chapter 022

Baby Steps - Chapter Twenty Two

“Goodness!” Kyungsoo stumbled back when Claire walked out of her room. “You look gorgeous! Where’d you get that dress? Is it new?”

“I think Kris designed it.”

“Going on a date with Kris Wu and you aren’t wearing red lipstick? For shame.” Kyungsoo dug into his pocket and held up a brand new red lipstick. He grinned. “Etude House.”

Claire took it and laughed. “Do you always carry this with you?” She asked before putting some on.

“Whoa! Professional much? No mirror needed?” Kyungsoo ignored her question.

She shook her head. “A guy with lipstick? Huh…that’s new.”

“Pft, I’m…I don’t always carry- Well I know it would be important someday!” Kyungsoo turned around sheepishly. “Have fun on your date.”

Luhan stumbled out of his car and took in the sun’s light. “It’s been a while; thank god Kris wanted to come back here.” He smiled. After finishing up his work in Seoul, he rushed to the resort just to have Sehun bother him.

“Hyung.”

“Oh God.”

Sehun wrinkled his nose over the phone. “And why do you always do that? It’s not like I’m gonna ask for your life.”

“Alright, what do you want?”

“Claire and Kris are on a date…in the restaurant behind the spa. Why don’t you go and creep? You take better pictures when you’re under pressure.”

Luhan raised an eyebrow. “Kris finally asked her out?”

Sehun shrugged. “Who knows? But wouldn’t they look nice? I’m sure they would come out nice, you brought your camera right?”

“Of course! I never go anywhere without that…AHHHHHHHHH. OH NO…OH…MY …OH MY SEHUN…IT’S NOT WITH ME. OH CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP, WHERE DID I……I HAVE TO GO BACK-“

“Calm your .” Sehun laughed. “It’s in my luggage…I took it after you finished, all you had to do was edit anyway. You were so into work you didn’t even realize.”

“When I get it you’re dead.”

“Hurry and get it so you could take pictures.”

***

Luhan squatted behind a bush and zoomed all the way in. Kris and Claire sat in the back of the restaurant. “Aw…” He whispered.

When he was done, he sat in a corner and went through all of them.

A picture of Claire with her waves cascading down her back, you could see her bright smile behind her red lips and her genuine laugh. You could see Kris gazing at her oh so lovingly. You could see Kris laughing with her and Claire blushing when Kris winked. “Aw…they came such a long way.” Luhan whispered.

Luhan chuckled thinking about the first day they met, how awkward it was and how Claire made Kris cry. Never in a million years did Kris reconsider falling in love again.

“That idiot, so afraid of falling for someone and look at him now…He got a second chance.”

He stood up discreetly and ran out of the restaurant into the villa Kris owned. Plugging in his camera, he went through all of the pictures and started to cry.

Kyungsoo walked past and stopped when he heard ugly sobs. “Luhan?” He peeked in. “What happened?”

Luhan covered the screen and turned around, his gross crying face exposed. “Get…Get Sehun…and Chanyeol...And Suho, everyone…you guys need to see this.”

“What is it?” Suho came in last and everyone huddled around the screen.

“Remember what Kris said a couple years ago? He said that there was no one who could make him happy, and he vowed to never fall in love again. He said fate failed him when they took Cara away and that he would be miserable until the day he died?” Luhan sobbed.

Sehun looked away. “Hyung…get to the point.”

“I found Mrs. Wu, the future Mrs. Wu.” Luhan sniffed as he walked away from the screen. He pressed play and the pictures started appearing.

Camellia sat on Suho’s shoulders and watched in amazement. “Daddy’s smiling? Picture?” She whispered. Even as a little girl, she knew that her father refused to smile in pictures and even if he did, it was a forced smile and it never looked as true and genuine as this. “Mom…Mommy…” She pointed.

“Isn’t mommy beautiful?” Sehun whispered and smiled. “You’re only lucky lucky guy, Kris.”

Kyungsoo frowned and furrowed his brows. “Feels.” He bit his lip and sighed as a tear escaped his eyelid. “Look at them…he’s holding her hand and smiling at her as she laughs…She’s blushing and he looks so…content. Look at that…the way Kris looks at her and the way Claire shyly takes a peek at him when he’s off guard.”

Suho smiled. “They’re truly in love aren’t they? Kris looks at Claire the way my grandfather looked at my grandmother…they lasted 78 years together.” He whispered. “This is really heartwarming.”

“Hey…I think Kris arranged something else…I think they’re going to the beach after this…Shall we?” Sehun grinned.

They hid behind a rock as Luhan snapped pictures of Claire and Kris.

You could see his loving gaze behind his messy brown locks, you’d expect to see something like this out of a fairytale but this was real life.

They all held their breaths when Claire and Kris stopped walking. Luhan zoomed all the way in once again and snapped a few pictures of them by the sunset. “Omo..omo…so romantic.” Luhan almost had to gasp for air when they kissed, with the beautiful sunset behind them. “That’s adorable.” He smiled proudly at his pictures.

Meanwhile

“Hey…I…You’re not going to leave right? Ever?” Kris asked. “B-But if you want to-“

Claire silenced him by putting her finger on his pale pink lips. “Never…I’m gonna stick around for a while so you better get used to it, Kris Wu.”

“About us…let’s take it slow…I don’t want to rush anything…and besides, I’m sure that I’m gonna have to spend eternity with you, Claire.” Kris grinned cheekily and for the first time in years, he felt his cheeks get hot…he felt the butterflies in his stomach. “Shall we? Baby steps?”

She smiled. “Baby steps.”