Lost in a mind-numbing daze from the television's flickering light, Byun Baekhyun's attention was suddenly seized by the soft creak of the bathroom door. With a languid twist, he turned, his gaze settling on the figure that emerged – a woman in her early thirties. He quirked a knowing eyebrow as she nodded in response to his unvoiced question. The corners of his lips twitched upward; he was well aware of the tendency of most women to transform a simple bathroom visit into a leisurely activity spanning hours. In this case, he figured he'd given her a solid 45 minutes before she resurfaced, courtesy of a post-shower sojourn.
"What now?" she asked, a subtle undercurrent of urgency lacing her words.
Baekhyun unfolded his lanky frame, his limbs stretching gracefully. He responded with a nonchalant shrug, a casual gesture belied by the weight of their circumstances. "We're at the mercy of your manager's decree," he replied, his voice a measured cadence of reason. He closed the distance between them, an unstated camaraderie threading his actions. "Is returning home a pressing need for you? Are there loose ends you're itching to tie up?" His words held an air of curious companionship.
The tentative confession hung between them, momentarily lingering in the room's charged atmosphere. "Not particularly," she began, her voice softening as if to match the mood of their impromptu conversation. Her sentence, however, was curtailed, intercepted by his cutting interjection.
"Then what's the hesitation?" Baekhyun's tone shifted, a trace of exasperation creeping in. His eyes held a directness that bespoke familiarity – the kind that bore witness to shared history and internal battles. "Feeling a bit out of sorts?" he mused, his lips quirking into a wry smile. "Pretend I'm nothing more than an overlooked piece of furniture. Do whatever brings you comfort, except stepping out that door if you're not ready for the echoes of my reputation to haunt you again." His words were blunt, a reality check delivered with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel.
As he walked away, her gaze remained fixed on the door he closed with a decisive thud. Her lips parted slightly in response to the abruptness of his exit, her thoughts a whirlwind of contemplation. His reaction wasn't unexpected – it was a mirror to the heated exchange they had indulged in an hour ago. An exchange that had ignited from her own stubbornness – an ember she had foolishly kindled.
This space, this room, it felt stifling. It wasn't the four walls that imprisoned her, nor the ambient temperature, but rather the looming presence of his existence that colored every corner. It was as if the very air was tainted with his ownership, branding her with the status of an interloper.
Gathering her resolve, she moved gingerly, her fingers brushing over her damp hair in a ritualistic fashion. Each strand became a canvas for her unease, a testament to her effort to regain composure. The hair dryer's impact had to be inspected, analyzed for its effectiveness – a seemingly trivial task that served as a front for the deeper currents churning within her.
A sense of restlessness gnawed at Taeyeon. She loathed the idea of idly staring into space – a gateway to the labyrinth of overthinking that she desperately wanted to avoid. Her phone lay within his room, charging. An option, but one wrapped in hesitance and an unspoken rule that cautioned against venturing into that territory. So, she wavered, reluctant to act until the proprietor himself pressed the matter.
With an almost deliberate decision, she pushed herself to her feet, a quiet determination guiding her steps toward the kitchen. Lunchtime approached, casting a subtle urgency upon the hours that seemed to stretch indefinitely. As much as she wished to refrain from disturbing the equilibrium of his living space, engaging in something – anything – seemed preferable to the tumultuous symphony of her thoughts.
A sense of wonder gripped her as she surveyed the contents of his refrigerator and cupboards. The bounty within mirrored the desires of a diligent homemaker. Every ingredient necessary for crafting a lavish, multi-course feast beckoned from its resting place, a tantalizing invitation to the culinary world.
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from afar | baekyeon
Fanfiction"We already parted our ways... But as I think about it, I can't forget you... so let me still look after you, watch you... From afar." -Byun Baekhyun
