Calling On My Angels [ Chanrosé ]

19. Make Damn Sure

Chaeyoung had to give it to herself, she had managed to keep the majority of her emotions at bay until she had reached the security of the bus, sending Jennie away so that she could dwell in her unjustified hurt alone. But once inside, they spilled over, flinging her bag into the couch as she slumped down next to it, head buried in her hands in frustration.

She wanted to be mad, furious even, but she felt like she had no right. There was no exclusivity, not even a mention of it. If he wanted to, Chanyeol was more than entitled to flirt with other people, despite the nauseating feeling in her stomach. More than just making her feel sick, it also confirmed everything Chaeyoung had been scared of, it now being blatantly obvious that Chanyeol held no feelings for her.

She had let his words get to her head, just as everyone else's had. They had all fed into this sick idea that Chanyeol might not detest her, giving her unjustifiable hope in what could only be described as a losing battle. There was no point fighting now, she was done. Done with him, and everyone and anything associated with him.

In the past, Chaeyoung had always said how they brought out the worst in each other, but that had seemed to change over the course of the tour. With her calming words and actions, Chanyeol's stage fright disappeared, and with his own encouraging glances back at the bar, she didn't feel so lost in life. Once again, she had found purpose in her otherwise meaningless life, the excitement that came with Chanyeol providing her with that much needed spontaneity.

Although, if this was the destined outcome, she would have much rather Chanyeol had stayed as cold and distant as he always had been, because now that Chaeyoung had had a taste of happiness, she wanted more. She wanted nights spent curled up in his bunk, always, and mornings where they slumped next to each other on the couch, too tired from their nightly activities to move much. Now that she had experienced life with him beside her, she didn't want to let go, already more involved than she had been in all of her past relationships.

And this wasn't even a relationship.

The mechanical sound of the door sliding open heralded his arrival, Chanyeol chasing after her as he always did, ready to defend himself even when he knew he was absolutely at fault. Her eyes were closed, not even having to look up to check whether her assumption was correct. From the added tension in the room, she could just tell.

Gathering herself, Chaeyoung slowly raised her head expecting to see a smug Chanyeol, pleased to see her scarper at the mere sight of him with someone else. After all, it was always alright for him to flirt with whoever he pleased, while she was expected to remain available to him, any man who showed the slight interested being quickly shown the door.

But for once, Chanyeol didn't meet her expectations. There was no smug smile, no posture oozing confidence, in fact, there was no confidence at all. Chanyeol looked equally as confused as he had done by the pool, with just a little bit of guilt mixed into the expression, even though his confusion displayed that he didn't know what he had done. His shirt was on inside out, as though he had put it on in a hurry, and his hands were stuffed into his shorts pockets, hiding just how nervously his fingers were tapping away at the skin on his thighs.

Seeing so much emotion in his irises was something she was unaccustomed to, finding herself staring at him in slight disbelief before turning away and heading towards the back room, a non-verbal order for him. That back room was the only thing that would fix this, like it had fixed so many problems before.

"Well, come on then." Chaeyoung paused by the door frame, glancing over her shoulder to Chanyeol, who was still rooted in his spot, staring at her nervously. He looked even more bewildered, as though he expected her to be screaming at him, smashing in his perfect face, or wailing at him. "Are we gonna get on with it, or what?"