Chapter Text
The warm, warm Thai breeze danced among the palm trees as guests arrived one by one to the beautiful island resort the couple had rented for the celebration. Laughter and excited chatter filled the air and disappeared happily into the orange horizon. Bouquets of vibrant flowers adorned every corner, adding to the already enchanting atmosphere.
Everything around looked magical.
The sunset, the blue sea, the white sand and the love that surrounded the couple for whom everyone was there.
Jungwoo and Jaehyun smiled as they welcomed their friends and family as they arrived. His warm, nervous smile made Ten feel touched and, in a way, hopeful. Jaehyun was crazy about his best friend. Maybe someone one day would be for him.
In the midst of happiness, however, a palpable tension persisted for him. An open secret that made Ten feel anxious since he had returned to his hometown. A shadow that had a name and surname and that seemed to have not arrived yet.
Unfortunately, Ten was wrong. The shadow of his nightmares of the last few days was there, elegant and fresh, smiling and looking (unfortunately for Ten) better than he wanted.
In Ten's mind, he dreams of seeing him bald, perhaps obese, or looking like a complete loser; but all that was nothing more than a wish.
Johnny was leaning against one of the palm trees in the living room, his sly and petulant expression framing a cocky smile as he watched Ten approach. As always, the long-limbed, broad-shouldered man exuded confidence and mischief.
Ten wished those light blue linen pants and white fine cotton shirt looked terrible on him or at least not so tempting.
Ten tries to look around the room for a familiar face, maybe an aunt or one of his friends from college, anyone but Johnny. However, no one seems to look in his direction.
Ten swallows loudly when his gaze meets Johnny's and then he leaves his place and heads in Ten's direction. Was it too late to flee?
"Hello orchid," Johnny greets with amusement in a soft, warm voice.
"Well, well, but if it's nothing more than Johnny Suh. I never thought I'd see you at a wedding, I thought you were allergic to commitment."
Johnny rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, making the opening of his shirt protrude. "Yeah, well, I guess even I can't resist a free trip to paradise," he replies.
"Of course, I forgot how much you like coming here and getting someone to fuck," Ten responds with every intention of offending him.
"You sound jealous," Johnny replies, moving closer to Ten. "You know I can always make a special place for you in my calendar."
"I'm fine, thank you," Ten replies with a mocking laugh accompanying him. "I don't feel like getting on that list."
"You hurt me, orchid," Johnny says, holding his chest and pretending to be in pain.
"Don't call me that" Ten asks with a serious face. "You lost that right a long time ago, Suh."
"I thought we already figured that out, so nothing has changed, huh?"
"No, not really"
"Chittaphon..."
"Not now, not here"
"Not now, not here, not ever," Johnny repeats. "Are you ever going to forgive me? You weren't the only one who got hurt from all of this, you know that, right? I know I'm responsible for my actions, but you're aware of yours?"
Johnny's words sound harsh, a stark contrast to the joyful occasion unfolding around him. Ten felt how his chest was closing with nerves, did he want to run away from there and maybe return to his room? No, he couldn't do that to his best friend.
How had everything escalated so quickly in five minutes?
"If you'll excuse me," Ten says with a smile of false cordiality, ready to leave Johnny's side.
As if Jungwoo had a special radar for him, he approaches with a nervous look and a happy-tense smile. "Hey, what's going on here? This is supposed to be a celebration."
Jaehyun nods, approaching from the other end, his smile wavering slightly. "Yeah, guys, can't you put aside your differences for just one weekend?"
Johnny and Ten exchange a tense look before reluctantly nodding. "Okay, okay," he nods, "it's all for you, we'll try to be nice," Johnny murmurs, gritting his teeth and forcing a bright smile.
He nods, showing a sincere smile. "Don't worry, we'll behave...mostly."
As the group disperses, Johnny and Ten remain locked in a silent battle of wills, their smiles strained and their eyes filled with unresolved tension.
Could that promise be fulfilled? What did Johnny mean when Ten was partly to blame? Everything bad that had happened to him after they broke up had been his fault and no one else's.
Throughout the night, as guests mingled and laughter filled the air, as joy and love seemed to spread, Johnny and Ten couldn't help but find themselves caught up in a bitter dance of questions and resentments; exchanging glances every time they crossed paths.
That room felt too small, too hot.
However, deep beneath that bitterness lay a nostalgic longing, a reminder of a time when their relationship was free of conflict, a time when their laughter was genuine and their friendship unbreakable. Moments in which both had promised the sun and the breeze things that they considered ridiculous right now.
As the sun sank below the horizon and the celebration continued as the moon rose high in the sky, Johnny and Ten couldn't help but feel a pang of bittersweet nostalgia, knowing that in the midst of the happiness of the wedding from Jungwoo and Jaehyun, there were shadows of unresolved feelings and unspoken truths.