No Love Allowed

Five

The first words out of Sehun's mouth as he faced Chanyeol and Baekhyun across the summerhouse at the far end of the Oh Estate hald an hour later were, "Oh Suho has gone insane."

Chanyeol tilted his head in confusion while Baekhyun . . . well, looked like himself - emotionless, with arms crossed. His friend's silence he was used to, but his cousin bein usually mute worried him. He had expected a louder reaction than blinking.

He opened his mouth to speak again, when Chanyeol finally asked, "What the hell happened between the time we dropped you off and now?"

Like the London Bridge falling, Sehun launched into a fast-paced narration of events. He paced as he spoke, waving his hands in the air.

"Now I have to spend three days a week at the office starting Monday if I want Europe and the rest of the year off," he finished, breathing deeply. Not five minutes after he had left his father's study, he had gotten a call from Suho's assisstant informing him of his duties as an unpaid intern and how many days he was expected to show up at the firm of Gangnam. Sehun might not have seen the man's face while on the phone, but the guy sure did sound smug. Unpaid had surely been his father's idea, since interns got a weekly paycheck when they worked for Oh and Associates. Oh, how far the mighty had fallen in the course of a single day, and he blamed Irene to the bottomless pit of hell for it.

"So, let me see if I understand everything . . ." Chanyeol waved his hand in the air while Sehun concentrated on not breathing quickly. "Because you broke up with Irene, Suho wants you to intern at the firm for the summer and atten all the events to get your gap year back."

Sehun bit back the choice words he had at the mention of Irene's name as Baekhyun added in his soothing, quiet voice of his, "Don't forget keeping his behavior on check."

"Right." Chanyeol nodded in his best friend's direction. "Thank you."

Baekhyun crossed his legs, his foot nudging against Chanyeol's shin. A soft breeze ruffled his blond-ish hair. The muscles in his pale arms bulged as he gestured toward Sehun. "Is there any chnace of you getting back together with Irene until the end of summer? There are a lot of events sponsored by the firm this year. I already have the invites at home. And knowing Suho, you'll have to attend all of them in order for him to give you the go-ahead to leave for Europe."

"I mean, what's a little over two months of sticking it out with her compared to the freedom you'll get afterward? Breaking her heart after she successfully shielded you doesn't seem like such a big sacrifice," Chanyeol chimed in, playing the devil's assisstant.

"But she broke the rule," Sehun said, a frown forming.

"Can't you make an exception this time?" Baekhyun questioned.

"No."

Sympathy colored Chanyeol's tone when he said, "Sehun, you know I will bury a body for you,  but sometimes you frustrate me. Love is love. If she feels that way, then let her. It doesn't mean you have to return it. You're already in a bind as it is."

"What does that make me if I stay with her for two more months?"

"Someone concerned about self-preservation."

That made him laughed. "Self-preservation. Right." Then he sobered. "You know Irene. SHe would want more. More that I'm obviously not willing to give. If I held out until the end of summer, who knows what would happened?"

Chanyeol clucking his tongue was his way of thinking things through. Baekhyun studied him as Sehun let him work out the logic of his reasoning. It didn't take long for his cousin to catch up. This time when he sighed his shoulders lifted and dropped in resignation.