SAFE HAVEN I

CHAPTER 11: FRUSTRATIONS

"Chanyeol... Am I different?" There comes Baekhyun's hesitant voice as he plopped his head on the soft mattress on Chanyeol's bed.

Chanyeol looked down at his sad demeanor and continued to casually strip his clothes for him to change for something more comfortable.

"Yeah, why?" He asked. Not thinking what Baekhyun does really want to mean.

"Oh no... Is it bad?" Baekhyun lifted his eyes only to see half-naked Chanyeol who's trying to put on a shirt. The teller glanced at his best friend and saw how depressed his expression was.

"Why? Of course, it's not. You're different from others. You're cuddly. You're clumsy a little bit... but you're nice and you're the best person who cared for me and my decisions truly." He explained casually as he left his used clothes on the carpeted floor of his room.

"That's not what I mean Chanyeol..." Baekhyun pouted as he trailed off his thoughts. He felt so bad, getting bullied and called out hurting names and he came to a conclusion that there's something with him.

Chanyeol plopped on the bed beside Baekhyun as he stared at his best friend.

"Is there something wrong? Did someone tell you you're different in a negative way?" His tone changed in a deep serious tone.

Baekhyun looked up once more, now with tears welling in his eyes.

"Would you hate and avoid me if what they are telling is true?- I mean... I feel like... it's uhh..." Baekhyun trailed off his thoughts as he sat above the bed, facing Chanyeol who was waiting for a clear response.

"They say that... I'm gay." Baekhyun bowed his head, feeling ashamed of himself.

Chanyeol immediately sat at the bed too. These are the times that Chanyeol need to be ultra-gentle to his best friend as he wiped the welling tears on the latter's eyes and lifted his chin with his index and thumb finger.

"Is it true?" Chanyeol asked carefully as he looked at the latter's eyes. The boy's expression in front of him is unbearable.

"I don't know..." he sniffled. He just scanned Chanyeol's expression but he didn't see anything but gentleness and fondness.

"They call me different names when you're not around. They call me a fag, a disgrace, they told me that no one will love me, that I don't deserve my life, they call me-"

"Shhh...." Chanyeol had the urge to hug the small male to stop the latter from feeling more miserable.

"I'm just scared that you will leave me if they continue to bully me like that... I heard one telling me that no one wanted to befriend a gay..." He finally whimpered as he wet the latter's shirt with his tears.

Chanyeol got stuck in the heart with the pain that Baekhyun is carrying. Honestly, ever since, Chanyeol never treated Baek like a man, he treated Baekhyun like he's fragile and vulnerable like he's someone who's identified as a girl. And it hurts him that Baekhyun had to be with these harsh and bully people around him who have always something bad to say.

"I will not leave you, Baek. Why would I do that? You're the person I trust the most. Don't even ever think about me, leaving you. Whatever you are, I will accept you in my life because you accepted me wholly." Chanyeol murmured as he stared at the afternoon raise behind the glass window with his heart feeling guilty of not having there all the time with Baekhyun.