toxic | nct dream

32. home

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The day seemed to drag on and on.

Xia hid in her office for most of it, trying to avoid the man that should be a distant memory in her mind but somehow always managed to come back one way or another.

Other than the few moments in the beginning the rest of her work day was uneventful.

Occasionally chatting with Sungchan but, even then, she didn't want to disrupt his work, so she stuck to organizing her space the way she wanted it.

Not that she thought it would be of any use. This job was more for show than anything else.

The girl could already tell that she wasn't going to get any real or meaningful tasks anytime soon.

When her schedule ended and it was time for her to leave, she felt relieved. The anxiety of running into Jisung or appearing useless or being a distraction, was eating her alive.

Chenle arrived to pick her up at just the right time. His suit in disarray — jacket gone and shirt sleeves pushed up his arms — as he leaned against the wall, eyes glued to his phone.

He finally looked up when he noticed her presence from a couple feet away.

"Hey, there's my working girl! How'd it go?" She noticed how his smile didn't reach his eyes. He looked exhausted, but she couldn't quite tell if it was physically, mentally, emotionally, or a combination of the three.

Staring at his face made the day's events feel heavier, a sudden rush of guilt washing over her.

It wasn't that she did anything particularly wrong, there had been no real overlap in interest between the two men, but she still felt like she should be ashamed.

A feeling that she loathed.

Chenle said that he would always be there to take care of her, and here he was. True to his word.

That should be enough for her.

She approached him silently and wrapped her arms around his torso, her face pressed against his shoulder. Without hesitation he followed suit and held her in his embrace.

"You okay?" He looked around the room to see if anyone noticed the display of affection. All that talk about keeping things 'professional' and, yet, here they were.

Something happened, he thought.

She nodded slightly. "Just tired. I want to go home."

A small spark of joy took over Chenle's mind for a brief moment, distracting him from his previous concerned thought.

She said 'home'.

For so long that meant splitting up and going to their own respective houses, but now that they were living together it meant sticking together.

It meant that she was there when he woke up, and she was there when he went to sleep.

It meant that their days would never end in a reluctant goodbye, not anymore.

Staying at his place, sleeping in his bed, eating in his kitchen, and relaxing in his living room was home for her.

Maybe he was her home now. Her place of comfort, her  feeling of safety, her sense of protection.

That thought alone was more than enough for him.

He could be happy with just that.

"Alright, let's go. I'll make us something to eat."

Xia smiled contently, looking up at him. A nice home-cooked meal was exactly what she needed. Especially his food, which sometimes could taste better than food from any restaurant.

Although, she would never admit that to him.

Chenle didn't let all his emotions show, but he did lean down to give her a peck on the forehead.

His hands ran down her arms, carefully removing them from around his body. He reached for one of hers, holding it firmly in his own.

A reassuring smile took over his face in an attempt to give her some comfort. One that she returned.

The couple then walked out of the building hand in hand, unaware of the man that had been staring at them from around the corner.

Envious, maybe.

Confused, absolutely.

He just needed to know more.

—

cont.

Tbh, this fanfic has become more Jisung x OC x Chenle than I expected it to...

Chenle's so sweet in this book😊
I like writing him like this.