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Park Chanyeol was never the affectionate type. Everybody knew that.
He was never good with words, he never liked them but today was a different day.
He breathed out nervously as he found himself in a suit, standing in front of his and his lover's family and friends. He has plastered his widest smile. He, too, was blinking twice as fast to prevent the tears falling from his eyes. He turned around and stared at the love of his life. He opens up his mouth and nothing comes out. He tries again and this time, he gets it right.
"Byun Baekhyun, hah. Just saying your name makes my heart skip a beat. Let me start from the beginning, I can still remember that day clearly. I was walking around the neighborhood park and I saw you right there. You were jumping up and down.. trying to save the cat that, in your words, was on the verge of losing his life. I helped you get him out of his fit, you thanked me and called me a giant. It took all of me to stop myself from laughing.. because the tree was just four inches taller than me."
Everybody in the room chuckled.
"I thought that was it. I thought I would never get to see you again. I regretted not asking for your name nor your number. I regretted letting you walk away. But who would've known? I was walking to the music room of the new college I enrolled in, a guitar hanging on my back, and heard someone singing so emotionally. Who would've known? That the owner of that beautiful voice was you. When I saw you, with the rays of sunlight behind you, I was blinded, telling myself it was the sunlight. That's when I told myself I can never let you go again. I introduced myself, offered my hand and you.. you gave me the most breathtaking eyesmile I have ever seen in this world. I remember the exact way you said it. I remember the exact way you said Byun Baekhyun. And then I thought, maybe it wasn't the sunlight.. maybe it was just you."
Chanyeol couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Every night, your name resounded in my head. When I couldn't sleep, I didn't count sheep. I counted Baekhyuns honestly."
He mentally cursed at himself for revealing that to the entire public but he continued on.
"Every day, I clung to you.. and the closer I got, the deeper I fell into your eyes, your arms and your warm heart. There were days where I didn't know where we were going but I didn't care at all. The important thing was.. I was walking beside you. You're one hardheaded guy, Baekhyun. You know that right? I remember when I found you walking through the rain. I instantly grabbed-stole-whatever an umbrella and covered you. But then you told me that you were appreciating the rain and I should too. That the rain is a beautiful thing and I should see that too."
Chanyeol felt the raindrops falling on his skin like it was yesterday.
"Maybe - no, not just maybe. My life changed because of you. I learned to see the positive side of things. I learned a lot of things from you but what's great was, I learned a lot about you. I learned about your addiction to eyeliner, your constant randomness, your weird childishness, your crazy way of turning off the lights.. I learned about your imperfections. And that's when I truly realized that my heart wasn't mine anymore; that my heart was yours."
Chanyeol smirked, he was completely defeated by this guy and he didn't care.
"I don't know what exactly got me. Was it the way your face lit up when I said your name? Was it the way you waved back from afar? Was it the way you held my hand when I was shamelessly afraid of the horror movie we were watching on our first date? Was it the way you hugged me when I thought I lost my scholarship? Was it the way you looked into my eyes after I kissed you? Was it the way you made breakfast for me the morning after we made love? Or was it the other way around? Was it the way you said my name? the way you smile and wave? the way you never let my hand go? the way you never let me go? the way your eyes reassured me that you loved me too? the way I realized that there is nobody out there that is as perfect as you.."
His voice broke, overwhelming feelings rushing into his heart.
"When you said you loved me, I almost died. I'm not exaggerating here, Baek. I remember how you called me your giant and how my heart literally stopped beating for a second. I never thought that someone as beautiful as you would love someone as messed up as me. I don't really know what you see in me but every time you look at me, with those wonderful eyes of yours, I feel like I'm a better person. I feel like I can do anything because of the fact that you chose me. You chose to love me. You chose to be with me. You chose to make me happy. And Baek, every single day of my life, I felt happy. And every night I thanked the heavens for bringing you to me.. every morning, I thanked them again for letting me experience this one-of-a-kind love, a thing I never even imagined to come. I have always lived through my life feeling like there was something missing but when I woke up to your sleeping face in front of me, I felt complete. Every part of me was better when it was combined with every part of you."
The last words did it. The tears fell from Chanyeol's eyes.
"Byun Baekhyun, I love you. I love every single part of you. And thank you for making me feel that you did too. I'm sorry if I ever hurt you with my words and my actions.. I'm not perfect. Thank you for loving me despite that. I was supposed to do this on our fourth anniversary but what the hell, I only have now.."
Chanyeol took out a box from his side pocket and got down on one knee.
"I love you yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever and always. Byun Baekhyun, will you marry me?"
The silence killed Chanyeol. He stood up with a smile and walked closer to Baekhyun.
Hugging him the tightest he could.
"I love you, baby."
He repeated as he planted a kiss on his lips.
Again, Park Chanyeol was never the affectionate type.
He was never good with words, he never liked them but today was a different day because words were all that he had.
Everybody knew that.
Everybody watched Park Chanyeol pour his heart out to Byun Baekhyun who was lying lifeless in an open casket.
Park Chanyeol's heart was breaking but he looked at the brighter side of things just like how the love of his life taught him.
Park Chanyeol's heart was breaking but it was okay because he was one hundred and one percent sure...
... that Baekhyun, he would've said yes.