"Honey, won't you make an appearance to the airport tonight?" Mom asked the moment I opened the door for her.

It's already Thursday evening when I finally found the will to went out of my room after being caged inside for three days. What happened last Monday was the last encounter I had with Baekhyun. I was absent for three consecutive days already, not because I'm sick nor any other acceptable reasons as to why I wasn't going to school. Lately, I just don't really feel the will to go to school anymore but having Baekhyun beside me somehow gave me little reasons why going to school is still fun. But when Monday evening came, I felt like I came back to zero again.

"I have to review for my exams tomorrow," I lied, sitting back to the edge of my bed, my back facing mom. I don't want her to see me like this anymore. "Would you mind? I want to be alone."

"Chanyeol," it was late when I realized mom already locked the door, sitting beside me, enveloping me for a hug. "It's just three years. After that, you'll see each other once again," I shrugged.

They don't understand me because they're not in my shoes. They're not the ones who's having and suffering from separation anxiety. It will never be easy for me because I grew up having him by my side albeit that most of the times, he's annoying me. I still loved him as a brother, just don't wanna tell him because it will just booze his clingy side and I kinda hate it.

"Three years is long," I stated. I suddenly felt my fist balling. "It will never be easy."

"You can have Baekhyun with you, Chanyeol. That's the reason why it took Suho long to follow his parents in New York," with that mentioned again, I don't know what to feel anymore.

Last Monday, Suho was off. He's like a wide array of sunshine everyday but that day was an exception. He wasn't even smiling at me and didn't even pestered me that day. Unbeknownst to me, he already terminated his application for the whole academic year and was only waiting for me to come home. The moment I stepped inside our house, I was about to launch myself to him when I noticed the foreign expression he has on his face. Like what I said, Suho was a happy-go-lucky, easy-going, and affable kind of person, but the Suho who welcomed me was the uptight Suho that I rarely see. When I say rarely, out of 365 days a year, it only happen 5 times a year.

He told me that he's going to New York on Thursday, and that's basically today. Mom wasn't shocked at all and that what furies me. After all this time, she knew it. But I shrugged it off because knowing my mom? I know she won't hide it to me unless it will harm me, there will always be a reason. What Suho said next made me feel worse. He said that he was planned to follow after his parents even before we're on our second year on middle school. It's just that it got postponed because he hasn't found yet the one who will take care of me just like how he took care of me as his brother. How sweet, right? But I felt the other way. I felt betrayed, I felt like being toyed the whole time and I hated myself for thinking like that. I don't have the balls to show myself in front of him anymore. I feel embarrassed on how I acted childishly in front of the person who became selfless over an ungrateful bastard like me.

"Baekhyun and Suho are two different things," I said through my gritted teeth. Although I failed to show Suho how I treasure our friendship, no one, not even Baekhyun, will dethrone him as my favorite person in this world. "Baekhyun will never be Suho."

"I understand," mom patted my head. "But you do know that Suho wasn't mad at you on how you acted when he told you that thing, right?" I opted not to answer. "Come on, go and send him to the airport or else you'll regret this day in the future."

I have no choice already but to loosen up and break the walls. In an instant, I felt my eyes started to water. "I don't want to appear weak in front of him."

Mom chuckled because she knew I was talking about not being clingy to Suho during our last day of seeing each other. In our friendship, I'm the strong one while Suho was the soft one. The clingy one. "Don't you think it's time to make him feel that you acknowledge him as a brother from another mother's womb? That how he feels towards you was the same as how you feels towards him? That it was just your front to appear strong outside but in fact, you're just like him? A softie. The only difference is that you're good at hiding it," mom winked like she invented something useful to everyone living in this cruel and unfair world.

Heaving a deep sigh, I nodded. Mom was just following me with her eyes when I went in front of my walk-in closet, taking a plain white paper bag and the key fob of my car with me. "I'll be going now or else I'll be late."

"You're traveling alone?"

I shrugged. "It will only take me less than an hour before reaching Suho's condo unit, why?"

Mom didn't answered but instead fished for her phone inside her pocket. Not long ago, she's already talking with someone in the other line. "Oh, hi, do you have any thing to do this night? No?! That's great! Would you like to join Chanyeol? Ah! He's going to send Suho to the airport! Really?! Then it's settled! Just wait for Chanyeol, okay?! Yes! Thanks, Baekhyun!" And then the call ended. "You have to fetch Baekhyun first."

"But mom!"

Mom raised her left eyebrow. "But I thought you're already friends with him?"

"Just Facebook friends!"

Mom grinned and pushed me out of my room. "Come on, just fetch him before Suho, okay? Drive safe, baby!"

-

-

Baekhyun waved a hand at me and mouthed a simple Hi when he saw that I was about to hover into his side and that made my lopsided grin seen. Albeit that the car was heavily tinted, Baekhyun still managed to tease me on how do I looked dumb while grinning when he waved a hand to me. "What's up?"

"Suho's going to New York for three years," it was like Baekhyun felt the sadness laced on my voice that the brunette beside me started rubbing my forearm that's been gripping tightly on the steering wheel. "Thank you and sorry for burdening you. If I have known, I should've stopped mom from contacting you. My bad. I'm not prepared that she'll call you, of all the people she can disturb."

"It's nothing. Besides, I'm bored. I wanted to go out but I can't drive," good thing the traffic lights turned red so I was able to watch Baekhyun's pouting face while his eyes were glued on the road and the cars passing by. "Mom won't drive for me at this kind of time, neither won't let me walk alone to jog."

"You're quite amusing, you know that? One moment you're like a vixen, and one moment you're like a tamed fox, not to mention, a delightful and carefree one," I grinned.

"I am two-faced," Baekhyun chuckled. "Nah. If you say so that sometimes I'm like a vixen, it's most of the times when I feel the need to be uptight and the want to secure myself from anyone. There are some people out there that I don't think deserves to see my other side. The real me."

"Ah?" The amusement on my face was still evident. "So, you're naturally a carefree person?"

Baekhyun nodded, tapping his fingers on his lap while mumbling some lyrics of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. "The Baekhyun you met before was just a front. Someday, you'll see the best side of me. For the mean time, you still have to convince me that you can be included in the short list of worthy people who deserve to see the real Byun Baekhyun."

"Gosh. . ."

"You like Imagine Dragons?" He said, opening a new topic while looking inside the compartment of my car. "Your car's nice inside and out. I'm envious. I want to learn how to drive."

"I don't like nor dislike Imagine Dragons. I just happened to hear Radioactive, It's Time, and Demons from a friend's phone and I started listening to it ever since that day. How about you?"

"Same. I like those three songs from them," Baekhyun pushed back the compartment, locking it, and finally, his gaze met mine. "My favorite was A Rocket To The Moon."

I nodded and turned my gaze back to the road when the traffic lights turned green. "Same. I like their songs, too. Old ones but really commendable for the future generations."

"Chanyeol. . ." I tried looking at him but we were passing in a high way so I was able to muffle a simple hum as an answer. "I'm so sorry for what happened last Monday. I'm sorry for flailing you with my words. I just went ballistic in an instant. I didn't meant to sound rude orㅡ"

"ㅡforgiven," a smile creeped into my face. Maybe Baekhyun can't dethrone Suho in my heart but I think he can be Taeyeon's runner up. As long as his selfish side won't be unfolded again.

"Easy like that?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay. That was quick."

"Friends."

-

-

"Come on, tell him already," whispered Baekhyun who happened to be standing next to me when we were about to send off Suho. We're both waiting for Suho to return once the phone conversation he's having with someone else ends when Baekhyun tried breaking the silence between us. "I thought you'll miss him? You're saying it a while ago plenty of times but when Suho entered your car, you've gone mute. I even gave an opportunity for you when I sat on the back seat."

True with his words, while we were on our way to where Suho's condo unit was located, I'm all blabby and chatty to Baekhyun, something unusual for him to see because I rarely talk continuously but when I do, the listener will always feel tired of hearing my whimpers and sentiments. And again, true to his words, I've gone mute and silent when Suho entered my car. He was talking to me but I just kept on nodding as an answer.

"It's not that easy," I tried kicking the pebble in front of me when Suho appeared next to us.

"What's not easy to you, Chanyeol? Care to tell hyung?" Gosh. He's annoying. He's always taking consideration of every words I'm saying this day like if something bad went out of my mouth, he's ready to back out from his scheduled flight. "Do you have a problem?"

Baekhyun grinned and patted my shoulders then he whispered that I should tell Suho already before it's too late. He gave Suho one last hug, which made the latter smile. "Bon voyage, Suho. I'll always include you to my prayers every night. Make sure to visit Korea once a year, okay?"

"Yeah. I will. For Chanyeol's sake and I hope when that time comes, you're already both in a relationship," when we both glared on him, Suho was quick to take back his words, earning a double-pinch from Baekhyun and I.

"Chanyeol, I'll wait for you in the parking area. I think you two need space to talk," I nodded. I'm somehow thankful of having Baekhyun beside me tonight. If not, I think I'll regret this night for not telling Suho that I love him as my brother. That I see him how he sees me. "I'll not say Goodbye, Suho, but rather, until we meet again, Suho."

"Thanks, Baek."

a/n: hi, so i'm not gonna deny it. ever since i started working, i rarely update. before, i was updating my fic which is untouchable b like everyday. whilst secretly dating byun baekhyun, twice or thrice a week. but with this? i'm only updating once a week so if you're already getting tired of waiting, i suggest for you to read the book 1 which is annulled. i want to repeat, 2190: it's just the beginning was annulled's prequel. to make it long, it's six years before they got separated. basically the time frame will focus on their lives as students and married couples for three years. that's all. happy weekends! xx