind, I ran back to the bathroom only to find the door open. I gulped. I stepped inside and saw his wet clothes on the floor. On the shower curtain, I could see the faint silhouette of Chanyeol’s body. The once stirring in my pants stiffened and I almost succumbed to the urge of pulling the curtains open. I cleared my throat to distract myself, on to no avail.
 

“H-hey Yeol, take the towel.” I said reaching into the other half of the drapes, facing away. Something inside me hoped I could at least bump into his tummy or whatever body part was south from there but all I felt was warm water. He took the towel from my hand. “Thanks.” 
 

And then his hand grasped my wrist.
 

I gasped in shock and then heard a chuckle. “Hey  Baek, come on in.” He said. I felt my heart race inside my chest. The school girl inside me jumped in ecstasy. But I was quick to oppose, I pulled my hand with the strength I could muster. I was too pre-occupied with escaping from his grasp that I didn’t notice the slippery floor beneath me. And then,
 

Bam!
 

In no time, the world around me fell back in a flash making me close my eyes and then a small thud as my back touched the floor. The pain came in gushes, searing. I was overwhelmed with the sudden turn of events that I completely ignored the weight above me. Water came dripping on my face as I tried to pull myself up. 
 

“Hey Baek are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere? God, I’m so sorry. Hey Baek. Baek!” I could hear Chanyeol spat out in almost incoherent sentences. He lifted my head in a frenzy, and started brushing back the hair from my face. When I opened my eyes, I saw his face above me. That’s when I realized it was where the dripping water came from. And that his face was too close for comfort. And that he was straddling over me. 
 

And for the love of god he was ! 
 

I fought the urge to look down to see what he’s been hiding all these years by covering my eyes with my hands. The growing strength in my pants now fought to break free and one small gesture from him could ease out its agony.
 

“GoddammitChanyeolgetthehelloffmeplease, please.” I said, panicking. 
 

He burst in laughter. “Calm down Baek, I’m wearing my boxers.” Said he, making me cringe in embarrassment. He held my hands and removed them from my face. I couldn’t even look at him. He kept on chuckling making it even worse. 
 

“Gosh you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.” He added as he stood up, wrapping the towel around his waist. I lay down on the floor watching him, and realized how bad the idea was. He was stark by my feet, all wet and dripping, only a towel (and boxer shorts) hiding his jewels. And he was smirking all the time, mocking my helplessness. It was like watching a strip club show with my own eyes only that it was in my bathroom and the star was my best friend. After tucking the towel securely, he extended his arm and helped me up. 
 

“Don’t ever pull that ing prank on me again,” I grumbled as I rubbed the hollow of my back and started undoing the first button of my shirt. He snickered. “Are you sure you’re okay, though?” he asked, arms crossed. I looked him in the eye only to find him watching me. I felt my cheeks on fire.
 

“Stopwatchingmeundressokaygoaway,” I said, pushing him out of the bathroom. I swore to myself he was enjoying the moment.
 

A few minutes later, I found myself under the shower feeling the warm water on my skin. I still couldn’t get the humiliation and dirty thoughts off of me. I bit my lip while remembering the moment. Just then, Chanyeol was back in the toilet.
 

“I found the oversized shirt I used last time I was here.” He said, his voice bouncing off the wall in a faint echo. “I borrowed one of your boxers too if you don’t mind.”
 

I groaned in defeat. “Yeah sure.” From the thin curtain, I could make out his silhouette making his way to the mirror. And recalling how his outlines showed from the drapes earlier, I knew he could see me too, the thought further intensifying the stir in my groin. I decided to keep the conversation going as a distraction.
 

“Hey, you can take your clothes to the dryer. You can’t get home wearing wet clothes. Grandma will be furious.” He hummed a song as I spoke. I could feel he was fixing his hair in front of the mirror. 
 

“All done. I even heated us some hot chocolate.” He added, a hint of pride in his voice.  
 

“Well, good to hear you’re messing with my kitchen again.”
 

He laughed. 
 

“Hey uhm..,” I said in the spur of the moment, remembering the afternoon back in the gymnasium.
 

“What’s the deal between you and Yixing?”
 

The room fell silent for a while. And then I heard Chanyeol sigh.
 

“Lay’s always been the weird type – also the competitive one. You know he’s just transferred this year, right? He’s a junior like Dara. Well the thing was coach wanted me to perform a 3-point shoot for the newbies during the tryouts this year. He was there. This will be long, okay?”
 

“Go on.” I said, drowning myself with the water flowing.
 

“And so there I was, on the 3-point line ready to shoot when this foreign looking boy came running towards the court. I saw him from the corner of my eye, just in time as I released the ball. I missed the hoop. But what annoyed me, was that, I heard someone chuckle from the newbies.”
 

“It was Yixing.”
 

I turned the shower off. He continued talking.
 

“After that, I marked him in my head – pale guy, with long hair worn in a ponytail, and droopy eyes. However, when it was his time to showcase his skills, he aced it. And in that moment I told myself: Chanyeol, you just found your rival.”
 

“Day by day, every practice, he earned a spot in coach’s admiration. But he couldn’t break the first five. Kai and I were the weakest of the team, honestly. However, coach didn’t want to bring us out. That’s how he ended as the priority substitute for the five. And for Lay, that was just the worst thing he could have.”
 

“He’s too childish and dang he’s just so weird! He always tries to tip me off during practice, testing my anger. I don’t bother at all. Getting used it to it every day; to me it was like part of the regimen the coach gave us. But sometimes he just gets into my nerves. And…”
 

“What?” I asked, leaning on the wall.
 

“Once, I was in a really bad mood and he was so annoying throughout the game, my fist felt like punching him on the face. And so after practice, we took it outside and fought. You might not remember it. I told you I was accidentally hit by a door on my way to the classroom. Until now, I can’t believe you believed that excuse.” 
 

I could hear our breaths echo. I went out the shower already wearing my sleeveless shirt and jersey shorts. Chanyeol looked at me and smiled.
 

“Well, that’s our back story.”
 

“But he was so nice to me.”
 

“Yeah, too nice. I actually saw that, if you remember.” He said rolling his eyes. I laughed.
 

“You got my habit now, huh? You know, the thing I do with my eyes.” I commented, finding a place beside him in front of the mirror. I looked at us and imagined a perfect couple. I smiled to the thought.
 

“It was contagious.”
 

I stared at his reflection and found out that he was looking at me, too. I rolled my eyes.
 

“I think he’s a good person, Yeol. At least try to be the mature one.” I said, before tugging him out of the bathroom. 
 

Yeah, coming from the guy who’s head over heels for his best friend.
 

 

 

 

 

We shared a round of hot chocolate in front of the television as we waited for our clothes to dry. I wanted to watch the news but Chanyeol insisted on switching the channel to Cartoon Network. When the opening of Adventure Time appeared on screen, he clapped his hands like a retarded seal. I smiled to myself. He commented on how adorable Jake’s pups were and how he was terrified of the Earl of Lemongrab, looking as passionate as a kid convinced that Superman is real.
 

Out of the blue, Chanyeol’s phone rang. 
 

“Hello Grandma?” he said, as soon as he picked up. I even shouted a ‘Hi grandma’ to acknowledge her presence. Their conversation was a light one, I could sense by the evident smile on Chanyeol’s face. But soon enough his expression contorted into an alarming frown and he quickly dismissed the call.
 

“Baek I have to go.” He said, quickly standing up from the floor where he sat, and then headed towards the dryer. I turned the television off. 
 

I followed him. “Hey what happened?”
 

He looked at me with sad eyes, “Mom and dad already filed the divorce.” 
 

“Oh.” I lifted my hand to cover my mouth. “I’m sorry.” I said as he dug into the dryer for his clothes.
 

“Grandma called to say they were coming home around midnight and they’ll finally prep me with the paper works, how the trial will go, and who’ll take custody of me.” He scoffed. “Ha! In the end, I’ll still be with Grandma. Who am I kidding?” He said sadly. He fisted the shirt he was holding and I was quick to come to him else he’ll tear it apart. I took it from him and set it aside.
 

“Are you okay?” I was stupid enough to ask.
 

When he looked back to me, he was smiling. It broke my heart. He was smiling but his eyes betrayed the sadness inside.
 

“I knew it was coming Baek, it was just a matter of time.”
 

I stood beside him and touched his hand. I brushed the back of it with my thumb hoping the sensation would somehow ease his pain. I squeezed. He looked at me and then pursed his lips when the most unexpected thing happened.
 

He kissed me on my forehead. 
 

I felt a thousand lightning volts through me, pulsating from the place where his lips touched. His other hand traveled its way from the rim of the dryer to the hair behind my ear and I felt it go down, lightly brushing my arm and ending on my hand. His fingers were soft on my skin, and the school girl inside me longed for the kiss to come down to my lips as well. But it didn’t happen because I tensed and pushed him away from me. He looked alarmed.
 

“No Baek, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I took you by surprise I shouldn’t have done that. But you were too nice and I felt warm and safe with you as you held my hand and uggh it just happened all at once, I’m sorry.” he said in a manner of urgency as he tried to coax me into a hug.  I stopped him.
 

“It’s okay Yeol. I was just shocked.”
 

“I’m sorry.” He muttered, touching his lips.
 

“It’s okay.” I replied, trying to subdue the giddiness that I felt inside. But the confusion took its place rather instantly and I found myself pondering over the kiss. Could it be that…? No, of course he wouldn’t I’m his best friend and he’s straight and a ing varsity player. He wouldn’t ruin his image for me. Those were the thoughts that plagued my mind as I helped him fold his clothes. We didn’t talk for a long while and for the first time, the silence was too uncomfortable. I didn’t look at him but I could feel his eyes on me, searching, weighing the situation. 
 

It wasn’t until he stood on the porch did we start talking again. He strapped his bag on his back, carefully catching small glances before finally facing me. He looked dejected, worried perhaps. “Baek, just forget what happened, okay?” he whispered as he ruffled my hair.  I chuckled nervously, my eyes fixed on his. 
 

“Come on Yeol, it was just a kiss on the forehead. No big deal.” I beamed, shrugging. “Now go meet your parents, they’d be waiting for you. Tell me everything about it later, okay?”
 

“Okay.” He answered, almost inaudibly. He turned towards the gate of the house. “Bye Baek.”
 

“Bye.”
 

Then I closed the door. When I heard the click of the knob, I sank to the floor, letting the memory declare its reality to me. I planted my face on my hands, smiling all the while and then shook as I felt goose bumps pepper my arm. I touched the area where he kissed and I imagined feeling his lips on my fingers. But soon I realized how unfair I was acting towards Chanyeol’s problem. I should be worrying over him when in fact here I was rolling on the floor like a school girl. Chanyeol’s parents got the divorce, Baekhyun got a kiss. How inappropriate. 
 

After I cleaned our mess and did my homework, I was still distracted so that by the time I was in bed, I was pretty much tossing and turning, waiting for his text. After almost an hour of waiting and agonizing, I texted Luhan.
 

Yo Lulu. He kissed me tonight.
 

I typed, my eyes still can’t process the reality as I read it. Just a few seconds later, he replied.
 

OMG CONGRATULATIONS! So how was it? How did his lips taste like? Did he have bad breath or something?
 

And then I realized, he might have gotten the wrong idea.
 

 

It was just on the forehead, tho.

His reply came a little later.

It’s still a kiss OMG I’m so happy for u!

 

I rolled my eyes, smiling to myself.

 

But it’s on the forehead. What does that mean?

 

My head fell back to the pillow behind me so that I ended up facing the ceiling. What does a forehead kiss even mean? And then came Luhan’s reply. 

 

It means your short you idiot. Jk DUH It means he likes you! Go for the kill!

 

I stared at the text, making sense of it. Does Chanyeol really like me more than just as a friend? 

 

But he told me to forget about it, saying he just got too carried away.

 

Luhan seemed to have furiously typed on his phone:

 

UR BOTH SO NAÏVE YOU TWO. xIF A KISS DOESN”T MEAN HE LIKES YOU THEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOd I AM TELLING YOU HE’S IN FCKING DENIAL. NOW GO TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL. Then you’ll live happily ever afterrrr~ <3 Kbye Ig2g, Sehun’s here xoxo!

 

I tossed my phone to the pile of pillows by my feet. I closed my eyes. Tell him how I feel? I just did, remembering the conversation we had on the way home... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“If given the chance, will you date her?”

“Will that make you happy?”
 

“Yes…”
 

“Okay...”

 

 

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Lalalala~~~ Did you like it huh? Did you like it lmao hahahaha

I can't even concentrate on the angst anymore because they're too sweet omg ;AAAAAA; so what do you think now? is Chanyeol Baek's umbrella or his rain?  ;----)

 

oh god i wish i could just write the next chapters in a few hours but noooo. and exams this coming week so i'm sorry if it will be late again :( 

 

I'll hear you out in the comments section so go go go and enjoy the read! ;)