"Baby, please eat something," Baekhyun sighs as he dumps a pizza box on the table. You look up at him tiredly when he curls your hair behind your ear and he only frowns even more before rubbing his palm against your cheek. "You look so tired," he observes. "I hope you didn't lose sleep just to fail that test."

You cluck your tongue, "I'll get an A and show you."

"Please do," he grins. "Show me I picked the right girl. Intelligence is y."

You roll your eyes. "Sit down, Baekhyun," you laugh, making space for him. He sits next to you without getting into the bench, so that he is resting his back against the table. "Thanks for the food," you say, glancing at the box of pizza in front of you.

"There's only two slices in there because Junmyeon hyung and I shared it," he mentions, stretching his arm out on the table in front of you and leaning more into your space.

"Giving me your leftover, oppa?"

Baekhyun quirks a smile. "It's called thinking of you." You shake your head even though you're smiling. He stares at you and commands, "Eat."

You sigh and do as he says because after all, Baekhyun is only worried for your health (yet he still gets you pizza, but hey you're not complaining).

"I thought I took out all the tomatoes," Baekhyun frowns when he sees you pulling out the red vegetable from your slice of pizza.

"The entire pizza is spread with tomatoes, Baekhyun," you laugh.

"You're a party pooper," he grumbles.

You giggle and he has to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing along with you. "So, my pretty lady," your boyfriend says, sitting upright now as if he is going to present something.

"Yes, my man?"

Baekhyun's lips tilt into a shy smile and it makes your heart burst with love. He clears throat anyway and continues, "So there's a fair tomorrow and I thought maybe we could go with Junmyeon hyung."

"The architect fair? Isn't that next week?"

His face lights up. "You actually listen in class!"

You chuckle and explain, "That's because the teacher catches my attention."

"Heard he's really cute," Baekhyun agrees, lips up in a teasing smile.

You nod, "Oh yeah, hella cute. 10/10 would bang."

"Heard you already did," he is grinning now.

You laugh, "Maybe."

"How would you rate him?" he continues, leaning in closer to you.

"Hmm, he's okay," you shrug, just to joke.

"Just okay?" Baekhyun raises an eyebrow doubtfully. You bob your head and he hums, leaning back again. "Hmm... That's not what you moaned into my ear the other—"

"Oh my god, not here!" you gasp, shoving the pizza crust into his mouth.

He laughs and takes the bread out after taking a bite. "I didn't know you were such a er—"

"Baekhyun oppa," you whine, face already red.

"Fine, fine," he chuckles. You start on the new slice of pizza and he continues with his proposal. "It's a fun fair that's happening tomorrow. Like Ferris wheels, Vikings, carousels and all that jazz."

"Sounds fun," you mutter with a mouthful of pizza. "I'm in if you buy me a corn dog."

"I'll buy you a corn dog and everything else you want," he promises.

"And then I get to stay over at your place?"

"Sure," Baekhyun chuckles. He checks the time on his phone and perks up in his seat. "Oh, I have a lecture in five minutes. I'll go first."

"Wait!" you exclaim, hurrying to finish your pizza.

Baekhyun looks at you with worried eyes. You hold out the crust to him and he narrows his eyes on you.

"You don't like pizza crusts," he concludes, taking it slowly. You nod to confirm his assumption and he rolls his eyes. "I'll come get you after your classes," he murmurs as he stands.

You hum in acknowledgment. You feel a soft hand on your jaw and you look up at Baekhyun just as he tilts your head gently. He bends and kisses your temple before turning around and walking away. You watch his retreating back with your heart pounding and your cheeks warm.

"Too short."

Baekhyun is over at your place, an hour before you're meant to meet Junmyeon. He is lying on your bed while you go through your clothes to wear. You take off the skirt you had been wearing.

"You know, I'll end up leaving the house wrapped up like a dumpling," you grumble, slipping into a pair of skinny jeans.

"I'd still date you," Baekhyun chuckles. He points at the pants you're wearing, "Damn girl, you look hot in that."

"Baekhyun," you stare at him, deadpanned. "You've been saying that every time I wear something different."

"That's because it's true," he answers easily. "Now can you turn around so I can appreciate your in those jeans?"

"Baekhyun!" you laugh, causing him to crack a smile as well. Still, you give him a show. "Satisfied now?" you ask, turning your head to see his eyes trained on your and your legs.

"Five more seconds," he murmurs distractedly.

You giggle and that makes Baekhyun look up at you. He grins, his eyes crinkling into crescents when he sees you walking over to him. He sits up just as you stand before him. He places gentle hands on your hips before sliding them to the back to caress your .

"You need to change out of this," he murmurs, squeezing your closer to him. "I don't want anyone looking at you like this."

You sit on his lap so that you're straddling him, causing your jeans to slide lower down your hips. Baekhyun takes this opportunity to slip his fingers into your pants to be in contact with more skin.

"Maybe you should help pick my outfit," you mutter, rounding your arms around his neck. "Just don't turn me into a dumpling."

"You'd make a cute dumpling though," he says, leaning in to peck your lips.

Baekhyun kneads your bosom as he drops kisses to your face. You tilt your head, allowing him access to your neck. He pushes you closer to him as he latches his mouth on your pulse point, about to bring things to another level. But then his phone rings and though he wants to ignore it, you place your hands on his chest and push him away lightly. 

"Could be Junmyeon oppa," you tell him.

"Let's just make him wait," he continues to nip on your skin.

You laugh, stopping him again. "Baekhyun."

"Fine," he rolls his eyes, moving away from you. He leans back and grabs his phone, quickly answering the call. "Oh, hyung." He frowns after a pause, "You're almost there already?"

"Already?" you mouth.

He nods to your question as he answers Junmyeon, "We'll be there in five minutes."

He ends the call and you stand from his lap. Baekhyun stands as well, pocketing his phone. He goes over to your closet and grabs a random pullover before holding it out to you.

"We don't have time. So I guess I'll get to enjoy your in those jeans more."

"You're late," Junmyeon grumbles when you and Baekhyun are standing before him.

"Baekhyun oppa made me change my outfit four times," you complain to him.

"A protective Baekhyun?" Junmyeon teases, eyes glancing at the way your boyfriend is holding you by the waist. "That's a first."

"Can we eat, I'm starving," Baekhyun mutters, ignoring his friend.

He drops his hand from your waist when the three of you start walking in the direction of the food stalls. Junmyeon is on your other side and though it is normally awkward with him in uni, it is as if he has left his teacher persona at home and has come out to have fun just like a normal 26-year-old guy. 

"Do you collect soft toys?" Junmyeon enquires all of sudden.

You shake your head, frowning in confusion. "No, why?"

"Baekhyun's good at winning soft toys," he explains. "But it's okay, he can win some for my collection."

You laugh when Baekhyun gives him a disgusted look.  "I'm her boyfriend, not yours."

"Oppa~" Junmyeon pretends to whine like a girl. "Baekhyun oppa~"

"Gross," Baekhyun mutters, pulling you closer to his side. You turn to Junmyeon, but your boyfriend tilts your head to face him instead. "Shhh, baby, maybe he'll leave us if we ignore him," he says loudly so Junmyeon hears.

"Yah, you were the one who invited me here!" Junmyeon counters in annoyance, making you giggle.

Baekhyun chuckles, kissing your forehead before dropping that hand on the side of your face to rest it around your shoulder. As the two guys banter, you look around the fair, enjoying the aesthetics of the beautiful lights and the happy crowd. The sight of kids running about with cotton candy in their hands, people laughing while they sit the amusement rides, even just the smell of greasy food makes you feel a sense of youthfulness and adventure you only felt when you were in high school.

Speaking of high school, you catch a glimpse of someone familiar. Too familiar. Your mouth dries when you see Sehun joking around with a bunch of friends. Your heart clenches because he used to joke around with you like this. How long has been since you last talked to him? Two months?

You've seen Sehun around in those two months, of course. No matter how much he tries to avoid you, you're his neighbour and coursemate after all. You see him laughing with Kai, you even sometimes see his back as the both of you walk in the same direction to uni. You had initially thought that maybe this act by Sehun might go on just for a week. But then he kept up with it, so one week turned into two weeks, then three, then four.

By the first month, you were slowly losing your mind; it was honestly like letting go of six years of your life. Sehun was and is a big part of your life, he had been there for you since forever. And now he was acting like you didn't exist, like he had never known you his entire life. It hurt you so, so bad.

Sehun laughs that dorky laughter of his and you snap out of it. That uncomfortable twist in your stomach feels all too real. You realise that Kai is there with him too. You glance at his other acquaintances and see that even Minji and Minseok are present. But wait. If Minji is there, that means he still likes her, doesn't he? That has to be the case, right?

"Sweetheart," Baekhyun calls you out of your thoughts, poking your cheek with his finger. You blink and stare at his worried expression. "Junmyeon hyung asks if you want fried mars balls... What were you staring at?"

"Nothing," you say quickly, cursing yourself mentally because you're just so terrible at lying.

Your boyfriend still turns his head in the direction you were looking at anyway. You can never hide things from him, you realise. Whether you want to or not, Baekhyun still seems to be able to see through you. He freezes when he catches sight of the group of friends and pulls you closer to him protectively, his jaw clenched.

"Isn't that Se—"

"Hyung," Baekhyun's sharp tone cuts Junmyeon's question off.

"I'm fine," you murmur to Baekhyun. He looks down at you, eyes telling you that he doesn't believe you.

You really wouldn't have believed your own words either if you said this two months ago. But things can change really fast in this world. Especially with someone as loving and supportive as Baekhyun taking care of you constantly, you eventually learnt that some things, no matter how long you've had them for, you eventually have to let them go. This applies to objects, people and relationships all the same. And you've also come to realise that time doesn't matter. A relationship as short as three months can be as meaningful and important as a friendship of six years. When Sehun couldn't be here for you, Baekhyun took over. In turn, you've grown to trust Baekhyun a lot more and now you honestly hardly even feel a pinch when you see Sehun.

And that is exactly what you feel right now. Just a tiny pinprick to your heart, but that's all. Of course, it hurts much more on a much deeper level mentally but emotionally, you're great. Especially with Baekhyun right next to you.

"When are you getting me my corn dog, by the way?" you tease your boyfriend, just to let him know that you're really okay.

He looks down at you, eyes moving about your face to read your expression. When he finally concludes that you're not lying about your feelings, he relaxes.

"Hyung, I'll buy you corn dogs," Baekhyun says, now steering the three of you towards the food stand.

"But the fried mars balls—"

"Corn dogs or nothing."

You crack a smile when Junmyeon trudges along while grumbling, "Fine. Only because you never buy me food otherwise."

So each of you end up with a corn dog in your hands. Since you can't eat on the rides, you guys go for the games. You try out a game that requires you to pop balloons with darts, which you know you will at because you've tried it with Sehun and have always failed. He was good at it though. And you were right, your dart flies in a direction entirely different from what you expected.

"You need to flick your wrist," Baekhyun coaches you, holding onto your hand that has the dart and showing you what 'flicking your wrist' means.

"You're worse at this than I thought," Junmyeon mutters.

You give him a stink eye and he shrugs, not even taking back his words. Baekhyun chuckles and takes the dart out of your hand.

"Give me the others," he holds out his palm. "I'll win you..." he looks around the game stall. He spots a cat headband and points to it. "I'll win you that."

"Oh, please do," you say with a straight face. "I've always wanted my own kitty headband."

Baekhyun pushes you away with his hips, making you chuckle when you bump into Junmyeon. You watch as Baekhyun throws the darts at the balloon board, easily popping three balloons with the four remaining darts. And he really does win the headband for you. He even picks the design for you; the headband with leopard printed ears. Baekhyun tucks your hair behind your ears and neatly puts the headband on for you.

He grins adorably, "Aw, baby, you look so hot but so cute."

Junmyeon stands next to him to take a better look at you. He nods in approval, his eyebrows raised in amusement, as he takes a bite of his corn dog. You blush slightly at the attention they're giving you.

"Don't oppa get a kiss for winning you something?" Baekhyun leans forward while lifting his hand up to block Junmyeon's view of your incoming kiss.

You grin, moving closer to him. The moment you press your lips to his, you hear Junmyeon groaning. You laugh and pull away quickly. Baekhyun looks happy now that he has gotten a kiss, so he drops the hand that is obscuring Junmyeon's view and takes your hand in his.

"Let's win more things so I get more kisses!" Baekhyun proclaims excitedly, pulling you to the next game stall.

By the end of half an hour, you have a stuffed monkey slinging across your back, a cheap (but cute) bracelet on your wrist and that headband on your head. You feel ridiculous, especially with the monkey on your back, but this is possibly the happiest you have ever felt since your encounter with Sehun in the basketball court. Your mood must have infected Junmyeon and Baekhyun too, because they're both being really noisy and giggly.

You find yourself on a Viking next, sitting between the two guys. You get to scream your lungs out and that honestly makes you feel a lot less stressed. You sit more rides and eat more until it gets too late for kids. To wrap up your trip to the fair, the three of you take a ride on the carousel. You're sitting on a white horse with Baekhyun next to you on an elephant. Junmyeon is in front of you, riding a lion. Your boyfriend is taking pictures of you even though you don't want to be photographed.

"You look cute, baby, come on," he laughs, holding down your flailing hands easily with one of his own. You scowl at him and his camera and he grins. "The monkey on your back looks happier than you do."

You end up breaking into a smile at that and Baekhyun smiles endearingly as he takes your pictures. He goes through the photos while you glance behind him. When you catch someone's eye, you really blame yourself for having to lock eyes with your best friend. Sehun's Adam Apple bobs in his throat, watching you and Baekhyun interacting like this. But you look away when your boyfriend holds his phone up to show you a picture he took.

"This is going to be your profile picture," he tells you smugly.

You don't like looking at yourself in pictures because you think you're as unphotogenic as anyone can get. So you lift a hand and bring down his phone so that you're looking at him instead.

"We have to take one before we leave too, Baekhyun," you propose. "Our first couple shot."

"Here?"

"Anywhere," you shrug. The carousel makes a complete turn and in the corner of your eye, you see Sehun and his friends still lining up for the carousel, undeterred by your presence.

"We'll take one outside," he promises. "Come closer, sweetheart, you have something on your face."

"Where?" you lean closer to him, waiting for him to help you get the dirt off.

Baekhyun brushes his fingers on your chin, seemingly trying to clean dirt off your face. But then he tilts your head upwards and moves towards you to meet your lips with his. You moan in surprise and his lips tilts into a smile.

"Love you," he murmurs softly with his lips still touching yours.

You smile just as the ride comes to an end regretfully and you have to lean away from him. All of you exit the premises of the carousel, ready for the next round of customers to patron. With Baekhyun holding your hand and Junmyeon talking, you don't even remember Sehun and his friends waiting to sit the ride after you.

You're standing at the entrance of the fair with Baekhyun next to you, your arms around each other. Junmyeon is a few metres away, holding up Baekhyun's phone to take a picture of the both of you. You still have all of Baekhyun's winnings shown off on your body and you just hope you don't look as stupid as you feel. Baekhyun slips his hand into the back pocket of your jeans, bringing you impossibly closer to him.

"Baekhyun."

"Hmm?" he looks down at you, for a moment forgetting about the photo taking.

"I didn't get the chance to say it back," you murmur. His eyebrows knit, not really understanding. "I love you too."

His lips form an 'O' and his eyes are in their natural form, droopy and wide with surprise. But he doesn't waste any more time when he leans down to kiss you on the lips, causing you to giggle. He glides his tongue along your bottom lip, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

"Okay, let's go," Junmyeon grumbles loudly. Baekhyun holds up a finger, requesting just for a second more, but Junmyeon doesn't want any of that. "Seriously, I'm just gonna leave your phone on the ground."

You finally break the kiss because Baekhyun seems like he really doesn't want to stop. Junmyeon is making a face as he walks over to you, handing you your boyfriend's phone. Then you say your goodbyes and split ways since Junmyeon parked his car on the other side.

"I saw Sehun just now on the carousel," you confess to Baekhyun as you buckle up in his car.

"I know."

You stare at him. Your boyfriend only shifts the gear and starts driving. "You knew?" you repeat. "How?"

He shrugs, "You were staring at someone, so I took a look."

"You're not mad that I was staring at someone?"

Baekhyun glances at you. "I was a bit upset when you didn't say the three words back but then you did at the end so I'm all good." 

You sigh and lean back in your seat, looking out the window. "Do you think he still likes me?" 

"Well, it's easy not to like you." You glare at him and he shrugs with a teasing smile on his lips. "I mean, if you kept up with being stupid in my classes—"

"Baekhyun." 

He laughs. "You know I'm kidding." He clears his throat and suddenly the atmosphere has changed into a more serious one. "I honestly don't know, baby. If say I was Sehun, I'd probably never get over you." A pause. "I mean, have you seen yourself in that headband? dorable as ."

You sigh to yourself, fiddling with the cat ears on the accessory on your head. "But Minji was there. So that means he likes Minji, right?"

"He's trying," Baekhyun corrects. "He's trying to like her."

You don't say anything else because what else can you say when even your boyfriend can't reassure you that your best friend will come back to you? The car comes to a stop light and Baekhyun reaches his arm over, his gentle hand massaging your neck. 

"He'll be okay. He promised, didn't he?" You nod. "It might take years or months, but he'll be fine. Don't stress over it. I can also be your boyfriend and your best friend, you know." 

"I know," you murmur. "But you're not as stupid as Sehun."

Your boyfriend actually hesitates for a moment. He finally mutters, "I don't know if that's a compliment or not."

He looks at you for an answer and you have to smile when you see the insecurity written on his face. Sometimes when you think you know Baekhyun, it is times like these that make you think otherwise. He may appear confident and seemingly unaffected. But at times when he drops his mask or says something so deep, you realise that Baekhyun isn't just a guy six years older than you. He is also a teacher and a man who has been through too much for someone his age. And it is times like these that you feel useful because you're the strong one now even if it is just a short period of five seconds. 

"Of course I'll make you my best friend," you assure Baekhyun as you take his hand from your neck and place it on your thigh. "You have to be, now that I'm friendless." 

"I'll end up being your everything," he jokes, hand running up and down the inside of your thigh. "Your teacher, your boyfriend, your best friend... What's next?" 

"My chauffeur," you tease, poking his arm. "And my servant when I get lazy."

"Guess I'm already your everything."

Author's note:

I'm so sorry for the long and y update... 

Some responses from some of you guys really stressed me out a lot and I think that was a reason for my lack in motivation and inspiration when it comes to writing this story... Many of you were upset that the OC so easily said that she'd break up with Baekhyun if it meant Sehun coming back. But you guys probably forgot that Sehun has been with her for six years while she is really just getting to know Baekhyun in the two months that she was dating him.

It made me extremely stressed out when someone of you couldn't grasp that idea, but I'm better now. I just can't find the inspiration to write anymore and I'm also really busy with my plans.. So, I'm sorry for the late update and for the future.

Till next time
xoxo

P.S. I'll work on TTC and BOB next since they were the last to be updated :-)