Literally, one hour left, you just have to make it through this one hour of work, and then you are home free, you thought. Jia and you had been bored out of your minds all day. The shop was extremely slow, and you had caught up on all your work, but your manager didn't want to let the two of you go home in case it miraculously picked up. It got so bad that the two of you had begun searching for things to do, so you were extremely happy when Chanyeol's girlfriend dropped by.
You visited with the two girls for a little bit, but you eventually excused yourself to give them some privacy. The two of them were so close that you still had moments of feeling awkward around them like you didn't belong there. They would tell you it was nonsense for you to feel that way, but you couldn't help it.
Deciding you had been gone long enough, you head back up to the front of the shop to find the girls. What you find instead is something you desperately wanted to avoid. Jia was being Jia and informing Chanyeol's girlfriend about Baekhyun's feelings. As soon as you hear the topic of conversation, you attempt to backtrack and get the heck out of there, but Jia sees you first.
"Y/N! Come here!"
"No. Jia, no." You instantly say. "I don't want any part in whatever you're planning."
Jia rolls her brown eyes at you. "I'm not planning anything. Just come here, please."
You stare at her wearily and then slowly walk over to the two of them.
"All I was doing was telling her about Baekhyun's feelings. I just want you to confirm what I'm saying."
You immediately feel annoyance wash over you. "Jia, you told Baekhyun you would stay out of it after he asked you to leave it alone."
"I know, but don't you think she has the right to know?" Jia asks you.
You look over at Chanyeol's girlfriend, taking in her expression. She was wearing the same look on her face that you had become extremely familiar with, the "what did you do now, Jia" look.
"Jia, did you tell Baekhyun you'd stay out of it?" She quietly asks, attempting to take everything in.
"I did, but I think you talking to him could help him move on." She defiantly replies.
You stood as still as a statue. Would talking to her help Baekhyun move on? Or would it cause him more pain? Would this be a horrible thing that blew up in your faces, or would it help him get closure? Geez, I'm becoming as bad as Jia, you chastise yourself. He asked for her to stay out of it. Maybe that meant he wanted you to stay out of it too.
"I don't know..." Chanyeol's girlfriend says, looking down at the ground.
"I think it would." Jia states. Turning towards you, she asks, "What do you think?"
"I think I'm staying out of it." You answer her and then look at the other girl. "You guys know him better than I do, so you talking to him is something that you're gonna have to decide on your own... I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. You're sticking up for what you believe, and you're respecting his wishes. Thank you for doing that." She pauses. "I don't know if me talking to him about it would be the best idea, but I'll think about it. Anyways, I'm assuming you'll both be at their dorm tomorrow, right?"
The EXO boys were having a little gathering with friends to celebrate various projects they have been working on. Junmyeon's musical, Kyungsoo and Sehun's drama, and a couple more things that had already slipped your mind. They wanted to do something with friends, so they figured why not come up with a reason, or five, to have a get-together.
"Yepp, we'll both be there!" Jia responds, answering for you.
Not long after that, Chanyeol's girlfriend leaves, and your manager finally takes pity on you. He was allowing you to leave early, which was a rarity at your work. As you are nearly running out the door, Jia finally asks you the question you knew she had been dying to ask.
"Are you mad at me?"
You sigh. "No, I'm not mad at you. I know, in your own way, that you're trying to help Baekhyun, but he's right. He's gonna move on when he's ready, and not any other time before that. I'm just worried that if she talks to him, it'll make things worse for him..."
"I hadn't thought of that..." Jia quietly says, a worry line creasing her forehead.
Once you get home, you couldn't have been happier. It had been a long, boring day, and you wanted nothing more than to chill out and eat junk food while binge-watching Netflix. Just as you had changed into sweats and plopped down on the couch, your phone dings with a message.
Baekhyun: Looking for an escape, you free??
Your heart briefly flutters. You had hoped Baekhyun would take you up on your offer, but you really weren't 100% positive he would. You reply to his text with your address, knowing he would take that as a yes.
Baekhyun: See you in a bit...
Glancing around the apartment, you begin to feel slightly panicked. This was the first time anyone besides Jia would be seeing your apartment, and this wasn't just anyone. This was someone you had growing feelings for. Maybe I should pick up a little, you wonder, but you didn't know what to pick up. The apartment was pretty clean since you and your brother were often gone at work.
As if your thoughts magically summon him, your brother walks in the front door. You quietly watch as he sets his briefcase down and stares at the table for a minute. His tall frame slightly hunched over.
"You okay?" You ask, concern growing in you.
Your brother physically jumps at your voice. "Aish! You scared the crap out of me! I didn't even see you sitting there."
"I see that. You seem pretty spaced out. What's up?"
Your brother walks towards you and sits on the chair next to the couch. "I'm just exhausted. Work was hectic, and I have a dinner meeting to go to in about an hour. I just came home to get some quiet for a little bit."
You could hear the tiredness in his deep voice, and you begin to feel worry over your brother's health. He had been working so much that you hardly ever saw him, and you missed him.
"Stop. I see where your head is going, and I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He stops your thoughts, knowing you all too well. "Anyways, how have you been? I haven't had a chance to talk to you in a while."
You shrug your shoulders. "Just been working and hanging out with friends."
"That Jia girl? She seems entertaining." He flashes a smile while leaning back into the chair.
"Hang out with her for a day, and then tell me how you feel." You immediately respond, causing your brother to chuckle.
"Alright, alright. Any boys you're talking to?"
You groan into your hands. "Please don't do that protective big brother thing."
"Hey. That is my right as a big brother. You can't take it away from me."
You sigh, not really knowing how to tell him your feelings without letting the whole story come out, but you know your brother won't stop until you tell him what he wants to know. "There may be someone, but I don't know."
"What don't you know?"
"It's, kind of, complicated, on his end..."
Your brother nods like he understands what you're saying without saying it. "Ah... Have you heard from... anyone back home?"
You smile, knowing this was your brother's way of gently prying. "No. No one from back home."
"Good."
You watch as he gets up to get ready for dinner. As he begins to walk down the hallway, you say, "You know that someone I was talking about? He's on his way over..."
Your brother, who had completely disappeared from view, suddenly backtracks and turns towards you. "I'm sorry... What was that, that you just tried to casually slip in?"
"Don't make a big deal about this." You say, looking up at the ceiling.
His lack of response has you meeting his cautious gaze. "I don't... need to tell you... to be safe, right?"
"Oh my god! It's not like that. Just go get ready for dinner."
He squints at you and then turns back down the hallway, grumbling an "it's not like that yet" not so quietly under his breath, causing you to roll your eyes. Sometimes you forgot that your brother was only three years older than you.
Not long after your talk with your brother, there's a knock on your door. You get up to get it and realize you're still in sweats. Crap. Maybe I should've changed. Shoving the thought aside since it was too late to do anything about it, you open the door and greet Baekhyun.
"Hey, come in." You say, smiling.
"Hey Y/N, how are you?"
"Good, good." You usher him inside and shut the door.
Nearly 10 seconds later, your brother comes from around the corner, startling Baekhyun. You roll your eyes, knowing he had probably already been ready but wasn't leaving the apartment until he got to meet the boy you were crushing on.
"Baekhyun, this is my brother. He'll be leaving in a few minutes, so don't mind him."
Your brother raises his eyebrows at your tone. "Woooow, thanks for that nice introduction, brat."
You watch as he turns to Baekhyun and sticks out his hand. While they shake hands and exchange names, you feel something weird in your stomach at the sight of your brother and your crush talking to each other.
"Have I seen you somewhere before? You look familiar..." Your brother curiously asks.
Your eyes widen, and you realize you completely forgot that Baekhyun was a popular member of the "nation's boy group". Although, you highly doubt your brother even knows what an EXO is. Then again, stranger things have happened.
"I think I just have one of those faces," Baekhyun responds with a shrug.
Your brother nods his head like that made complete sense, and you turn your head to keep yourself from busting out laughing at his blatant lie.
"Alright, I gotta take off. It was nice meeting you, Baekhyun. Please, make yourself at home." Your brother politely says, then turns to you. "I'll be gone for a couple of hours, you know how these things go. Have fun." He wiggles his eyebrows at you, then, for Baekhyun's benefit, adds. "But not too much fun."
You stare at the door as your brother shuts it, hearing Baekhyun chuckle in the background. That little shit, just wait until I get him back.
"Your brother seems cool."
"Oh, does he? Hmm..." You grumble, causing Baekhyun to laugh more.
You head back to your spot on the couch, and Baekhyun follows your lead, sitting down on the couch with you. Since he left about a foot of room between the two of you, you pull your leg up on the couch and turn your body towards him.
"So, what brings you to my humble abode?"
"I was actually debating on asking you if you wanted to hang out today, and then Chanyeol told me his girlfriend was coming over, so it made the decision easy."
You quickly stop the feeling of sadness that had begun to course through you. That's exactly what you had told him to do.
"Well, I'm glad you took me up on my offer." You say, giving him a small smile.
"I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out and play PUBG before that, though!" He replies, noticing the dejected look you were trying to hide.
You give him a blank stare. "PUB what?"
"PUBG." He stares at you with wide eyes. "You don't know what PUBG is?"
You stare back at him, eyes just as wide. You were taken aback by his sudden passion over whatever he was talking about. "I don't... I'm sorry..."
"I have to show you this game! You'll love it, trust me."
"Okay, we can do that... but first, have you eaten? Because I haven't, and I'm starving."
He thinks about it. "Actually, no, I haven't eaten since breakfast..."
"Well, that settles that." You say, getting up and walking into the kitchen.
Baekhyun follows you and quietly watches as you go through the cupboards. You notice a growing smile on his face, spiking curiosity in you.
"What?"
"Are you going to cook for me?"
You pause and then begin closing the cupboard. "Did you want something specific? I can order takeout?"
"No, no, no. Please continue." He says while rushing towards you. "I just didn't know you could cook..."
"Well, I'm no professional, but I can put a few meals together... Did you want to help?" You ask him curiously.
Baekhyun nods. "But you're gonna have to tell me what to do."
The two of you end up cooking a decent looking meal, and, to your immense pleasure, it was actually really good. How awkward would it have been if I screwed up the first meal I make him, you thought.
After the two of you eat enough to be satisfied, you tell him you're gonna do the dishes before he makes you game all night. When he offers to help you, you greedily accept it because you absolutely hate doing the dishes. When he offers to wash while you dry, you swear you almost hear angels singing. This man was pure heaven.
"I feel bad that you're washing the dishes, but I'm also very happy that it's you and not me. Does that make me a bad host?"
Baekhyun laughs. "It's okay, I offered. Think of it as payment for feeding me."
You guys are flying through the dishes until the water from the faucet sprays off a lid Baekhyun was washing, soaking the front of your clothes. Both of you freeze in place in surprise. The sound of the water running is the only noise in the apartment until you shout at him.
"Byun Baekhyun!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He shouts back as he frantically looks for a dry towel.
But you had other things in mind. Cupping your hands under the faucet, you gather a pool of water and toss it at Baekhyun when he turns back around. He stands there in stunned silence, eyes falling closed in disbelief.
"I don't think... you know what you've just done."
You knew exactly what you just did, and since his eyes were still closed, he couldn't see that you were re-filling your hand with water. When he finally opens his eyes, you surprise him again.
"Oh, you little brat! It's on!" Baekhyun runs over to the sink and splashes the dishwater at you.
"Ewe, Baekhyun, that's dirty! At least I used clean water for you!"
If that was how he was gonna play it, then it was indeed on. You look around for a weapon that would cause maximum impact. Spotting a glass on the counter, you make a break for it, but Baekhyun was on to you.
When you get to the counter, he is almost directly behind you. You quickly grab the cup before he can get his hands on it and turn around to head back to the sink. Baekhyun stops you in your tracks when he grabs onto the counter, his arms on each side of you, efficiently trapping you between his body and the hard surface.
When your bodies press together, you both freeze. You had soaked his shirt enough that it clung to the front of him, giving you a glimpse of the rock-hard abs that you could feel against you. You tentatively make eye contact, the playfulness that ran through you both gone.
When Baekhyun slowly leans towards you, your breath hitches in your throat. Without a second thought, you lean towards him and meet him halfway.
Your lips touch softly at first, both of you feeling the kiss out. When you feel Baekhyun's hand come up and gently cup the back of your head, you begin to put everything you have in the kiss, and Baekhyun meets you head on. After a moment, he pulls away and stares at you with wide eyes.
"Y/N..." He takes a step back, pulling his hands away from you, and leaving you with a cold feeling. "I should go... I'm sorry..."
He walks towards the door, and when his hand hits the handle, you break from your trance. You pull away from the counter, about to walk over to him. "Baekhyun..."
"I'll call you. I just... I've gotta go... Sorry..."
You watch as he walks out of your apartment. You continue to stand still in the kitchen, lips tingling, clothes wet, and utterly confused.