[DOTS Y/n x Shi Jin] Standing At the Edge of Summer, 22.

Chapter 39

Y/n's pov
You sip your wine, putting your glass back down onto the coffee table and wrapping your blanket tighter around yourself. Shi Jin takes that as you feeling cold again, bringing you closer to him by his arm around you. Closing your eyes, you lean onto him, feeling Shi Jin glance at you.

'Are you tired?' He asks, stroking your hair.

'Just a little bit.' You reply, enjoying his touch through your hair. You both stay silent for a few seconds, simply enjoying each other's presence.

Shi Jin's pov

'You know, before, I wasn't sure if I could trust myself again.' Y/n says suddenly, her eyes still closed on my shoulder.

'Hm?'

'To love you again.' She says again, the corners of her lips arching upwards ever so slightly. 'Before...we broke up because I never made time for you.' I hesitate whether to disagree with her and say it wasn't her fault, but I let her go on.

'So I thought... what if I repeat the same mistake? Make you feel lonely even when we are together and we would separate again.' She says, her still looking peaceful with her quiet voice.

'When you approached me the second time, I didn't dislike it. Actually, I was more grateful that you didn't move on and forgot about me. But I was scared to accept that and try again.' I only undo the tangled parts in her hair, trying not to disrupt her flow.

'I'm still scared you won't be next to me in the end. But now... somehow I want to love you again.' She says, moving away from my shoulder and curling against her knees under the blanket.

'Thank you for telling me.' I say, her slowly opening her eyes. 'I promise, I'm not going anywhere.' To that, she only smiles, tracing the lines on my hand on her knee with her finger.

'You remember when I found you in the building after the earthquake? I had come for you the first thing after I landed.' I say, enjoying her gentle touch on my hand. 'You don't understand how worried I've been. Wondering...will I ever be able to see you again? What if you had already died. How would I live without talking to you one more time.' I add, Y/n smiling as she rests her chin on our intertwined hands. 

 'Or when they took you away? I even disobeyed my order and risked our whole nation to get you back.' I say again, her slowly closing her eyes again as if to savour my voice. 

'So you can be assured...even when we separate, I'll always make it back to you.' I finish, Y/n softly laughing, her cheeks turning redder whether from my words or the wine.

'That's cringy.' She says as she taps my hand in her familiar drunk motion, yet still her lips arching upwards. 

'It's true.' I reply, her shifting to straighten her legs, her feet poking out of the blanket and going back to lean on my shoulder. I put my arm around her once again, suddenly feeling the urge to tease her.

'Also, can we backtrack again to the part where you love me?' I ask, half for genuinely wanting to hear her say it once more and half for wanting to tease her.

'I said I want to.' She says curtly although I see her lips are still arched upwards, her eyes closed peacefully. I raise my eyebrows, sensing that she has caught my bait.