Author's Note: This is probably going to be my last BaekYeol. Please pardon the errors, mistakes and typos in this fic. This is so long and lame, I hope none of you fall asleep while reading T___T

 

 

 

 

 

[Never]

 

 

 

 

 

Quiet.

It was fifteen minutes past seven in the evening when Chanyeol was done unpacking. There weren’t a lot of things to be unpacked, but Chanyeol had always been the type to do everything slowly. The tall male let out an exhausted sigh as he plopped himself on the couch.

Chanyeol fluttered his eyes close. His breathing was the only thing heard throughout the room. It was quiet, but he was used to this. He was used to the silence. He was used to live alone. Chanyeol cracked his eyes open and stared blankly at the ceiling. The male adjusted his head on the armrest, trying to find a comfortable position. Chanyeol covered his eyes with the back of his arms, taking a deep breath and exhaled a long, exasperated sigh.

If he was used to this...then why did he feel like something wasn’t right?

Something was missing.

It could be the new apartment. The company had picked a nice place for him—it was only a few blocks away from his new office in Los Angeles. It wasn’t as big as the one he had back in Seoul, but it was enough. Somehow the company had the room adorned with several furniture and whoever picked them had a good taste. The rent was free for the first three months, and if he liked staying there, he was going to have to pay by himself by the fourth month.

He would probably stay.

Chanyeol’s eyes shifted from the ceiling to the piece of paper on the table. He stared at it for a long moment before pulling himself to sit up up and his hand instinctively reached for the paper. Chanyeol felt something prickling in his chest as he read the written words.

Park Chanyeol, for two.

Chanyeol crushed the piece of paper in his fist and dragged a hand down his face.

He knew what was missing.

There was no Junmyeon.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

There were times where Chanyeol was a hyperactive person. The male would bounce everywhere with a dumb grin plastered on his face that it annoyed most of his friends. Chanyeol began to change as he grew older. He was still hyper when he was with Jongin and Kyungsoo (he had been friends with Jongin since high school), but his maturity started when he met Junmyeon.

Future was carved in his mind the moment their eyes met.

If Chanyeol was honest, he wasn’t actually sure about Junmyeon in the first place. Everything about the fair skinned male was breathtaking. Everything Junmyeon did amazed Chanyeol, even the littlest things. Junmyeon was so flawless in his eyes that Chanyeol sometimes didn’t believe the former was willing to be in a relationship with him. It was like a dream came true. They had never fight. They had never argue. They were all right. It was as if everything that happened between them was at the right time and the right moment.

It only took three years of work for Chanyeol to be offered the opportunity of promotion to another department. If it was still in Korea, Chanyeol didn’t think there would be a problem, but the company was sending him to LA. He would be a fool if he didn’t take the offer, but Junmyeon...he couldn’t afford to lose Junmyeon. And that was when he had become so determined to live the rest of his life with the fair skinned male.

So Chanyeol bought couple rings and knelt on his knees to propose. He expected a happy grin or a teary expression or a disbelief sob coming from Junmyeon, anything, but no.

Junmyeon blanched instead.

Chanyeol could see right through that it was uncertainty that glimmered within Junmyeon’s orbs. A surge of fear washed over Chanyeol. What if Junmyeon said no? What if Junmyeon didn’t want to have a future with him? What if...? Fortunately, the male said yes and Chanyeol was so damn relieved. He couldn’t stop smiling to himself—even when he was going to bed. He was so grateful at that fact that he chose to ignore the signs Junmyeon had been showing.

If only he had reacted sooner.

Chanyeol realized that slowly, but surely, Junmyeon was pulling himself away from him. He tried to be positive and assumed that maybe, his boyfriend was busy. Junmyeon was going to resign from work and of course it needed a lot of preparation. Chanyeol, too, needed a lot of things to be done before he went to LA.

If only he had asked sooner.

When Junmyeon showed up at the airport looking troubled and confused, it was then that Chanyeol realized they weren’t meant to be. Somewhere along the way, he had a feeling their relationship was going to end, but still, it hurt badly when it really happened. Maybe Junmyeon wasn’t ready. Maybe the thought of leaving his family and his loved ones burdened Junmyeon. Maybe...

I cheated on you.

There was an unbearable pain formed within Chanyeol when Junmyeon cried those words. Chanyeol had the right to snap. He had the right to burst out into mixed emotions—mostly anger—and screamed at the beautiful male. But what good would it do even if he did? It hurt, of course, but what could Chanyeol do to fix everything?

Nothing.

So the male simply kissed Junmyeon and told him to be happy. Chanyeol was pretty sure there was a saying that went ‘If the person you love is happy, then you’ll be happy too’. Whoever said that needed to be strangled. Junmyeon was happy with his decision, that much Chanyeol knew, but he felt devastated. Even though he knew Junmyeon was happy, he wasn’t.

How was he supposed to be happy when the love of his life was happy with someone else?

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

It had been a month since Chanyeol moved to LA.

Chanyeol wasn’t an introvert person, but this time, he decided to be one. The male didn’t really open himself to his colleagues and he didn’t care for anything else but work. It turned out that there were lots of Koreans in the office, compared to the Americans—it was a Korean company, after all—but Chanyeol was too lazy to make friends. He frowned too much that his forehead was starting to show early symptoms of wrinkles.

Chanyeol’s life only revolved around work.

He went to work nine to five from Monday to Friday and whenever his work was done, he headed straight to his apartment. Chanyeol ignored all of the ‘let’s hang out’ offer to him. He had never been like this before, but lately, especially on Saturday and Sunday, Chanyeol would just lock himself in the apartment and do nothing but to stare mutely at his phone. The address book was opened, showing Junmyeon’s number, and Chanyeol’s fingers were itching from snatching the device and pressed call.

But the plan was always canceled.

What if Junmyeon was with his new boyfriend?

Jongin was the only person Chanyeol had ever called since he moved to LA, and he couldn’t stop himself from asking about Junmyeon. His friend took a long time before answering that Junmyeon was all right, according to Kyungsoo. Jongin immediately changed the subject and Chanyeol was grateful for him for trying to make him forget.

I should’ve asked him to move in with me, Chanyeol grimly thought to himself for the umpteenth time. Had I done so, things would probably be different... He groaned in frustration. It had been a month and he still couldn’t move on. Not that he had any plan to. Junmyeon was the love of his life and no one, he grimaced. No one would be able to replace him.

“Chanyeol-ah.”

Jonghyun’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Chanyeol looked up from his computer as he cleared his throat. Jonghyun was the only person who would speak to him in the office, but it was probably because their cubicles were beside each other. “Yes, Hyung?”

“It’s late. You should go home.”

Chanyeol frowned as he stared at the clock on his computer screen. It really was late. “Ah. Yeah. You go ahead.”

“Are you still not done? Do you want me to help you?”

“I’m fine, Hyung.”

“Chanyeol,” Jonghyun said sternly. “I’ve been observing you for the past few weeks. You’re not fine. At least not to me.”

Chanyel wanted to snort. There’s nothing you can do about it.

“How about I treat you a drink?”

Chanyeol went blank. “A drink.” He earned a nonchalant shrug in response. “On work day?”

“Excuse me,” Jonghyun retorted with an eyebrow raised. “Today is Friday, just in case you didn’t notice.”

Chanyeol blinked. “Oh.”

“There’s this nice bar that a lot of us go to and my boyfriend’s working as a bartender there,” Jonghyun shrugged once again. “He could definitely make you a nice drink to forget these stack of papers.”

Forget.

“So what do you say?” Jonghyun gave Chanyeol a small smile as he patted the latter’s shoulder. “There are going to be a lot of Koreans, too. Who knows you might feel clicked with one of them. It doesn’t hurt to try...”

“Feel clicked?”

“Don’t you want to find a girlfriend?”

“No,” Chanyeol answered instantly, like it was already programmed in his mind whenever someone asked him the question.

Jonghyun’s eyes softened. “Boyfriend, then.”

Chanyeol’s mind flew to Junmyeon and his beautiful laugh. His pretty eyesmile. His kind heart. There was a huge pang bubbled within Chanyeol that he had to clutch his chest in an attempt to make the pain go away.

He didn’t want a boyfriend.

He wanted Junmyeon.

Chanyeol was about to shake his head, but Jonghyun shook his head first and grabbed the former’s arm.

“I’m not taking no, Chanyeol-ah, let’s go,” Jonghyun said firmly and dragged Chanyeol away from his desk.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol immediately regretted going to the bar.

It was Friday night, so the place was packed.

Jonghyun was right, there were a lot of Korean people. He heard almost everyone spoke his mother tongue and for a second, he couldn’t help but feeling homesick. Jonghyun went to the bar to greet a diva looking person and Chanyeol assumed it was his boyfriend.

“Hey babe,” Jonghyun said and leaned forward to kiss the bartender. Chanyeol’s heart sank at the affectionate gesture, because the last time he did it was with Junmyeon, and the latter was crying. “I brought a friend tonight. He’s a colleague. His name is Chanyeol.”

Jonghyun’s boyfriend smiled warmly and waved a hand. “Hello Chanyeol. I’m Kibum, but you can call me Key.”

Chanyeol only nodded politely in return.

“Since this is your first time here, I’ll make you the special,” Kibum winked. “And don’t worry, it’s on the house.”

Chanyeol isolated himself from the crowd the minute he accepted the drink from Kibum. Jonghyun and Kibum seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation and the male seemed to glare at anyone who approached Kibum for a drink. Chanyeol inwardly rolled his eyes (it reminded him of Jongin and his possessiveness toward Kyungsoo) and leaned his back against the bar.

No one caught his attention, but then again, no one seemed good enough for him. Every time he saw someone attractive enough, his heart told him no.

No.

No.

No.

Until he spotted the eyeliner guy.

The said male had just entered the place with a tall guy who seemed to need a lot of sleep because he had visible eyebags, but with just a single glance Chanyeol could tell that the tall guy was hot. They were laughing when they walked in, and Chanyeol had a feeling they were dating. He took a long moment to stare at the eyeliner guy.

Funny.

His heart didn’t say anything about this guy, but Chanyeol barely noticed it at the moment.

Chanyeol shifted his eyes someplace else, continuing to observe everyone in the room while sipping his drink. Eventually, Chanyeol got bored when his drink almost ran out and dropped his eyes on his cellphone, his thumb hovering over Junmyeon’s number.

What was he doing right now?

Working, Chanyeol thought helplessly to himself because of the time-zone difference and he tucked his phone back into his pocket. He gulped his drink until the very last drop and decided to call it a day. Chanyeol was about to stand up when he saw the panda eyed male was flirting obviously with someone across the room and he frowned to himself. Didn’t he have a partner?

As he stood up and gathered his things, Chanyeol spotted the eyeliner guy sitting alone by the table and his frown deepened. Something wasn’t right. Didn’t they come together? Were they just friends? Chanyeol blinked in realization.

Wait. Why am I curious?

“Are you going home?”

Jonghyun’s voice snapped him out of his reveries and Chanyeol looked at him dumbly. As if he knew what the taller male was thinking, Jonghyun smiled impishly when he gestured toward the general direction of the eyeliner guy.

“His name is Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol was dumbfounded.

“Don’t worry, he’s not exclusive with Zitao,” Jonghyun continued and his smile widened. “Everyone knows that, but Baekhyun never left. I guess it’s safe to say that he’s waiting for his knight in the shining armor?”

Chanyeol nodded despite the fact that he wasn’t that interested to hear all that and half bowed to Jonghyun. “Thank you for the drink, Hyung.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to try?”

“Huh?”

“Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun, who was staring at them at the moment. Jonghyun held up a hand in mid-air to wave at him and Baekhyun smiled slightly before waving back. Chanyeol instinctively swallowed.

Beautiful.

“He’s not gonna bite you.”

Chanyeol stared for a moment longer at Baekhyun before breaking their gaze apart. His heart ached slightly because did he just think that the stranger was beautiful? Junmyeon—now he is beautiful. Chanyeol shook his head slightly before once again bowing to Jonghyun.

“No thanks, Hyung. I’m fine.”

With that, he headed straight to the exit.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“Chanyeol, hi!!!”

Chanyeol blinked in confusion before realizing it was Kyungsoo’s cheerful voice. “Oh. Um, hi... Is Jongin there...?”

“Jongin-ah is in the bathroom. Do you want to leave a message or will you just call again later?”

“Oh. I—I see...”

“Chanyeol? Is something wrong?”

Chanyeol swallowed. “No, nothing. I’ll probably just call later, Kyungsoo-yah. Thank you.”

“No problem!” Kyungsoo was definitely smiling. “How is LA? How’s work? I hope everything’s all right for you.”

“Yeah, everything’s...” Chanyeol trailed off. He quickly remembered that Kyungsoo was in the same company as Junmyeon. Chanyeol fidgeted momentarily. Should he ask...? Should he not...?

“Everything’s all right here,” Kyungsoo said reassuringly. “We’re...okay.”

There was a deafening silence for a few seconds.

“Is he...” Chanyeol finally spoke, because he didn’t know who Kyungsoo actually meant by ‘we’. “...okay?” He felt his heartbeat increasing dramatically when Kyungsoo didn’t answer. Chanyeol mentally berated himself for asking. No, don’t answer that, his mind screamed and he opened his mouth to say it, but it was too late.

“He’s happy, Chanyeol-ah.”

Chanyeol shut his eyes in pain.

“He’s happy...”

That was all he needed to know.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol stopped calling Jongin ever since.

It wasn’t fair, because they were friends and they were supposed to communicate on daily—or weekly—basis, just to let each other know that they were still alive, but Chanyeol stopped. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but Chanyeol thought he needed some time. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from asking about Junmyeon—again. He also knew for a fact that every time Junmyeon’s name was up, Jongin would lie to him and the tan male would try to change the subject, and then they would act like nothing was wrong.

A few days had passed and Chanyeol still didn’t have the courage to call Junmyeon. He busied himself with work, doing anything that could take his mind off of the beautiful male. He was so occupied in stressing himself that it was almost two weeks later that Chanyeol found out the eyeliner guy was actually working in the same company as him. Chanyeol had been working late from the day before and he didn’t mean to oversleep, but happened. He ran toward the elevator with full speed and managed to dash in before the door closing. Chanyeol breathlessly leaned against the wall, opening his mouth to thank the other person, but the words never came out.

It was the beautiful guy from the other night.

Except that he wasn’t wearing eyeliner right then.

“O—oh,” Baekhyun stammered at their eye contact, acknowledging who Chanyeol was. There were only the two of them in the elevator and Baekhyun’s fingers paused hesitantly over the numbers. “Which floor?”

“Six,” Chanyeol said shortly and Baekhyun pressed the button.

“Are you Jonghyun-hyung’s colleague?” Baekhyun gave him a small smile which Chanyeol noticed from the reflection of the walls.

“Yeah.”

Baekhyun took the short replies as a hint that Chanyeol didn’t want to talk and he said nothing more after that, his fingers curled loosely into a fist on his lips. Their trip up was painfully silent.

It seemed like forever when the elevator finally arrived on the sixth floor, and Chanyeol was more than surprised when Baekhyun walked outside first. Did it mean they were also working in the same department? Chanyeol was glued to his computer most of the time that he didn’t even socialize except with Jonghyun.

Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder at Chanyeol with a kind smile and nodded. “Nice to meet you, um...” He trailed off, not knowing Chanyeol’s name, and it was probably a hint that he wanted to know his name. Instead of giving him his name, Chanyeol only nodded back before replying,

“Nice to meet you too, Baekhyun-ah.”

Chanyeol didn’t miss the way Baekhyun’s eyes widening as he walked past him.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Chanyeol craned his neck to Jonghyun at the sudden question. Both of them had been working in a comfortable silence—which was rare—until the question popped up. However, Jonghyun was still typing on his computer with his eyes fixed on the screen. Chanyeol pursed his lips in uncertainty before shifting his focus back to his documents. But before he got the chance to do so, Jonghyun spoke again.

“Do you?”

This time, Jonghyun was staring at him.

Chanyeol went blank momentarily. Girlfriend. Did he look straight to Jonghyun? Chanyeol was slightly perplexed but he shook his head. “No.”

“Ah,” Jonghyun rubbed his temple as he pulled away from the screen. “Ex girlfriend?”

“No.”

Jonghyun stared at him again. “Ex boyfriend?”

“One.”

Jonghyun sighed. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?”

“...this,” Jonghyun replied with a wave of hand toward Chanyeol, unsure of what to say. “I’ll just go straight to the core with you. What do you think of Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol frowned. “Huh?”

“Well, you ran into him this morning, right? What did you think about him?”

Chanyeol pressed his lips into a thin line and he decided to ignore Jonghyun’s questions. However, his mind drifted to the said male. He remembered the way Baekhyun smiled at him, but it didn’t last long because the next second, it was replaced by Junmyeon’s smile. Chanyeol winced.

“Chanyeol?”

“I’m—I’m not interested in dating, Hyung.”

“Well, you saw how Baekhyun was with Zitao, I don’t think he would mind if you guys aren’t exclusive—“

“You don’t understand,” Chanyeol interrupted harshly. “I’m not going to move on.”

It was Jonghyun’s turn to frown. “What did your ex do so that you cannot move on? Was he really that precious? I mean, if he was, surely he didn’t dump you—”

“Don’t start,” Chanyeol said warningly. No one had the right to say bad things about Junmyeon. “Besides, what’s this about Baekhyun?”

“He asked for your name,” Jonghyun said with a defeated sigh and he held up his hands in the air. “FYI, Baekhyun never asked for a name. Everyone’s asking for his.”

With that, Jonghyun gave his computer screen his attention back.

Chanyeol felt something small bubbling in him, but he decided not to give a damn and continued working.

He had no idea that it would become big.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Another week had passed since then.

Chanyeol felt himself becoming more miserable. He wanted to call Junmyeon, to ask him how he was, how did he do, how was work, how was his dinner, anything, anything to be able to hear his soft and calming voice. But he was never brave enough. Every time he gathered his strength to dial the number, it would dissipate to heaven knew where, and Chanyeol would end up tossing the phone away.

He missed Junmyeon like crazy.

But Junmyeon probably didn’t miss him.

Before he knew it, it was Friday again. Jonghyun asked him if he wanted to hang out (the older male was surprisingly persistent to have Chanyeol socializing), but Chanyeol politely declined because he had a lot of pending works. Which was bull, because he knew he could just finish them all on Monday morning. But then again, it was better than to hang out in the bar. Jonghyun then waved a hand at him in resignation before leaving.

Chanyeol rubbed his eyes tiredly when he was done. Everyone seemed to have gone home when he looked up. Chanyeol shut his computer down, gathered his things and went to the elevator. Gosh, he couldn’t wait to go home and sleep. When the male passed by the pantry, he heard soft sobs coming from the room. Chanyeol paused, making sure if he really heard something or was it just his imagination.

The door swung open at the same moment and Baekhyun walked outside with puffy eyes. The male froze when he spotted Chanyeol. Baekhyun’s eyes were red and there were tears streaming down his face. The tears instantly reminded him of Junmyeon and Chanyeol winced as he looked away.

Junmyeon.

The name brought so many memories.

Instead of asking Baekhyun what was wrong (like a normal person was supposed to do), Chanyeol ignored the crying male and headed straight toward the elevator. He repeatedly pushed the button. Everything was just too painful to take at the moment. Why did Baekhyun have to remind him...?

After a minute, the elevator finally arrived on the sixth floor. The door slid open, but Chanyeol only stared at it mutely. He let the door closing before turning back to where he had left Baekhyun. Much to his surprise, the male was still at the same spot, and he was still crying. Baekhyun looked shocked at the fact that Chanyeol came back.

“A—aren’t you going home...?” Baekhyun asked between his tears.

Chanyeol said nothing but to drag Baekhyun to the nearest seats. Baekhyun let out a yelp when Chanyeol forced him to sit, but then the latter sat beside him. Chanyeol stared solemnly at the crying male before handing him a handkerchief. Baekhyun dumbly stared at the offered item before chuckling sheepishly.

“You’re weird...,” Baekhyun softly said and wiped his tears with Chanyeol’s handkerchief. He continued to sob for a while before finally stopping. “Thank you.”

Chanyeol still said nothing in return, but when Baekhyun leaned closer to rest his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, his throat went dry.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t ask Baekhyun what happened, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Zitao. He did nothing but to let Baekhyun rested his head on his shoulder, until the latter had completely stopped crying. Chanyeol then called a cab for Baekhyun, and as they walked downstairs together—Baekhyun didn’t want to take the elevator because he said he wanted a long walk to clear his mind—it was then that Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun smelled good.

He hadn’t met Baekhyun until the next Friday.

Chanyeol was working late as usual (and politely declined Jonghyun’s offer to hang out, again) and was heading toward the elevator when he bumped into the shorter male.

“Oh,” Baekhyun blinked in surprise. “You’re still here?”

“Same goes to you,” Chanyeol muttered nonchalantly and pressed the button.

“Are you going to the bar?”

“Nope. I’m going home.” Chanyeol walked into the elevator first and frowned when Baekhyun stayed in his tracks. “Aren’t you coming?”

Baekhyun looked hesitant for a second before nodding. Neither of them said anything until they reached the ground floor, and Chanyeol let Baekhyun walked out first before following closely. Baekhyun exchanged a warm greeting with the night security and waited patiently for Chanyeol.

“Be careful on your way home,” Chanyeol said as he adjusted the strap on his shoulder.

“Wait,” Baekhyun halted the taller male’s movement. “You’re really going home?”

Chanyeol frowned. “Yeah.”

“But this is Friday night.”

“So?”

Baekhyun looked sheepish. “If you have nothing to do, and you don’t want to go to the bar, why don’t we grab a bite before going home?”

Chanyeol stared. “Dinner?”

“Duh, of course,” Baekhyun playfully flicked Chanyeol’s arm and sagged when the latter continued to stare at him blankly. “I—I mean, yeah, if you’d like... Have you tried the Korean restaurant downtown? Or maybe you’re feeling something western tonight? Italian?”

Chanyeol said nothing for the longest time and Baekhyun was starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Um, if you don’t want to, it’s okay—“

“Okay.”

Baekhyun bit his lip to hide his disappointment. “O—okay.” He waited for Chanyeol to turn around and leave, but the taller male did nothing. Baekhyun shifted slightly before tilting his head to a side. “Be careful on your way home?”

“Huh? Aren’t we going?”

“H—huh?” Baekhyun blinked. “But—but you said okay.”

“I did, didn’t I? So where are we going?”

Baekhyun needed a few moments to register Chanyeol’s words before finally breaking into a shy chuckle.

“You sure are weird, Park Chanyeol,” he smiled genuinely and motioned Chanyeol to follow him.

Chanyeol dismissed the unfamiliar sensation that seeped into his heart.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“If you need Asian ingredients, go to the market over there,” Baekhyun pointed to a supermarket across the street as they walked side by side. “You saw the tall, white building with the large screen on top of it, right? There’s this department store inside with affordable clothes. Just in case you want to shop.”

Chanyeol only nodded every time Baekhyun explained something. It was new to him, because Junmyeon was never this talkative. Most of the time, it was Chanyeol who started the conversation and Junmyeon would be the one who listened. Now that he thought about it, Junmyeon never really told him anything.

And he never really wanted to find out.

“Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun. “Hm?”

“Am I boring?”

Chanyeol’s jaw almost dropped. “Huh?”

Baekhyun looked apologetic and yet scared at the same time. “I’m sorry, did I talk a lot? I talked a lot, didn’t I? It’s probably the curse I was born with—“

“It’s nice,” Chanyeol intercepted. “Don’t worry.”

“R—really? Seriously?”

Chanyeol nodded.

Baekhyun beamed. “Wow. You’re the first person to ever tell me that.”

“Did the others usually tell you to shut up?”

Baekhyun’s expression dimmed. “Yeah.” He threw his gaze on the ground and continued walking. Chanyeol felt slightly guilty as he examined Baekhyun from the corner of his eye. He lifted up his hand to pat the shorter male’s hair and Baekhyun looked up to him in surprise. “Ch—Chanyeol?”

“You’re okay,” Chanyeol quietly said. “Just ignore them.”

Baekhyun’s expression brightened as he smiled. Chanyeol felt something churning at the bottom of his stomach at the smile, but he ignored the feeling. Baekhyun’s eyes went somewhere else and he giggled lightly when a bunch of girls walked past them. “They’re staring at you.”

“Not interested,” Chanyeol shrugged. “I’m not going to move on.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Probably the same reason you didn’t leave Zitao.”

Baekhyun turned pale at Chanyeol’s words. His steps slowed down for a moment, but then he quickened them back to catch up with Chanyeol’s pace. “S—so you’ve heard...”

Chanyeol only nodded and randomly pointed at a restaurant. “This one?”

Baekhyun followed his line of sight and nodded slightly. “If you want it.”

The conversation about Zitao was over by the time they went into the restaurant, and the atmosphere became awkward.

Even so, Baekhyun smiled a lot at him that night and it was somewhat comforting.

Chanyeol didn’t feel so hungry anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t like the way Jonghyun grinned at him on the next Monday morning. He chose to ignore it, even blatantly snorting when Jonghyun wiggled his eyebrows in attempt to get his attention. Chanyeol gave the older male a sideways glance, one that was not laced with enthusiasm.

“What?”

“Baekhyun is what,” Jonghyun grinned so wide that Chanyeol felt like wiping it off of his stupid face.

“What about that?”

“Are you guys official yet?”

Chanyeol frowned. Something that he had been doing a lot. “We did nothing, Hyung.”

“Like I would believe that. A lot of my friends saw you two together—“

“—having dinner and nothing’s wrong with that—“

“—which I believe you paid for, of course, as a gentleman—“

Chanyeol fell silent. He did pay.

“—and then you walked him home, even though his place was a bit far and it was nearer for you to go straight home right away—“

Chanyeol held up a finger to shut Jonghyun up and it worked. He eyed the older male suspiciously, curious about how Jonghyun found out—because if he wasn’t mistaken, everyone had gone home when they decided to have dinner. But Chanyeol neglected the thought when his phone rang loudly and he stared at the cell phone screen in uncertainty.

It was Jongin.

Chanyeol arrived at his cubicle and he cast a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. It was probably evening in Korea, or Jongin just happened to be drunk and accidentally dialed his number. Either way, he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Chanyeol. Are you busy?”

There was something about Jongin’s tone that made Chanyeol’s stomach flipped. He hastily dropped his bag onto the carpeted floor and threw himself on the chair. Chanyeol noticed Jonghyun was still staring and he cleared his throat before sending his neighbor a glare. Jonghyun shrugged innocently.

“Not really. What’s up?”

“Uh... You haven’t really called. I’m just checking up on you.”

Chanyeol’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ and a wave of relief washed over him. He leaned his back against his chair as he his computer. “I’m sorry. I’ve been really busy lately...”

“Yeah. I thought so too. With work and the time difference...”

“Yeah.”

Jongin must be nodding at the end of the line. The tan male was quiet for some time before he finally started again. “Chanyeol?”

“Hm?”

“I just—I’m sorry for this, but...did you know that Junmyeon’s...in a relationship?”

Chanyeol felt a pang, but there was nothing new about that. It was a fact he had find out almost three months ago. “I know.”

“With a college student?”

Now that, he didn’t know. Chanyeol’s mouth went dry as he tried to find the words to retort, but all of them were stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

“,” Jongin hissed. “You didn’t know—oh , Chanyeol, I’m so sorry—“

“He dumped me,” Chanyeol choked. “For a college student?”

“I—I swear I didn’t mean it like that—“

“What the is he thinking? He’s twenty seven,” Chanyeol groaned and facepalmed. “Did he think it would work?”

“Well—“ Jongin paused. “You guys are still in touch, right?”

“...no.”

Jongin was really quiet this time on the other line, and Chanyeol wondered if the other male still had enough credit for the international call. Both of them were loss at words. A painful sensation stung Chanyeol’s heart, like someone had stabbed an invisible needle inside. It hurt to hear it from Jongin, but now that he thought about it, he had always known everything from Jongin.

The sound of Chanyeol’s beeping computer snapped them both back to life, indicating that he had work to do. Jongin hastily wished him a nice day and told him to call if Chanyeol ever needed anything. When Jongin had hung up, Chanyeol dragged a hand down his face.

He wanted to hear Junmyeon’s voice.

A lot of things swam through his mind. Had he known that it was just a college student, Chanyeol probably would’ve fought for Junmyeon. Had he known, he probably would’ve been stubborn and refused Junmyeon’s rejection. Had he known...

Chanyeol slowly placed his hand on his desk, his fingers skittering lightly on the mouse. No. He needed to work. He needed to stop thinking about Korea—heck, he was in Los Angeles now. He was in a different place, in a different city. But Chanyeol knew it was futile to fight. The more he resisted, the more he thought of Jongin’s words and Junmyeon’s face.

“It’s okay. Make that call.”

Chanyeol snapped his head to Jonghyun. He didn’t even have the strength to snap anymore. The older of the two could’ve been eavesdropping everything from the start and for once, he was grateful for the understanding Jonghyun showed. Chanyeol nodded before standing up and headed toward the restroom.

For the first time in three months, Chanyeol had no hesitation dialing Junmyeon’s number. He patiently waited for the dial tone, waiting for it to be picked up. His determination faded slowly when it reached the sixth dial tone and Junmyeon was still not picking up. Maybe Junmyeon was already asleep.

Maybe Junmyeon avoided him.

Chanyeol was about to give up when a hoarse voice picked up.

“Hello?”

Chanyeol hesitated. “Junmyeon-ah?”

A pregnant paused hang thickly in the air.

“Chanyeol...?”

Chanyeol was glad Junmyeon still remembered his voice. Warmth flooded his chest and there was a slight happiness formed in him. “Yeah... I’m sorry, did I disturb your sleep? I just—I just want—“

“Babe? Who is it at this hour?”

Chanyeol instantly closed his mouth and clenched his teeth. He wasn’t keen to the fact that Junmyeon was with someone in his apartment at this time. What time was it over there—ten, eleven? It was definitely late. The fact that he was with someone Chanyeol didn’t know angered him more.

“It’s Chanyeol,” Junmyeon informed the other party softly. “Just go back to sleep—“

“Chanyeol? Your ex?”

“Did he you?”

Chanyeol’s harsh words caused Junmyeon to swallow everything he wanted to say. The other male fell silent for a few seconds before letting out a squeak. “Wh—what?”

“You let him into your apartment at this hour, did you let him you?”

“Ch—Chanyeol—“

Instinctively, Chanyeol hung up. He groaned indignantly to himself, cursing over his stupidity for calling. What the hell was he thinking? Why did he even bother to call in the first place? Why did he hurt himself more? Junmyeon never thought about him. At least not anymore. Hell, Chanyeol wasn’t sure if Junmyeon ever thought about him in the first place. The tall male splashed the water from the sink to his face to cool his anger and he took a long time to stare at himself in the mirror.

Now he really understood what he felt.

Chanyeol would never move on.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t have any idea how long had it been since then. Day by day, he felt himself becoming more miserable.

The male had just turned off his computer when he noticed that everyone was gone. It had become a habit for him to stay late in the office (and Jonghyun had given up to convince him to go home sooner). Chanyeol stretched out his hands as he stood up and yawned tiredly. The male turned off some of the lights in the room before heading to the elevator.

He was a bit shocked when he saw Baekhyun standing near it.

“Are you done?” Baekhyun simply smiled.

“Why are you still here?” Chanyeol asked, unable to mask his surprise.

“I saw the lights were still on and I peeked,” Baekhyun explained casually as he pressed the button. “I wanted to call you, but you looked so serious and I thought it would probably be better if I waited. Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Chanyeol answered. He wanted to ask why Baekhyun opted to wait for him, but he shrugged it off. “Are you?”

“I just feel like having some snacks,” Baekhyun pondered. “Fries?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “Okay.”

Baekhyun was unable to contain his happiness as they walked out of the elevator, because the male surely talked a lot tonight (but then again, Baekhyun was a talkative person). He was talking about a lot of things that Chanyeol honestly wasn’t really interested in, but it was nice to hear Baekhyun talked. It was nice to see Baekhyun’s lips moving as he spoke, inserting a few English words in his sentences. It was nice to see Baekhyun curved his lips upward into a soothing smile.

They stumbled upon a few stalls that sold street snacks and Baekhyun ordered what he came there for—french fries. The male chose cheese flavor while Chanyeol chose barbecue (again, Chanyeol insisted on paying). Baekhyun shut his eyes as the food went down his throat and he giggled.

“I love fries!” Baekhyun chirped. “You could shove me three bags of this and I would receive them whole heartedly.”

“And then you’ll get fat,” Chanyeol said casually and Baekhyun pouted at him. “Which is good, because you’re so skinny.”

“Look who’s talking,” Baekhyun laughed and Chanyeol thought it was the nicest thing he acknowledged about Baekhyun tonight. “You’re skinnier than me.”

“But I’m taller.”

“Hey!” Baekhyun made a sound of protest. “I will do skipping a lot and I will grow ten inches taller than you, just you see.”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try,” Chanyeol chuckled in amusement and stopped when Baekhyun gave him an odd look. “What?”

“Is—is it real?”

“What is?”

“Your smile,” Baekhyun said softly as he brushed a few strands of hair from Chanyeol’s forehead. “You frown a lot, look, the wrinkles are visible. What if a really hot girl is interested in you, but she’s scared of your expression—“

Chanyeol felt a strange sensation when the tip of Baekhyun’s fingers met his skin. “I’m not interested in girls, Baekhyun.” Did he look straight to everyone?

Baekhyun held his breath. “Boys, then,” he whispered.

Chanyeol could feel his heartbeat quickening and he cleared his throat to kill whatever it was that he was feeling. He popped another french fry into his mouth and chewed. Baekhyun walked closely beside him, and the warmth radiating from their closeness was somehow nice.

There were a lot of nice things about Baekhyun tonight.

“How’s Zitao?”

Of all the good questions, the stupid one just had to be the one slipped out of his stupid mouth.

“Hm? I stopped seeing him weeks ago, actually.”

Chanyeol turned to him. “...you did?”

Baekhyun nodded. “I’m sure Jonghyun-hyung had told you about us?”

“Yeah...”

“Then you’ll understand, I assume? I’m not exactly looking for marriage, but...it’s just hard to stick together without knowing what good would it be. We were an item, Zitao and me. I was in college and he was still in high school back then. We were never serious, but...when I told him I got a job in LA, he somehow followed me here. I thought—I thought that was when our relationship would become serious.”

Chanyeol waited patiently, but Baekhyun was lost in his thoughts. He then carefully asked, “But it didn’t?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “Zitao was afraid of commitment. Or so I thought. I don’t know. He’s younger, and I’m older... We don’t think alike, I guess...? Maybe we’re just not meant to be. That’s gotta be it. It’s the most logical explanation for me. But we talked about it, and even though he told me he wasn’t ready to let me go, I just couldn’t let him cling on to me forever. Not without certainty...”

Chanyeol his lips, the taste of barbecue lingered on them. “Did you cry the other day because of that?”

“Oh,” Baekhyun chuckled bashfully. “Sort of? I mean, we stopped seeing each other, but that didn’t mean we stopped being friends. Zitao still calls me a lot. And I guess I just felt helpless at that moment. But I told myself I needed to move on, because staying will only hurt me more.”

It felt like a slap on Chanyeol’s cheek. Because staying will only hurt me more. He swallowed the rest of his food before tossing the paper into the nearest trash can. Baekhyun hadn’t done eating, so Chanyeol decided to wait until he was done and stood closely to him. They were engulfed in a comfortable silence before Chanyeol decided to break it.

“Is it a trend to date younger people nowadays?”

Baekhyun looked up in confusion.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Nevermind.”

“Did your ex...?”

Chanyeol looked away. “...I just found out a few days ago.”

Baekhyun placed a hand on Chanyeol’s arm. The latter glanced down at the strange sensation seeping into his skin. Why does everything feel strange lately? He marveled inwardly at how small Baekhyun’s hand seemed on his arm. Chanyeol caught Baekhyun’s eyes on him, and they weren’t judging. They were...calming. Chanyeol’s heart skipped a beat at their eye contact. He had never feel like this before.

“Go on,” Baekhyun said softly.

“There’s nothing to say, really,” Chanyeol said slowly. “We’re the same age. My parents liked him. My sister liked him. I think even my pet liked him.” Baekhyun smiled at this. “We’ve been dating for two years when I got the promotion.” Chanyeol looked down to their shoes. Should he tell Baekhyun everything? “I asked him to come here with me. I...I should’ve seen it coming. It was obvious that he didn’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” Baekhyun squeezed Chanyeol’s arm lightly. “It’s okay, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s throat went dry. He thought he still wanted to say something else, but they all vanished instantly when he stared right again into Baekhyun’s black orbs, and the male gave him the kindest smile before leaning forward to rest his head on Chanyeol’s chest.

Maybe, Chanyeol absently thought as he instinctively rested his head on Baekhyun’s brown hair. just maybe.

He wanted to move on.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol was starting to open himself up.

He was starting to take Jonghyun’s offer to hang out after work. Sometimes they went to the bar, sometimes they went to the restaurant, sometimes they just watched a movie. It was then Chanyeol realized just how many things he had missed. Slowly, but surely, he allowed Jonghyun to step into his life to be his close friend. Even though Chanyeol still thought it had something to do with the fact that their cubicles were beside each other, he was willing to let Jonghyun know him more.

But he let Baekhyun invaded his personal space even more.

Chanyeol didn’t know if it was purely coincidence or it was part of Jonghyun’s plans, but Baekhyun was always there. He noticed the way Baekhyun’s eyes twinkling upon seeing him whenever he walked into the bar. He noticed that Baekhyun always stood close to him in the crowd, although Chanyeol could tell that the other male was trying to be subtle about it.

It felt nice.

It was Kibum’s day off that night and Jonghyun suggested they should grab dinner together (Chanyeol said yes immediately when Jonghyun said Baekhyun would come along). So there they were, lining up for a famous restaurant, waiting for an empty table. Kibum had brought his friends with him, and one of them was a cute male named Taemin. Jonghyun’s expression went horror when his boyfriend cheerfully introduced Taemin to Chanyeol and exclaimed loudly that they should hit it off.

Chanyeol stayed expressionless.

When the waitress called out Jonghyun’s name and told them their table was ready, Chanyeol realized Baekhyun was pulling away from him. He sent the shorter male a questioning glance, but Baekhyun wasn’t looking at him. Jonghyun and Kibum immediately took their seats beside each other, oblivious to their surrounding. Baekhyun was still standing a few steps away from Chanyeol even when the others had already claimed their seats.

“Baek,” Chanyeol called out with a frown.

Baekhyun’s face turned crimson when Chanyeol offered his hand to him. The male looked around nervously before gingerly taking Chanyeol’s hand. Nobody seemed to comment, but Chanyeol noticed the way Jonghyun smiled at them and he felt a bit smug at Kibum’s expression. They sat down beside each other, and Chanyeol didn’t let go of Baekhyun’s hand until he had to take the menu from the waitress.

Baekhyun leaned closer to his ear and Chanyeol had to bend his body slightly to listen.

It was a whisper.

“Is it okay if I sit here?”

Chanyeol smiled in amusement at the question. You don’t need to be jealous of Kibum-hyung’s words, was what he intended to say, but in the end, he just nodded. The taller of the two lifted up a hand to caress Baekhyun’s hair, just like the first time where Chanyeol wanted to calm him down. Emotions were swirling within Baekhyun’s orbs as he smiled back.

I think it’s where you belonged, Baekhyun-ah.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“So, are you guys dating yet?”

Chanyeol bit his inner cheek as he stared at Jonghyun. It had become a question that the older male came to like, because it seemed like he had been asking the same question for the last two weeks. Chanyeol put on a fake, annoyed expression.

“Or are you guys just buddies, like he did with Zitao?”

Chanyeol’s expression faltered at that. Jonghyun quickly regretted his sarcasm and shook his head apologetically.

“I was just kidding. So, uh, you guys aren’t exclusive or something?”

buddies, Chanyeol grimly thought. It might be one of the reasons why Baekhyun had a hard time letting go. Or maybe Zitao just had been so kind to him that he didn’t want to lose him. Something akin to jealousy surfaced within him and Chanyeol pressed his lips into a thin line. What was it that he feel?

Jonghyun looked thoughtful. “I overheard one of the guys from marketing asked Baekhyun out.”

Chanyeol stared. “Did he accept it?”

Jonghyun gave him a bemused look. “What do you think?”

“...he did?”

Jonghyun let out an exasperated sigh. “He turned him down. Rumor has it that the reason was,” he paused to add a dramatic feel. “He was waiting for someone to move on.”

Chanyeol blinked.

“I wonder who it was,” Jonghyun said nonchalantly, but his expression showed that he knew the truth.

Chanyeol pretended he didn’t care, but deep down inside, he was happy that Baekhyun didn’t accept the confession.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Chanyeol thought he was feeling better.

Hanging out with Jonghyun and the others, socializing with people...he honestly thought he was really going to be able to move on soon. Chanyeol was starting to call Jongin again, and he was able to prevent himself from asking about Junmyeon, which was a good thing. The fair skinned male was still somewhere on his mind, but just like that.

He was probably wrong.

It was raining hard that night when Chanyeol found himself soaking wet in front of Baekhyun’s apartment. He didn’t know how he got there, all he knew was that he wanted to see Baekhyun. He needed Baekhyun to calm him down. He needed Baekhyun’s smile...

It had been fifteen minutes since Chanyeol arrived, and yet he did nothing to let Baekhyun know that he was there.

Chanyeol was starting to shiver because the cold had gotten to him. He probably would stay still like that until he passed out, if only Baekhyun didn’t open the door. The male looked like he was going somewhere, because he had his coat on and an umbrella was in his left hand. Baekhyun blinked for a few times before his eyes widening in realization.

“Oh my freaking—Chanyeol!!” Baekhyun panickly ushered the taller male inside and went pale when he felt Chanyeol’s skin was really cold. “How long have you been—wait here, I’m gonna grab a towel for you!”

With that, he rushed into his bedroom and came back less than a minute later. Baekhyun frantically dabbed the towel on Chanyeol’s hair, wanting the other male to feel warm.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol said quietly.

“Why are you sorry? Don’t say that,” Baekhyun desperately replied. “I think I still have my older brother’s clothes around here. How about you take a warm shower first while I search for it?” Chanyeol nodded slightly and Baekhyun sighed. “The bathroom is inside the bedroom. I’ll just leave the clothes on the bed, okay?”

Chanyeol slowly stepped outside the bedroom when he was done. Baekhyun was sitting on the couch in the living room with his knees drawn to his chest, but he stood up once he saw Chanyeol.

“Are you done?” Baekhyun asked softly as he walked closer and noticed that Chanyeol’s eyes were anywhere but him. Baekhyun smiled a bit when he got a nod in response and reached for Chanyeol’s wet hair. He had to tiptoe slightly to dry Chanyeol’s hair with the towel. Chanyeol stayed quiet the whole time, and Baekhyun absently poked the former’s nose with a finger. “Hey, are you okay...?”

It was then that Chanyeol stared straight at him.

Baekhyun noticed that it was hurt that gleamed in the other male’s eyes.

“Chanyeol...?”

“...he’s going to Canada.”

Baekhyun looked confused. “Who...?”

“He...” Chanyeol trailed off. He brought a hand to his face, pressing it lightly against his forehead and choked a sob. “He’s going to Canada...”

Baekhyun stepped closer. “Chan—“

“I asked him the same question,” Chanyeol’s voice cracked and Baekhyun saw tears were falling onto his cheeks. “I asked him to come here with me, together, but—“

Baekhyun pulled Chanyeol into a hug. He pressed his face against the taller male’s chest, wanting to feel his heartbeat. Wanting him to feel calm. “But he didn’t,” Baekhyun whispered.

“It was just a few months since I moved here,” Chanyeol continued desperately. “It had been just a few months and he was so determined about moving to Canada. Our relationship had been going for two years and he had a hard time to come with me...”

Baekhyun did nothing but to hug Chanyeol tighter, his heart dropping every time the latter gasped for air. Somewhere along the way, both of them stumbled on the bed with Chanyeol wrapping his long arms around Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun let Chanyeol cried his heart out, while all he did in return was to give him a shoulder to cry on and a comforting pat on his hair, just like what Chanyeol did to him when he needed to be comforted. It must be painful for Chanyeol to hold his feelings inside for so long, unable to share it with someone else. That was why, as much as it hurt, Baekhyun was glad Chanyeol was finally able to break out from his shell.

Chanyeol had fallen asleep, but his arms around Baekhyun were tight. Baekhyun looked at the sleeping figure beside him and he bloomed into a fond smile. The rain was getting harder outside, but it was nice to have Chanyeol pressed against him like this. The other male was surprisingly warm, like he was born to be a personal heater.

Baekhyun carefully trailed a finger on Chanyeol’s face, tracing the tears that were there, before he rested his hand on the latter’s broad shoulder. Soon, he felt sleepy, but Baekhyun wanted to savor the moment of having Chanyeol close to him like this. Longer. Just a bit more.

Forever, if he could ask.

Chanyeol stirred in his sleep and accidentally brushed their noses together. Baekhyun held his breath, because Chanyeol didn’t pull back, and he could feel the other male’s breath on his lips. Steady breaths indicated that Chanyeol was still asleep, and Baekhyun braced himself to lean slightly forward to catch his lips.

Baekhyun let himself drowned in the blissful feeling he felt when their lips met, because it was right then he realized, that Chanyeol was never going to move on.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun stopped hanging out with them completely.

At first, Chanyeol thought it was because of work, that Baekhyun had been busy and all that jazz, but as days turned to weeks, he had a feeling it was something else. Chanyeol went to the bar with Jonghyun, but Baekhyun wasn’t there. He said yes to Jonghyun’s offer to hang out, but Baekhyun didn’t come along. Chanyeol stayed late at the office on purpose, waiting for Baekhyun to show up from the pantry or even just to stand there by the elevator, but he wasn’t around.

Chanyeol wondered if it had anything to do with his appearance in the apartment the other night.

The week passed by in a breeze, and Jonghyun casually asked Chanyeol if he wanted to grab some coffee.

“Is Baekhyun going to be there?” Chanyeol blurted out without thinking.

Jonghyun gave him an unreadable stare, but Chanyeol was pretty sure it was a vindictive gaze. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Chanyeol frowned. “He hasn’t been around—“

“Has it occured to you that he has been avoiding you because you cannot ing move on from your ex?” Jonghyun snapped.

Chanyeol froze. “What...?”

Jonghyun growled. “For God’s sake, you like him, Chanyeol. Your eyes! The way you stare at him like he’s the center of the universe! But you just have to be so ing stubborn! ‘I’m not going to move on’ my ! Baekhyun’s in love with you, just as madly as you are with him!!!” The older male was breathless the minute he finished talking and ruffled his hair in frustration. “You know how Zitao treated him, then why did you treat him the same...?”

“I was scared,” Chanyeol defended himself weakly, although he himself wasn’t sure. He thought he saw the signs—of Baekhyun being in love with him—and yet he ignored them. Just like the ones he did to Junmyeon—which caused Junmyeon to run away from him, into the other male’s arms. Chanyeol gritted his teeth. He didn’t want Baekhyun to run into another person’s arms.

“Why?” Jonghyun asked, his tone was laced with confusion. “Just because your ex did it to you doesn’t mean Baekhyun will...”

“I...”

“You have moved on,” Jonghyun sternly said. “Believe it or not, you have, Chanyeol, from the moment you let Baekhyun invaded your life.”

“I don’t want to lose him,” Chanyeol whispered.

“Then don’t,” Jonghyun pressed. “Don’t. Lose. Him.”

The next thing he knew, Chanyeol ran all the way to the bar. Jonghyun said Kibum had just texted him, saying that Baekhyun had just arrived at the said place. The male was all by himself, and Chanyeol found himself cringing. What if someone randomly hit on Baekhyun, asking him for a date and Baekhyun obliged? Chanyeol quickened his pace that he almost stumbled forward a few times, but even if he fell, he would pull himself up again and survive.

For Baekhyun.

Chanyeol stepped into the bar with determination. Jonghyun was right. Chanyeol didn’t fight for Junmyeon. He chose to ignore the weirdness his ex boyfriend had been showing. He chose to believe that they were all right, that their communication was all right, while in reality, they were broken. Chanyeol ignored the signs and he did nothing when he found out Junmyeon was cheating on him.

He wasn’t going to do that to Baekhyun.

Not this time, not ever.

Chanyeol only needed a swift glance to know which table Baekhyun sat by and the male shuffled forward through the crowd. He spotted some guys talking to Baekhyun, trying to get his attention. Jealousy filled his heart and yes, this time he admitted it, that it was jealousy. Chanyeol snatched Baekhyun’s wrist and the latter gasped when he glanced over his shoulder.

“Sorry, this one’s mine,” Chanyeol glared at the strangers, one of his hands was still holding Baekhyun’s wrist protectively. The men stared at each other momentarily before shrugging their shoulders and turned around to go back to their table. Chanyeol still glared until he was sure the men weren’t staring at Baekhyun anymore.

“Ch—Chanyeol...?”

Chanyeol’s eyes drifted to the male beside him. Baekhyun had his eyeliner on, and dear God he looks so breathtaking tonight. There were a lot of things that Chanyeol wanted to say to him, a lot of explanations, perhaps, but they could wait. Chanyeol swallowed, building his courage as he stared at Baekhyun, and his heart swelled three times larger when Baekhyun stared back.

“Don’t leave me,” Chanyeol whispered.

Then he leaned down to kiss Baekhyun.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

They made it to Chanyeol’s apartment, but all of their clothes were discarded before they even got to reach the bedroom.

Chanyeol had always thought that Junmyeon had the fairest skin, but maybe he was wrong. He found out that Baekhyun’s skin was even more beautiful. Chanyeol couldn’t stop himself from staring and he soon realized Baekhyun’s was driving him crazy. He took his time at first, but when Baekhyun moaned his name, Chanyeol couldn’t control himself.

Baekhyun was tight, he absently thought as he inserted two lubed fingers into the beautiful male’s entrance and shuddered when he heard the beautiful cry. Chanyeol didn’t want him to feel hurt completely, so he kissed Baekhyun softly as a distraction.

It worked.

Chanyeol ed into Baekhyun from behind, and his chest tightened when he heard the male whimpering. Fortunately, Baekhyun’s lithe figure made it easier for Chanyeol to reach for him, to kiss him, but then he flipped their positions so that Baekhyun was underneath him, so that he had even easier access to kiss him.

Baekhyun clenched his walls around Chanyeol, eliciting an unguarded moan from the taller male’s lips. The way Baekhyun enchanted his name made Chanyeol feel worshiped as the latter slammed his hips deeper and harder.

When both of them had come—Chanyeol swore Baekhyun let out the iest voice there ever was—Chanyeol let Baekhyun snuggled closer to him. Baekhyun’s chest was moving up and down in an irregular pace as he shifted his eyes to Chanyeol, his cheeks flustering from their love-making. Chanyeol smiled fondly at him before claiming Baekhyun’s lips again, telling him to sleep, as a sign that he...

...he belonged there, with Chanyeol.

Baekhyun was all he could think about, and that moment Chanyeol knew, that he would fight until his very last strength to keep Baekhyun close.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

When Chanyeol woke up the next morning, Baekhyun was still beside him.

The tall male had a tendency to kick the blanket away in his sleep—because he had this abnormally warm body temperature. Chanyeol was about to grab for the blanket he had kicked at the end of the bed, when he realized Baekhyun was still .

It was definitely the most beautiful view he had ever seen.

Chanyeol absently ran his hand on Baekhyun’s flawless skin, pressing his palm lightly on his arm, to his flat stomach, to his sensitive thigh... Baekhyun hummed sleepily as he felt familiar touches on his skin and the male cracked his eyes open. He blinked sleepily for several times before breaking into a shy smile and snuggled closer to Chanyeol.

“Good morning...”

Chanyeol pressed his lips on Baekhyun’s forehead before smiling. “Good morning, Baek.”

He had definitely moved on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun’s relationship with Chanyeol was official, and Jonghyun was thrilled when he heard the news (“Finally!!!”).

Chanyeol felt himself began to change for Baekhyun. He begged Baekhyun to scold him if he ever did something wrong, and he also asked Baekhyun to tell him if anything ever happened and he was too dense to realize it. Baekhyun laughed at that, but he nodded anyway. Chanyeol finally called Jongin a few weeks after that to say that he was in a relationship.

(“I knew sooner or later you will,” Jongin said and Chanyeol could sense him grinning. “I guess it’s good that I told Junmyeon-hyung you had found someone new before it even happened, yeah?”)

Baekhyun came over to his apartment that night. The male was too lazy to go out so they decided to rent a movie and watch it while munching popcorn—french fries for Baekhyun. Chanyeol grabbed two cans of soda from the refrigerator for them. When he walked into the living room, he broke into a smile because the sight of Baekhyun splayed lazily across the couch had been a common one lately. It was the nicest thing and he didn’t want to lose it.

Chanyeol’s smile faltered at the last thought.

“Baek...?”

Baekhyun paused the movie as he turned to Chanyeol. “Yes?”

“I just...” Chanyeol placed the cans of soda on the table and sat beside Baekhyun. They were facing each other, and Baekhyun could feel that Chanyeol was nervous. “I just need to ask you a few questions, you’re just gonna need to answer yes or no, okay?”

Baekhyun blinked in confusion, but he slowly nodded in return. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Chanyeol replied and took a deep breath. “If I ask you to move in with me...what will you say?”

Baekhyun looked surprised, but he didn’t take a long time to answer. “Yes.”

Chanyeol smiled, but it dissipated into a serious expression for the next question. “If I ask you to stop communicating with Zitao...”

“Yes.”

“If the company is sending me to another country, will you come with me...?”

“Yes.”

“If I’m asking you to marry me, but the company policy doesn’t allow married couple to work in the same place, will you quit for me?”

Baekhyun giggled as he laced his fingers with Chanyeol’s. “Yes, of course.”

Chanyeol held his breath. “Then will you...?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Y—yes...”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chanyeol, you were born in November?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong?”

“That means...you’re a few months younger than me.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So yeah, I think it’s a trend to date someone younger...”

Chanyeol made a face and Baekhyun quickly kissed his lips.