Final
No Longer2AM's Changmin - Moment (Heirs OST)
“Xing, I’m home!” Aeri called out, closing the door behind her. Poking his head out from the kitchen, he beamed at her, “Welcome home, Aeri!”
A few months had passed since Aeri’s and Baekhyun’s break up, but the incident almost seemed like a distant memory now. Yixing took care of Aeri very well, and she was happy with their newfound relationship. She actually never knew that he liked her, but it didn’t really matter anymore; he made her happy, and she made him happy.
Aeri let out a small smile as she watched Yixing wash the dishes. He was humming while nodding his head, a bright smile on his face. “Why are you so happy today?” Aeri asked curiously. Yixing, drying his hands, turned around and walked towards the younger girl, placing his hands on her hips. He grinned down at her, “Let’s go on a date today.”
“Hmm,” she thought playfully, tapping her chin. He patiently waited, his smile still plastered on his face. She grinned back, “Why not?” He chuckled before kissing her nose, “Do you want to change into something else before we leave?” She shook her head, smiling at him, “I’m alright. Do you want to change?” He let out another chuckle before intertwining their fingers and leading her out the door, “Let’s go.”
-
“Baek, are you alright?” Dahae asked worriedly, “You keep zoning out. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he assured her meekly, “I’m just tired, that’s all. I haven’t been getting enough sleep.” It was true. He was used to having Aeri by his side whenever he fell asleep; now, the bed was spacious and cold, making him feel lonely.
Dahae looked at him worriedly before brightening, “Let’s go to the new café that opened. My friends said the coffee and desserts were really good.” Baekhyun gave her a small smile before nodding, “Alright, let’s go.”
-
“Yixing, what are you having?” Aeri asked, her eyes scanning the menu of the café. “Cheesecake and hot chocolate,” he answered, placing his menu onto the table. She looked up and grinned, “I’ll have the same thing, then.” He let out a small chuckle.
Aeri looked around the café after putting the menu down. The walls of the small yet comfortable room were a light shade of brown, dotted with a bit of white at some places. The blank walls were decorated with a few pictures, quotes that were scribbled on the walls, and some photos of the employees. The tiles were made of marble, and the tables and chairs reminded her of the dining room set her parents had at their house.
Thinking of her parents, Aeri looked down at her fingers, a sad smile on her face. I haven’t seen them in so long, she thought wistfully. I should go see them again someday. I bet they missed me.
“What are you thinking about?” Yixing’s voice broke her train of thoughts. She let out a sigh, “My parents. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”
“We’ll go visit them someday then, okay?” he gave her smile, showing the little dimple he had on his right cheek. She gave him a soft smile, “Okay.”
After a few minutes, a waiter came out with their orders. She peered at the familiar-looking waiter before asking hesitantly, “Kim Minseok?”
“Yes?” The waiter, surprised, blinked at the younger girl before breaking into a warm grin, “Aeri!”
“You two know each other?” Yixing asked curiously, glancing at the two. The two pointed at each other, “He/She’s my cousin.”
“I didn’t know you worked here,” Aeri tilted her head. Minseok chuckled, “This café is new, you know. It just opened a couple days ago, and I needed to get a job anyways.” Glancing between the two, he let out a sly boyish grin, “I’ll leave you two alone on your date now. Promise to stay in contact more often, will you?”
“I promise,” Aeri agreed as she waved at her cousin’s retreating figure. She looked back at Yixing who motioned to her plate and coffee, “Eat up, Aeri.”
Just then, the bell rang, signaling a new customer. Aeri glanced at the door before she froze. Noticing her abrupt action, Yixing turned to look at the people who just walked in before he turned back to Aeri with a concerned look. “Do you want to leave?” he whispered, concern lacing his voice. She swallowed the lump in before nodding, “Yes, please.”
“Leaving already?” Minseok questioned when they paid, “You guys just got here.”
“We…,” Yixing glanced at Aeri, who stayed quiet, “There’s something we have to do.” Minseok shrugged, complying with his reason, “Alright, but remember to visit again, Ri.”
“I will,” Aeri plastered a grin on her face, but Yixing could see the pain in her eyes, “I’ll call you some time.”
The older male waved as the two walked out of the café. Lacing his fingers with hers, Yixing placed a soft kiss on her temple, “You’ll be alright?” Aeri only shrugged.
-
“I’ll have a latte and a slice of blueberry cheesecake, please,” Dahae beamed at the waiter, who took her menu. The two diverted their gazes to Baekhyun, who quietly mumbled, “Macchiato, please.”
“We’ll be right back with your orders,” the waiter gave a slight bow before going back to the counter and getting the drinks ready.
Baekhyun let out a sigh, his eyes drooping slightly. “I think we should go home after,” Dahae stated worriedly, “Your dark circles are kind of visible now.” The male only let out a little sigh before nodding, “After you finish eating.”
Once their orders arrived, Dahae began to eat her cheesecake whereas Baekhyun took a sip of his coffee, slightly grimacing when he felt the bitter liquid flow down his throat. Exactly how I feel right now, he subconsciously thought, letting out a silent sigh.
Days past since the little encounter, but Aeri felt like it was just yesterday when she witness the couple walk into the same café she and Yixing did. It was as if all those months used to fix her broken heart were useless; she didn’t like feeling like this.
Yixing glanced at Aeri in worry. He knew seeing Baekhyun again would cause wounds to open again. He wasn’t hurt; no, he understood what she was going through and waited patiently for her to heal, silently helping her along the way.
Aeri was thankful that Yixing was never like those other boyfriends who became jealous easily. Instead, he , jokingly asking her if she would leave him for the other male; she would immediately refuse and wrap her arms around his waist, looking at him with a bright smile while telling him, “Of course I wouldn’t leave you. You’ve been here for me through thick and thin, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
One day, the two had decided to go visit Aeri’s parents. The older couple immediately agreed over the phone and told them that they had a surprise waiting for them. Curious, Aeri and Yixing glanced at each other before shrugging, getting ready to prepare for the dinner with her parents.
Figuring it was alright to wear something casual instead of dressing up, Aeri simply threw on a white and light grey sweater along with a pair of white jeans. She tied her reddish-brown hair up into a high, loose ponytail with a brown ribbon, a few strands of hair falling out of the ponytail. After looking at herself in the mirror, she gave a small, content smile before slipping on her white, grey, and pink sneakers.
Walking downstairs, she saw Yixing wearing a dress shirt with a red sweater on top, along with a pair of dark jeans and his sneakers. He grinned at her once she arrived at the last step. Placing his hands on her shoulder, he gave her warm smile, “Ready to go?”
“Ready to go,” she confirmed, beaming back at him before pecking him on the cheek. He let out a soft chuckle before entwining their fingers together, pointing at the door with his other hand, “Then we’re off to Neverland!”
“Neverland?” she held back a giggle, giving him a look as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
-
Once the couple arrived at her parent’s house, they did not expect five other people to be there. The two stared at the other pairs of shoes neatly placed in a row in front of the door and wondered who else was there.
Aeri wanted to bury herself in a hole when she realized that her parents probably invited the Byun family as well, which meant that Baekhyun was there; she knew Dahae was here as well. Who owned the two other pairs of shoes then?
Knocking on the door, Yixing diverted his gaze to Aeri, who bit her bottom lip as she thought. “Do you know who else came over?” he asked, leaning more towards the two unknown owners rather than the obvious answer of Baekhyun and his family. “I’m not sure,” she replied, sighing.
“Aeri!” Mrs. Song squealed, embracing her daughter in a tight hug, “Oh, I haven’t seen you in forever! You too, Yixing!”
“Hello, Mrs. Song,” Yixing politely bowed with a bright smile, “Sorry we haven’t been visiting lately. We’ve been having a bit of problems-”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard all about it from Baekhyun’s father,” Mrs. Song frowned sadly, caressing her daughter’s cheek, “I’m so sorry that happened to you, dear.”
“The past is the past,” Aeri forced a smile, “Can we go in, mum? It’s cold outside.”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Mrs. Song ushered the two in, “So the Byun family is here, along with Jongdae and Minseok.”
“Minseok oppa and Jongdae oppa are here?” Forgetting about the current problem, Aeri beamed as she saw her two favorite cousins sitting in the living room. Looking up, Jongdae grinned and stood up from the couch once he spotted his cousin, “Aeri!” Minseok looked up as well, his signature boyish grin gracing his face as he looked at his cousin.
“How have you been holding up?” Minseok whispered in her ear, giving her arm a light squeeze. She gave him a weak smile, “I’ll be fine. I have Yixing with me.”
“Ah, yes,” Jongdae teased, nodding his head, “Yixing, the perfect boyfriend.” A light pink brushed over Aeri’s cheeks as she lightly slapped the elder’s arm, “Stop teasing me.” Yixing chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, placing a gentle peck on her cheek, “Well, you’re the perfect girlfriend to me.” Aeri’s blush darkened whereas the two relatives playfully cringed, “So cheesy!”
“Aeri!” a chirpy voice called out, causing the named girl to turn around. Aeri plastered a fake grin on her face, “Hey, Dahae.”
“I missed you so much!” the younger girl playfully cried, embracing the older girl in a tight hug, “You never visit us anymore.”
“I was busy,” Aeri forced a chuckle as she glanced at the younger girl, “Everything’s been fine, though, yes?”
“Yeah,” Dahae released Aeri from the hug with a sad smile, “Sorry about what happened, by the way. I told Baek it was a bad idea, but he thought it was the only way.”
“As I told mum, the past is the past,” Aeri sighed, giving the younger girl a sad smile, “it’s not your fault.”
“We should go to the dining room now,” Minseok interrupted, placing a hand each on their shoulders, “Don’t want to keep them waiting.” They all nodded and walked to the dining room where the Byun family was waiting.
“Aeri, dear, you’ve grown so much since the last time I’ve seen you!” Mrs. Byun smiled, patting Aeri’s cheeks. Aeri simply smiled, “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Byun.”
“You’ve grown to be a beautiful young lady,” Mr. Song marveled, giving his oldest daughter a warm smile, “Yixing is a lucky guy to have you, sweetheart.”
“Yes, I am,” Yixing nodded with a smile, his eyes never leaving Aeri’s face. Aeri chuckled, “And I’m lucky to have him.” Jongdae and Minseok playfully gagged, causing the two families to laugh.
“We apologize for the mishap,” Mr. Byun frowned apologetically, causing Aeri to let out another chuckle, “It’s alright. Let’s just stop mentioning it now. I think I might grow sick of apologies after.”
Mr. Byun and Mr. Song sat at the ends of the table. Mrs. Song sat by her husband’s left, and Mrs. Byun sat by her husband’s right; Dahae and Baekhyun sat in the middle next to their respective mothers. On the other side of the table, Minseok sat in front of Mrs. Song, Aeri sat in front of Dahae, Yixing sat in front of Baekhyun, and Jongdae sat in front of Mrs. Byun.
Mr. Song motioned for the maids to bring out the food. “Mr. Lee,” Mrs. Song waved the butler over, “Would you mind bringing the wine out?”
“Not at all,” Mr. Lee shook his head, taking a step back, “I suppose the children would be having water?”
“Yes, please,” Mrs. Song gave the older man a smile, “Thank you.” Mr. Lee gave a slight bow before going to get the drinks.
Soon enough, everyone began eating, and light conversations wandered around the room. “So, Aeri,” Minseok decided to start a conversation, “Have you decided whether you’re going to work or not?”
“I’m still not sure,” Aeri mumbled thoughtlessly, “Why?”
“What about working at the café?” Minseok grinned, “We need more helpers anyways, and with you, I’m sure we’ll attract more male customers since we mainly have female customers.”
“You’re complaining about that?” Jongdae snickered, “Besides, Yixing would feel uncomfortable knowing that his girlfriend is being stared at by other guys.” Yixing frowned, silently taking Aeri’s hand in his. Letting out a soft chuckle, Aeri gave his hand a light squeeze of reassurance. “I’m not going anywhere,” Aeri smiled, placing a quick kiss on Yixing cheek, “When I love, I love loyally.”
Ouch, Baekhyun thought, flinching unnoticeably. Dahae leaned over to whisper to him, “Yixing Aeri make a cute couple, don’t they?” Baekhyun only gave a small, almost silent hum in response.
Once dinner was finished, the adults decided to go out to spend bonding time as best friends. Deciding to go outside as well, the kids greeted the maids and butlers before leaving with no destination in mind. In the end, the two couples decided to go to the Han River, whereas Jongdae and Minseok went home to get some sleep.
“The air feels so nice at night,” Aeri let out a content sigh after stretching her arms above her head. Yixing let out a chuckle, “It does.” Giving each other a smile, they intertwined their fingers together as they walked along the cemented path, looking nowhere else but ahead. That was the only path fate allowed them to walk.
“I’m so glad everything worked out fine for Aeri,” Dahae sighed in both content and relief, “I honestly thought she was going to hate us forever after your plan, but I’m glad Yixing is there to soothe her.” Baekhyun nodded in agreement, though his face showed slight longing. “You should be glad my sister doesn’t hate you now,” Dahae playfully teased, “If she hates you, she hates you forever plus a lifetime.” Baekhyun sighed, “I guess you’re right.” Still, Baekhyun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the girl who he had lied to...not even after the couple ahead of him and Dahae had already disappeared in the distance. Now that you’re gone, you’re no longer mine.
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