CHAPTER 55

[Sol Han Na’s POV]

I slid the door open and jumped out as soon as the van stopped moving. Grabbing the bag of gifts I prepared solely for the boys, I scampered hastily towards the entrance.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” I yelled as I pushed the door open.

The boys who are busily crowded around the living room froze the moment they saw me.

“HANNA!” they yelled back, leaving everything they’re doing to run towards me.

With just a blink of an eye, I found myself enveloped within the boys’ arms.

Sehun’s crying beside me.

“We missed you so much, noona! Thank God you came back!” he wailed, hugging me close.

“We almost lost our minds without you, Hanna! Never leave us that long again!” Chanyeol blurted, also teary-eyed.

I giggled.

“Alright, alright,” I said as I disentangled myself from them. “I miss you all, too. You know that. But can we please calm down, first?”

The boys listened almost immediately. They fall in line without a word.

“One… Two… Three…” I counted them like I usually do. It’s quite hard to handle twelve guys, you couldn’t be sure that every moment they’d be complete. My counting stopped at eleven. “Hey… Someone’s missing…”

My heart ached the moment I realized who it was.

“Where’s Baekhyun oppa?” I asked to no one in particular, anxiety already building up inside me.

The boys exchanged knowing glances.

Suho answered, “He’s upstairs, Hanna. He’s been weird since this morning. He said he doesn’t feel well.”

I felt my heart sank.

I haven’t said a word to Baek ever since our encounter last night.

I was planning to surprise him on Christmas Eve.

I guess our mess’s pretty serious than I thought.

“I should go check on him, oppa. Is that okay?” I asked, preparing to leave.

Chen nodded.

“Sure. If there’s someone that could talk some sense to him, maybe it’s you, Hanna,” he spoke.

I excused myself from the boys for a moment and headed upstairs.

I opened the door to Baekhyun’s room carefully.

I saw his silhouette as soon as I entered.

He’s lying on the bed, his back facing me.

Tiptoeing, I made my way towards him.

I was about to speak when I noticed the steady rise and fall of his chest.

He’s sleeping, I noted.

Kneeling down, I leaned on his bed to stare at him.

I just didn’t tell him, but those seven days away from him actually felt like forever. Each night, he’d tell me about how much he misses me and longs for me but I just kept on calling him off. He never knew, I missed him just the same.

I reached up and touched his cheek.

“I’m sorry, Baek,” I whispered though I know he wouldn’t be able to hear, “I miss you so much too, you know. I should have just told you. We could have saved ourselves this much trouble.”

He moaned and moved suddenly.

His hand reached up to hold mine, gripping it.

A faint smile tugged on the corners of my lips.

“Are you forgiving me now?” I asked him, as if he could answer.

He squeezed my hand but he remained asleep.

An intense emotion suddenly filled me.

“Baek…” I whispered as the tears slowly fell from my eyes.

Those seven long days without him only made me realize how empty my life is without him. It made me realize how much meaningless my life could be without him by my side. It made me realize how much I love him.

I leaned down and gave him a slight kiss on the lips.

My tears stained his cheeks so I reached out to wipe them.

Baekhyun’s eyes suddenly fluttered open.

“H-Hanna?” he groaned as he blinked his eyes, trying to clear his sight. “Is that you?”

I smiled and hastily wiped the tears off my face.

“Y-Yes,” I blurted. “It’s me.”

Baekhyun sat and stared at me.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice a bit groggy.

I chuckled.

“I’m not. You’re imagining things, Baek,” I denied, blinking the last few tears away before he could notice it.

Baekhyun scrunched up his face.

“I don’t think I’m imagining it, Hanna,” he said as his hand touched my face. It came away wet. He held his hand to me accusingly.

I took a deep breath and smiled.

“Sorry about that argument last night. That was so childish of me,” I apologized, eyeing him sincerely.

He sighed.

“I know. I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have ended the call like that. It’s too rude,” he said and immediately added, “And overly sensitive.”

I chuckled.

“It won’t happen if I’d just stop denying about it and admit how much I miss you,” I blurted.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

“You do?” he asked in wonder.

I scoffed.

“Did you honestly think I don’t miss you?” I demanded, disbelief evident in my voice. “Seriously, Baekhyun?”

He seemed to be taken a back for a moment.

“I… Well…” he stammered then tipped his chin up. “You said you don’t feel that way!” he yelled stubbornly.

I wasn’t able to help myself.