Close To Midnight

Chapter 30

"Really?" Chiho scoffed at Mina sitting on Nayeon's lap. It was sweet and everything but he couldn't resist teasing Mina who always responded with an endearing blush. "There are two extra chairs in this room." He pointed to the abandoned ones in the corner.

Just as he expected, a pretty pink coated Mina's pale unblemished skin.

Nayeon took a long swig of her beer. She indicated Mina to slide off her lap. Standing up, she walked to the corner of the room.

Jihyo eyed her curiously.

Min-Jun snorted in disbelief when a loud smashing sound reverberated across the room ten seconds later followed by another right after.

Nayeon walked back to the armchair and pulled Mina back down on her lap. "Now there isn't." She said coolly.

Jihyo shook her head in amusement.

Mina swooned.

Nayeon took another sip of her beer.

Chiho stared at the two broken wooden chairs with wide eyes.

____

Mina gritted her teeth as she looked at the long line in front of the stall. She decided to spend her day off with her girlfriend. It didn't seem like one of her brightest idea right now.

Some of the girls, or as Jihyo liked to call them Nayeon's groupies, were dressed scantily and leering at Nayeon openly as she took pictures of them. Some of the men were smiling shyly and giggling to their friends passing comments between themselves.

Mina wasn't the type to be jealous. Besides, it wasn't Nayeon's fault she was fucking hot, had a charming face, a lithe muscular frame and sculpted arms. God, it was ridiculous how just thinking of those arms and what they were capable of doing could make her blush. And obviously, women, men, everyone were taking notice.

"Do you want to get lunch?" Nayeon's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Maybe you should ask one of your groupies." She joked, dusting the grainy beach sand off her floral dress. "They seem fond of you."

Nayeon frowned, offering a hand for her to get up. "I'm not fond of them."

"Who are you fond of then?" Her chest burned, a flush moving up her face as she came up in front of Nayeon and looked into the older girl's eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nayeon gave her a long look. Mina bit back a smile. Nayeon was nervous. The hand scratching the side of her chin told her that. For all the tough exterior she put on, she was soft inside.

"How would I know? You wouldn't even say I love you back." She put a hand to her own chest and sighed dramatically. "Maybe I'm just a conquest to you." A teasing tone filled her voice.

A flicker of hurt flashed across the elusive eyes.

Mina's gaze went soft instantly. She stepped into Nayeon's space and squeezed her biceps. "I'm joking." She clarified.

Nayeon nodded.

There were no words. Just a steely determination in those dark eyes.

___

"What do you love doing?" Mina who was sitting on the kitchen counter, choked out a wet laugh when Nayeon pointed a finger at her.

"Other than me Nayeon-chan." She looped her arms around the older girl's neck, who was standing between her legs and pulled her flush against her body. "You know little things. I love watching thunderstorms, playing in the rain, things like that."

"Counting." Nayeon traced the moles on her face with her fingertips. "These."

Mina's heartbeat picked up with just two words.

She leaned down to connect their lips in a slow and passionate kiss. She explored her mouth enjoying the feeling of being together. Her kisses were addictive, intoxicating. It always made her want more.

She drew her fingers down Nayeon's neck, to hold it against her chest, to feel her heartbeat. To see if it beat as frantically as hers.

Nayeon winced. Shrunk away from her touch.

Mina pulled back, concern filling her eyes. "What's wrong?" She narrowed her eyes at her chest. "Are you hurt?" Her fingers touched the buttons on her shirt to get them undone.

Nayeon held her hand, shying away from her grasp. "I'm fine."

She wasn't. Mina hadn't imagined her flinching. She moved Nayeon's hand to a side and unbuttoned her shirt.

Mina caught sight of what was underneath it and froze. A sharp gasp left her throat. The ache and burning in her chest was immediate.

Nayeon's skin, purple and green, was covered in a bandage. Behind it, in beautiful italicised font was Mina's name etched on Nayeon's skin, right over where her heart was.

You wouldn't even say I love you back. Maybe I'm just a conquest to you. Her own words echoed in her ears. Tears prickled the back of her eyes.

She stroked the skin around the bandage with her thumb. "I love you." She whispered with a watery smile.

"Say it again." Nayeon took her face into her hands, wiping her tears away with the pads of her thumbs.

"I love you Nayeon-chan." Mina breathed.

Nayeon kissed the pulse point on her neck. "Again."

Mina left little kisses all over Nayeon's face. "I love you." Kisses dotting from her neck to behind her ear, to her forehead. "I love you." She half sobbed, overwhelmed with the swirl of emotions in her chest. "I love you so much." She reconnected their lips that continued to say the three words in a deep kiss, love and affection for Nayeon burning and bursting through her chest.

___

We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts

Mina sang into the mic, locking eyes with Nayeon across the room. It felt like she was drunk in love. Jihyo pointed out it was most likely the two beers she had.

Nayeon leaned back against her chair, setting her bottle of beer down on the table in the poorly lit karaoke bar as she listened to Mina's soothing voice filter through the speaker. The place smelled of cheap liquors,  and random hook-ups, but to her, as she held the warm brown eyes in a tender gaze, it smelled of first love.

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

Mina laughed as she sang, blowing a kiss at Nayeon with a coy look on her face.

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby just say yes.

She tilted the mic stand, singing into it with a joyful laughter as she pointed a finger at Nayeon.

Every person had this moment in their life. A perfect moment, flawless and exquisite, that no matter what happened in their life otherwise, they will always have this one perfect moment they could hold on to and look back at. 

Looking into Mina's eyes that were shining with love, lips curved in a fond smile, singing a song for her like they were the only two people in the world, Nayeon knew, this was that moment in her life.

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