radiance | baekhyun

39

he stopped.

"yeah? you alright?" his tone sounded worried, the drunkenness overpowered by concern.

"yeah, no, i'm fine. i, um, i...yeah, i just, uh...w-wanted to ask if you're sure it's cool with your friend that, um, i stay too?"

roma fumbled incoherently with her speech, eyes squeezing shut as she tried to say something that made any sense.

baekhyun cracked a smile, one that was even visible in the dimness.

"babe, of course. he won't mind," baekhyun reassured. "i haven't seen him in ages so i'm sure he'll just be chill to see me," he added.

roma heard an odd noise up above, like something cracking. like wires twisting and turning; electricity pylons breaking under the pressure.

no sense.

she shivered.

grabbed tighter onto baekhyun's arm.

"b-baekhyun, are you sure?"

scared, but didn't know why.

"seriously. he won't mind at all." baekhyun squeezed her hand in reciprocation.

she gulped down the lump in her throat.

"uhh...how do you know him, again?" roma enquired out of curiosity.

she noted the slight tension in baekhyun's stance. even in the dark; the way his shoulders arched upwards slightly and the muscles in his throat held in a sharp breath. she'd forgotten not to ask. forgotten that there was always something difficult to explain; something that she couldn't possibly begin to understand.

accepted that.

"it's complicated," he replied.

and, of course it was. roma felt sad and empty all of a sudden. maybe it was her dizzy and not fully-conscious state of mind, but she felt weird. flashbacks of them sitting at the table, only this morning--even though it felt like eons ago--sunlight slanting in, igniting the aching in her limbs. and his deep, glowing eyes signalling a million meanings. and baekhyun promising he'd make it up to her; promised that he wouldn't hide things anymore from her.

it was always complicated before.

roma's steps slowed. she tried to pretend she didn't care.

baekhyun must have noticed.

"roma?"

she looked up slowly. felt the weight of her fatigued eyelids.

it was dark.

"hmm?" she responded, attempting to be casual. not bothered. baekhyun stopped her, their echoing footsteps coming to a halt, his hands placed flatly on her shoulders.

he looked so serious, and roma felt uncomfortable and disorientated beneath his dark gaze. diamond-shaped eyes darted back and forth, reading every line and crest in her bewildered features; his lips moved, ever-so slightly. about to speak: then, he wasn't.

so beautiful but so fucked-up.

"i promise i'll explain later, yeah?" he spoke slowly, enunciating each letter and each word, as if to try and get roma to really understand. roma observed as he squinted his eyes, the movements quick and uneven.

roma bit her lip. looked right at him. smiled softly.

forget. promises.

"yeah. i mean, sure," she said slowly. she felt cold suddenly; away from him somehow. a slight tense moment passed between them. pressure palpitating in the thin, cold air.