Where I Belong

Chapter 4: Minseok

Solbin had no trouble recognizing Minseok's handwriting, something so familiar to her. The bouquet was from him, and it was meant for her. The card was handwritten; he said he was sorry. She knew what he was apologizing for.

Last week, she had met up with her childhood friend Yixing at the train station right outside campus. She had not seen him in a long time because he was always busy miles away in mainland China, so now that he was here, she ran full speed ahead toward him and jumped into his arms because she missed him so much. Little did she know that that scene was witnessed by her boyfriend at the time. That evening, during dinner, Minseok confronted her about it and he was pissed off that she was so close with another guy. According to him, she was never even that excited to see him, the guy she was supposed to be in love with and in an exclusive relationship with. It had made him doubt her love for him and when she tried to assure him that she did love him very much, he did not believe her, which pissed her off. One complaint led to another, and soon the two of them were quarreling and at each other's throats. In a fit of rage, she dumped his jealous possessive ass because he was overreacting and she just could not deal with his shit. She left his apartment and went to the nearest club to cool off. Originally she just wanted a drink, but one drink turned into two, then three, then four, and more. Tipsy, she stumbled onto the dance floor and began to grind on random people. She did not even know what she was doing anymore. At least that way she did not have to worry about having a jealous boyfriend. She was free to do whatever she wanted. Soon the shots she had downed had hit her all at once. She was so dizzy that she thought she was going to pass out. With what was left of her consciousness, she tapped a few keys on her phone in a haze, and then she blacked out.

When she came to, she found that she was in a bed, but not her own. It was Baekhyun who hauled her out of the club and drove her to his place — it was nearer than her dorm was — and took care of her all through the night. He slept on the couch that night and made soup for her the next morning.

"I know you're probably having the worst hangover of your life," said Baekhyun soothingly. It did not even matter that much what he was saying; his voice itself was already a comfort.

"Oh goodness...I'm so sorry to have troubled you or if I've embarrassed myself last night. I can't remember what happened." Solbin buried her face into her palms.

"Just know that I'll be staying here to look after you. I figured you'd feel much better if you could have something pleasant to look at," Baekhyun added, pointing to himself. "And don't worry. Everything that you've told me last night, I'll keep a secret."

Solbin whined and told him to stop being so cocky, but he was not wrong. His good looks and his sense of humor were better than any pill. She never knew that he could be so caring.

She wondered what she had ever done to deserve to have Byun Baekhyun in her life.

~

Minseok was the one on Solbin's mind right now, nobody else. She figured he must have been here earlier today but could not reach her. He came all the way here to apologize and he even got flowers for her. He must be really disappointed right now and she felt so bad that she had let him down. To be honest, even though the two of them had broken up, of course she still had feelings for him. As a matter of fact, her heart was aching for him in this moment. She needed to see him. She did miss him a lot; she just liked to pretend that she did not. Who was she even putting on a show for? This was stupid.

Once again, she had hopped into a taxi urgently and gave Minseok's address to the driver. She bolted into the building, punching the elevator buttons repeatedly as if it would get her to Minseok faster. She knew she was hardly thinking straight, just showing up at his door like that. In fact, even as she slammed on his doorbell over and over again, it had occurred to her that she did not even know if he was home. But at some point he would have to come home, right? So even if nobody was here to get the door, she figured that she could just —

The door flew open and there Minseok was.

~

Solbin sat down on the couch in relief as Minseok poured a glass of red wine for both of them.

"So," they said at the same time. She smiled apologetically and let him go first.

"Well. I didn't think you'd ever come back after you stormed out of here last time," he confessed. "I'm glad you're back though. Actually, I don't think you have any idea how surprised and delighted I am right now, to have you back. After last time, both of us needed some time to cool off and calm down. I've had the week to think about it and...you're right. I'm sorry. I was wrong to let my jealous side get the better of me. I shouldn't have reacted that way and I should've trusted you when she said Yixing was just your good friend and nothing more. You would never cheat on me, right?"

"No, Minseok. Never," she said sincerely, sitting closer to him. She touched his face affectionately and smiled. "I love you."

He smiled back at her, cutely. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry about the flowers though. I didn't know that you were looking for me today, and my phone died."

The smile on his face died too. "I didn't know that you had plans with him either. Byun Baekhyun, I mean," he sighed. "I...I'm not mad at you. Don't worry. I understand that we broke up so you're free to do whatever you want with whomever you want. You're not bound by an exclusive relationship with me anymore. But the truth is — and I don't want to sound like a possessive jerk when I say this because I know you hate that — it still hurts me to think and know that you're not mine."

It broke her heart to see him sad like this. "Minseok, I'm yours," she said to him with certainty, grabbing his hand firmly.

He shook his head. "You really don't need to tell a lie to make me happy. If being my girlfriend doesn't make you happier...I think it would be selfish of me to force you to stay."

"A lie? Force me? No," she argued, placing the glass of wine on the table, next to his, so that she would not break it in case you got emotional. "I'm telling the truth. You do make me happy, Minseok. I want to stay with you tonight...if that's alright with you."

He looked at her earnestly for a moment but then smiled nervously. "Of course I'd love that. But...it's not that I'm not willing to trust you. It's just...I don't know why, but there's this voice at the back of my head, telling me that you might be with me now, but tomorrow, when the sun comes up, you'll change mind and you won't be mine anymore. That's my worst fear, you know?"

She licked her lips, ready to do whatever it took to show him how much she loved him. She was determined to make that voice at the back of his head shut up. "Min...don't worry about tomorrow. Just tell me, do you want me to be yours tonight?" she asked softly. "Because I do. I want you. I —"

He had leaned in to kiss her. And it was not just an innocent, shy peck on the lips. He had kissed her with fervor, and she responded with equal devotion, deepening the kiss. She forgot what she was about to say, but whatever it was, she was sure she could channel it into the kiss, savoring the moment. She had been away from him for quite a few days now, and it felt incredibly nice to be back again. It was not until both of them were breathless that she pulled apart from him.

"Be mine," he said huskily, desire evident in his tone and in his gaze. "That is all I want."

Pulling her in by her waist, he kissed her again and this time both of them needed more, remembering that this sofa was where the two of them had consummated their relationship when they first started dating. The memories began to flood back into her mind, fueling her passion. At the beginning she recalled being a bit shy and awkward with Minseok because she was not sure what he liked in the bedroom, but very soon she had discovered his dominant streak and there was nothing she loved more than that. It made her bolder in bed and she always ended up with a satisfying, fulfilling high so she loved it more and more.

"Come take a shower with me?" She asked invitingly, swiping her finger past his collarbone to tantalize him.

There was no way he could say no to that, or to her.