Chanyeol is a man with many conflicting emotions during the last few days. The contracts and the business agreements he has worked on so hard in the previous couple of months are being signed without any objections and he couldn’t be happier. His father is happy about it too, which should make Chanyeol happy as well, but, in the same time, both his parents are pestering him about who is going to be his to the gala, which makes Chanyeol considerably annoyed and less than happy.

As far as the gala is concerned, the preparations are proceeding like clockwork, without any sudden disruption or delay –as expected by the esteemed company they have hired for the planning. Chanyeol has seen people moving things in some halls and he has met with many unfamiliar faces in the elevators but, other than those brief sightings, the organizing team is working so discretely that no one in the company is bothered by them.

That is a relief in one aspect, since this company is huge and Chanyeol really doesn’t have time to solve disputes and hear complaints, but Chanyeol thinks that maybe he would like to be bothered by the organizing team, just a little bit.

Well, he would like to be bothered just by their master coordinator, to be exact.

It is absolutely infuriating, exasperating and ridiculous how he is spending his days in the very same freaking building as Baekhyun and he has not seen him, not even once! He has seen dozens of people he doesn’t know, Kyungsoo, even that kid, Sehun, but there is not the slightest sight of Baekhyun! Not in the elevators, not in the parking lot, not outside the gates, not in the street, not in the cafeteria or the lobby; and to think that he is working a few floors below Chanyeol, literally under his feet, and they have not bumped into each other, against all odds!

He could pretend to be checking up on the preparations and call Baekhyun in his office for a short briefing –yes, he has thought about it because he feels that desperate–, but his father has a concerning amount of spies in the company and Chanyeol doesn’t want to draw attention to Baekhyun. He could also call Baekhyun –because, to Chanyeol’s great jubilation, he has his phone number now –but Chanyeol is not sure if he is supposed to use this contact freely after it was given to him. Baekhyun gave him his phone number for a specific reason which was fulfilled and, after that text message (which Chanyeol reads every night before going to sleep), there has been no communication –partly because Chanyeol is a chicken and he prefers staring at the phone number on his screen rather than making the actual call.

Hopefully, it is now clear the reason why Chanyeol is a man with many conflicting emotions.

He is also hungry, because it’s his lunch break. He steps inside the empty elevator and fixes his hair in the mirror. Not many people need to use the elevator to the top floor, so it’s usually empty. He presses the ground floor button and the doors close. He checks his full length in the reflection.

Lately, he has ditched the regular, plain suits and he has been trying to dress more smartly and elegantly. In other words, he has been dressing up, during last few days, just in case he crosses paths with Baekhyun. He couldn’t forget about the suit entirely –it’s his office and his company, and his employees see him every day –but he is trying new fabrics and color combinations for a fresh image; he has received many compliments about it too. Today, he is betting on a six-button jacket with chest crossing in light grey color; it’s an exclusive design which, Chanyeol hopes, makes him look positively stunning. It brings out his eye color and his hairstyle matches the elegant and refined aura.

But it doesn’t matter to Chanyeol if he looks stunning, unless he meets the person he wants to stun…

The doors open unexpectedly, bringing Chanyeol back to the present abruptly. Two young ladies walk in the elevator, glancing at him for longer than appropriate and giggling slightly, surprised to bump into him. He is used to such reactions –or even worse than that– coming from random females, because he is good-looking, objectively speaking, and he is the filthy rich and notoriously single Park Chanyeol. He manages a small smile in return, because he ought to be a gentleman and a polite future owner of this company, but he doesn’t look at them for too long, to avoid misunderstandings. He focuses blankly on the empty floor ahead of the open doors instead, planning about his lunch.

And suddenly he realizes: this is the twelfth floor. Baekhyun.

He doesn’t let himself think for the slightest amount of time before he jumps out of the elevator, just before the doors close, much to the ladies’ bewilderment. When the doors are closed for good and he is left alone in the empty, quiet lobby hall, his mind starts working again.

The floor looks deserted, probably because everyone is on their lunch break at around this hour. Admittedly, this has not been the smartest move he has ever made –impulsive? yes. smart? not so much. Baekhyun is probably on a lunch break as well; but Chanyeol feels so hopeless that, since he pointlessly got this far, he is going to check behind the half closed doors of the main hall, just to make sure that the universe doesn’t like him anymore. His steps are muffled on the thick carpet and he is 90% sure that the main hall will be empty, as he sticks his head through the cracked open door to sneak a peek like a child.

He is first blinded by the light. The main hall, which they rarely use to celebrate company anniversaries or to impress the stock holders, is a large, empty space, with just one regular wall, where the doors are, and three glass walls, which allow an endless, blinding flow of natural sunlight and a stunning high view of the city. There is a round table in the middle of the room, covered with open books, folders and papers; probably Baekhyun’s notes for inspiration. And that’s it. Chanyeol pouts in disappointment and he is about to leave for the elevator again, when someone walks into view. Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat excitedly, because this is not just any someone; it’s his guy!

Baekhyun leans with both hands on the table, with his back turned to the door. He seems to be concentrating on his work, completely unaware of Chanyeol in the silence and emptiness of the sunlit floor. His hair seems slightly auburn in the sun, a detail that Chanyeol hadn’t noticed before. He is wearing a black blazer and black jeans, which cling on him like a second skin. Chanyeol bites his lips, gazing at those sinful hips, as Baekhyun shifts and walks half way around the table to examine another book. His eyebrows are slightly troubled and his rosy lips are pressed in a pouting line, while his adorable puppy eyes scan the pages. In the bright light of the midday sun, Baekhyun looks like a beautiful vision and Chanyeol wonders why he hadn’t checked earlier on Baekhyun while he was working.

He is such a mesmerizing sight that Chanyeol is sure he wouldn’t mind watching him quietly for a very long time, feeling his heart swelling up, beating faster and then resting content; but it would be awkward, if Baekhyun found out suddenly by coincidentally looking up, or if someone came to this floor and caught Chanyeol stalking the event planner.

He glances around one last time to make absolutely sure that no one –who could be a snitch for his father or who could be a simply annoying distraction –is around, and then he pulls back in the lobby quickly. He fixes his fringe and his clothes and then he knocks lightly on the half-open door. Baekhyun turns around immediately, slightly surprised. His puppy eyes fix on Chanyeol and a sweet smile spreads slowly on his lips. Chanyeol’s heart reacts as if he sees him for the first time, even if he had been staring at him a while ago.

“Hello” Chanyeol hears his own deep voice echo in the empty room and smiles brightly at his little guy. The universe might not hate him after all…

“Oh, hey, Chanyeol! I mean, Mr. Park…What a nice surprise to see you here” Baekhyun sings brightly in his sweet voice. Chanyeol has not seen Baekhyun in what seems so long, and he feels overwhelmed by his bright smile. He gazes at him dazedly for a while before he realizes that it’s time he explained his presence. And what is he supposed to say, exactly?

“I just thought…I thought to stop by and make sure that everything is all right” he blurts quickly and Baekhyun nods with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Park, everything is perfect; everyone in your company has been very helpful” he reassures, leaving the book he has been holding on the table. “The preparations are proceeding smoothly as well” Baekhyun glances around and then lets out a small, nervous laugh “Well, please don’t misunderstand, there are usually people working in here, they are just on their lunch break right now”

“Yeah, of course” Chanyeol agrees; he would have never thought of accusing Baekhyun of slacking off on his work hours –he knows from personal experience that his Baekhyun is a heartbreaking professional when his work is concerned. “How about you? Have you had lunch already?” he asks innocently and rocks back on his heels. Is it too much to ask him about his meals? No, Chanyeol decides, it’s not too much; he is acting the head in this building and he should make sure that everyone inside it is healthy, happy and well-fed.

“Um…” Baekhyun hesitates and averts his eyes to the table; that was so cute~ “I’m fine, thank you” he says with a small smile. Chanyeol is not particularly known for his insight, but he is sure there is something more behind Baekhyun’s small voice. He smiles, pleased with himself, and walks closer to the table.

“So you have had lunch?” he asks again for confirmation –or lack of it. Baekhyun chuckles.

“Ehh…not exactly” he mumbles reluctantly and, when he looks up, his eyes seem surprised to see Chanyeol so much closer. Chanyeol squints his eyes at him in suspicion, waiting for a full confession out of those small pink lips. Baekhyun runs his tongue over said lips uncomfortably, and Chanyeol feels his heart flip, but he stands his ground.

“Well…I…I wasn’t really hungry…and Sunny needed to leave earlier, so I stayed behind…But I’m fine, really! I’ll save my appetite and treat myself to a really great dinner!” he grins innocently and takes a carefree step back. The confession and the promise were sort of cute, but Chanyeol will not let him be so easily.

“Hm…no. I don’t think that will do” he decides and Baekhyun blinks with innocent surprise at Chanyeol’s response “I cannot consider myself a good employer if I let you leave this place starved. Come on” he swiftly –though gently– takes Baekhyun’s soft hand and pulls him to the elevator. Baekhyun follows without much resistance after the first few steps.

“Where are we going?” Baekhyun asks timidly while they are waiting in front of the elevator doors.

“I’m taking you to have lunch” Chanyeol offers simply, smiling as innocently as he can; he doesn’t want to ruin his inconspicuous behavior record. Baekhyun pulls his hand away –it hurts Chanyeol a bit, but he was not supposed to be holding his hand for so long in the first place –and he simply stays put by Chanyeol’s side.

“I…That’s very nice of you but…I can’t. I can’t keep you from your work, you’re very busy” he refuses kindly, with an innocent puppy expression. The fact that Baekhyun cares, even out of politeness, about Chanyeol’s heavy workload fills Chanyeol with a sense of endearment.

“If I were busy, I would know, wouldn’t I?” Chanyeol points out in a soft voice and smiles brightly right after. “It’s my lunch break anyway, so don’t feel bad about it” he waves his hand dismissively and Baekhyun smiles shyly, just as the doors of the elevator open.

“In that case, thank you” he says reluctantly, following Chanyeol inside the elevator.

Chanyeol pushes the floor button and the doors close. He is having a hard time keeping his smile under control because, sweet luck, he is going to have lunch with Baekhyun and his life looks so much brighter right now! Baekhyun stays quiet for a while, but then his eyes open wide as a sudden thought crosses his mind.

“But I wouldn’t want to ruin your plans for lunch! I promise I will go for lunch, even by myself, you don’t have to go out of your way!” Baekhyun holds up one hand as if taking an oath and tries to look serious. Chanyeol shakes his head; so considerate and nice, his cute and kind little guy.

“Nope; I want company” he says confidently, tying his hands behind his back and looking up, at the decreasing numbers. Oh, how he wants Baekhyun’s company…

“Mr. Park, are you sure I am the best option as your company for lunch? Aren’t there more important people who ask for your attention?” Baekhyun asks curiously. Chanyeol glances at him, concerned for a moment that maybe Baekhyun is trying to avoid him, but the small male is staring at the numbers as well with a completely innocent expression, and Chanyeol decides that Baekhyun is just making small talk naively.

“No, I need to get away from work for a while” he admits. Sure, there are a few people who have been trying to book a business meal with him, but he doesn’t want to eat with any one of them. He is tired of working every day, all day, and he needs a break, now that he can afford it. Besides, Baekhyun is infinitely better company than any other person on earth.

“I’m just Chanyeol, by the way” he says and his deep voice came out serious. He leans back on the elevator wall, observing Baekhyun. He did not fail to notice how Baekhyun corrected himself earlier and has been calling him Mr. Park ever since. Baekhyun turns his eyes to him with surprise.

“But we are inside your company, Mr. Park”

“So what?” Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders; he doesn’t care. He is trying to be a better person with Baekhyun, no matter where they are. “I’m still Chanyeol, see?” he points to himself and unleashes the smile he has been holding in so far. He has smiled like a crazy person so many times in front of Baekhyun, that Chanyeol is starting to think he doesn’t mind his twitching eye and his too many teeth showing anymore; this crazy smile that Kai accuses him of has become a regular smile whenever Baekhyun is concerned. Baekhyun chuckles and smiles.

“Yeah, I see” he murmurs.

They finally reach the ground floor –and Chanyeol has to admit that he feels this tiny teeny disappointed in the fact that the elevator didn’t get crowded this time around, with all the crowding implications. He is very happy with his life right now though, and therefore he will not complain. He leads the way to the doors, pretending that he can’t hear someone who called for him, and opens the door to let Baekhyun out first. Once they are out in the street and out of chasing range from the company doors, Chanyeol stops for a moment to ponder where to take Baekhyun.

“So, ah…Any preference for lunch?” he asks with a shy smile, when he realizes that he has too many options and too many doubts and worries as to what Baekhyun might like or dislike. Baekhyun offers a small smile and shakes his head.

“I will eat anything” he promises, looking up at Chanyeol; the bright sun reflects in his twinkling eyes and it’s very charming.

Chanyeol mentally slaps himself to get his thoughts back on track; he has a decision about lunch to make. He would really like to take Baekhyun to a fancy, expensive, good restaurant but that might seem conspicuous, so he will have to settle for something simpler, just for this first time. His eyes scan the street for a moment and they zero in on what seems like an excellent decision; just fancy enough.

--

This is great, but Baekhyun is sure it won’t be as great for long. Let’s evaluate the last few minutes of his life.

He was guilt tripped into working extra hours by Sunny (who is much sneakier than she seems), and that can practically happen only if you work during your lunch break, because the doors of the company close without minding you, the guest employee, working late. Baekhyun has no intention of getting himself locked up in the huge building, so he decided to sacrifice his lunch and work a bit on his inspiration, specifically about the flower arrangements, because Kyungsoo is breathing down his neck about it.

And just as he was getting desperate with his inability to choose a flower and he was about to scream inside the empty floor like a tragic figure whose cries of angst cannot be heard by anyone, Bang! Park Chanyeol is knocking on the door. Baekhyun thanked his luck for two reasons: first, it would have been embarrassing and rude if he had gone through with the screaming plan, and second, Chanyeol, whom he has not seen in days, appeared magically before his eyes!

Well, to be honest, not seeing Chanyeol is largely Baekhyun’s fault; he has been avoiding him, more or less. He doesn’t want to be a distraction at all costs and he has trained his people to work as silently and discretely as possible, while he himself keeps his presence scarce.

But if Chanyeol stops by for a visit, there is not much Baekhyun can do, is there? And if Chanyeol asks a question, looking in Baekhyun’s eyes as if he can read mischievously all the way through his thoughts, Baekhyun is not expected to have the mental coherency to lie, is he? And if Chanyeol offers him lunch and drags him by the hand, making Baekhyun’s heart flutter like a little bird, Baekhyun can’t say no, can he?

Now, for the present minutes of his life. Chanyeol brought him to a nice Italian restaurant down the street. Maybe he doesn’t have much time for his lunch break and he brought him to a local restaurant to save the time of driving during midday rush hour. Baekhyun can’t complain though; this is just as nice a restaurant as any, and, let’s be honest, he is about to have lunch with Park Chanyeol; who would be dumb enough to complain, even if this was a street vendor or a bench in a park?

The walls of the restaurant, the color of the table cloths, the decoration, the flowers, it’s all very realistic, very Italian; it’s simple and warm, colorful and bright, and it makes Baekhyun feel like he is actually in the country of his dream vacation. There is a cozy and welcoming yet classy feeling in the room, and there are not too many people –which is a relief, because it wouldn’t feel as comfortable having lunch with the Park Chanyeol and being stared at from all directions. Savory scents of food are filling the air and Baekhyun is starving. But, this brings us to the trouble of his future.

The menu was in Italian and poor Baekhyun would have never really had a chance at deciphering any of it, so he let Chanyeol choose. Chanyeol ordered confidently in perfect Italian, leaving Baekhyun staring at him more dazed than he has ever felt in his life, until he realized that there was one word which Baekhyun actually understood: pasta. Pasta, as in the Mediterranean equivalent of noodles, right? The sort which cannot be eaten with chopsticks.

That’s why Baekhyun is doomed. He has always been curious as to how you can eat pasta with a fork, but there was no one to teach him and it really doesn’t work the same with noodles –if it does, then judging by his at-home trials, Baekhyun is just as bound to make a mess and create a fool out of himself. He cannot deny the food either, because it wouldn’t be polite. Dear god, if you are out there, please spare Baekhyun a magical moment of enlightenment so that he won’t be ridiculed…

“You’re very quiet” Chanyeol’s deep voice comes from across the table. Baekhyun looks up and forgets about everything for a moment. How can Chanyeol be so gorgeous?

Okay, this is not a secret: Baekhyun thought from the very first moment that Chanyeol is super gorgeous. But every time they meet, Baekhyun finds him even more attractive than the last time! He is wearing a grey jacket with chest crossing –and Baekhyun has always been a huge fan of those jackets –which hugs his well built body and brings out his caramel eyes in a sophisticated way. His hair looks so silky and it frames his angelic face perfectly. Baekhyun wants to grab him and make him stand like a photo shoot model and then take a picture and stare at it for as long as his eyes can see.

He thought he would never get over the picture of Chanyeol in all black, dancing under the club lights, but it seems like he has a new favorite. This is not the first time this is happening: before the club, he thought he would never get over Chanyeol in the navy blue knit blouse he wore at the gallery, or the tight shirt he had given him, or those wet clothes before that, or that suit he was wearing the first time they met.

Is this Baekhyun’s sad love life and life-long bedroom deprivation talking? Maybe that’s one part of it; another part is that Chanyeol, objectively, has the looks of an angel on earth and, maybe, there is a part of bias in Baekhyun’s assessments of Chanyeol’s looks because of growing feelings of affecti-No. Baekhyun is not going there, it’s a dangerous place.

“Earth to Baekhyun?” Chanyeol is trying all the while to get his attention “Hey, Mr. Byun, are you there? Hahaha. Baekhyun? Baek~hyun~? Hey, Baek. Baekkie? Haha, this is fun; can you even hear me?” but Baekhyun is half lost in his thoughts and half lost in ‘look at those perfect pink lips calling my name, he’s so cute, and how his deep voice changes and sing songs in hopes of getting my attention, and I should really respond, but look at those smiling eyes, ah, his laughter is so alluring in that deep, soft voice, did he just call me Baek?, no, scratch that, did he call me Baekkie?, oh, shoot me now so I can die a happy man!’

Well, yeah, Baekhyun never claimed his head works the right way. You just assumed.

“I can hear you!” Baekhyun reassures him hurriedly, when he realizes how rude he has been acting by ignoring Chanyeol’s calls for attention “Sorry…” he mumbles shyly right after and averts his eyes to the table. He wants to bang his head on that surface; he is acting so weird; Chanyeol will hate him or he might think he is crazy, if the situation remains as it is. He is still trying to improve his reactions to Chanyeol but Chanyeol is not making it any easier for him by being so stunning all the time…

“What were you thinking about, if I may ask?” Chanyeol asks calmly, entwining his fingers on the table.

“Um…” his thoughts were everything Chanyeol but Baekhyun cannot allow this answer “I was thinking about work” This is not entirely a lie; Chanyeol has become partly a work-related topic.

“Were you really that busy? Am I being too big and annoying a distraction?” Chanyeol points at himself with concern, creasing his perfect eyebrows. Baekhyun wants to scream no at the top of his lungs.

“What? No, of course not! I just have this dilemma that’s been concerning me, that’s all” he offers a carefree smile with his excuse and Chanyeol seems to believe it easily enough, forgetting his former concerns.

“Oh…Is it something I can help with?” he asks with genuine interest. This is so sweet…

“Mmm, maybe?” Baekhyun guesses this is a good chance to talk with Chanyeol about his doubts in the planning for the gala. Chanyeol flashes a childish grin and sits up expectantly in his seat, but just then, their order arrives.

A plate of delicious looking and smelling spaghetti with luscious red sauce lands in front of Baekhyun. And all the former despair hits him so hard that he forgets about their conversation earlier. Chanyeol thanks the person who served them but Baekhyun only stares at his food. He really wants to eat it, it looks mindblowingly appetizing, but he doesn’t know how, and he really doesn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Chanyeol…

“So, you were saying- Is everything okay?” Chanyeol’s velvet voice sounds concerned, probably because Baekhyun is staring helpless at a plate of harmless food, like it’s a cross between his worst nightmare and a nuclear physics equation.

“Um…” he starts shyly, but what is he going to say? He doesn’t want to insult Chanyeol’s choice and he doesn’t want to make a royal mess on his new grey knit blouse either, especially while Chanyeol is watching.

“You don’t like it? Or maybe, you are allergic to something? Oh, no, I’m so sorry! You can order something else if you prefer! I’m sorry! I just ordered based on what I personally like and-” Chanyeol panics.

“No; it’s fine. The food is perfect…It’s me. Sorry. I really…I…I can’t…I don’t…” Great, now he is stuttering. Baekhyun gives up on his fruitless effort at explaining and hides his red face in his hands. ‘I can’t eat; I don’t know how’ is the answer, but it’s just so embarrassing. I don’t know how to eat, like a little child. Even thinking about it makes Baekhyun want to disappear into the ground. Chanyeol is going to laugh at him, no doubt. He shouldn’t have told Chanyeol that he would eat anything.

“Baekhyun, please talk to me; I can’t understand you” Chanyeol’s deep voice is so soft and encouraging that Baekhyun drops his hands from his face and looks at him slowly. Chanyeol’s innocent large eyes stare at him expectantly and patiently. Something in his expression tells Baekhyun that it’s okay if he says it; he is safe with Chanyeol.

“I don’t…” he starts hesitantly and then he sighs, following with a deep breath of courage “I don’t know how to eat spaghetti” There, he said it. He closes his eyes tightly, waiting for Chanyeol to burst with laughter; but it never happens. He opens his eyes slowly to a Chanyeol who is smiling kindly, like an angel, and his heart thumps loudly in a different way than before.

“That’s okay; I can show you. I have had much practice in Italy” he reassures Baekhyun, who is left staring at Chanyeol in disbelief. Really? Can he be this kind, this perfect, a human being? “May I?” he suggests and Baekhyun nods sheepishly –because, really, what are his options. Chanyeol gets up from his seat and rounds the table to sit beside Baekhyun, pulling a chair closer. Baekhyun straightens in his seat, suddenly very aware of Chanyeol being so close –thank god for the lack of people in the room.

“So…this goes in your right hand, spoon in the left; good” Chanyeol praises, while Baekhyun is adjusting his fingers around the utensils; well, that was the easy part, it’s what follows that scares Baekhyun. “Now, scoop a bit of the food with the fork; no wait, that’s too much” Chanyeol stops him and Baekhyun wants to collapse; he can’t even pick up the food for crying out loud! His expression must be very clear, because Chanyeol hides a smile behind his lips; not that Baekhyun is watching Chanyeol. He is too close for comfort and Baekhyun’s heart is beating very loudly in his ears. “Just…let me help, okay?” Baekhyun nods sadly.

Chanyeol wraps his hands around Baekhyun’s; his hands are so big in comparison, making Baekhyun feel even more like a naïve child, but he notices that they are warm and soft. Chanyeol guides his hands with small shifts of pressure from his fingers and his wrists. Baekhyun is having a very hard time keeping focus. Besides Chanyeol’s hands and the way they perfectly fit, curled, around Baekhyun’s, there is so much more of Chanyeol near him, that it makes Baekhyun feel like he might disappear in a content sigh. Chanyeol is leaning close to him on his right side and one of his arms has travelled behind Baekhyun’s back to reach his left hand. It feels very close to a side hug, with Baekhyun’s shoulder almost touching Chanyeol’s chest. The taller male is bent and his breath brushes against Baekhyun’s neck, sending a tickling feeling on his skin. Chanyeol’s lips are close to his ear and his low, soft voice melts everything in Baekhyun, and this soft melting away is combined with an intense spread of heat and a loud heartbeat.

Baekhyun watches in a daze as his hands form a small whirl of spaghetti on the fork, under the guidance of Chanyeol, and he is too lost to realize that he is done. He doesn’t even notice Chanyeol guiding the fork to his mouth and only when Baekhyun has closed his lips around his food bite does he come back to reality. This tastes amazing!

“And that’s how you eat spaghetti” Chanyeol concludes with a wide smile and, in the next moment, he is sitting across the table again. “Practice a lot, okay?” he says, picking at his own food. Baekhyun was having a nirvana moment a second ago, but Chanyeol is so casually back to normal so soon…There is definitely something wrong in my head.

Baekhyun makes a few efforts by himself; he slides off the spoon and spills everything back on the rest of the spaghetti a few times but he is starting to get the hang of it. Chanyeol’s hands shoot across the table immediately after every mishap and correct Baekhyun’s hold, giving short advice. It’s not completely not-embarrassing but, at least, Baekhyun’s clothes are still clean and he is not making a mess on the table. After a while, they naturally pick up their conversation again.

“So, I am planning you birthday, or so I heard?” Baekhyun hints and Chanyeol smiles shyly.

“Um, well, it’s not exactly an event for my birthday. We just signed a lot of contracts and agreements with other companies and we want to thank them and celebrate. My birthday is one day after the event, so it’s more like a side note”

“But I have orders to prepare a cake and to save some room for gifts” Baekhyun presses with a playful smile. Maybe it’s just his imagination, but if you ask his imagination in this moment, Park Chanyeol looks slightly blushed, with an adorable pink color behind his cheeks.

“It’s still secondary to the main purpose of the event…” he mumbles, his eyes suddenly intrigued by his food; where is the pet-adoption form, Baekhyun needs it to adopt puppy-Chanyeol right on the spot. “But, yeah, it’s all the birthday party I get for this year”

“Won’t you have an event at home on the actual day of your birthday?” Baekhyun asks curiously. In his home, they celebrated their birthdays on the actual day of the date, no matter how crammed with activities it might have been. And the birthday day did not begin at midnight; you had to sleep and then wake up to change the day –this they did on Christmas too. But maybe that was just his family, being weird in the countryside.

“Some relatives will be coming home for lunch like every year; and trust me, these lunches take forever! It’s the same ever since I was a kid; I mostly smile at my aunts pinching my cheeks, I pretend to listen to my uncles when they talk about business, I am trying to be patient with my cousins prying too much into my love life, and, overall, I wish I wasn’t there, but there is nowhere else to go. Oops, I shouldn’t be saying that; it’s my family, after all. Okay, so let’s pretend everything is perfect during those visits!” he plasters a rehearsed big grin on his lips and Baekhyun laughs.

“Is your family very large?” he guesses.

“Larger than I would like” Chanyeol grunts “How about yours?”

“I’m an only child; but I think I can remember a cousin or two from when I was younger” Baekhyun remembers playing with other children who he had to tolerate when they were breaking his toys because they were family, probably some degree of cousins, but he remembers playing with his friends more than those kids. “Anyway, I have wanted to ask you something about the gala; since it’s your birthday and all, I think you are entitled to an opinion: what’s your favorite flower?”

“Um, my favorite flower?” Chanyeol asks, slightly disoriented with surprise. Baekhyun nods; Chanyeol’s opinion might help him choose for the decorations. Chanyeol blinks his large eyes in thought for a while and Baekhyun is starting to lose his hopes. “I don’t know, really; I never had to have a favorite flower” There you go, Baekhyun is helpless. He tries to hide his disappointment but Chanyeol picks up his speech again quickly.

“But I think that white one is pretty cute; I’m sorry, I don’t know what it’s called. It’s small and white, it’s like snow sprinkles on a stem, it’s…ah…it’s usually put together with other flowers; they stuff the bouquets with it and it looks like white sparkles, you know, that twinkling flower…” Baekhyun wants to laugh and in the same time kiss Chanyeol because he is so cute, searching for the words and trying too hard, making strange faces or gestures and even describing a flower as ‘twinkling’…

Did he just say he wants to kiss Chanyeol? There is most definitely, undeniably and irrefutably something wrong with my head. Well, that came out wrong; he meant he wants to kiss him like you want to kiss a cute child or a puppy.

“You mean baby’s breath?” Baekhyun makes an educated guess. He searches the photos on his phone and shows Chanyeol one of a flower arrangement with baby’s breath from a wedding last summer.

“Yeah, that’s the one!” Chanyeol exclaims.

“Baby’s breath is a companion-flower; it needs something to accompany” Baekhyun ponders, shaking his head.

“So, we need a second flower?” Baekhyun nods in confirmation, noting how serious Chanyeol is about the whole issue of the flowers; it’s sweet and cute. “What’s your favorite flower?” he asks out of the blue, surprising Baekhyun slightly.

“Mine? It’s liliums” he searches in his phone for another picture and shows it to Chanyeol, who looks impressed, his pink lips forming a round ‘o’ “But they are too prominent to match with baby’s breath. So, let’s find something else”

“How about roses?” Chanyeol suggests, picking up his utensils again.

“Isn’t that a bit plain?” Baekhyun warns, putting away his phone and picking up his own utensils.

“What if it’s unusual, in a way? Like, blue roses?” Chanyeol suggests. Baekhyun chews his food, thinking about it. Kyungsoo will kill him for asking for blue roses one week before the event, but it is the client’s wish, so Baekhyun has good chances of escaping Kyungsoo’s wrath unscathed. Blue roses would also work well with baby’s breath, and the event will be held when it will be already night time, so the arrangements will match the starry sky outside the glass walls. Yeah, it could work…

“Okay; blue roses it is!” he announces cheerfully, feeling a huge weight lifting from his shoulders. Chanyeol smiles his toothy, sparkly smile, happy to be of assistance, and Baekhyun’s heart flips and melts at the sight.

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a/n. I don’t know what it is with me and Baekyeol chapters, but I seem to lose control of their length constantly –it’s probably the cuteness (I’m starting to think it is infectious), I just can’t stop myself…Sorry they get so long, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

As for the details, suits with chest crossing, liliums, baby’s breath, large family, sleeping-to-change-the-day tradition, learning how to eat Italian pasta, it is all from personal experience this time. I sincerely hope you will all have similarly wonderful experiences in your life. (Believe in romance and you can make it happen! Make yourselves happier ladies (and possibly boys?...)!!!)

And, friendly advice on all kinds of human relationships, ‘please, talk to me; I can’t understand you’ is SUCH an important thing to say when you are concerned about the other or when the other is avoiding you in embarrassment, and it makes your life a million times easier in a whole lot of occasions, so start using it.

Send me lots of love guys, I need it because things are getting hectic in the reality of studying psychology…I’ll send you lots of love in return ^^ Until next time, kitty~