Be Mine, Baby✅

Chapter 14

His EX-lover. Yin bit back a bitter chuckle to himself. How did this even happen to them?

"How are you?" War tried his best to compose himself and act professionally. Yin just shrugged and held up his glass before making a cheers action and downing the drink.

"I've been better. Much better." Yin said quietly, but War could see the pain in Yin's eyes. He gulped, trying his best to hold in his tears.

"I have to go right now. My shift's over." War tried to change the topic.

"Can I take you home?" Yin didn't know why he suddenly said that. But he couldn't let War walk away again. Not without talking to him.

"P'Yin..." Yin understood what he meant by just calling out his name. He was happy in a sort of way that he still could understand the way War speaks. The way he said it meant that Yin shouldn't push it. But he did anyway.

"Just talk... Nong War. It's been a... long time, hasn't it?" It definitely had been for the both of them. They haven't seen each other for almost seven months. But it felt like years.

War nodded. He knew it was a bad idea. But if this was the closure he could get to move on next, he sure as hell was gonna go for it.

"I'll go grab my things and meet you at the back door?" War asked, and Yin nodded. War walked off, and when he walked out of the bar, he went straight to the locker room where all his stuff was before collapsing down on the bench to take a breather.

He tried to hold his tears back because he couldn't let Yin see that he had been crying. When he relaxed a bit, he stood up and took off his half apron, and hung it up before grabbing his stuff. He clocked out before walking out of the staff exit only to be met with Yin standing next to the door, leaning against the wall.

Yin leaned off of it when he saw War exit, and the two stood there for a few seconds just gazing into each other's eyes. War broke off the stare, and then Yin did. Yin motioned for War to walk ahead, and War did. The two were silent along the way to the parking lot. Yin held the passenger door for War and then got into the driver's seat.

"So...where do you live now?" Yin asked. He knew that War gave up his dorm room when War moved in with him. But after he left, he tried his best to not involve himself in War's personal matters.

"Oh...I'll just enter it in the GPS," War said and entered the location. It was out of habit, which he failed to realize until late.

"I-uh...I hope you didn't mind that..." Yin was taken aback by that. He just shook his head with another fake smile.

"It's fine..." Yin said as he looked at the directions. It was the street adjacent to his penthouse building.

"It's my friend's place," War said before Yin could ask. "She's gone abroad to do her master's degree. She said that I could use her place until I graduated." Yin nodded. Again, the drive turned silent as well, until Yin bucked up his courage.

"So, when did you start working at the bar?" War didn't expect Yin to be the first to strike a conversation though Yin was the one who said that he wanted to talk to him in the first place.

"Five months back." Yin nodded.

"What about the flower store?" He asked, and War didn't answer immediately.

"I still work there. But not as much as before. Only when I get time to. It's the same at the bar. I don't work every night. Just the weekends for some extra cash." Yin just nodded.

"How's the classes going?" Yin was glad that his mind was still working till now.

"It's a lot to take on now that I'm a sophomore... the syllabus is just..." War scrunched his face and Yin knew that expression. He smiled again. He was brought back to reality when War asked about the one thing he didn't want to talk about right now.

The cause that he thought, drove them apart.

"So, I heard that the investigation was done and that the real culprits were caught. That's good, isn't it?" Yin just nodded with a thin-lipped smile.

"Yeah, it is. Actually, this whole thing at the bar was sort of a celebration for it." Yin said.

"Oh... Why aren't you with them, then?" War felt guilty now.

"Not in the mood for a party." Now War was full-on guilty mode. He didn't know what to reply back.

Why couldn't he have left when his shift ended? Why did he have to remain for a few extra minutes? He could have saved himself and Yin from the pain. He could've had Yin enjoy the celebratory party.

"Petal..." Yin's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Where did we go wrong?" He suddenly asked. Yin didn't want to actually ask it straight away. But he knew that once he stopped the car, he wouldn't get a chance to talk to War again.

War could feel his breath hitched in his throat. The name of endearment Yin used to call him in the past sounded so foreign yet familiar. And like thorny vines surging and coiling around him, his heart hurt like it was being prickled, constricted by thick ropes.

With his arms around him, unconsciously, he hugged himself tighter. Like he was trying to keep the pain from seeping out. Like he was trying to hold himself together. At that moment, he felt like crying.

But he couldn't. So he held on.

"It doesn't matter anymore, P'Yin." His voice is soft, barely a whisper. His heart hurt. And Yin didn't argue.

What Yin didn't realize, was that he had taken a right instead of the left route. Both of them didn't realize until Yin stopped the car. War looked around, and saw that they had arrived at Yin's place and not at his friend's.

"Phi... we're at your place..." That's when Yin realized it too.

"Oh...Sorry Pet-, I mean War... I was lost in thought. Just force of habit..." War nodded.

"It's fine, Phi...I can walk. It's close by. You don't have to worry." War said and got out of the car. Yin also alighted the car and ran around to stop War from walking away.

"War..."

"P'Yin-" War looked up at him. But soon looked away. He couldn't stand it any longer. He needed to get away from here.

"I'm sorry..."

TBC...

Published on 11th December 2021

Hey my lovely peaches,
Finally another update!
Hope you guys like how the story is progressing. Let me know your opinions in the comments below!

Also, tag the readers whom you think will like this story in the comment section as well!

Love,
Kimmy