New Start

Part 28

'Baekhyun?' she choked, her mouth dropped at the sight of him.

His sassy grin spread across his face.

'You-you,' she garbled at him, completely lost for words. 'It was you? This whole time? But I thought – Chanyeol,' Her heart sank a little as the grin changed on his face.

'No, well not exactly me.' He told her slowly, leaning forward in the chair. She tilted her head slightly to the side, eyebrows shortening as they jammed together.

'What do you mean?' she asked, taking the seat opposite from him.

He leaned across to her, pulling her hands into his and rubbing circles into them.

'It was Chanyeol.' He told her gazing up at her. She had known it. She had hoped for it as a swell of – something she couldn't understand filled her chest and yet his words stunned her, the reality finally being revealed to her.

'Why – why are you here then?' she asked him mystified.

'He sent me to tell you everything, he said - he said he couldn't face you yet, he's still upset with himself.' He spoke his words kindly, considerately as he looked deep into her eyes.

'He – he's upset?' she asked with unease.

'He planned all this, but he feels like he's fucked up.' Baekhyun started, he took a deep breath.

'Everything was Chanyeol. He is the one who read your book first. He saw himself in Sam, it was like you described him, big ears, happy personality, musical, happy with life until he met Evelyn. He got caught up with the story, capturing the butterfly, he began researching you and he, thought you were, extraordinary.'

Alex stared at him.

'He knows a guy who works here, one of the producers, he asked him to look the book over, see what they think, if it could become – something, when he heard back they were interested he said he would set it up. Chanyeol contacted your agent about this whole meeting.
He arranged your flights, to land at the same time we were arriving back from China, hoping to see you, he arranged that you stay on the same floor as us in the apartment block. It's an exclusive building, he knew we would be there, and he knew there would be one apartment free, he's been paying for it to make sure you would stay there.'

Her mouth dropped open completely astounded.

'He planned to get to know you before the meeting, he wanted to know you. I know it sounds creepy, he said followed you everywhere, working up the courage to speak to you. He was always disappearing, he just wanted to watch you, the natural you. He felt like he was living Sam's life, trying to catch his own butterfly. Your eyes, they're the same blue as the butterfly.'

He looked up into her blue eyes, slightly brown and green in the centre. They weren't striking like a bright aquamarine, but deep and iridescent somehow, and even Baekhyun could see it. The soul of the butterfly in her eyes. He could see why Chanyeol had fallen for her from the moment Baekhyun had seen her for himself.

'But then it all went wrong for him that first week. He said he was going to talk to you, he was going to introduce himself, and then explain. I don't know how, he hadn't worked it out. He got nervous and the moment escaped him. Then you met Junmyeon first. He saw the look in his eyes after he met you. He met him as soon as he left the apartment building, after you bumped into him. Chanyeol was following you home, and then Junmyeon came outside, starry eyed and wouldn't shut up about you. He felt he had lost you before he even began. He just smiled along, pretending he didn't know you.