Part XIV

Baekhyun

Life finally seemed to be calming down. Even though my dad would occasionally talk about new apartments he was looking at, I no longer felt like there was a rush to leave. It's not that I enjoyed living as a guest in someone else's house, but I did like knowing I could see Chanyeol whenever I wanted to. Even after we eventually moved out, I knew we'd find a way to still see each other, but I kind of just wanted to cherish having him right across the hall for as long as I could.

One weekend, I was down in the kitchen making myself a small snack when Chanyeol came in, looking giddier than usual. "What happened to you?" I asked. "Wait, please don't tell me you had another one of those creepy sex dreams about me again."

"I didn't, but it wouldn't be creepy even if I did. You're my boyfriend after all. Would you rather me have sex dreams about someone else?" he replied as he stood across from me on the other side of the island.

I stared at him for a moment and slowly began to smile. "I guess not, though you should tell me if you do," I said. "If it's a celebrity, it doesn't count, but if it's anyone else, you better watch your back."

He laughed. "No, the reason I'm kind of excited is because it's a beautiful spring day out and I have the perfect idea for a perfect date that I know you'll love," he said, briefly pointing at me.

"And how do you know I'll love it?"

"Because I just do. I've done my research about you, Byun Baekhyun," he replied with narrowed eyes. 

"Okay, so what kind of perfect date is it then?" I asked after I laughed.

"You'll just have to wait and see. And don't get too full, okay? I'll take us out for lunch after," he said. He didn't stick around for long after that, just patting the counter a couple of times before exiting the kitchen. I still felt very confused, but I just laughed again. I definitely wanted to cherish these moments.

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Once we were both dressed for the day, Chanyeol practically dragged me out of the door. It made me happy to see the more vibrant and silly side of his personality come out more often, even at school when we still tried to keep our relationship a secret. It made me happy to know he felt comfortable enough around me to let it out.

When the car stopped, I realized we were in front of a pottery shop and I swear I felt my heart swell with emotion. "How did you know?" I asked in a quieter voice. 

"Well, I asked your dad what your hobbies were and he said your mom was an artist and that you liked to make stuff with her," he explained, now looking a little timid. "I just thought you'd like to do something like this."

I smiled widely at him and leaned over to give him a fleeting kiss on the cheek. "I love it," I said, earning a bright smile back from him. 

We got out of the car and headed into the shop where we were greeted by one of the employees, who asked us if we were trust browsing or interested making something. Chanyeol answered for us and then she began to explain the process to us. It had been a while since I had made any pottery, but I still ended up remembering enough to get a good start. 

We both decided to make something for our dads, a flower pot for mine and a coffee mug for Chanyeol's. Chanyeol struggled a little in the beginning and it was quite entertaining to watch him concentrating so hard. In the end, though, they both turned out pretty good, and the worker there said Chanyeol's mug was very good for a beginner, which I think boosted his confidence a lot.

She said they would take a couple of hours to heat, so we decided to get some lunch and then come back afterward. We ended up going to a restaurant not too far down the street from the shop, where of course, he told me to order whatever I wanted because it was on him.

"You don't talk about your mom a lot, do you?" I said in the midst of our conversation about family. He just kind of looked at me, briefly glancing down at his plate before shaking his head no. "How come?"

"It still hurts too much, I guess," he answered. He sighed and laid his arms on the table. "It's almost been a year, but all I can think about when I think of her or see something that reminds me of her is that funeral photo of hers. It's like it taunts me and just constantly reminds me that she's gone. That probably sounds weird."

"No, it sounds about right," I replied. "My mom died before I even started middle school, but I can still remember her funeral like it was yesterday. My dad and I both knew she'd go before her natural time, but it doesn't make it hurt any less."

"How did you get over it? I mean, you both seem okay to talk about her now."

"I wouldn't say we ever really got over it, but we've learned to live with it. Her dying was out of our control and even out of her control when you think about it, so there's really no point in letting something you have no power over have so much power over you. Don't get me wrong, it took us a long time to get even close to being able to talk about her or look at old pictures or videos of her without instantly crying, but I think you have to force yourself to make a choice. Do you want to focus on the time you didn't have with her or the time you did have? It takes time and a lot of willpower, but you get there eventually."

"Sounds easier than it is," he said, making me laugh a little. 

I nodded. "It is. But you have to take the first step or else you'll never be able to stop seeing her funeral photo," I replied. "The first step is the hardest step to take, but it gets easier little by little once you do." He nodded, letting out a small sigh again. I smiled and reached across to lay my hand on top of his. "And if you ever need someone to hold your hand, I'll be here." That made him smile. 

As much as I was enjoying our time together, I couldn't help but think how it all seemed too good to be true. Was this just the calm before the storm or could life actually be this good?

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After we went back to the pottery shop to finish our creations, we decided to finish off the day with a movie. It was close to dinnertime when we got back to the house. 

"Okay, your date idea was kind of perfect," I said once we were inside, turning around as Chanyeol shut the door and took his shoes off. 

"Thank you very much," he said proudly.

"I just hope you can keep the good ideas coming. You might end up taking me on dates for a very long time if you play your cards right."

"Oh, don't worry. I've started a list. I told you, I've done my research." I laughed and checked to make sure I didn't see anyone around before giving him a kiss. 

"That reminds me," I said a few moments after the kiss ended. "Now that Taemin and Kai are finally getting past their dramatic relationship, we've set a date for Taemin's graduation party. We're gonna do it the week before graduation actually happens because he'll probably be pretty busy with college stuff after."

"Okay, sounds good. I think his parents are already sending out party invitations of their own, so it's good to do it early," Chanyeol said.

"Luhan doesn't know the exact date yet, but knowing him, he'll have it figured out before the day is over." 

We both chuckled at that and then I decided I couldn't wait to give my dad his flower pot, so we temporarily parted ways. I found him outside still working on the spring gardening out back. 

"Dad, what have I told you," I whined once I was outside. "You shouldn't be bent over like that so much. You'll destroy your back even more than you already have."

He laughed as he stood up straight, taking his gloves off and wipes his hands together. "Fine, I'll listen to you...one day." I rolled my eyes and grinned as he laughed again. "Where have you been all afternoon? Did you meet with your friends?"

"No, I actually hung out with Chanyeol and we went to a pottery shop. You know, like the ones my mom would take me to." I tried to contain my smile a little bit, but it wasn't working so well. "That's where I made you this. I figured you could use it for work if you needed to."

He smiled as he looked at the flower pot. "I love it. Thank you," he said. "I think I'll keep this for me." I smiled too and was about to turn around to let him get back to work when he started talking again. "Look, son, you know I love you and would never judge you or hurt you in any way because of who you love, right?"

Of course life couldn't just be this good.

"Yeah, dad, I know," I said, nodding my head faintly.

"Okay just..." he began, setting the pot down and walking closer to me. "...be careful, okay? I know you must like Chanyeol a lot, but this isn't exactly the ideal situation to be dating my boss's son."

I exhaled shakily. "How did you know?"

"I'm your father. I see way more than you think I do." I looked down at the ground briefly and sighed. "I'm not gonna stand here and say you have to break up, but just be careful. We're still guests in Mr. Park's house and while I think he's a great man, I don't know how he'd take finding out that my son is dating his son while we're staying here. You know how much I need this job, how much we need this job."

"I know, dad," I said, nodding my head. "I'll be careful, I promise." He just looked at me quietly for a moment, nodding his head after a while. Before he could say anything else, I turned around and left to go back inside.

Why couldn't life just be good?