Following the Broken Road Back to You

Part 10

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?"