Unexpected Love [EXO FF - High School AU]

Chapter 30: "Because, Hiba, I love you."

And I'm back a little earlier than usual. I might not have time in the coming week so I'm gonna update this one sooner. Plus many of you can't wait for the next one so I thought I'd go easy hehe. Enjoy! ^.^

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(Hiba’s POV)

I took a deep breath and looked at him dead in the eye. I spoke in one go, before I could have second thoughts, before I could change my mind, “Byun Baekhyun, I love you.” There was dead silence; anyone around us could hear us breathing. Baekhyun continued glaring at me without uttering a word; and this was even more unbearable than him dejecting my feelings. I had to say something to weaken the thick suffocating air forming around us.

“I know you don’t feel the same way but-“

He blurted, “I love you too.”

Dumbfounded and completely disbelieving my ears, I asked, “What?”

He spoke after a loud sigh, his eyes never leaving mine, “I love you too.”

“Y- you do?” I was stammering with my words; clearly I misheard him the first time; clearly it was possible to mishear him twice; clearly my need for his acceptance had clouded my hearing; clearly the chances of him reciprocating those feelings were as thin as hair; clearly that can’t happen. Or can it?

He stood up from the chair and leaned on the table, increasing the proximity. He was a few inches away from my face when he whispered, “Yes, yes I do.” With that, he closed the remaining distance and our lips connected in a sweet kiss, one that caught me off guard. I gasped in the kiss, wide eyed. I could feel him smiling at my reaction and his only reaction was to cup my cheek with his left hand to deepen the kiss. His lips molded slowly against mine. We were kissing. This was happening. Byun Baekhyun loves me…

.

.

.

.

“Hey, get up! Am I really that boring?” I jolted upon hearing him speak.

“Huh- what?” I was utterly confused. ‘Where was I?’, ‘What happened?’, we were having our moment a while ago and now we’re at such a distance in the restaurant.

“Am I really that boring that you fell asleep?”

“I fell asleep?”

“Yeah, you fell asleep on your palm like this while I was telling you about the Film Festival.” He imitated the way I rested my chin on my palm while my elbow rested on the table corner. Baekhyun did not know that his sentence caused immense pain in my chest. It was all but a dream. Is he so deep seated in my mind that my default subconscious thinking revolves around him, that our impossible chance of being together is all I can dream about?

“So it wasn’t real.” I mumbled to myself, a dose of reality.

“What wasn’t real?”

“Nothing.”

“What are you talking about? Were you dreaming? What were you dreaming about?” I tilted my head to look at him. Baekhyun had confusion and a tint of worry written all over his face. He looked confused. Confused. How could I be so selfish? I can’t burden him with my feelings. His life is going amazing and I am happy for him. I don’t want to be a source of worry and confusion and maybe even pain for him. He sees me as nothing but a friend. And as hard as it is to accept it, I have to eventually. What was I thinking anyway? That he would accept my feelings and we’ll be together and end up getting married and live happily ever after? There is no ‘happily ever after’. This is reality. This is real life. ‘Happily ever afters’ don’t happen in real life.