radiance | baekhyun

51

slowly removed his laptop from his lap and placing it down onto the covers. cocked his head at her quizzically, figuring her out, watching her actions carefully. roma didn't know why she could feel her heart beating in her throat, or why her lungs felt really compact all of a sudden; breathing uneven.

"i'm, uh...just looking for something," she began, sifting through her clothes and books. 

"hey, slow down, though," he chuckled nervously, using his arms to lift himself up from the bed, and kneeling down beside her. stifling her quick nature. 

placed his heavy hands on her shoulders, attempting to calm her rushed movements. 

she could hear her ragged breaths echoing in the small room, the contained space feeling too hot and overwhelming. didn't know what had suddenly come over her. 

"chill, yeah," baekhyun smiled, kissing the side of her head, his lips soft and calming. "what's wrong? what are you looking for?"

roma counted to three in her head. 

slowed her breaths. counted them, too. 

closed her eyes. the sun still shone, even while her lids obscured her vision, the hot summer dancing across her mind. flashback of memories. bright yellow and amber circling patterns across her blurred vision. 

she didn't actually know. her head ached, her shoulders pressuring down on her knelt posture, chest tightening. didn't know what she was trying to find in her bag. inexplicable actions. 

once she'd calmed down, breaths back to a somewhat normal rate, lips no longer trembling, she took a deep breath in attempt to articulate her outburst. baekhyun's fingers pushed back the loose strands of her hair that had fallen forward across her forehead, tucking them behind her ears. 

"take a deep breath, yeah?" baekhyun enunciated slowly and softly, his beam still present, eyes shining at her. 

roma's stern expression broke into a believable smile, and she brought her hands up to wipe the sweat that had broken out on her forehead. she giggled nervously, slightly embarrassed; unaware of what had just caused her sudden emotional outbreak. 

tried to speak a few times, but her tongue felt stuck to the roof of her dry mouth. 

managed to overcome. 

"it's just...i was...um, t-trying to, uh..." she stuttered and stammered. 

baekhyun's pressured touch on her increased, in a caring and understanding way. 

"what happened?" 

pause. deep breath.

"nothing...h-happened, i just...s-suddenly realised s-something."

he watched her with a concerned look spread across his face, trying to comprehend, to decipher the hidden meanings that were always difficult, trapped--hard to define.

"what's that?"

his arms on her. 

roma stared into his captivating vision.

"um...mia. or, uh, i don't know."

she immediately shook her head as soon as she spoke, not able to communicate her intended speech. overwhelmed. thoughts were all over the place, scattered across her mind, baekhyun's intense stare distracting her. 

"what about mia?"--slight pause--"is she okay?" he probed, searching honestly for any answers in her uncomfortable expression. 

roma coughed. cleared her throat. rubbed her eyes.