The Contract (complete)

Baekhyun: Chapter 12

"Regret what?" You ask him. "Because it sounds a lot like you're saying you regret you signed the Contract because you're not getting confessions."

His eyes light up in surprise when he realizes the misunderstanding. "No, wait, that's not what I meant, I meant ... " but then he blushes when he thinks of the reason and ducks his head in humiliation. "I'm not saying. Never mind," he mumbles, risking a glance at you. You look away. If he stares at you like that, with that curl of hair over his forehead and those doe-like eyes looking up at you, you might waver at the memory of his kiss, and you don't want to do that.

"You came off sounding like an egotistical idiot, you know."

He lightly slaps the side of his cheek. "There. That's my punishment." Before you can even begin to process how weird that was, he leans forward, erasing any thought in your head. What is he doing, leaning in like this? Does he even know that all you see, at this moment, are his lips? Does he even know that every time he bites them, licks them, moves them, heck, speaks with them, you feel like you'll lose the ability to breathe?

"Move," you say, palming his face and pushing him away. He evades your attack and encircles your wrist with his fingers. His palm is cool and comfortable against your skin, and you try to focus on that feeling, and that alone. 

"You're wearing the necklace still," he points out. You look down at your collar and see the key pendant peeking out. 

"Why, am I supposed to take it off?" You ask him, pulling back from his grasp and beginning to unclasp the pendant.

"No, no," Baekhyun panics, waving his hands. You pause and watch as he stares at the pendant twirling and spinning in the air. "That opens to something."

"So it's a legit key."

"Yeah," he agrees. He takes out his own necklace, flicking the pendant so it does its own little dance. "I don't know what. I found it in my room. I probably bought something, used it, and forgot about it later. Hey, maybe we could go lock searching in my room," he grins, but then his smile fades. "Actually. My parents probably won't allow you in my room anymore."

Feeling awkward, you tuck the pendant beneath your shirt and reply, "Probably."

Baekhyun nervously clears his throat and, without meeting your gaze, asks, "So did you, uh, sleep well last night?"

Your cheeks are immediately set on fire, and you look down at your food, at anything and at any place as long as its not at Baekhyun. "I don't know," you reply vaguely. "It was okay." There. That was a good reply, wasn't it? Just okay. Nothing special to discuss.

"Oh." Baekhyun coughs. "Yeah. Um. Me too."

You let an uneasy silence pass between you and Baekhyun before you pick up your eating utensil - your movement too sudden, the sight too piercing. "What are you doing today?"

"I don't know. Nothing. Why, you wanna go on a date?"

His question is so unsuspecting and spoken so innocently that you reflexively raise your brows at him, hoping to convey disinterest and detached amusement. He smiles anxiously and opens his mouth to reply, but you interrupt him before he can formulate the words.

"No," you lie. It's an appealing offer, but right now, your mind is too distracted. "Baek. What did you mean about ... regretting the contract?"

He sighs. "You're not going to let me off the hook?"

"No," you reply simply, and after he searches your eyes, he nods.

"I don't know. I just ... " he stares at the food on his tray, eyeing it distastefully. "Do we still need it?"

"What are you saying?"

"Everything is fixed, right?" He asks you. "I don't get hassled. And you're all set and ready and okay, I think. So do we still need it?"

"You can't exclude Min out of your reasoning," you remind him. "Whatever we do, Min is going to bug us. If the Contract were to stay, she'd bug me. If it's to break, she'd bug you."

"It's just a circle, I guess," Baekhyun states, retreating into himself as he leans back in his chair and closes his eyes briefly. "Do you know what I think we should do?"

"No."

He makes a face at your frank response and continues, "We should do something. That will let everyone know that we're real." 

"Like what?" You question, not liking where this is going.

"Something public. Just ... enough. To let people know what we are. As long as nobody gets hurt." As long as Min doesn't get pissed off, is what he means. 

"I lack ideas today, sorry," you comment, poking at your food with a fork. 

"You could help out a little bit."

"No, thanks," you say, inserting a portion of your meal into your mouth. You chew it thoughtfully, sorting out the options in your head as the taste lingers on your tongue. 

"What if we just stayed like this until we graduate?" He suggests. You glare at him, and he laughs, the tinkling sound drifting in the still air, making your heart knot in too many ways. Crap. You do like him, don't you? But he can't possibly like you. You couldn't dream of that. You're his best friend. That's all he's ever viewed you as. Yesterday - that kiss - whatever that had been. It had been an act, you try to convince yourself. Nothing more. A play. A scene. Something to further confirm the relationship, something to further remind you of why you signed the Contract in the first place: to keep girls from confessing and to keep them from having their hearts broken. It sounds overly considerate, doesn't it? Especially since, now that you're looking at it, you benefited more without the Contract rather than with it. Maybe, deep inside, you didn't need a reason to sign it. Maybe, deep inside, you knew how your emotions would spiral into this mess inside you. Maybe, deep inside, you've liked Baekhyun all along, but your mind refused to cooperate with your heart.

"I'd rather not," you tell him bluntly, "date you the whole time." That's what you're supposed to say; this is how you're supposed to act. This is right, you tell yourself. So why doesn't it feel like it is?

Baekhyun bites his lip in thought. Geez. Honestly. He needs to stop doing that. "Well, what if we - "

"Baekhyun!" Someone greets. You turn to see a guy not much taller than Baekhyun, his skin pale and his hair wavy. He sits down at your table, a big smile on his face. He gives you a little wave, and you unsurely wave back as he turns to Baekhyun. "Are you busy later?"

Baekhyun casts you a glance. "That is a very good question. You wanna ask her?"

"Oh, right, you guys are dating now," he remembers. "Well, if you haven't got anything planned, you can chill with the guys later at my house."

"Can I do that?" Baekhyun asks you, cocking his head. Why is he asking you for permission? You shrug, and he grins. "I guess that's a ye - "

"Wait," his friend speaks up. He pulls out his phone and scrolls through the screen, his gaze intently searching for something important. "I almost forgot. Crap. We have ... my girlfriend organized this thing ... with her friends. And ... oh. You guys wanna come?" He brightens, pleading Baekhyun. "It's a couple thing. I guess. Not a date. Karaoke? Or something. I don't know. She didn't even specify," he mumbles, shutting the screen off. "But you should come. I think it's just a dinner. And there will be other couples there."

"Other couples?" Baekhyun ponders out loud, but you can tell he's already considering the offer. You try to kick his shin underneath the table and end up missing. Baekhyun smiles at you, a playful shine in his eyes as he asks, "What do you think? Do you wanna go to an all couples party?"