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Following the Broken Road Back To You (4/4)
Part 4
Baekhyun found himself staring out the window half the time, unable to gather himself well enough to strike up a conversation. He had turned on the radio, but even the music couldn’t rip him away from being aware of what was going on.
There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but decided to hold off on all for when the time was right. When he glanced over at Chanyeol, the man didn’t seem fazed at all by their silence. It seemed as though he was lost in his own deep thought, and for a second, Baekhyun was jealous that at least one of them was able to distract themselves.
The clouds were gray with a darker shade out in the horizon, and Baekhyun wondered if the bleak weather would hold up long enough for them to go horseback riding without becoming drenched. He had the slight hope that all would be well, however. There was a trust that he had with Chanyeol despite their constant arguments. If there was anything to be done that concerned animals or infrastructure, Chanyeol could handle it.
They drove through the town the same way Baekhyun had ridden his bike through it before, but when the brunette looked over, he saw the way Chanyeol’s eyes stayed glued at the restaurant that was mentioned in their extremely heated argument. For a moment, Baekhyun wanted to open his mouth and say something, but he had no idea what.
As they moved on, Baekhyun began to imagine what Chanyeol’s home looked like. He imagined something nice, perhaps even the house he won with his ex-wife’s settlement. She was rich, wasn’t she? Then that meant Chanyeol was well off.
Pressing his head against the glass window, Baekhyun fought with himself. Again and again, he wondered why that woman came up in mind again, but he knew exactly why he felt slightly angry again. It was all directed at Chanyeol’s decision to even get married without a romantic cause, but Baekhyun kept still, attempting to remind himself that it was all in the past.
But if it was all in the past, why did he care so much? Baekhyun held his breath. Maybe he cared beyond the fact that it was a loveless marriage. If it was even possible, he wondered if he cared because he wasn’t Chanyeol’s first.
A sensation of defeat washed over him, but Baekhyun was pulled out of his sulky mood when he opened his eyes and was greeted by the familiar sight of the Kyungsoo’s colonial home. Frowning, he glanced at Chanyeol as if nonverbally asking him what business they had there.
Chanyeol missed the non-spoken message and shut his truck’s engine off when he pulled right in front of the house. “We’re here.”
Giving him a puzzled look, Baekhyun frowned as he slowly unclicked his seatbelt. “But this is Kyungsoo’s house?”
Snorting, Chanyeol got out from his side and shut the door, promptly walking around the front of his truck to open Baekhyun’s side. “Actually, it’s mine.” Helping the star struck brunette out, Chanyeol exhaled. “This is why you’re here. So we can talk.”
“Well, I can see why!” Baekhyun piped as Chanyeol closed his door. “You didn’t correct me when I said that this was Soo’s house!”
“I did just now.”
“Not before!”
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol led the way, following a small dirt path that led past the house and to the back. The entire place was larger than Baekhyun actually thought. He never saw the path when he was there before, but he blamed it all on the trees.
The horse stables were fairly far from the house itself, but it was well worth the short walk. Baekhyun entered the building and was pleasantly surprised at how clean and well-maintained it all was. There were three horses, all of which were calm and inviting to the new stranger’s presence.
“They’re beautiful, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun softly said as he approached the brown one, running his fair hand on the horse’s head. “What’re their names?”
“Biscuit, Shortcake, and Will.”
“Why is Will the only one who wasn’t named after a food?”
Chanyeol shrugged as he walked over to pick a saddle from a rack on the wall. “Will’s my personal riding horse, but I let the other two be named by my nephew.”
“Nephew?” Baekhyun blinked. “Your sister had a baby?”
“Yeah, I’m an uncle.”
“That’s weird to think about…” Moving to the other horses, Baekhyun pet them all just the same. “I still remember her yelling at you to get out of her room when we were sixteen. Remember that? She had a slumber party and you decided to be an ass. You barged in half-naked, and you ended up sleeping at my house.”
“I don’t remember,” Chanyeol said, though it was clear by the tone of his voice that he knew exactly what the latter was talking about. He unlatched the stable door for the black and white spotted horse, calming her before setting the saddle firmly on her back. “This is Shortcake. You’ll be riding her today. Don’t worry. She’s very easy to strangers as long as you’re not aggressive with her.”
“Why do I feel like I’m getting this horse for a reason?” Baekhyun muttered, taking the reins when Chanyeol walked the horse out of its stable.
“For one, the name,” the giant explained. “Second of all, like I said, she’s very easy to strangers as long as you’re not aggressive.”
Chanyeol walked away to get his own saddle and Baekhyun scrunched his face. “Oh, funny, Chanyeol. Your sense of humor’s really improved over the years!”
“And yours went dry.”
Letting the comment go, Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol saddled his own horse, Will, a black stallion, and managed to hoist himself up with ease. Trying to do the same, Baekhyun put one foot in the saddle’s provided loop and pulled himself on the horse.
He almost didn’t make it. In fact, actually he didn’t. His left leg was over the horse, but his body was jutting out to the side and he was practically on the horse vertically. Crying out apologies, he used the horse’s hair and its sturdy neck to get himself upright. Triumphantly, he blew the stray hairs out of his face and caught his breath.
“Glad it only took you half a century.” Chanyeol laughed as he gently kicked the side of his horse to get the stallion to slowly walk out of the stable.
Baekhyun glared at the back of the man’s head and patted Shortcake’s bottom to get the gentle horse to walk on as well. Taking the command, the horse did as the brunette wanted and slowly followed.
“It would’ve been faster if you helped me, at least!”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
Was this honestly the same guy who kissed him the day before and held him like he was a fragile item from FedEx? Baekhyun frowned. It was honestly a legitimate question.
Chanyeol lead them on a wider trail, and a very familiar one at that. It took a while, but Baekhyun recognized it as a trail they often took when wandering the edge of the lake together when they were in school. The trail now, however, was cleaner and wider. There was no doubt in his mind that work was put into making it as it was.
As their horses began to pace themselves closer and closer to one another, Baekhyun looked out over at the water. “So, this is yours…”
“No. That belongs to the city, not me. I own the property around here, but not the lake.”
Throwing him a look, Baekhyun gave him a lopsided frown. “You know what I meant.”
“Can’t help but tease you about it though.”
Chanyeol’s eyes were the darkest of brown. Though solid in its color, it often seemed as though it fluctuated with every emotion the man felt. When Baekhyun made eye contact with him, it felt as though he was being sucked into a black hole, unrelenting in its grasp of him as he remained mesmerized by the dark orbs.
After a while, he broke eye contact, clearing his throat. As much as he would’ve liked to continue on in such a way, he knew he was there for more than just gazing at the man beside him. Even Chanyeol knew that there were more heavy matters to discuss by the way he kept quiet for long periods of time.
Taking the first chance to start, Baekhyun managed to get Shortcake to walk directly beside the black stallion. “Can you talk to me about your marriage?” he asked, slightly unsure of the subject, but nonetheless felt it was necessary. “What was it like? Did you at least try to like her?”
There was no doubt in his mind that the subject hurt like hell, but Baekhyun was very much used to controlling his facial expressions. He couldn’t, however, decipher what Chanyeol’s calm and collected body language had to say on the matter.
Heaving his shoulders, Chanyeol shrugged and looked over the wondering brunette. “I never married anyone, Baekhyun. There was never a she or a divorce.”
It came like a bombshell and Baekhyun’s mouth hung open. He didn’t know how to feel about the revelation. Relieved because it was a lie or embarrassed that he blew off on and on about the sanctity of love and marriage just days before? Chanyeol expected the reaction, but didn’t seem to show much for it.
“I don’t understand,” Baekhyun finally found himself saying. His hold on Shortcake’s rein grew tighter. “You said there was a settlement and that… Chanyeol, you have all of this! Didn’t you get this because she felt bad for you!?”
“Baekhyun, I said I never married, and if I never married, then I never got a divorce or a settlement,” Chanyeol said again. After a moment, he asked, “Are you relieved I didn’t taint the entire idea of marriage for you?”
It was meant to be a light question, but Baekhyun couldn’t help but draw his brows together as he processed the information. Unconsciously, he began petting the horse’s head, thankful that the animal had a few therapeutic powers.
“Then why would you lie to me about that?” he asked, moments after a time of silence passed. “Why would you blatantly lie to my face?”
“I didn’t think it’d hurt you so much.” The confession stung, but at the same time, Baekhyun felt forgiving. “I just needed to give you some sort of excuse in case you ever found out about this. You already knew I wasn’t helping your father out for money, and I made the stupid mistake of bragging off my credit card to you. I just wanted something to slap you on the face for thinking I never did anything with my life, and that’s why I pulled it out.”
“You could’ve just told me you had money.”
Chanyeol scoffed. “Honey, you already knew I had money. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that you just had to dig your nose around and find out why I did. So, I gave you a reason. One that was believable. I just never thought you’d act that way.”
“That’s because I—”
“But I’m glad you did,” the giant cut off, giving him a hard and solid stare. “You seemed so bothered by the fact that I married, I got a little hopeful—so I pushed it. I didn’t expect for you to spill your guilty guts out to me or to mention Kyungsoo, however.”
The mentioning of the name pulled Baekhyun’s head up. “But you did kiss him.”
“I didn’t know that until a few days ago, but he—”
“Um, no! How can you not know that you—”
“Can we stick to one topic and get to the rest later?” Chanyeol rubbed his forehead. “Where were we? The marriage?”
“The marriage that never was,” Baekhyun confirmed with a huff.
"Alright, then.” Taking a moment of silence for himself, Chanyeol ran a hand through his hair giving himself a messy look that made Baekhyun bite down on his lower lip. “While we’re on the subject of how I got my money, I need to tell you something because it involves you, personally.”
Baekhyun tore his eyes away from the man’s dark hair. “What?”
“You and I had a savings account together. We started it in high school when we started talking about getting engaged and married. Remember that?”
For once, Baekhyun’s memory did serve him right. They made the account in the winter when he started talking about couples getting married and Chanyeol brought up the idea of saving for the future. Since piggy banks were too tempting to break, the minute they both turned eighteen, Chanyeol drove them to the local bank and wrote up an account for the two of them.
It grew slowly, but by the time they were twenty one, it was enough for a small wedding. It wasn’t necessarily large enough to build a life together, but it was enough to create the spark.
Nodding, Baekhyun pursed his lips. “I remember.”
“Well…It’s not there anymore,” Chanyeol said softly. “I took the money out and I closed the account.”
“Why…” The word came like a whisper. “Did you need it for something? Didn’t you say that your father’s farm was—”
Shaking his head, Chanyeol cut him off. “My dad’s farm is doing fine. He was never in foreclosure. I took the money out because… Baek, you said you didn’t love me anymore. What the hell was I supposed to do? That account was mocking me in the face and the money we piled in there was a constant reminder that I was never going to make that life with you. I had to take it out. I had no other choice.”
“But you just gave that up?”
Pulling the reins, Chanyeol put Will to a halt. Shortcake stopped as well. “Byun Baekhyun, back then, I was under the heavy impression that you gave up. Do you know how mentally and emotionally unstable you left me? I was practically a fucking insomniac because I couldn’t go to sleep without your voice repeating those words. I was a wreck without you… So, forgive me if it hurts you to know that I closed that chapter of our lives. It was over anyhow, so I thought I’d spend the money in other parts.”
During the nights when he tossed and turned on his state of the art mattress and comfort set, crying about his stupid love life, Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol was feeling like the glob of a mess that he felt like then.
As he searched Chanyeol’s dark eyes, all he could see was the pain that had been tucked away for years, untouched, but never forgotten. And Baekhyun recognized it all. He was in the exact same state.
“What’d you do with the money, then?” Baekhyun softly asked, already in understanding with Chanyeol’s situation. “Did you go back to school?”
“I invested it in some new companies,” Chanyeol told him. “I was stupid. I didn’t even do my research about these investments. To be honest, I think I was half drunk when I made them. You can guess my surprise when they took off just six months after I put in my money in. They paid me back really good. Even to this day. After that, I guess I sobered up and used the money I got to go back to school. Majored in business and management. Came back after four years and started my own business.”
With his eyes wide open, Baekhyun leaned in. “You have your own business? I didn’t expect that.”
“I can’t blame you. Neither did I.” Will began to move again and Baekhyun gently kicked Shortcake with the heel of his shoe. “I do construction so we do a lot of big projects here and there. I’m usually the one who oversees things.”
“Then why’re you here?”
“Because of you.”
Baekhyun expected the usual answer which somehow always involved his parents, but the one Chanyeol gave was…
The brunette didn’t know exactly. The only thing he knew for sure was that he stopped breathing for a split millisecond.
“You always told me it was because you wanted to help my folks out…” Baekhyun reminded him. “Why me?”
“Why you is exactly what I kept asking myself,” the giant said, laughing quietly to himself. “The day before you came, I honestly thought about backing out. I kept telling myself I was stupid to even ask your father’s permission to help you. We were done. Years already went by. You had your life and I had mine, but I wanted to see you even if it meant keeping you at a distance. That’s all I wanted.”
“Chanyeol—”
“Baekhyun, I think I’m still in love with you.” Chanyeol refused to look at him, keeping his eyes on the trail, but the latter was just the opposite. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man beside him. “I thought I was over this. You know, I tried my damn hardest to keep you away at arm’s length, but you’re just so… I don’t know how to say it.”
“Say what?” Baekhyun pushed.
Shrugging, Chanyeol glanced at him for the first time. “I don’t know. You have a gravitational pull. Every time you pissed me off, yeah, you sure as hell made me mad, but you don’t get it. I have the best damn patience compared to anyone else in the world, but when it comes to you, I’m one second away from detonating. You just ignite me the way no one else can, so I suppose your loud mouth and short temper has its uses.”
Leaning over, Baekhyun smacked the man on his arm. “I have good patience, too, you know! You’re just a test from God, that’s all. You’re not the only one who gets easily mad when the other’s around.”
“Guess that’s what makes us perfect for each other, then.”
Pausing, Baekhyun gave him a look before drawing his eyes down to the ground. “So, you gambled our money away, went back to school, started a business, which is obviously doing well or else you wouldn’t have any of this... Then what about—”
“Let’s talk about you for a second now.” Chanyeol turned his head up to the sky. It was becoming darker. “Who’s Kris?”
“Who is he?” Baekhyun cocked his head. “He’s—”
“I know he’s your manager. Everyone knows that.”
Puzzled, Baekhyun was taken aback. If Chanyeol knew who Kris was, then what else did he want to know? “That’s all he is. He manages my schedules and appointments.”
Unexpectedly, Chanyeol turned his head to him with a frowning expression. “You told me he was your boyfriend.”
“What!?”
For the life of him, Baekhyun couldn’t recall the moment he told Chanyeol such a thing. His memory was never the brightest, but he knew for sure that the latter must’ve been mistaken somehow. There was absolutely no way he could’ve said that in the weeks that he’d been there. In fact, there was no reason to spin that fat lie.
“Kris isn’t my boyfriend. I would never date him!” the brunette exclaimed. “He’s bossy, and likes to overbook me sometimes, which is a pain in the little ass that I have left because of the stupid diet he put me on for thirty weeks!” After he calmed down, he jabbed a finger in Chanyeol’s direction. “And I never told you that he was!”
“Let me bring up the day. Maybe you’ll remember.” Chanyeol grew serious, but his voice remained slightly sarcastic. “You told me we weren’t working out anymore, and then I asked you why. You told me you met someone and you proceeded to go on and on in explicit detail about how you fell in love with your manager, Kris, while on the job because, as you said, it was ‘inevitable’ for two people working side by side to fall in love. Did that jostle your memory up?”
Cursing mentally, Baekhyun berated himself. It did happen. He remembered how he said those words to make the break up easier, but what he couldn’t remember was who it was supposed to make it easier for. Looking up, he saw Chanyeol watching him, and proudly, he lifted his chin.
“Well, you know what? You’re not the only one who can lie about their love life!” he justified, crossing his arms. “But just to make it clear, no. I would never date him and I never did. He’s far too old for me, Chanyeol. He’s what? Thirty. I prefer people my own age.”
“That’s good.”
A grin formed on the man’s face and Baekhyun could see how the situation was satisfyingly dealt with. They put that specific misunderstanding behind them and continued on the path.
“I think it’s time you tell me about Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said finally, loosening his grip on Shortcake’s reins. The sky in the horizon didn’t look too friendly anymore, but the brunette found himself silently calling the upcoming storm forward. “I want to know what happened.”
“I was drunk. That’s what happened.”
Seconds passed and Baekhyun waited patiently for the man to catch his bearing and explain on.
“You had gotten so famous in such a short time. We stopped talking because of your schedule and the time differences… You know, I was feeling like an absolute piece of shit for being nothing. All I did was help my dad around and drink, trying to get a hold of you.”
Thunder rolled in the distance.
“Then rumors started floating around about you and that manager of yours. Papers. Online articles. Hell, the entire World Wide Web was on your love life’s ass. I tried to ignore it, but I wasn’t in the right mind anymore. I was already feeling worthless. I didn’t have the confidence to believe that you wouldn’t do that to me.”
Baekhyun’s lips wavered. “I didn’t think you heard any of those things…” His voice was quiet, but Chanyeol heard enough. “You should’ve said something to me. I would’ve told you.”
“How could I?” Chanyeol asked. “You were so busy, your assistants kept putting me on hold and asking if I wanted to leave a message. What could I have done? Tell them to tell you, ‘Hey, your boyfriend called. He’s feeling a bit insecure against your high profile manager who’s just as tall as he is, but much more successful. Call him and let him know it’s all okay,’?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t be an idiot. I’m a man and I have my pride.” Sighing, Chanyeol moved Will into a slower trot. “After we fought, I left your house and drove to Kyungsoo’s house. You know, the one I kept telling you that was twenty minutes from town by car?”
Baekhyun let the jab go. “And?”
“He told me all about that night. Of course, he didn’t know you were there, but he knew that I kissed him when I was wasted as all after listening to those rumors again.” Then he stopped. “He told me it was disgusting. That I tasted bitter and sad.”
“Was he—”
“He wasn’t talking about the alcohol,” Chanyeol finished, lips drawing into a thin line. “Then I passed out on him and he drove me back to my dad’s house. I woke up with the worst hangover, but I couldn’t remember what had happened. He never told me either. Said it was better off that way. He asked me why I was asking and I told him about us. By the way, he said to make it clear that he’s just my gardener on the weekends. Nothing more.”
Slowly, everything began to piece together. The reasons and the fallout, like Pangaea in reverse. Baekhyun closed his eyes and felt the first drop of the late summer rain.
As the droplet slid off his cheek, it took with it all his pain and the turmoil he kept burning inside of him. It sizzled out the fire of misunderstanding and washed away parts of the past that he had kept with him.
“Chanyeol, can I ask you one last thing?”
“We’re talking right now, aren’t we? So, go ahead.”
Taking in a breath, Baekhyun asked, “Who was that woman?”
“She was my lawyer, consulting me about liability for…”
Baekhyun zoned out feeling like he wanted to smack himself against a large tree. His lawyer. The woman was his lawyer, and his mother must’ve known that when he mentioned the word girlfriend in front of her the night Chanyeol picked him up from his ride from “Kyungsoo’s” house. Even Shortcake could sense his stupidity by snorting.
Another roll of thunder hit and the rain began to pour. The horses fidgeted at the cracking sound of the sky, but neither Baekhyun nor the giant beside him made a sound, accepting the rain as it began to drench them.
Shortcake had more issues with the thunder than Will. Slightly more erratic than she was before, Chanyeol decided that the horse was more than Baekhyun was likely to be comfortable with. Asking for the reins, he took control of the horse until he positioned the two horses side by side.
“Transfer over in front of me.”
Nodding, Baekhyun whispered a good-bye to his horse and quickly eased into the space in front of Chanyeol. He held tightly on the saddle in fear of falling until Chanyeol settled an arm around him while holding both reins. It wasn’t too long after when Baekhyun settled against him.
Their way back to the stable was filled with silence, but the kind that asked for nothing to fill its void. When they reached the inside of the stable, Baekhyun was cold and Chanyeol was very aware, working quickly to hop off his stallion to put the mare back in her enclosed corner.
Then he came back with his arms outreached. “Come on,” he said encouragingly as Baekhyun moved his way off the horse. When he felt Chanyeol’s strong hands hold him by the waist, he knew he could safely jump the rest down.
Reaching into his pocket, Chanyeol took out a set of keys and handed them to Baekhyun once he was off the horse. “Get inside and dry yourself off. I’ll follow after you.”
Baekhyun looked at the silver key and nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help with anything?”
“I’m sure. Now, go. The wind’s starting to pick up.”
-
-
Running from the stable to the house was a pleasure. Never had the rain felt more refreshing and cool against him, and it didn’t bother him in the slightest how he was completely drenched from his head all the way down to his dirty shoes.
He reached the back entry way of the house and took his shoes off at the side. It took seconds after he pushed his hair back to realize that he had just entered the most beautiful home he’d ever seen. For a moment, he almost felt a bit sad at the fact that he was soaking the dark hardwood floors of the kitchen.
Baekhyun had no idea where to go. It all seemed too nice for him to ruin by sliding his wet self across the floor trying to find what? A bathroom?
Quietly, he stood there, feeling apologetic to the man who he had accused of so many things only to be wrong countless times. Sighing, Baekhyun gave himself leeway as he moved to from the door and towards the granite kitchen island. On it was the magazine he had signed for Kyungsoo just weeks before, but with it was a note attached, saying, “For you, loser.”
Unexpectedly, he laughed. God, he felt so stupid, but so relieved that it meant nothing more but just friendship. Baekhyun jerked from the island when he heard the back door open and smile the second Chanyeol met his glance.
“Oh, hi.”
“Hey,” Chanyeol replied, distracted. “Why haven’t you dried off yet? There’re towels in the bathroom upstairs.”
“I didn’t know where your bathrooms were,” Baekhyun told him.
Cursing to himself, Chanyeol exhaled, moving towards him and taking his hand. “Come on before you catch a cold.”
“Before we both catch a cold.” The brunette couldn’t help himself.
Following the man up the stairs, Baekhyun’s eyes fed on everything he saw. From the paintings to the curtains to the lamps and to the small tables, it was all beautifully decorated. The only thing that tore his attention away from the interior house design was the firm and warm grip of Chanyeol’s hand, assuring the brunette that everything was real.
Chanyeol handed him a towel and a set of his clothes. “They might be too big, but this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve worn anything of mine.”
Making a face, Baekhyun took the clothes in his care with grace. “Thanks,” he said, sticking his tongue out subtly before closing the bathroom door.
-
-
Of all the things the man forgot to give him, it had to be boxers.
Pulling down on the white shirt Chanyeol had given him, Baekhyun trudged out of the bathroom and began wandering the halls. “Yeol?” he called, opening door after door. “Can I borrow a pair of your boxers for a minute?”
Baekhyun stopped, frowning. He could hear the dryer on the first floor adamantly working on their clothes and the wind and rain beating against the windows, but he couldn’t hear the giant anywhere. Pursing his lips together, he walked towards the end of the hall towards the room with the double doors, one slightly opened.
Putting one hand on the unlocked door, he pushed inside. “Hey, genius, you forgot to give me—”
He shrieked when he felt the giant’s arms swoop him into the air, but his screams turned into uncontrollable laughter as Chanyeol spun them around before landing both of them on the bed.
Grinning, Chanyeol pulled the brunette on top of him. “What were you saying about boxers?” he asked, teasingly tugging on the shirt he had given the latter.
Snorting, Baekhyun gave a shy grin back, dragging his hands down Chanyeol’s broad chest until he reached back and began pulling on the only clothing the man had on. “Nothing, except you need to get rid of yours.”
Chanyeol hummed as Baekhyun leaned down, crashing their lips together. His hand worked diligently and with the help of the brunette on top of him, he managed to kick his boxers to the floor. With both of his hands free, Chanyeol groped the ass set atop his manhood and began to grind their parts together.
Baekhyun moaned, rolling his hips to the movement and slowly coming alive. Breaking apart from the kiss, Chanyeol took the opportunity to drag his hard kisses along the brunette’s pale neck, and Baekhyun arched his body when he felt Chanyeol’s fingers teasingly probe along the rim of his entrance, prying his cheeks apart.
Craning his head upwards, Chanyeol took one of the perky nipples jutting out of his lips’ attention and took it in his mouth, gently pulling at it and flicking it with his tongue, sucking until it was time for the other to be rewarded their attention. Chanyeol took pride in the swollenness of the brunette’s small pink nipples, and indulged in their taste over and over again until Baekhyun collapsed on him from being overwhelmed by the probing fingers and tongue.
Flipping them over, Chanyeol gave him a long hard kiss before trailing down the male’s body, past his gleaming nipples still slick with his saliva and down between Baekhyun’s parted legs. He felt Baekhyun grip onto his dark hair, pulling him teasingly away from his parts, but Chanyeol took a firm hand, holding him still while the other took the brunette’s aroused cock and began to pump it.
“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun gasped, crying as his hips jerked into the hand, requesting more. He had never felt that needy with anyone else before, but Chanyeol knew exactly what it was that made him click. Releasing the man’s hair, Baekhyun’s hands clawed at the mattress then to his mouth to keep from crying out when Chanyeol took him to his mouth.
Bobbing his head, Chanyeol engulfed the shaft, sucking its very tip all the way down to the brunette’s constricted balls. He lapped at the clear pre-ejaculation that oozed from the cock’s head and dragged the tip of his tongue against the head’s slit.
No one else knew Baekhyun’s body like he did and Chanyeol took that into his full advantage. Pulling his mouth away, he pressed a finger against the boy’s tight little hole, pressing against it as his other hand pumped up and down on the shaft.
Baekhyun felt like he was sinfully in heaven, whining and crying out in pleasure as Chanyeol’s rough hands took care of every one of his body’s needs. His body reacted on its own grinding and jerking until he convulsed and felt his release escape him.
As he came down from his high, he quickly found the giant was yet to be done with his body. Pushing the brunette’s legs above his shoulders, Chanyeol leaned down and ate his fill. His tongue traced the rings of the small tiny cunt while his hands played with the nipples, not given the chance to be forgotten.
“Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol…” Baekhyun said his name like a mantra, doing nothing else but spreading his legs out even more.
Finally giving the well abused male some mercy, Chanyeol departed from the bed just long enough to come back with a bottle of lube. Baekhyun stared at the object as he waited with his legs apart, hand down the middle toying with himself.
“Well, isn’t that convenient…” Baekhyun said quietly.
Chanyeol caught the tone of his voice and gave a small chuckle. “I bought it before I left for your house. I would’ve had you bouncing on me in that barn if it wasn’t in my car,” he said gruffly before settling in between the open legs.
Splaying the gel on his fingers, he leaned over and offered his tongue for Baekhyun to take. And he did, entangling his hands in the dark ruffled mess before giving a quiet shriek at the first finger that gently entered him.
He wriggled until he felt Chanyeol’s finger all the way in, squeezing his ass tightly until Chanyeol cursed and slowly slipped out. Laughing, he kissed Chanyeol by the side of the mouth and kissed him slowly by the lips, tugging gently on the man’s bottom lip.
Putting a strong hand on the brunette’s thigh after two fingers had finished drilling open the tight squeeze, Chanyeol stroked himself slick with the gel substance and positioned the head of his thickness against the pulsating entrance.
Pulling apart just enough, Chanyeol caught Baekhyun’s eyes and soon, they were forehead to forehead, inches away from each other’s lips. He could see by the way the smaller male’s lips wobbled that he was anticipating the next action just as much as he was, but the escalating tension was just as exhilarating.
“God, I’m so in love with you,” he groaned before lowering his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder and thrusting his entire length with one fallen swoop.
Baekhyun clawed at his shoulder, leaving marks as he felt his entire body being stretched by the swollen body part. He whimpered, hanging on tightly as Chanyeol began to move, rocking both their bodies and the sturdy bed frame, making the structure creak.
Chanyeol’s movements became erratic as his need for Baekhyun’s body grew more and more. He held tightly on the smaller’s waist, but reached far enough to grip strongly on the headboard, using it as a leverage for when he wanted to push farther in deeper and stronger.
Crying out with every hit to his savored spot, Baekhyun turned his head up until Chanyeol craned down to take his lips, swallowing every moan that emitted from him.
The bed stood its trial with ever bouncing movement the two made, and the headboard proved to be strong, unbending to every push and pull Chanyeol had on its structure with every one of his thrusts.
Skin grinding on skin was all that filled the air. The rain and wind became drowned by every one of Chanyeol’s gruff groans and curses. Red and raw was the giant’s back and swollen was Baekhyun’s body. When he finally came to his end, he released himself, filling the tiny male’s body with his flooding juices, just enough that when he pulled himself out, the white thick product came out with ease.
He slowly let go of the bed and rolled to the side, lying beside the sweat-covered brunette who was just tired out of his mind like he was. After taking a while to regain himself, he sat up and looked down at Baekhyun who had covered his eyes with an arm over his face.
“You okay?”
For some reason, Baekhyun thought the question was funny, and so he laughed, dropping his arm and revealing a happy grin aimed for the man beside him. “I’m fine.”
With his shoulders tiredly slumped, Chanyeol reached over, grazing his face with his hand. “Didn’t hurt you at all?”
“Of course not,” Baekhyun replied, leaning into the touch. “What about you? How do you feel?”
A second later, Chanyeol dropped himself back on the bed and rolled over to draw Baekhyun against him, entangling their legs and uncaring for the mess they had made. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
-
-
Consequently, their relationship became better, but that didn’t mean fewer arguments over equipment and other how to do things. It just meant an easier way to end things at the end of the day which, for the most part, was spent at Chanyeol’s house.
There wasn’t much arguing about that matter. In fact, Baekhyun’s parents failed to bring up the topic of their son’s more and more frequent sleep overs, and the brunette was just fine with that.
Sometimes, in the night, he’d lie awake thinking about their options together once his time on the farm was done, and that day was slowly approaching, but he’d stop himself, putting the issue off for another day.
-
-
“Chanyeol. Really. I don’t—”
“What’re you scared about? I’m going in right after you.”
Baekhyun whipped his head around at the pushy male. “You know I haven’t swung off any branches in years!”
“You’re going to swing off a rope that’s tied to a branch,” Chanyeol said, handing him the said rope.
“Why can’t I jump off the dock?”
“Because I didn’t spend all morning setting this rope up for you not to use it.”
Fuck him. Baekhyun glared at the peering giant. There was nothing more that he hated than being guilt tripped into doing something. His manager knew that, but Chanyeol knew it even better.
Lifting Baekhyun up by his waist, Chanyeol made it easier for him to get a bearing on the rope. Once the brunette was somewhat comfortable, he looked up. “Ready?”
“Okay. Just don’t push—”
Chanyeol did push, but not as hard as Baekhyun had made it seem with his blood-curdling scream through the air before he hit the water. When Chanyeol swung and joined him, he was met with two fists and a hell of a lot of hits to the chest, but it was nothing his lips couldn’t stop. Nothing at all.
-
-
Baekhyun wasn’t the only one wondering where they were really headed after their blissful run. More often than not, Chanyeol began to think more and more of the matter as the days dragged by and the Saturday of Baekhyun’s departure began to edge close and closer.
He couldn’t get the guy out of his mind anymore, and it didn’t help that most nights, Baekhyun would crawl into bed with him until one thing led to another and he was on cloud nine for twenty straight hours again.
It mattered to him that they talk about their plan. If he had to go through the god damn process of losing the messy haired, short tempered, seductive male who flared him up like no other, Chanyeol was in no mind to think that he’d ever make it.
His work was calling on him, as well. Fact of the matter was, he couldn’t just sleep and have fun with Baekhyun all he wanted, despite how that was all he wanted. Jongin was calling his house every day to report in the progress of their projects, but with every day that passed, it seemed more and more like he needed to be there to oversee everything until the job is finished.
Crossing his arms, Chanyeol leaned against the doorway, watching as the morning sun hit the naked body curled up on the messy bed. The cool morning air hit his skin and Chanyeol slowly moved to his closet and took out a plain black shirt. When he turned around, he heard a soft groan and saw Baekhyun sitting up, hair sticking in all directions without a care.
“Good morning…” his broken and dry voice greeted.
Smiling, Chanyeol walked over to the bed. “Morning,” he replied, kissing the side of his cheek.
“Why’re you up so early?” Baekhyun asked after Chanyeol let him return the quick kiss back. “I was going to wake you up in a special way.”
He yawned and Chanyeol stifled a laugh. It was too cute. “I needed to take care of a few things with work.”
“Oh…Okay.”
Before he could lie back down, Chanyeol stopped him, putting a hand on his back. “Baekhyun, we need to talk. It’s already nine, so no more sleeping, okay?”
“Can we talk over breakfast, then?”
“We can if that’s what you—”
“Actually, let’s talk about it now,” Baekhyun said, changing his mind as he rubbed his eyes. “Let’s get it over with. What do you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to talk about us,” Chanyeol started, sitting on the side of the bed. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen.”
Groaning, Baekhyun slipped himself on the bed, face smothering the mattress. “I don’t want to talk about how things will be when this is all over,” he said, muffled by the bed. “I don’t want to think about when this fling’s done.”
Chanyeol froze. Fling? He stared at the brunette before rolling him on his back. “You think this is just a fling?”
“Isn’t it?” Baekhyun asked in a strained voice. There was an uncertainty to the giant whether it was due to the fact that he just woke up or because the thought that it was just a “fling” killed him. “What else could this be?”
Appalled, Chanyeol leaned back. “I never wanted a fling, Baekhyun. If I did, I wouldn’t have started this. You really think I’d bear it all out in the open just for it to be over by the time noon hits next Saturday?”
Suddenly fully awake, Baekhyun jerked upright. “Chanyeol, I…” He stopped, jaw tense. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened between us… I have my job. I have my condo. You have your business and you have this beautiful, beautiful house—”
“Which I built on the memory of us.”
“I know that!” Baekhyun sighed, putting a hand to his head. “But I can’t have both lives! I can’t be a model and a celebrity with this life, and I don’t want this life because I love my job and I love what I do!”
“You can have the best of what both have to offer!” Chanyeol argued.
“But it won’t be like that forever. I’ll have to choose one over the other someday, Yeol, and right now I—”
“Then choose.”
Chanyeol was watching him with steel eyes, unwilling to let the eye contact go. Swallowing, Baekhyun gave him a small heave of the shoulders. He spoke too late. Though nonverbal in his answer, Chanyeol could see by the void in his brown eyes that his heart was set on one decision and one only.
Cursing, the giant stood up from the bed, chest heaving with the feeling of something heavy weighing on him. He walked back and forth with hands behind his neck, and all Baekhyun could do was watch as the dream began to slowly end…
“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun felt helpless as the colors of his world began to fade again. “Chanyeol, where are you going?”
“Get dressed. I’m taking you home in ten minutes.”
God, what had he done, but be honest? Baekhyun hit the bed with his fist. “I never even gave you an answer!” he cried desperately just before Chanyeol reached the doors.
He saw the way the man’s shoulders tensed, and he could tell by his body language that he was angry, but the second Chanyeol turned to meet his gaze, Baekhyun was crestfallen by the words behind his glassy eyes.
“You didn’t need to.”
-
-
It was happening all over again.
The same heart shattered, and his tears became as wasted as his love. Baekhyun watched as the sun rose and set with the giant no longer coming around to mark his presence in his life.
Saturday morning felt like his funeral, and Baekhyun had no desire to wake up anymore. All he wanted to do was sink into a bottomless pit and stay there. If he couldn’t have both lives, then he might as well have none at all.
His father’s injuries had become better, and he could function around the farm if he didn’t exert himself too much. But Baekhyun was no fool. Beyond the smiles and the old jokes were two folks who could sense his weakness and sadness like no other.
That morning, he put on his best jeans, shirt, and over coat. He applied his makeup and styled his hair. When he looked in the mirror, there was no trace of the man who woke up next to his ex looking like a natural disaster.
There was a slight hope that beamed from him as he waited on the porch for his ride. He set his head on his knees as he waited on the steps, fantasizing Chanyeol’s old truck coming from the horizon to take him away from all his troubles.
He hadn’t lied that morning. It was in his honest opinion to say how both were precious to him, but one would eventually win over. His life on the go had a large leverage over him, one that had a contract. In his mind, he wasn’t being selfish at all to choose his career over a simpler life. It was all he’d ever wanted and all he ever needed, but he was beginning to question that.
It wasn’t that he didn’t need Chanyeol. Baekhyun ached at the very thought of going on without waking up with him anymore. He just didn’t want a repeat of history. The past had already proven he was horrible at maintaining relationships while keeping a growing career. Juggling was never his forte.
Chanyeol was right. Maybe he did make a choice without having to verbally declare it, but it wasn’t a choice that Baekhyun wanted. It was just the nature of things, and every night since that morning, he cursed everything and everyone for a life more complicated than an unsolved algorithm.
So, he had a hope that played off a fantasy, but it was hope nonetheless. However, reality was not so kind. It never was, at least not in Baekhyun’s opinion.
He heard a rumble in the distance and jerked his head up, eyes desperately searching for that old truck, but was crushed to see a white car near instead.
The cab had arrived.
-
-
“Baekhyun needs hair and makeup now!”
Orders were being yelled at and a handful of people were bustling from place to place with ear pieces in their ear and bottles of water in their arms to hand out. Baekhyun kept calm, letting the hair and makeup stylists do their job. At his hands were people making sure his fingers were just as flawless as his face.
Baekhyun’s eyes wandered the mirror in front of him, and his eyes caught the calendar from a reflection off to his left. It was the fourteenth of December meaning it’d been four months since his break from the scene. Sighing, Baekhyun closed his eyes at the request of the woman in charge of his makeup.
Four months of absolutely nothing, but breathing, eating, living. There was nothing else beside the given facts, and Baekhyun tried to forget about the loneliness by working every minute of the day. However, it was beginning harder and harder to do with the simple fact that Christmas was surrounding him, even his work.
Behind him, some models were already dressed and ready to be placed in the spotlight of the runway, but Baekhyun paid them no mind as he was told that he was finished. Putting his arms out, he let them take away his robe, replacing it with a white undershirt and a jacket worth more than his monthly mortgage.
He was ushered to put his shoes on and to undergo last minute changes to his entire outfit, having to hold his breath when the hair stylist released a large puff of hairspray on him. Keeping his lips tight, he survived the ordeal and was gently pulled into the line with his female pair.
Smiling at her, he quietly complimented her appearance, which she took kindly as she hooked her arm with his. Usually, he liked breaking the ice with a joke or two, and consequently, he found that the girl was a pleasant woman to work with until they were hushed by the director.
When the clock hit seven, Baekhyun heard the intro music play and knew the show had begun.
He whispered good luck to his partner, and received one in return just before the bright spotlight hit his sensitive eyes and he took one foot of the other, doing what he did best. Baekhyun poised his chin high for the audience to catch his best angles, eyes fierce and his swagger on point.
At the end, they held their poses and sharply turned on their heels when walking back to the back of the stage. The first and possibly only rule of runway modeling was to keep one’s eyes straight forward despite the glare of the spotlight, but when Baekhyun caught something from the corner of his eyes that resembled him, he bit his lip subtly to keep himself from turning to look.
It wasn’t the first time the event happened. There had been times when Baekhyun felt like he was there when in reality, it was nothing more than his cruel mind playing tricks on him.
Baekhyun went through the process of five costume changes before the show ended with the finale of all the models showcasing their last look. Afterwards, the backstage of the entire show was just as chaotic as before with many people entering to greet and congratulate the models.
Being fairly well known himself, he received a handful of special thanks from the director and owner of the show, gracefully accepting the bouquets and flowers. As time dragged on, people began to leave for the after party.
Valet was working their tail ends off, busy as could be, and Baekhyun stayed in the backstage waiting room to be called for his ride. His phone rang and he dug in the deep pockets of his winter coat while holding his flowers to answer, dismissing the act of checking the caller I.D.
“Hello?”
“Baekhyun.”
Nodding and smiling at the people who passed by the room, Baekhyun turned his attention to the phone. “Yes, Kris?”
“W Magazine wants to book you for a shoot on the twenty-sixth. I told them they could if they’d pay you more than Glamore who I booked for that day. Now, in my opinion, I think that…”
Looking at his feet, Baekhyun listened and hummed to all of Kris’ reasoning. He had no desire to work the day after Christmas but what else could he do? Spend time with his family? That would’ve been lovely if not for his cowardice to own up to his problems.
“So I think you should—”
“Kris, can I get back to you on that?” he interrupted, in no mood to listen to anything anymore. Then, he hung up before anything else was said.
Closing his eyes, he settled into the back of the sofa and exhaled. The after party was guaranteed to be a great time, and maybe, just maybe, he could use that to his full advantage. When he heard a knock at the door, he lifted his eyes to meet the gaze of Luhan, an on-site assistant.
“Baekhyun, your car’s waiting for you in the back.”
“Alright. Thank you,” Baekhyun said, giving a small smile as he pushed himself off the seat, making sure the flowers in his arms stayed intact. Just as he passed the boy on the way out in the hall, he nodded. “Have a great holiday. Good job today, Luhan.”
“Thanks, Baek,” the blonde said, waving. “I’ll see you around. Happy holidays to you, too!”
As Baekhyun walked towards the back entrance, he thought about those words, and compromised with himself that he would have a “nice” holiday—or at least try. Working on the holidays could be nice, too, and he could always make it happy.
With every step that he took, he felt even emptier. How long was he going to run around in circles trying to convince himself he was fine?
He was fine. He’d always be fine and—
No. Baekhyun’s grip on the flowers tightened. He wasn’t happy. There was a difference between being genuinely happy and pretending to be happy in front of a crowd of people only to go back to a home that had no life.
For god’s sake, it was the Christmas reason. Even the woman he worked with had a boyfriend who came around to give her a kiss and congratulations. The man had shaken his hand and thanked him for taking care of his girlfriend!
How did she manage to have a relationship and a career? What made her figure out the secret? Maybe he really was selfish and the world was justified to punish him with the feeling of utter loneliness. Baekhyun didn’t know. All he knew was that he was alone because he had made a choice, and he was utterly…indescribably…and hopelessly…miserable.
He stepped outside and found a chauffeur opened the door to a black sedan, greeting him by name. The color of the car was different than the red vehicle that Kris had arranged to drop him off from his condo to the show, but Baekhyun didn’t think too much about it. There had been plenty of times when the man decided to switch carriers.
Getting into the car, Baekhyun settled in, buckling himself in the back before turning his head to the window. He hadn’t noticed it before, but small flutters of snow was flying in the air, and Baekhyun thought the sight was absolutely beautiful and serene. The first snow in December, and there he was, on his way to an after-party alone.
His laugh slowly turned into a small cry until he snapped himself out of the thought of missing anyone.
Wiping the wetness from under his eye, Baekhyun took in a deep breath and continued to watch as the car moved along.
He knew exactly where the party was, but was met with the unfamiliar site of a deserted park. Jerking his attention to the driver, Baekhyun frowned and suddenly, he felt panicked. Was he being kidnapped? Were they lost?
Baekhyun fought to unscramble his thoughts by the time the driver opened his door. Defensively, he put the flowers down and unclicked his seatbelt, ready to fight. “Where are we?”
The driver said nothing, only motioning for Baekhyun to exit the vehicle. Though common sense told him to reject the command, Baekhyun found his legs obeying, slowing sliding out the side of the car.
Looking around, he saw nothing but a sparse number of people taking night walks. It wasn’t until he looked in the direction of the large, white, lit fountain that he noticed a figure standing just a few feet away from him holding a familiar object.
The snow flurries fluttered around them and Baekhyun couldn’t grasp the right words to say. His heart was slowly coming back to life and his eyes felt the formation of tears beginning to process. Biting his tongue, he attempted to contain himself, but found that he couldn’t.
His arms were uselessly by his side and he made no move to use them in anyway just as his legs were frozen to the ground. Red from the cold, his ears and nose screamed to be covered with something warm, but Baekhyun was also deaf to his body’s needs with a mind so preoccupied, he was rendered numb.
The driver had returned back inside the car leaving the brunette to face that man at the end of the small pathway to the center of the fountain. A nuclear explosion happened inside of him, thawing him from his frozen state, but his reaction was like it had always been. Cowardly.
Spinning around, he put a hand on the door handle and was one second away from ripping the side of the car open, but then he stopped.
What was he doing? God, he didn’t know anymore.
Turning his head, he looked back and met the dark orbs that pleaded for him to stay. Glancing up at the night sky, Baekhyun inhaled and held his breath, making his decision.
“What’re you doing here?” he choked out, trying to walk firmly and angrily at the giant, but it was failing with every step.
“I came to watch your show and to give you flowers.”
Baekhyun stopped two feet from Chanyeol. It was all he allowed himself or else the man would’ve pulled him in closer by his mere gravitational pull. His hair was as rugged as his personality, but the turtleneck and long black coat gave him a different feeling than the man Baekhyun last saw with jeans and a shirt.
Glancing at the man’s large hands, Baekhyun frowned. “I’m not planting that…”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to, honey,” Chanyeol replied.
The déjà vu moment pulled at the brunette’s heart strings and he forced himself to look away. “Did you like the show?”
“Yes.”
I’m sorry.
Why couldn’t he say those simple words? They were practically crying for him to speak, burning his throat dry. Baekhyun shut his eye tightly, jaws locked as his knuckles lost their color. “I’m glad,” he said tightly before letting the silence fall. “Chanyeol—”
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun.”
Snapping his head at the giant, Baekhyun gave him a hard look full of hurt. Why the hell was he apologizing? Why could Chanyeol say those words, but he couldn’t? He was the one who needed to say them, so why was the stupid man saying words he shouldn’t have been saying?
Angrily, Baekhyun didn’t know what else to do. So he slapped him. “Stop…”
Chanyeol’s face remained as it was. Dismissing the slap, he looked at the smaller male. “I was wrong back then. I’m s—”
Baekhyun slapped him again. “Stop apologizing.” His voice was breaking apart. “I don’t want your apologies.”
“Baekhyun—”
“Why should you apologize about anything!?” Putting his hands on Chanyeol’s chest, Baekhyun pushed him back. “Why’re you wasting words? Why’re you making yourself into such a fat idiot when I should be the one doing that!? You make me so mad, Park Chanyeol. Just shut up!”
Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol released one hand free to catch the latter’s wrist. “Baekhyun, please just—”
“I’m sorry! Not you!” The tears were spilling, but Baekhyun didn’t care. He ripped his hand from Chanyeol’s grip and punched the giant’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I chose my career over you! I just… It was so hard, Chanyeol! It still is, and now…now we’re fucking fighting on the first snow day in Seoul and I’m such an idiot.”
Breaking down, Baekhyun fell to the ground, resting his head on his knees as he covered himself in that position. There was a party with hundreds of people possibly waiting for him, and yet he didn’t care for any of them. The only one on his mind was the dark haired giant who made him want to burst into flames every second of the day. And with pleasure.
He heard the sound of the flower plant being set on the ground, and the next thing Baekhyun knew, Chanyeol was crouched in front of him, holding his head between his hands and forcing him to raise his face.
“I told you…you could have the best of both, but I failed you by accepting your decision for this life,” Chanyeol confessed, searching Baekhyun’s eyes. “I let you go by trying to be okay, and you know I just spent the worst four months thinking about that morning.”
Baekhyun gave a dry laugh as he felt a thumb rub away at the droplets sliding off his cheek. “Everything’s my fault.”
“That’s not true. Part of it is mine, and I won’t let us go down that road where we think we’re both at fault, blaming each other for years because we didn’t talk about it.”
With his eyes wandering down, he noticed how tight Chanyeol’s jaw had become. Reaching upwards, he cupped the man’s face with his cold, small hands. “I don’t want any type of life without you anymore,” he croaked. “I’m so alone, Yeol.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Chanyeol said, rising up and taking Baekhyun with him. “I’ve been a walking mess, too, but I bet you can’t say the same thing. You looked beautiful up on that runway, honey. No wonder you love it, but I can’t say I wasn’t jealous knowing that other guys were watching you.”
“Stop,” Baekhyun snorted, putting his forehead against the giant’s broad chest. “I’m not.”
“You are. Even more when you have nothing on.”
Laughing, Baekhyun wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket before inhaling. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well,” Chanyeol started as the brunette leaned down to pick up the pot of flowers. “I’m moving my business’ headquarters here in Seoul, so I’ll be spending more time here.”
Immediately, Baekhyun’s eyes lit up. “Really? Are you really?”
“I told you I made the mistake of accepting your choice,” Chanyeol said. “I was insensitive. I didn’t think it’d be a difficult decision for you to make. I’m sorry…But I realize now that we should’ve made compromises. Anyways, I’ve been working on moving the business for months now. I just settled in a few weeks ago to an apartment, probably smaller than your condo, but what can I do? I’m just a simple business man with a super model husband.”
“Husband?” The brunette’s cheeks flushed with a blush of red. “Chanyeol—”
Putting a hand on the Baekhyun’s back, Chanyeol began to lead them back to the car. “I got a bit carried away there, but soon enough, it’ll be true, won’t it? Hopefully, this time, at least.”
Jabbing the man with his elbow, Baekhyun huffed. “Of course, stupid man.” Then, after a while, he asked, “What about your house?”
“Hmmm,” Chanyeol hummed, snaking an arm around Baekhyun’s waist and pulling the shorter against him. “I thought that maybe you could cut back on your schedule a little bit as your part of the compromise? Just a little bit. I’m not asking you to give up your life, just enough so that we can have and make our own.”
Without hesitation, Baekhyun nodded. After four months of working straight to the bone, he was ready to slowly settle down, and it elated him to know Chanyeol would be there with him in the process.
“I will… I’ll cut back on my schedules.”
“Good.” Chanyeol gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “As for the house, we can always go in the summer. Kyungsoo’s very good with up keeping with the property while I’m gone, anyways. How does that sound? To have a summer home until we’re ready to move back there permanently?”
Baekhyun couldn’t speak anymore. “I’d love that, Chanyeol… I’d love that a lot. Thank you.”
“I don’t care about how many compromises I have to make as long as I have you with me, Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said, lowering his head to steal a quick kiss from the corner of the brunette’s lips. “I’m sorry for being an idiot, but I hope you know I love you.”
God damn it. Baekhyun swung an arm around the man’s neck and pulled him completely down, placing his lips firmly against his. “I love you no matter how bitter you are. From my best friend to my husband, I’ll always love you even when you’re being a stubborn idiot, alright?”
“Guess we’re both stubborn idiots sometimes.”
“Yes, we are…”
“But I guess that’s why we’re perfect for each other.”
With lips wobbling, Baekhyun firmly nodded and reached up for another kiss, uncaring for the driver or anyone else who was watching them with curious eyes. The world was standing on its rightful axis again and there was no care in the world.
Standing in that park, in the coldest season yet, Baekhyun found his greatest source of warmth kissing his one and only, Park Chanyeol.
Baekhyun found himself staring out the window half the time, unable to gather himself well enough to strike up a conversation. He had turned on the radio, but even the music couldn’t rip him away from being aware of what was going on.
There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but decided to hold off on all for when the time was right. When he glanced over at Chanyeol, the man didn’t seem fazed at all by their silence. It seemed as though he was lost in his own deep thought, and for a second, Baekhyun was jealous that at least one of them was able to distract themselves.
The clouds were gray with a darker shade out in the horizon, and Baekhyun wondered if the bleak weather would hold up long enough for them to go horseback riding without becoming drenched. He had the slight hope that all would be well, however. There was a trust that he had with Chanyeol despite their constant arguments. If there was anything to be done that concerned animals or infrastructure, Chanyeol could handle it.
They drove through the town the same way Baekhyun had ridden his bike through it before, but when the brunette looked over, he saw the way Chanyeol’s eyes stayed glued at the restaurant that was mentioned in their extremely heated argument. For a moment, Baekhyun wanted to open his mouth and say something, but he had no idea what.
As they moved on, Baekhyun began to imagine what Chanyeol’s home looked like. He imagined something nice, perhaps even the house he won with his ex-wife’s settlement. She was rich, wasn’t she? Then that meant Chanyeol was well off.
Pressing his head against the glass window, Baekhyun fought with himself. Again and again, he wondered why that woman came up in mind again, but he knew exactly why he felt slightly angry again. It was all directed at Chanyeol’s decision to even get married without a romantic cause, but Baekhyun kept still, attempting to remind himself that it was all in the past.
But if it was all in the past, why did he care so much? Baekhyun held his breath. Maybe he cared beyond the fact that it was a loveless marriage. If it was even possible, he wondered if he cared because he wasn’t Chanyeol’s first.
A sensation of defeat washed over him, but Baekhyun was pulled out of his sulky mood when he opened his eyes and was greeted by the familiar sight of the Kyungsoo’s colonial home. Frowning, he glanced at Chanyeol as if nonverbally asking him what business they had there.
Chanyeol missed the non-spoken message and shut his truck’s engine off when he pulled right in front of the house. “We’re here.”
Giving him a puzzled look, Baekhyun frowned as he slowly unclicked his seatbelt. “But this is Kyungsoo’s house?”
Snorting, Chanyeol got out from his side and shut the door, promptly walking around the front of his truck to open Baekhyun’s side. “Actually, it’s mine.” Helping the star struck brunette out, Chanyeol exhaled. “This is why you’re here. So we can talk.”
“Well, I can see why!” Baekhyun piped as Chanyeol closed his door. “You didn’t correct me when I said that this was Soo’s house!”
“I did just now.”
“Not before!”
Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol led the way, following a small dirt path that led past the house and to the back. The entire place was larger than Baekhyun actually thought. He never saw the path when he was there before, but he blamed it all on the trees.
The horse stables were fairly far from the house itself, but it was well worth the short walk. Baekhyun entered the building and was pleasantly surprised at how clean and well-maintained it all was. There were three horses, all of which were calm and inviting to the new stranger’s presence.
“They’re beautiful, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun softly said as he approached the brown one, running his fair hand on the horse’s head. “What’re their names?”
“Biscuit, Shortcake, and Will.”
“Why is Will the only one who wasn’t named after a food?”
Chanyeol shrugged as he walked over to pick a saddle from a rack on the wall. “Will’s my personal riding horse, but I let the other two be named by my nephew.”
“Nephew?” Baekhyun blinked. “Your sister had a baby?”
“Yeah, I’m an uncle.”
“That’s weird to think about…” Moving to the other horses, Baekhyun pet them all just the same. “I still remember her yelling at you to get out of her room when we were sixteen. Remember that? She had a slumber party and you decided to be an ass. You barged in half-naked, and you ended up sleeping at my house.”
“I don’t remember,” Chanyeol said, though it was clear by the tone of his voice that he knew exactly what the latter was talking about. He unlatched the stable door for the black and white spotted horse, calming her before setting the saddle firmly on her back. “This is Shortcake. You’ll be riding her today. Don’t worry. She’s very easy to strangers as long as you’re not aggressive with her.”
“Why do I feel like I’m getting this horse for a reason?” Baekhyun muttered, taking the reins when Chanyeol walked the horse out of its stable.
“For one, the name,” the giant explained. “Second of all, like I said, she’s very easy to strangers as long as you’re not aggressive.”
Chanyeol walked away to get his own saddle and Baekhyun scrunched his face. “Oh, funny, Chanyeol. Your sense of humor’s really improved over the years!”
“And yours went dry.”
Letting the comment go, Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol saddled his own horse, Will, a black stallion, and managed to hoist himself up with ease. Trying to do the same, Baekhyun put one foot in the saddle’s provided loop and pulled himself on the horse.
He almost didn’t make it. In fact, actually he didn’t. His left leg was over the horse, but his body was jutting out to the side and he was practically on the horse vertically. Crying out apologies, he used the horse’s hair and its sturdy neck to get himself upright. Triumphantly, he blew the stray hairs out of his face and caught his breath.
“Glad it only took you half a century.” Chanyeol laughed as he gently kicked the side of his horse to get the stallion to slowly walk out of the stable.
Baekhyun glared at the back of the man’s head and patted Shortcake’s bottom to get the gentle horse to walk on as well. Taking the command, the horse did as the brunette wanted and slowly followed.
“It would’ve been faster if you helped me, at least!”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
Was this honestly the same guy who kissed him the day before and held him like he was a fragile item from FedEx? Baekhyun frowned. It was honestly a legitimate question.
Chanyeol lead them on a wider trail, and a very familiar one at that. It took a while, but Baekhyun recognized it as a trail they often took when wandering the edge of the lake together when they were in school. The trail now, however, was cleaner and wider. There was no doubt in his mind that work was put into making it as it was.
As their horses began to pace themselves closer and closer to one another, Baekhyun looked out over at the water. “So, this is yours…”
“No. That belongs to the city, not me. I own the property around here, but not the lake.”
Throwing him a look, Baekhyun gave him a lopsided frown. “You know what I meant.”
“Can’t help but tease you about it though.”
Chanyeol’s eyes were the darkest of brown. Though solid in its color, it often seemed as though it fluctuated with every emotion the man felt. When Baekhyun made eye contact with him, it felt as though he was being sucked into a black hole, unrelenting in its grasp of him as he remained mesmerized by the dark orbs.
After a while, he broke eye contact, clearing his throat. As much as he would’ve liked to continue on in such a way, he knew he was there for more than just gazing at the man beside him. Even Chanyeol knew that there were more heavy matters to discuss by the way he kept quiet for long periods of time.
Taking the first chance to start, Baekhyun managed to get Shortcake to walk directly beside the black stallion. “Can you talk to me about your marriage?” he asked, slightly unsure of the subject, but nonetheless felt it was necessary. “What was it like? Did you at least try to like her?”
There was no doubt in his mind that the subject hurt like hell, but Baekhyun was very much used to controlling his facial expressions. He couldn’t, however, decipher what Chanyeol’s calm and collected body language had to say on the matter.
Heaving his shoulders, Chanyeol shrugged and looked over the wondering brunette. “I never married anyone, Baekhyun. There was never a she or a divorce.”
It came like a bombshell and Baekhyun’s mouth hung open. He didn’t know how to feel about the revelation. Relieved because it was a lie or embarrassed that he blew off on and on about the sanctity of love and marriage just days before? Chanyeol expected the reaction, but didn’t seem to show much for it.
“I don’t understand,” Baekhyun finally found himself saying. His hold on Shortcake’s rein grew tighter. “You said there was a settlement and that… Chanyeol, you have all of this! Didn’t you get this because she felt bad for you!?”
“Baekhyun, I said I never married, and if I never married, then I never got a divorce or a settlement,” Chanyeol said again. After a moment, he asked, “Are you relieved I didn’t taint the entire idea of marriage for you?”
It was meant to be a light question, but Baekhyun couldn’t help but draw his brows together as he processed the information. Unconsciously, he began petting the horse’s head, thankful that the animal had a few therapeutic powers.
“Then why would you lie to me about that?” he asked, moments after a time of silence passed. “Why would you blatantly lie to my face?”
“I didn’t think it’d hurt you so much.” The confession stung, but at the same time, Baekhyun felt forgiving. “I just needed to give you some sort of excuse in case you ever found out about this. You already knew I wasn’t helping your father out for money, and I made the stupid mistake of bragging off my credit card to you. I just wanted something to slap you on the face for thinking I never did anything with my life, and that’s why I pulled it out.”
“You could’ve just told me you had money.”
Chanyeol scoffed. “Honey, you already knew I had money. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that you just had to dig your nose around and find out why I did. So, I gave you a reason. One that was believable. I just never thought you’d act that way.”
“That’s because I—”
“But I’m glad you did,” the giant cut off, giving him a hard and solid stare. “You seemed so bothered by the fact that I married, I got a little hopeful—so I pushed it. I didn’t expect for you to spill your guilty guts out to me or to mention Kyungsoo, however.”
The mentioning of the name pulled Baekhyun’s head up. “But you did kiss him.”
“I didn’t know that until a few days ago, but he—”
“Um, no! How can you not know that you—”
“Can we stick to one topic and get to the rest later?” Chanyeol rubbed his forehead. “Where were we? The marriage?”
“The marriage that never was,” Baekhyun confirmed with a huff.
"Alright, then.” Taking a moment of silence for himself, Chanyeol ran a hand through his hair giving himself a messy look that made Baekhyun bite down on his lower lip. “While we’re on the subject of how I got my money, I need to tell you something because it involves you, personally.”
Baekhyun tore his eyes away from the man’s dark hair. “What?”
“You and I had a savings account together. We started it in high school when we started talking about getting engaged and married. Remember that?”
For once, Baekhyun’s memory did serve him right. They made the account in the winter when he started talking about couples getting married and Chanyeol brought up the idea of saving for the future. Since piggy banks were too tempting to break, the minute they both turned eighteen, Chanyeol drove them to the local bank and wrote up an account for the two of them.
It grew slowly, but by the time they were twenty one, it was enough for a small wedding. It wasn’t necessarily large enough to build a life together, but it was enough to create the spark.
Nodding, Baekhyun pursed his lips. “I remember.”
“Well…It’s not there anymore,” Chanyeol said softly. “I took the money out and I closed the account.”
“Why…” The word came like a whisper. “Did you need it for something? Didn’t you say that your father’s farm was—”
Shaking his head, Chanyeol cut him off. “My dad’s farm is doing fine. He was never in foreclosure. I took the money out because… Baek, you said you didn’t love me anymore. What the hell was I supposed to do? That account was mocking me in the face and the money we piled in there was a constant reminder that I was never going to make that life with you. I had to take it out. I had no other choice.”
“But you just gave that up?”
Pulling the reins, Chanyeol put Will to a halt. Shortcake stopped as well. “Byun Baekhyun, back then, I was under the heavy impression that you gave up. Do you know how mentally and emotionally unstable you left me? I was practically a fucking insomniac because I couldn’t go to sleep without your voice repeating those words. I was a wreck without you… So, forgive me if it hurts you to know that I closed that chapter of our lives. It was over anyhow, so I thought I’d spend the money in other parts.”
During the nights when he tossed and turned on his state of the art mattress and comfort set, crying about his stupid love life, Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol was feeling like the glob of a mess that he felt like then.
As he searched Chanyeol’s dark eyes, all he could see was the pain that had been tucked away for years, untouched, but never forgotten. And Baekhyun recognized it all. He was in the exact same state.
“What’d you do with the money, then?” Baekhyun softly asked, already in understanding with Chanyeol’s situation. “Did you go back to school?”
“I invested it in some new companies,” Chanyeol told him. “I was stupid. I didn’t even do my research about these investments. To be honest, I think I was half drunk when I made them. You can guess my surprise when they took off just six months after I put in my money in. They paid me back really good. Even to this day. After that, I guess I sobered up and used the money I got to go back to school. Majored in business and management. Came back after four years and started my own business.”
With his eyes wide open, Baekhyun leaned in. “You have your own business? I didn’t expect that.”
“I can’t blame you. Neither did I.” Will began to move again and Baekhyun gently kicked Shortcake with the heel of his shoe. “I do construction so we do a lot of big projects here and there. I’m usually the one who oversees things.”
“Then why’re you here?”
“Because of you.”
Baekhyun expected the usual answer which somehow always involved his parents, but the one Chanyeol gave was…
The brunette didn’t know exactly. The only thing he knew for sure was that he stopped breathing for a split millisecond.
“You always told me it was because you wanted to help my folks out…” Baekhyun reminded him. “Why me?”
“Why you is exactly what I kept asking myself,” the giant said, laughing quietly to himself. “The day before you came, I honestly thought about backing out. I kept telling myself I was stupid to even ask your father’s permission to help you. We were done. Years already went by. You had your life and I had mine, but I wanted to see you even if it meant keeping you at a distance. That’s all I wanted.”
“Chanyeol—”
“Baekhyun, I think I’m still in love with you.” Chanyeol refused to look at him, keeping his eyes on the trail, but the latter was just the opposite. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man beside him. “I thought I was over this. You know, I tried my damn hardest to keep you away at arm’s length, but you’re just so… I don’t know how to say it.”
“Say what?” Baekhyun pushed.
Shrugging, Chanyeol glanced at him for the first time. “I don’t know. You have a gravitational pull. Every time you pissed me off, yeah, you sure as hell made me mad, but you don’t get it. I have the best damn patience compared to anyone else in the world, but when it comes to you, I’m one second away from detonating. You just ignite me the way no one else can, so I suppose your loud mouth and short temper has its uses.”
Leaning over, Baekhyun smacked the man on his arm. “I have good patience, too, you know! You’re just a test from God, that’s all. You’re not the only one who gets easily mad when the other’s around.”
“Guess that’s what makes us perfect for each other, then.”
Pausing, Baekhyun gave him a look before drawing his eyes down to the ground. “So, you gambled our money away, went back to school, started a business, which is obviously doing well or else you wouldn’t have any of this... Then what about—”
“Let’s talk about you for a second now.” Chanyeol turned his head up to the sky. It was becoming darker. “Who’s Kris?”
“Who is he?” Baekhyun cocked his head. “He’s—”
“I know he’s your manager. Everyone knows that.”
Puzzled, Baekhyun was taken aback. If Chanyeol knew who Kris was, then what else did he want to know? “That’s all he is. He manages my schedules and appointments.”
Unexpectedly, Chanyeol turned his head to him with a frowning expression. “You told me he was your boyfriend.”
“What!?”
For the life of him, Baekhyun couldn’t recall the moment he told Chanyeol such a thing. His memory was never the brightest, but he knew for sure that the latter must’ve been mistaken somehow. There was absolutely no way he could’ve said that in the weeks that he’d been there. In fact, there was no reason to spin that fat lie.
“Kris isn’t my boyfriend. I would never date him!” the brunette exclaimed. “He’s bossy, and likes to overbook me sometimes, which is a pain in the little ass that I have left because of the stupid diet he put me on for thirty weeks!” After he calmed down, he jabbed a finger in Chanyeol’s direction. “And I never told you that he was!”
“Let me bring up the day. Maybe you’ll remember.” Chanyeol grew serious, but his voice remained slightly sarcastic. “You told me we weren’t working out anymore, and then I asked you why. You told me you met someone and you proceeded to go on and on in explicit detail about how you fell in love with your manager, Kris, while on the job because, as you said, it was ‘inevitable’ for two people working side by side to fall in love. Did that jostle your memory up?”
Cursing mentally, Baekhyun berated himself. It did happen. He remembered how he said those words to make the break up easier, but what he couldn’t remember was who it was supposed to make it easier for. Looking up, he saw Chanyeol watching him, and proudly, he lifted his chin.
“Well, you know what? You’re not the only one who can lie about their love life!” he justified, crossing his arms. “But just to make it clear, no. I would never date him and I never did. He’s far too old for me, Chanyeol. He’s what? Thirty. I prefer people my own age.”
“That’s good.”
A grin formed on the man’s face and Baekhyun could see how the situation was satisfyingly dealt with. They put that specific misunderstanding behind them and continued on the path.
“I think it’s time you tell me about Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said finally, loosening his grip on Shortcake’s reins. The sky in the horizon didn’t look too friendly anymore, but the brunette found himself silently calling the upcoming storm forward. “I want to know what happened.”
“I was drunk. That’s what happened.”
Seconds passed and Baekhyun waited patiently for the man to catch his bearing and explain on.
“You had gotten so famous in such a short time. We stopped talking because of your schedule and the time differences… You know, I was feeling like an absolute piece of shit for being nothing. All I did was help my dad around and drink, trying to get a hold of you.”
Thunder rolled in the distance.
“Then rumors started floating around about you and that manager of yours. Papers. Online articles. Hell, the entire World Wide Web was on your love life’s ass. I tried to ignore it, but I wasn’t in the right mind anymore. I was already feeling worthless. I didn’t have the confidence to believe that you wouldn’t do that to me.”
Baekhyun’s lips wavered. “I didn’t think you heard any of those things…” His voice was quiet, but Chanyeol heard enough. “You should’ve said something to me. I would’ve told you.”
“How could I?” Chanyeol asked. “You were so busy, your assistants kept putting me on hold and asking if I wanted to leave a message. What could I have done? Tell them to tell you, ‘Hey, your boyfriend called. He’s feeling a bit insecure against your high profile manager who’s just as tall as he is, but much more successful. Call him and let him know it’s all okay,’?”
“Yes!”
“Don’t be an idiot. I’m a man and I have my pride.” Sighing, Chanyeol moved Will into a slower trot. “After we fought, I left your house and drove to Kyungsoo’s house. You know, the one I kept telling you that was twenty minutes from town by car?”
Baekhyun let the jab go. “And?”
“He told me all about that night. Of course, he didn’t know you were there, but he knew that I kissed him when I was wasted as all after listening to those rumors again.” Then he stopped. “He told me it was disgusting. That I tasted bitter and sad.”
“Was he—”
“He wasn’t talking about the alcohol,” Chanyeol finished, lips drawing into a thin line. “Then I passed out on him and he drove me back to my dad’s house. I woke up with the worst hangover, but I couldn’t remember what had happened. He never told me either. Said it was better off that way. He asked me why I was asking and I told him about us. By the way, he said to make it clear that he’s just my gardener on the weekends. Nothing more.”
Slowly, everything began to piece together. The reasons and the fallout, like Pangaea in reverse. Baekhyun closed his eyes and felt the first drop of the late summer rain.
As the droplet slid off his cheek, it took with it all his pain and the turmoil he kept burning inside of him. It sizzled out the fire of misunderstanding and washed away parts of the past that he had kept with him.
“Chanyeol, can I ask you one last thing?”
“We’re talking right now, aren’t we? So, go ahead.”
Taking in a breath, Baekhyun asked, “Who was that woman?”
“She was my lawyer, consulting me about liability for…”
Baekhyun zoned out feeling like he wanted to smack himself against a large tree. His lawyer. The woman was his lawyer, and his mother must’ve known that when he mentioned the word girlfriend in front of her the night Chanyeol picked him up from his ride from “Kyungsoo’s” house. Even Shortcake could sense his stupidity by snorting.
Another roll of thunder hit and the rain began to pour. The horses fidgeted at the cracking sound of the sky, but neither Baekhyun nor the giant beside him made a sound, accepting the rain as it began to drench them.
Shortcake had more issues with the thunder than Will. Slightly more erratic than she was before, Chanyeol decided that the horse was more than Baekhyun was likely to be comfortable with. Asking for the reins, he took control of the horse until he positioned the two horses side by side.
“Transfer over in front of me.”
Nodding, Baekhyun whispered a good-bye to his horse and quickly eased into the space in front of Chanyeol. He held tightly on the saddle in fear of falling until Chanyeol settled an arm around him while holding both reins. It wasn’t too long after when Baekhyun settled against him.
Their way back to the stable was filled with silence, but the kind that asked for nothing to fill its void. When they reached the inside of the stable, Baekhyun was cold and Chanyeol was very aware, working quickly to hop off his stallion to put the mare back in her enclosed corner.
Then he came back with his arms outreached. “Come on,” he said encouragingly as Baekhyun moved his way off the horse. When he felt Chanyeol’s strong hands hold him by the waist, he knew he could safely jump the rest down.
Reaching into his pocket, Chanyeol took out a set of keys and handed them to Baekhyun once he was off the horse. “Get inside and dry yourself off. I’ll follow after you.”
Baekhyun looked at the silver key and nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help with anything?”
“I’m sure. Now, go. The wind’s starting to pick up.”
-
-
Running from the stable to the house was a pleasure. Never had the rain felt more refreshing and cool against him, and it didn’t bother him in the slightest how he was completely drenched from his head all the way down to his dirty shoes.
He reached the back entry way of the house and took his shoes off at the side. It took seconds after he pushed his hair back to realize that he had just entered the most beautiful home he’d ever seen. For a moment, he almost felt a bit sad at the fact that he was soaking the dark hardwood floors of the kitchen.
Baekhyun had no idea where to go. It all seemed too nice for him to ruin by sliding his wet self across the floor trying to find what? A bathroom?
Quietly, he stood there, feeling apologetic to the man who he had accused of so many things only to be wrong countless times. Sighing, Baekhyun gave himself leeway as he moved to from the door and towards the granite kitchen island. On it was the magazine he had signed for Kyungsoo just weeks before, but with it was a note attached, saying, “For you, loser.”
Unexpectedly, he laughed. God, he felt so stupid, but so relieved that it meant nothing more but just friendship. Baekhyun jerked from the island when he heard the back door open and smile the second Chanyeol met his glance.
“Oh, hi.”
“Hey,” Chanyeol replied, distracted. “Why haven’t you dried off yet? There’re towels in the bathroom upstairs.”
“I didn’t know where your bathrooms were,” Baekhyun told him.
Cursing to himself, Chanyeol exhaled, moving towards him and taking his hand. “Come on before you catch a cold.”
“Before we both catch a cold.” The brunette couldn’t help himself.
Following the man up the stairs, Baekhyun’s eyes fed on everything he saw. From the paintings to the curtains to the lamps and to the small tables, it was all beautifully decorated. The only thing that tore his attention away from the interior house design was the firm and warm grip of Chanyeol’s hand, assuring the brunette that everything was real.
Chanyeol handed him a towel and a set of his clothes. “They might be too big, but this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve worn anything of mine.”
Making a face, Baekhyun took the clothes in his care with grace. “Thanks,” he said, sticking his tongue out subtly before closing the bathroom door.
-
-
Of all the things the man forgot to give him, it had to be boxers.
Pulling down on the white shirt Chanyeol had given him, Baekhyun trudged out of the bathroom and began wandering the halls. “Yeol?” he called, opening door after door. “Can I borrow a pair of your boxers for a minute?”
Baekhyun stopped, frowning. He could hear the dryer on the first floor adamantly working on their clothes and the wind and rain beating against the windows, but he couldn’t hear the giant anywhere. Pursing his lips together, he walked towards the end of the hall towards the room with the double doors, one slightly opened.
Putting one hand on the unlocked door, he pushed inside. “Hey, genius, you forgot to give me—”
He shrieked when he felt the giant’s arms swoop him into the air, but his screams turned into uncontrollable laughter as Chanyeol spun them around before landing both of them on the bed.
Grinning, Chanyeol pulled the brunette on top of him. “What were you saying about boxers?” he asked, teasingly tugging on the shirt he had given the latter.
Snorting, Baekhyun gave a shy grin back, dragging his hands down Chanyeol’s broad chest until he reached back and began pulling on the only clothing the man had on. “Nothing, except you need to get rid of yours.”
Chanyeol hummed as Baekhyun leaned down, crashing their lips together. His hand worked diligently and with the help of the brunette on top of him, he managed to kick his boxers to the floor. With both of his hands free, Chanyeol groped the ass set atop his manhood and began to grind their parts together.
Baekhyun moaned, rolling his hips to the movement and slowly coming alive. Breaking apart from the kiss, Chanyeol took the opportunity to drag his hard kisses along the brunette’s pale neck, and Baekhyun arched his body when he felt Chanyeol’s fingers teasingly probe along the rim of his entrance, prying his cheeks apart.
Craning his head upwards, Chanyeol took one of the perky nipples jutting out of his lips’ attention and took it in his mouth, gently pulling at it and flicking it with his tongue, sucking until it was time for the other to be rewarded their attention. Chanyeol took pride in the swollenness of the brunette’s small pink nipples, and indulged in their taste over and over again until Baekhyun collapsed on him from being overwhelmed by the probing fingers and tongue.
Flipping them over, Chanyeol gave him a long hard kiss before trailing down the male’s body, past his gleaming nipples still slick with his saliva and down between Baekhyun’s parted legs. He felt Baekhyun grip onto his dark hair, pulling him teasingly away from his parts, but Chanyeol took a firm hand, holding him still while the other took the brunette’s aroused cock and began to pump it.
“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun gasped, crying as his hips jerked into the hand, requesting more. He had never felt that needy with anyone else before, but Chanyeol knew exactly what it was that made him click. Releasing the man’s hair, Baekhyun’s hands clawed at the mattress then to his mouth to keep from crying out when Chanyeol took him to his mouth.
Bobbing his head, Chanyeol engulfed the shaft, sucking its very tip all the way down to the brunette’s constricted balls. He lapped at the clear pre-ejaculation that oozed from the cock’s head and dragged the tip of his tongue against the head’s slit.
No one else knew Baekhyun’s body like he did and Chanyeol took that into his full advantage. Pulling his mouth away, he pressed a finger against the boy’s tight little hole, pressing against it as his other hand pumped up and down on the shaft.
Baekhyun felt like he was sinfully in heaven, whining and crying out in pleasure as Chanyeol’s rough hands took care of every one of his body’s needs. His body reacted on its own grinding and jerking until he convulsed and felt his release escape him.
As he came down from his high, he quickly found the giant was yet to be done with his body. Pushing the brunette’s legs above his shoulders, Chanyeol leaned down and ate his fill. His tongue traced the rings of the small tiny cunt while his hands played with the nipples, not given the chance to be forgotten.
“Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol…” Baekhyun said his name like a mantra, doing nothing else but spreading his legs out even more.
Finally giving the well abused male some mercy, Chanyeol departed from the bed just long enough to come back with a bottle of lube. Baekhyun stared at the object as he waited with his legs apart, hand down the middle toying with himself.
“Well, isn’t that convenient…” Baekhyun said quietly.
Chanyeol caught the tone of his voice and gave a small chuckle. “I bought it before I left for your house. I would’ve had you bouncing on me in that barn if it wasn’t in my car,” he said gruffly before settling in between the open legs.
Splaying the gel on his fingers, he leaned over and offered his tongue for Baekhyun to take. And he did, entangling his hands in the dark ruffled mess before giving a quiet shriek at the first finger that gently entered him.
He wriggled until he felt Chanyeol’s finger all the way in, squeezing his ass tightly until Chanyeol cursed and slowly slipped out. Laughing, he kissed Chanyeol by the side of the mouth and kissed him slowly by the lips, tugging gently on the man’s bottom lip.
Putting a strong hand on the brunette’s thigh after two fingers had finished drilling open the tight squeeze, Chanyeol stroked himself slick with the gel substance and positioned the head of his thickness against the pulsating entrance.
Pulling apart just enough, Chanyeol caught Baekhyun’s eyes and soon, they were forehead to forehead, inches away from each other’s lips. He could see by the way the smaller male’s lips wobbled that he was anticipating the next action just as much as he was, but the escalating tension was just as exhilarating.
“God, I’m so in love with you,” he groaned before lowering his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder and thrusting his entire length with one fallen swoop.
Baekhyun clawed at his shoulder, leaving marks as he felt his entire body being stretched by the swollen body part. He whimpered, hanging on tightly as Chanyeol began to move, rocking both their bodies and the sturdy bed frame, making the structure creak.
Chanyeol’s movements became erratic as his need for Baekhyun’s body grew more and more. He held tightly on the smaller’s waist, but reached far enough to grip strongly on the headboard, using it as a leverage for when he wanted to push farther in deeper and stronger.
Crying out with every hit to his savored spot, Baekhyun turned his head up until Chanyeol craned down to take his lips, swallowing every moan that emitted from him.
The bed stood its trial with ever bouncing movement the two made, and the headboard proved to be strong, unbending to every push and pull Chanyeol had on its structure with every one of his thrusts.
Skin grinding on skin was all that filled the air. The rain and wind became drowned by every one of Chanyeol’s gruff groans and curses. Red and raw was the giant’s back and swollen was Baekhyun’s body. When he finally came to his end, he released himself, filling the tiny male’s body with his flooding juices, just enough that when he pulled himself out, the white thick product came out with ease.
He slowly let go of the bed and rolled to the side, lying beside the sweat-covered brunette who was just tired out of his mind like he was. After taking a while to regain himself, he sat up and looked down at Baekhyun who had covered his eyes with an arm over his face.
“You okay?”
For some reason, Baekhyun thought the question was funny, and so he laughed, dropping his arm and revealing a happy grin aimed for the man beside him. “I’m fine.”
With his shoulders tiredly slumped, Chanyeol reached over, grazing his face with his hand. “Didn’t hurt you at all?”
“Of course not,” Baekhyun replied, leaning into the touch. “What about you? How do you feel?”
A second later, Chanyeol dropped himself back on the bed and rolled over to draw Baekhyun against him, entangling their legs and uncaring for the mess they had made. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
-
-
Consequently, their relationship became better, but that didn’t mean fewer arguments over equipment and other how to do things. It just meant an easier way to end things at the end of the day which, for the most part, was spent at Chanyeol’s house.
There wasn’t much arguing about that matter. In fact, Baekhyun’s parents failed to bring up the topic of their son’s more and more frequent sleep overs, and the brunette was just fine with that.
Sometimes, in the night, he’d lie awake thinking about their options together once his time on the farm was done, and that day was slowly approaching, but he’d stop himself, putting the issue off for another day.
-
-
“Chanyeol. Really. I don’t—”
“What’re you scared about? I’m going in right after you.”
Baekhyun whipped his head around at the pushy male. “You know I haven’t swung off any branches in years!”
“You’re going to swing off a rope that’s tied to a branch,” Chanyeol said, handing him the said rope.
“Why can’t I jump off the dock?”
“Because I didn’t spend all morning setting this rope up for you not to use it.”
Fuck him. Baekhyun glared at the peering giant. There was nothing more that he hated than being guilt tripped into doing something. His manager knew that, but Chanyeol knew it even better.
Lifting Baekhyun up by his waist, Chanyeol made it easier for him to get a bearing on the rope. Once the brunette was somewhat comfortable, he looked up. “Ready?”
“Okay. Just don’t push—”
Chanyeol did push, but not as hard as Baekhyun had made it seem with his blood-curdling scream through the air before he hit the water. When Chanyeol swung and joined him, he was met with two fists and a hell of a lot of hits to the chest, but it was nothing his lips couldn’t stop. Nothing at all.
-
-
Baekhyun wasn’t the only one wondering where they were really headed after their blissful run. More often than not, Chanyeol began to think more and more of the matter as the days dragged by and the Saturday of Baekhyun’s departure began to edge close and closer.
He couldn’t get the guy out of his mind anymore, and it didn’t help that most nights, Baekhyun would crawl into bed with him until one thing led to another and he was on cloud nine for twenty straight hours again.
It mattered to him that they talk about their plan. If he had to go through the god damn process of losing the messy haired, short tempered, seductive male who flared him up like no other, Chanyeol was in no mind to think that he’d ever make it.
His work was calling on him, as well. Fact of the matter was, he couldn’t just sleep and have fun with Baekhyun all he wanted, despite how that was all he wanted. Jongin was calling his house every day to report in the progress of their projects, but with every day that passed, it seemed more and more like he needed to be there to oversee everything until the job is finished.
Crossing his arms, Chanyeol leaned against the doorway, watching as the morning sun hit the naked body curled up on the messy bed. The cool morning air hit his skin and Chanyeol slowly moved to his closet and took out a plain black shirt. When he turned around, he heard a soft groan and saw Baekhyun sitting up, hair sticking in all directions without a care.
“Good morning…” his broken and dry voice greeted.
Smiling, Chanyeol walked over to the bed. “Morning,” he replied, kissing the side of his cheek.
“Why’re you up so early?” Baekhyun asked after Chanyeol let him return the quick kiss back. “I was going to wake you up in a special way.”
He yawned and Chanyeol stifled a laugh. It was too cute. “I needed to take care of a few things with work.”
“Oh…Okay.”
Before he could lie back down, Chanyeol stopped him, putting a hand on his back. “Baekhyun, we need to talk. It’s already nine, so no more sleeping, okay?”
“Can we talk over breakfast, then?”
“We can if that’s what you—”
“Actually, let’s talk about it now,” Baekhyun said, changing his mind as he rubbed his eyes. “Let’s get it over with. What do you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to talk about us,” Chanyeol started, sitting on the side of the bed. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen.”
Groaning, Baekhyun slipped himself on the bed, face smothering the mattress. “I don’t want to talk about how things will be when this is all over,” he said, muffled by the bed. “I don’t want to think about when this fling’s done.”
Chanyeol froze. Fling? He stared at the brunette before rolling him on his back. “You think this is just a fling?”
“Isn’t it?” Baekhyun asked in a strained voice. There was an uncertainty to the giant whether it was due to the fact that he just woke up or because the thought that it was just a “fling” killed him. “What else could this be?”
Appalled, Chanyeol leaned back. “I never wanted a fling, Baekhyun. If I did, I wouldn’t have started this. You really think I’d bear it all out in the open just for it to be over by the time noon hits next Saturday?”
Suddenly fully awake, Baekhyun jerked upright. “Chanyeol, I…” He stopped, jaw tense. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened between us… I have my job. I have my condo. You have your business and you have this beautiful, beautiful house—”
“Which I built on the memory of us.”
“I know that!” Baekhyun sighed, putting a hand to his head. “But I can’t have both lives! I can’t be a model and a celebrity with this life, and I don’t want this life because I love my job and I love what I do!”
“You can have the best of what both have to offer!” Chanyeol argued.
“But it won’t be like that forever. I’ll have to choose one over the other someday, Yeol, and right now I—”
“Then choose.”
Chanyeol was watching him with steel eyes, unwilling to let the eye contact go. Swallowing, Baekhyun gave him a small heave of the shoulders. He spoke too late. Though nonverbal in his answer, Chanyeol could see by the void in his brown eyes that his heart was set on one decision and one only.
Cursing, the giant stood up from the bed, chest heaving with the feeling of something heavy weighing on him. He walked back and forth with hands behind his neck, and all Baekhyun could do was watch as the dream began to slowly end…
“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun felt helpless as the colors of his world began to fade again. “Chanyeol, where are you going?”
“Get dressed. I’m taking you home in ten minutes.”
God, what had he done, but be honest? Baekhyun hit the bed with his fist. “I never even gave you an answer!” he cried desperately just before Chanyeol reached the doors.
He saw the way the man’s shoulders tensed, and he could tell by his body language that he was angry, but the second Chanyeol turned to meet his gaze, Baekhyun was crestfallen by the words behind his glassy eyes.
“You didn’t need to.”
-
-
It was happening all over again.
The same heart shattered, and his tears became as wasted as his love. Baekhyun watched as the sun rose and set with the giant no longer coming around to mark his presence in his life.
Saturday morning felt like his funeral, and Baekhyun had no desire to wake up anymore. All he wanted to do was sink into a bottomless pit and stay there. If he couldn’t have both lives, then he might as well have none at all.
His father’s injuries had become better, and he could function around the farm if he didn’t exert himself too much. But Baekhyun was no fool. Beyond the smiles and the old jokes were two folks who could sense his weakness and sadness like no other.
That morning, he put on his best jeans, shirt, and over coat. He applied his makeup and styled his hair. When he looked in the mirror, there was no trace of the man who woke up next to his ex looking like a natural disaster.
There was a slight hope that beamed from him as he waited on the porch for his ride. He set his head on his knees as he waited on the steps, fantasizing Chanyeol’s old truck coming from the horizon to take him away from all his troubles.
He hadn’t lied that morning. It was in his honest opinion to say how both were precious to him, but one would eventually win over. His life on the go had a large leverage over him, one that had a contract. In his mind, he wasn’t being selfish at all to choose his career over a simpler life. It was all he’d ever wanted and all he ever needed, but he was beginning to question that.
It wasn’t that he didn’t need Chanyeol. Baekhyun ached at the very thought of going on without waking up with him anymore. He just didn’t want a repeat of history. The past had already proven he was horrible at maintaining relationships while keeping a growing career. Juggling was never his forte.
Chanyeol was right. Maybe he did make a choice without having to verbally declare it, but it wasn’t a choice that Baekhyun wanted. It was just the nature of things, and every night since that morning, he cursed everything and everyone for a life more complicated than an unsolved algorithm.
So, he had a hope that played off a fantasy, but it was hope nonetheless. However, reality was not so kind. It never was, at least not in Baekhyun’s opinion.
He heard a rumble in the distance and jerked his head up, eyes desperately searching for that old truck, but was crushed to see a white car near instead.
The cab had arrived.
-
-
“Baekhyun needs hair and makeup now!”
Orders were being yelled at and a handful of people were bustling from place to place with ear pieces in their ear and bottles of water in their arms to hand out. Baekhyun kept calm, letting the hair and makeup stylists do their job. At his hands were people making sure his fingers were just as flawless as his face.
Baekhyun’s eyes wandered the mirror in front of him, and his eyes caught the calendar from a reflection off to his left. It was the fourteenth of December meaning it’d been four months since his break from the scene. Sighing, Baekhyun closed his eyes at the request of the woman in charge of his makeup.
Four months of absolutely nothing, but breathing, eating, living. There was nothing else beside the given facts, and Baekhyun tried to forget about the loneliness by working every minute of the day. However, it was beginning harder and harder to do with the simple fact that Christmas was surrounding him, even his work.
Behind him, some models were already dressed and ready to be placed in the spotlight of the runway, but Baekhyun paid them no mind as he was told that he was finished. Putting his arms out, he let them take away his robe, replacing it with a white undershirt and a jacket worth more than his monthly mortgage.
He was ushered to put his shoes on and to undergo last minute changes to his entire outfit, having to hold his breath when the hair stylist released a large puff of hairspray on him. Keeping his lips tight, he survived the ordeal and was gently pulled into the line with his female pair.
Smiling at her, he quietly complimented her appearance, which she took kindly as she hooked her arm with his. Usually, he liked breaking the ice with a joke or two, and consequently, he found that the girl was a pleasant woman to work with until they were hushed by the director.
When the clock hit seven, Baekhyun heard the intro music play and knew the show had begun.
He whispered good luck to his partner, and received one in return just before the bright spotlight hit his sensitive eyes and he took one foot of the other, doing what he did best. Baekhyun poised his chin high for the audience to catch his best angles, eyes fierce and his swagger on point.
At the end, they held their poses and sharply turned on their heels when walking back to the back of the stage. The first and possibly only rule of runway modeling was to keep one’s eyes straight forward despite the glare of the spotlight, but when Baekhyun caught something from the corner of his eyes that resembled him, he bit his lip subtly to keep himself from turning to look.
It wasn’t the first time the event happened. There had been times when Baekhyun felt like he was there when in reality, it was nothing more than his cruel mind playing tricks on him.
Baekhyun went through the process of five costume changes before the show ended with the finale of all the models showcasing their last look. Afterwards, the backstage of the entire show was just as chaotic as before with many people entering to greet and congratulate the models.
Being fairly well known himself, he received a handful of special thanks from the director and owner of the show, gracefully accepting the bouquets and flowers. As time dragged on, people began to leave for the after party.
Valet was working their tail ends off, busy as could be, and Baekhyun stayed in the backstage waiting room to be called for his ride. His phone rang and he dug in the deep pockets of his winter coat while holding his flowers to answer, dismissing the act of checking the caller I.D.
“Hello?”
“Baekhyun.”
Nodding and smiling at the people who passed by the room, Baekhyun turned his attention to the phone. “Yes, Kris?”
“W Magazine wants to book you for a shoot on the twenty-sixth. I told them they could if they’d pay you more than Glamore who I booked for that day. Now, in my opinion, I think that…”
Looking at his feet, Baekhyun listened and hummed to all of Kris’ reasoning. He had no desire to work the day after Christmas but what else could he do? Spend time with his family? That would’ve been lovely if not for his cowardice to own up to his problems.
“So I think you should—”
“Kris, can I get back to you on that?” he interrupted, in no mood to listen to anything anymore. Then, he hung up before anything else was said.
Closing his eyes, he settled into the back of the sofa and exhaled. The after party was guaranteed to be a great time, and maybe, just maybe, he could use that to his full advantage. When he heard a knock at the door, he lifted his eyes to meet the gaze of Luhan, an on-site assistant.
“Baekhyun, your car’s waiting for you in the back.”
“Alright. Thank you,” Baekhyun said, giving a small smile as he pushed himself off the seat, making sure the flowers in his arms stayed intact. Just as he passed the boy on the way out in the hall, he nodded. “Have a great holiday. Good job today, Luhan.”
“Thanks, Baek,” the blonde said, waving. “I’ll see you around. Happy holidays to you, too!”
As Baekhyun walked towards the back entrance, he thought about those words, and compromised with himself that he would have a “nice” holiday—or at least try. Working on the holidays could be nice, too, and he could always make it happy.
With every step that he took, he felt even emptier. How long was he going to run around in circles trying to convince himself he was fine?
He was fine. He’d always be fine and—
No. Baekhyun’s grip on the flowers tightened. He wasn’t happy. There was a difference between being genuinely happy and pretending to be happy in front of a crowd of people only to go back to a home that had no life.
For god’s sake, it was the Christmas reason. Even the woman he worked with had a boyfriend who came around to give her a kiss and congratulations. The man had shaken his hand and thanked him for taking care of his girlfriend!
How did she manage to have a relationship and a career? What made her figure out the secret? Maybe he really was selfish and the world was justified to punish him with the feeling of utter loneliness. Baekhyun didn’t know. All he knew was that he was alone because he had made a choice, and he was utterly…indescribably…and hopelessly…miserable.
He stepped outside and found a chauffeur opened the door to a black sedan, greeting him by name. The color of the car was different than the red vehicle that Kris had arranged to drop him off from his condo to the show, but Baekhyun didn’t think too much about it. There had been plenty of times when the man decided to switch carriers.
Getting into the car, Baekhyun settled in, buckling himself in the back before turning his head to the window. He hadn’t noticed it before, but small flutters of snow was flying in the air, and Baekhyun thought the sight was absolutely beautiful and serene. The first snow in December, and there he was, on his way to an after-party alone.
His laugh slowly turned into a small cry until he snapped himself out of the thought of missing anyone.
Wiping the wetness from under his eye, Baekhyun took in a deep breath and continued to watch as the car moved along.
He knew exactly where the party was, but was met with the unfamiliar site of a deserted park. Jerking his attention to the driver, Baekhyun frowned and suddenly, he felt panicked. Was he being kidnapped? Were they lost?
Baekhyun fought to unscramble his thoughts by the time the driver opened his door. Defensively, he put the flowers down and unclicked his seatbelt, ready to fight. “Where are we?”
The driver said nothing, only motioning for Baekhyun to exit the vehicle. Though common sense told him to reject the command, Baekhyun found his legs obeying, slowing sliding out the side of the car.
Looking around, he saw nothing but a sparse number of people taking night walks. It wasn’t until he looked in the direction of the large, white, lit fountain that he noticed a figure standing just a few feet away from him holding a familiar object.
The snow flurries fluttered around them and Baekhyun couldn’t grasp the right words to say. His heart was slowly coming back to life and his eyes felt the formation of tears beginning to process. Biting his tongue, he attempted to contain himself, but found that he couldn’t.
His arms were uselessly by his side and he made no move to use them in anyway just as his legs were frozen to the ground. Red from the cold, his ears and nose screamed to be covered with something warm, but Baekhyun was also deaf to his body’s needs with a mind so preoccupied, he was rendered numb.
The driver had returned back inside the car leaving the brunette to face that man at the end of the small pathway to the center of the fountain. A nuclear explosion happened inside of him, thawing him from his frozen state, but his reaction was like it had always been. Cowardly.
Spinning around, he put a hand on the door handle and was one second away from ripping the side of the car open, but then he stopped.
What was he doing? God, he didn’t know anymore.
Turning his head, he looked back and met the dark orbs that pleaded for him to stay. Glancing up at the night sky, Baekhyun inhaled and held his breath, making his decision.
“What’re you doing here?” he choked out, trying to walk firmly and angrily at the giant, but it was failing with every step.
“I came to watch your show and to give you flowers.”
Baekhyun stopped two feet from Chanyeol. It was all he allowed himself or else the man would’ve pulled him in closer by his mere gravitational pull. His hair was as rugged as his personality, but the turtleneck and long black coat gave him a different feeling than the man Baekhyun last saw with jeans and a shirt.
Glancing at the man’s large hands, Baekhyun frowned. “I’m not planting that…”
“I wasn’t going to ask you to, honey,” Chanyeol replied.
The déjà vu moment pulled at the brunette’s heart strings and he forced himself to look away. “Did you like the show?”
“Yes.”
I’m sorry.
Why couldn’t he say those simple words? They were practically crying for him to speak, burning his throat dry. Baekhyun shut his eye tightly, jaws locked as his knuckles lost their color. “I’m glad,” he said tightly before letting the silence fall. “Chanyeol—”
“I’m sorry, Baekhyun.”
Snapping his head at the giant, Baekhyun gave him a hard look full of hurt. Why the hell was he apologizing? Why could Chanyeol say those words, but he couldn’t? He was the one who needed to say them, so why was the stupid man saying words he shouldn’t have been saying?
Angrily, Baekhyun didn’t know what else to do. So he slapped him. “Stop…”
Chanyeol’s face remained as it was. Dismissing the slap, he looked at the smaller male. “I was wrong back then. I’m s—”
Baekhyun slapped him again. “Stop apologizing.” His voice was breaking apart. “I don’t want your apologies.”
“Baekhyun—”
“Why should you apologize about anything!?” Putting his hands on Chanyeol’s chest, Baekhyun pushed him back. “Why’re you wasting words? Why’re you making yourself into such a fat idiot when I should be the one doing that!? You make me so mad, Park Chanyeol. Just shut up!”
Drawing his brows together, Chanyeol released one hand free to catch the latter’s wrist. “Baekhyun, please just—”
“I’m sorry! Not you!” The tears were spilling, but Baekhyun didn’t care. He ripped his hand from Chanyeol’s grip and punched the giant’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I chose my career over you! I just… It was so hard, Chanyeol! It still is, and now…now we’re fucking fighting on the first snow day in Seoul and I’m such an idiot.”
Breaking down, Baekhyun fell to the ground, resting his head on his knees as he covered himself in that position. There was a party with hundreds of people possibly waiting for him, and yet he didn’t care for any of them. The only one on his mind was the dark haired giant who made him want to burst into flames every second of the day. And with pleasure.
He heard the sound of the flower plant being set on the ground, and the next thing Baekhyun knew, Chanyeol was crouched in front of him, holding his head between his hands and forcing him to raise his face.
“I told you…you could have the best of both, but I failed you by accepting your decision for this life,” Chanyeol confessed, searching Baekhyun’s eyes. “I let you go by trying to be okay, and you know I just spent the worst four months thinking about that morning.”
Baekhyun gave a dry laugh as he felt a thumb rub away at the droplets sliding off his cheek. “Everything’s my fault.”
“That’s not true. Part of it is mine, and I won’t let us go down that road where we think we’re both at fault, blaming each other for years because we didn’t talk about it.”
With his eyes wandering down, he noticed how tight Chanyeol’s jaw had become. Reaching upwards, he cupped the man’s face with his cold, small hands. “I don’t want any type of life without you anymore,” he croaked. “I’m so alone, Yeol.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Chanyeol said, rising up and taking Baekhyun with him. “I’ve been a walking mess, too, but I bet you can’t say the same thing. You looked beautiful up on that runway, honey. No wonder you love it, but I can’t say I wasn’t jealous knowing that other guys were watching you.”
“Stop,” Baekhyun snorted, putting his forehead against the giant’s broad chest. “I’m not.”
“You are. Even more when you have nothing on.”
Laughing, Baekhyun wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket before inhaling. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well,” Chanyeol started as the brunette leaned down to pick up the pot of flowers. “I’m moving my business’ headquarters here in Seoul, so I’ll be spending more time here.”
Immediately, Baekhyun’s eyes lit up. “Really? Are you really?”
“I told you I made the mistake of accepting your choice,” Chanyeol said. “I was insensitive. I didn’t think it’d be a difficult decision for you to make. I’m sorry…But I realize now that we should’ve made compromises. Anyways, I’ve been working on moving the business for months now. I just settled in a few weeks ago to an apartment, probably smaller than your condo, but what can I do? I’m just a simple business man with a super model husband.”
“Husband?” The brunette’s cheeks flushed with a blush of red. “Chanyeol—”
Putting a hand on the Baekhyun’s back, Chanyeol began to lead them back to the car. “I got a bit carried away there, but soon enough, it’ll be true, won’t it? Hopefully, this time, at least.”
Jabbing the man with his elbow, Baekhyun huffed. “Of course, stupid man.” Then, after a while, he asked, “What about your house?”
“Hmmm,” Chanyeol hummed, snaking an arm around Baekhyun’s waist and pulling the shorter against him. “I thought that maybe you could cut back on your schedule a little bit as your part of the compromise? Just a little bit. I’m not asking you to give up your life, just enough so that we can have and make our own.”
Without hesitation, Baekhyun nodded. After four months of working straight to the bone, he was ready to slowly settle down, and it elated him to know Chanyeol would be there with him in the process.
“I will… I’ll cut back on my schedules.”
“Good.” Chanyeol gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “As for the house, we can always go in the summer. Kyungsoo’s very good with up keeping with the property while I’m gone, anyways. How does that sound? To have a summer home until we’re ready to move back there permanently?”
Baekhyun couldn’t speak anymore. “I’d love that, Chanyeol… I’d love that a lot. Thank you.”
“I don’t care about how many compromises I have to make as long as I have you with me, Byun Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said, lowering his head to steal a quick kiss from the corner of the brunette’s lips. “I’m sorry for being an idiot, but I hope you know I love you.”
God damn it. Baekhyun swung an arm around the man’s neck and pulled him completely down, placing his lips firmly against his. “I love you no matter how bitter you are. From my best friend to my husband, I’ll always love you even when you’re being a stubborn idiot, alright?”
“Guess we’re both stubborn idiots sometimes.”
“Yes, we are…”
“But I guess that’s why we’re perfect for each other.”
With lips wobbling, Baekhyun firmly nodded and reached up for another kiss, uncaring for the driver or anyone else who was watching them with curious eyes. The world was standing on its rightful axis again and there was no care in the world.
Standing in that park, in the coldest season yet, Baekhyun found his greatest source of warmth kissing his one and only, Park Chanyeol.