Part XVIII

Chanyeol

"How's the new place?"

"It's nice. I'm still not used to it yet."

I chuckled. "I think that's not natural. It's only been a week and a half since you moved in."

He pouted a little. "Feels like longer. I miss you being right across the hall."

"I just miss you."

"Sap."

I laughed and moved to lay on my side. "It must be nice to back at school."

"Yeah, though, I think they've become more chaotic since we became seniors. I'm afraid they've succumbed the loud, obnoxious senior stereotype."

"You complain now, but you'll definitely miss it after graduation."

"You sound like my dad."

"Well, he's a wise man. Great minds think alike."

He let out a small laugh. "How's school been for you?"

"It's fine. None of them have really talked to me or Kyungsoo as far as I know. It was a little awkward at first, but I'm personally feeling better about the whole thing honestly."

"Good. That means it was a good choice."

I hummed and nodded, smiling briefly. My eyes flickered to the time in the corner of my screen. "It's late. I suppose I should let you get some sleep."

He groaned softly. "Fine, but I won't like it. I've been having trouble sleeping since I can no longer be cuddled."

"But you can sleep in longer because you don't have to run back to your room before the housekeeper comes in."

"True, but cuddling is worth the risk. You're warm. I like warm things."

"Well, I can compromise and give you a long, warm hug when you come over this weekend."

His eyes narrowed in thought for a moment. "I'll accept that. But I define the terms of how long a long hug is."

"Deal."

Baekhyun smiled at me. "Goodnight, Yeollie," he said after a minute of silence.

"Night," I replied, waiting for him to hang up before turning my phone off and reaching over to connect it to my charger.

A week and a half had felt like an entire year to me. The house suddenly felt bigger and emptier without him around and I hated every moment of it. I didn't bother telling him about those feelings, though; it wasn't like there was anything he or even I could do about it. 

:::::::::

Getting through the next three days until Saturday proved to be a challenge. I had been on edge ever since my dad told me he invited them over for dinner, so much so that I was beginning to feel like I would actually spontaneously combust. On the evening they were supposed to come over, I tried to distract myself by watching some television and playing some video games, but the moment I heard the doorbell ring, I was practically sprinting out of my room and down the stairs.

"I got it," I said right as the housekeeper appeared to open the door. She looked at me suspiciously for a few seconds before nodding and walking away. I patted down some of the wrinkles in my shirt and then twisted the knob to open the door. "Hey," I said, smiling but not too wide.

"Hi," Baekhyun replied, flashing a smile back at me. I opened the door wider and bowed at his dad as he walked in.

"Welcome," my dad said as he came down the staircase. "I'm so glad you both could make it."

"Thank you for inviting us," Baekhyun's dad said.

"How's the new place? Are you sick of it and ready to come back?"

"It's great. I think we're both still adjusting, but so far, so good."

"Great, that's wonderful to hear. Dinner should be almost done, so we can go sit down."

"Um, Baekhyun and I will be right there," I interjected. "I just have to, uh, show him something real quick."

"Okay," my dad replied, chuckling as he looked back and forth at us. "Make it fast, though." I nodded and then grabbed Baekhyun's wrist, swiftly pulling him up the stairs. Once we were in my room, I gently pushed him up against the nearest wall and kissed him. I sighed into the kiss when I felt his lips start to move against mine, feeling all of my loneliness and anxiety fall off my shoulders.

"Fuck, I missed you," I said after the kiss ended, my forehead resting against his.

He smiled, laughing a little. "So much for a warm, long hug," he said. My arms were wrapped around him in the next instant, which made him laugh again. "I missed you, too, you big baby," he said as he hugged me back. 

"I never realized how big and lonely it was here until you left," I mumbled into his neck. 

"Our new place is like the size of your entire living room and it still feels lonely as hell."

I pulled back and looked at him. "So, you missed me as much as I missed you?" I asked, earning another laugh from him.

"No, I've been getting along just fine without you," he answered sarcastically. "Of course, I missed you just as much. Probably more."

"Good. I can't be the only one in emotional pain in this relationship." He laughed again, a little louder this time. Once his laughter had faded, I placed my hands on either side of his face and pressed another kiss to his lips. He kissed me back almost instantly, and we just kind of stayed like that for a while until I felt him push me back.

"We should good back down now before we get ahead of ourselves," he said, his voice quieter and more timid now as a faint blush came over his cheeks.

"I guess," I said as I gazed at him. I pecked his lips once more, causing a soft smile to appear on his face.

"Come on," he said with a short laugh, taking my hold of hand and leading me back downstairs.

Baekhyun

I was taking notes as my math teacher was talked during class. I felt my phone vibrate from inside the pocket of my pants. Normally, I would have ignored it because it was most likely Sehun texting the group chat talking about how bored he was, but something told me to take the risk that day. So, I set my pencil down and made sure the teacher wasn't looking before I pulled it out to see a text from Chanyeol. Confused, I unlocked my phone and opened up the message.

From: Yeollie HelpMy dad wants to talk to us It didnt feel like it was urgent but stillIm scaredSent: 12:03 p.m.

"What?" I muttered under my breath. I looked up once more to check if the teacher was still looking away before I texted out a reply.

To: YeollieThat's weird. Did he say about what?Sent: 12:04 p.m.

From: YeollieI wouldnt be this anxious if he didSent: 12:05 p.m.

To: YeollieWhen?Sent: 12:07 p.m.

From: YeollieToday "if we can"I want to but I also want to lieWhat do should we doSent: 12:10 p.m.

To: YeollieLet's just do it I guess

I can get a ride over with Xiumin after schoolSent: 12:11 p.m.

From: YeollieWait for me Ill pick you upWe should be nervous togetherSent: 12:12 p.m.

I didn't reply with anything but a thumbs up before I turned my phone and shoved it back in my pocket. For the rest of the day and even after school when he came to get me, my mind just wandered. Of course, it couldn't take me to any positive places, so all I could think about was the all of the possible worst-case scenarios--the worst one being he found out about us and was going to tell us to never see each other again and fire my dad.

When the car stopped in the driveway, Chanyeol didn't even bother to wait for the driver to open the door for him, instead opting to just get right out. I followed him, briefly thanking the driver. He stopped at the front door, his eyes now wide and his skin pale like he was going to vomit at any moment. 

I took hold of hand and said, "I'm sure everything is okay. Maybe he just has a favor to ask."

He turned to face me, the nervous expression on his face not fading. "Y-Yeah...maybe," he said. He looked away, briefly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening the door.

We took our shoes and backpacks off by the door, and I followed him to his dad's study, which was right off of the living room. He knocked on the wooden door and waited until he heard his dad's muffled voice to open it and go in.

"Hey, guys," he said, smiling at us. "Come on in and have a seat. I just need to finish sending this email." Chanyeol became even more confused and so did I as we glanced at each other, but we obliged and sat down in the chairs in front of his desk. We sat there quietly as he typed away on his keyboard, and I tried to distract myself by looking around the room, one of the many rooms in the house I had never been in. "And send," he said with a sigh, pushing the keyboard away before he folded his hands together and directed his attention on us. "How are you guys doing?"

Both of our eyes widened slightly. "Fine," Chanyeol answered shortly, his voice as stiff as his body. "Why did you want to see us exactly?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see if there was anything you wanted to talk about or you know...tell me." I looked at Chanyeol to see his reaction, but his eyes just narrowed. 

"Not that I can think of, no," he replied. 

His dad turned to me next. "What about you? Anything?" he asked.

"N-No, I don't think so either..." I said, my voice trailing off nervously toward the end. 

"Hm, is that so?" he said as he sat back in his chair and sighed again. "I guess I'll just say it then. I know what's going on between you two." 

That was the moment my heart stopped beating for a full second, swiftly falling into the darkest pits of my stomach afterward. 

"I noticed a change in Chanyeol not long after you guys moved in. He seemed...happier? More cheerful? It was like the rain cloud above his head had subsided," he explained, his eyes consistently moving between him and me. "At first, I told myself it couldn't be because of you, Baekhyun, not because of you as a person but because of how much he was against you coming to stay with us. But then you guys started hanging out more and so I put the pieces together. Fast forward to about a month ago, then he goes back to his old self. And then at the dinner a few weeks ago, he was in much happier spirits. There's no way someone he considered just a friend could cause such a fluctuation in his mood, so that only left one option: you were dating--or hooking up at least as the kids say."

"Jesus," Chanyeol said, letting out a heavy sigh and closing his eyes. He laid his hands over his face briefly. "Look, dad, we didn't plan for it to happen, I swear. It's hard to explain how o-or why, but--"

"Son, stop." His dad was laughing now. "I'm not upset that you two are dating. I'm just upset at myself because you clearly felt like you couldn't tell me. I waited for you to, but you just never did. Still, I figured we needed to talk about it, which was why I wanted to talk with you both today."

Surprise came over Chanyeol's face. "You're...you're not mad?"

"No. On the contrary, actually, I'm happy. I haven't seen you so happy since before your mom died," he said. I exhaled in relief and looked at Chanyeol as he was looking at me, smiling faintly. "I'm sorry if I ever made you think you couldn't tell me about this," his dad continued, resting his arms on his desk and sitting up.

"It wasn't that, really," Chanyeol began to explain with a exhale. "I...I guess I just assumed because of your position at work and socially that having a son with a boyfriend would upset you. There was also the fact that you invited them here as guests and I didn't want to get Baekhyun or his dad in trouble. I don't know, it sounds stupid now that I'm saying it out loud."

"No, it's a valid worry. I know plenty of people who would rather force their children to be something they aren't to protect their own reputations," Mr. Park responded. "But before I'm a CEO, I'm a person and most importantly, I'm your father, Chanyeol. I love you and I want to see you happy." Chanyeol smiled and I laid my hand on top of his. He squeezed mine back instantly. "And to tell you the truth, I'm glad it's Baekhyun and not one of those other boys you hang out with. What are their names? Soonho and Chan?"

"Suho and Chen," Chanyeol said, chuckling as he corrected him. "I don't really hang out with them anymore. Let's just say they I came to my senses."

"Oh, good, that's good." His dad sighed shortly in relief. "I never had the heart to tell you I didn't like them. I figured you wouldn't listen to me."

"I probably wouldn't have back then, but it's...it's nice to know we're on the same team now," Chanyeol admitted, still looking somewhat timid. 

"I'll always be on your team, kid. Well, unless, you're really in the wrong." We all laughed at that, letting a momentary, comfortable silence fall between us afterward. "Now go on. I won't keep you here any longer." 

I waited for Chanyeol to stand up to follow after him, smiling and bowing at Mr. Park. "Thanks, dad," Chanyeol said after abruptly turning around. Mr. Park just hummed and batted a hand at him, his eyes now back on his computer screen. I chuckled and then followed Chanyeol out of the study.

"Well, that went better than expected," I said as we slowly strolled through the living room.

"I'd say so," Chanyeol replied, still clearly trying to stop a bigger smile from taking over his mouth. Chortling under my breath, I moved to face him and kissed him sweetly but briefly. 

"Now we just have to survive the rest of high school," I said, my hands moving down to rest on his shoulders.

"Hm, sounds easier said than done," he replied, temporarily looking away from me. "But at least we can have sleepovers now." I laughed out loud and hugged him, feeling him do the same to me almost immediately.

"You're a dork," I said, my head laying over his heart now.

"But you still love me," he said back, and I chuckled to myself when I felt his body instantly tense up. I pulled back a little and looked at him fondly.

"You're probably right," I said. The panic on his face went away and I returned my head to chest.

I knew then that we would be alright.