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"No, you don't understand, Chanyeol!" Baekhyun says, face reddened looking tipsy at the edge of his sit. Never once he realises that Chanyeol does, that he probably understands him more than he himself does but of course, he would rather scream at him than to ever take notice of that.
Still drunk, Baekhyun continues, "..do you think he loves me?" he smirks, solemnly looking down. Chanyeol's heart sinks. Assuring him, Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun's chin to look at him in the eyes and says "It wouldn't matter now right??"
Proceeding to place his forehead on the table, Baekhyun mumbles in between his sighs "No you.. don't underst..." and all Chanyeol hears is the little noise Baekhyun always makes when he's drunk or sleeping. Chanyeol smiles. At least it's quieter now and all he has to do now is to carry Baekhyun into the car, which he easily does that night for it's not raining like the last time he carried him.
It's when he puts Baekhyun in the backseat and carefully places his head on it that he is again, awe-struck by his beauty. His curved eyelashes to his shining cheeks, down to the mole he has near his upper lip, to his pink pouty lips. Those lips... Chanyeol doesn't get how Sehun could do this to Baekhyun...
"ughhchanndrr..."
and Chanyeol snaps as he bumps his head onto the roof of the car, thanks to Baekhyun's drunk grumbles. He shakes his head and quickly gets into the driver's seat. He decides to drive Baekhyun back to his apartment first to avoid the hassle of going through Baekhyun's apartment guards. Baekhyun always tells that they are just doing their job, well Chanyeol thinks they are busybody. Not like Baekhyun would ever mind sleeping in his apartment anyway.
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Chanyeol wakes up the next morning feeling a bit sore on his hips so he stretches a bit while walking towards the guest room to check on Baekhyun.
"Baekhyun..?" he stops. Baekhyun is not in the room.
He rushes to the bathroom to see if Baekhyun is there and when he sees there is no sign of the boy, he dashes his way to the kitchen
...Baekhyun is gone.
The last time he did this, Chanyeol could only get in contact with him 2 days after that. Baekhyun can't be leaving to go back to his apartment, his key is in the car. His mind is repetitively telling him not to worry about Baekhyun but his heart..
He dials Baekhyun's number over and over again, he is worried. For all he knows, Baekhyun is outside there, alone, thinking he deserves no one. It's not until he pans his eyes towards the coffee table in the living room that he notices there's an unfamiliar note left folded. He immediately struts towards the table to grab and open it.
"Don't worry okay? I promise you I'll be back. Don't call me"
Damn. He hates this. He hates the fact that Baekhyun has started to choose to isolate himself rather than opening up to him, like he usually did in the past. What went wrong? This is not Baekhyun. He did it twice now. One was when he cut off his relationship with Junki and now Sehun. He's been in few relationships before that and he never did this.
Chanyeol knows he's not the type to isolate himself, especially when he's sad because he would always find his way to him. Even though it has become quite seldom after Baekhyun met Sehun. Well, he couldn't care less. Part of him hurts a lot because of that but seeing his smile with Sehun matters most. and now that they broke up, what is his excuse now?
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[The day before]
"Sehun, please let me go" Baekhyun begs.
He knows he has cornered himself. He is happy with Sehun, he truly is. Sehun came when his heart was still longing for Junki and when he felt like avoiding Chanyeol most. Of course, that man is his bestfriend. He wished he could express himself to him too,
....but he just couldn't. Not after he saw Kyungsoo kissing Chanyeol on his cheek when he went to his apartment on that very day Junki dumped him. His heart dropped. His face reddened. He felt like crying even more than when Junki broke their ties. He didn't understand why he felt that way back then and that's when Sehun came into his life.
"Baekhyun, I told you I'd wait for you"
Sehun tried his luck again as Baekhyun looks at him in the eyes and says "But I cannot make you wait forever, right?"
'Those eyes, Byun Baekhyun' Sehun speaks to himself.
Sehun knows he can no longer assure Baekhyun, not even after all the efforts he has poured for the man. He is not blaming Baekhyun, he just couldn't understand why. Why is he keeping his feelings to himself? Afraid of losing? Sehun knows Baekhyun's scared. It should be typical right? You would rather seal your feelings than risking to lose your friendship.
"Then you should promise me one thing..." Sehun fixes his posture and continues "...that you would tell him?"
Baekhyun bites his lips. He can't, can he? Even the thought of Chanyeol rejecting him scares him. Few times he has seen Chanyeol around Kyungsoo that he avoids asking about them at all, in case Chanyeol breaks to him that they are indeed in a relationship. He's not sure when he started to notice his feelings towards Chanyeol, but he certainly couldn't be the same accepting bestfriend anymore. He wants Chanyeol for himself, and being his bestfriend is the safest spot for him now.
Sehun then breaks the short silence by saying the same name that is playing in Baekhyun's mind at that moment,
"Chanyeol,"
Baekhyun's eyes widened.
"...can you come and pick up Baekhyun right now? I dumped him."
Baekhyun abruptly stands up, his eyes are still on Sehun.
"..I don't care, call him yourself" He hangs up and looks back at Baekhyun.
Baekhyun has a lot to ask and argue but words are lost. Oh Sehun, why? and before he could say anything, his phone rings. Sehun takes this chance to mutter a goodbye to him and walks away.
Eyes still following Sehun, Baekhyun answers the call. Obviously it's Chanyeol.
Few minutes after that, there Chanyeol is, face worried, looking for him.
Baekhyun misses him.
Baekhyun finds himself so unusually quiet in the car and it doesn't help that Chanyeol is also silent until,
"Wanna have a drink?" Chanyeol asks to which Baekhyun answers, "Ok" as Chanyeol drives him to a Soju stall nearby.
Baekhyun's heart beats so fast. He thinks he is ready to confess that night, but boy he ends up making up stories about how he breaks up with Sehun instead. Damn, he just can't find the right time and be honest. He drinks a lot too...
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[Present time]
Baekhyun doesn't know what brings him to that place. It's an old abandoned cottage besides the lake, where Chanyeol and him always spent their time at after school. It was Chanyeol who showed him this place. Even after so many years and few man-made constructions nearby, the cottage is still well-hidden. He still has to walk through the bushes to get here.
Baekhyun waves his hand in the air to get rid few of the spider webs hanging around the cottage as he walks in. He prays he doesn't see any of the tiny little leggish things around, and he questions himself again why he comes here.
As Baekhyun looks around, he is surprised to see the mugs Chanyeol bought are still there on the shelf albeit the fading colour. He recognises them still and he curves a smile- they had never used them. It's more to they never had a chance to. It was Chanyeol's stupid idea to buy things to complete this as a 'house' but there was no electricity to begin with and they always sipped the juice straight from the packet anyway.
As far as Baekhyun knows, Chanyeol had never once brought his high school lover here. This cottage has always been Their place they would hang out, share their problems and tell some of their little secrets. This is also the place they planned some tricks to make Suho, a senior whom Baekhyun had a crush on, fall for him. They failed miserably. Baekhyun laughs by himself remembering that.
It's not until the last year of their high school that they had slowly stopped coming here as they were both busy preparing for their entrance exam. By then, they had rather preferred meeting at the library or cafes nearby.
After reminiscing some memories in the cottage, Baekhyun walks out and settles himself beside the lake. The panoramic view of the lake in front of him melts him to the core. He loves the tranquil vibes this place delivers. The whistling breeze that sends the fallen leaves whirling around, the warm sunlight that shines across the place and the big shades of trees. It makes him forget about the mess in his heart right now. He takes a deep breathe and sighs heavily as he thinks about last night. He doesn't understand?
Albeit drunk, he was sure Chanyeol was deeply staring at him when his head landed on the backseat of the car. He couldn't be imagining it...... was he? What was that look for?
Baekhyun thinks if he has to make up his mind, it should be now. Yet he hasn't decided, whether to keep Chanyeol as his best man or just face the music of confessing to him. The way Chanyeol looked at him yesterday night.......
But what about Kyungsoo? Baekhyun knows that man shortly before Junki dumped him. It was in the evening when he casually walked in Chanyeol's apartment and saw Kyungsoo's cooking in the kitchen. Before Baekhyun could ask anything, Kyungsoo has already guessed who he is and introduced himself.
Baekhyun likes him. It would be no surprise if Chanyeol and him are together. Chanyeol said they were friends.. but what was the kiss on the cheek all about?
After much contemplating, Baekhyun decides.
He would rather risk his friendship than forever living with this unsettling feelings inside of him. He feels suffocated. He doesn't want to avoid that man anymore.
Without having any plan in his head, he heads towards the nearest bus stop. Nevermind if Chanyeol rejects him, he just wants him to at least know how he truly feels about him.
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It was raining cat and dog outside. Chanyeol has been constantly checking the time and waiting. If by tomorrow morning Baekhyun doesn't turn up, he would do anything to find him.
Baekhyun always worries him. How many times has Chanyeol saved him from his own clumsiness? from running for him to stop him from further clowning himself in front of one senior Baekhyun liked, to the little trip overs that Chanyeol always managed to catch just before he fell. See, these little things he does for him? He never notices and the next time Chanyeol knows, Baekhyun has already had a new boyfriend. Not even a glance Baekhyun spares for him to look at him other than just his bestfriend, but never once it crosses his mind to leave him either. Never.
Chanyeol is roaming aimlessly around his living room when his doorbell rings. With Baekhyun in his mind, he trudges his way to the door and yes he is right, it's Baekhyun. He is- he is drenched and shaking from the obvious cold. His heart instantly panics.
"Baekhyun-"
and Baekhyun pulls him for a hug. Chanyeol is stunned. Part of him wants to break the hug and carries him to the room where he can check on him, but... he notices that Baekhyun is sobbing on his shoulder. His heart breaks. What has Sehun done?
They stay like that for a minute or two until Baekhyun slowly lets him go. Chanyeol takes a look at Baekhyun as he turns around to go get him some towels when Baekhyun stops him.
"Chanyeol, listen" his hand still holding Chanyeol forearm. He wipes his tears.
"Baekhyun you are drenched because of the rain, I'll go and get some towels-"
"No, listen to me first" Baekhyun insists. Baekhyun doesn't know where he gets that courage from but he is too worn out to even think properly.
"I like you"
Chanyeol swears his heartbeat stops for a second.
"I like you. I mean of course I like you. We are bestfriends, but, I like you as someone else, I- really like you Park Chanyeol. I don't know when but it's been for a while and I-" and before Baekhyun can continue, Chanyeol pulls him for another hug. Tighter this time.
"Chanyeol...?" Baekhyun is confused. He was sure Chanyeol is going to reject him, heck he was even ready for that.
It is when Chanyeol breaks the hug and looks at him endearingly that he feels somewhat confident and lucky.
"Me too." Chanyeol replies.
Baekhyun's heart has never jumped so high in joy. Nevermind the cold.
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[Epilogue]
"Chanyeol, you never understand! DO YOU?" as Chanyeol breaks into a giggle. Seeing Baekhyun runs after him somewhat makes him so happy and it feels different from when they were just bestfriends.
"I do, and that is, you will never stop trying to catch me for this" as Chanyeol waggles the remote for Baekhyun to see.
Baekhyun's favourite show is showing soon, and Chanyeol never likes it no matter how much Baekhyun convinces him. Not when Suho is the host... alas, Chanyeol still never misses it. He always makes sure to accompany Baekhyun and listens to his rants about the contestants. But still, his playful side...
"Chanyeol, it's the last episode!!!" Baekhyun is frustrated. There is a sofa between them and Baekhyun thinks he can never get the remote to tune in the show on time. He really doesn't want to miss any of it.
Without further thinking, he jumps onto the sofa and tries to catch Chanyeol but luck is not on his side. He trips on the head of the sofa that makes him immediately grips Chanyeol by his neck as the man holds his hips.
"Ouch, Chanye-" he looks up and caught Chanyeol staring at him.
"Chanyeol..." as the man is still silent. After good few seconds, he notices Chanyeol's eyes shift down to his lips... he knows instantly. Slowly, Chanyeol pulls him for a kiss as Baekhyun takes this chance to wrap his hands around Chanyeol's neck tighter. The feel of his plump lips on his, this gentle kiss... Baekhyun feels lucky.
It's when both of them are out of breath that Baekhyun breaks the kiss, and says,
"I think I can miss the show today" as Chanyeol beams with a playful smile. He wins.