radiance | baekhyun

54

"what?" he replied softly. convincingly.

took roma aback.

"i just...wish that mia would tell me exactly what happened."

solemn expression, now. roma noticed how the dark shadows of the cornered and shaded area of the restaurant rested heavily into the creases and tired lines drawn and etched into baehyun's features. his nose bridged across the colourless planes of his cheeks, ending at his dry lips. his hair was getting long now, the beautiful, brown waves flopping forward over his framed orbs.

roma didn't even want to think about her own reflection. she hadn't looked in a mirror for a few days.

"i understand why she wouldn't want to," was all he let slip through his wavering voice.

constant stream of confused and puzzled and tormented consciousness.

she stopped fiddling with the fork on her plate.

"what...what do you mean...you understand?" roma spoke, voice louder and more piercing than she'd intended. the couple next to them glanced at their table fleetingly.

dark eyes.

"baekhyun, please, for god's sake, can someone just tell me what the fuck is going on? i'm so tired of all of this constant guessing and not knowing, and i can't--"

sudden outburst. her tone was sharp and demanding, and surprised even herself.

baekhyun's mind appeared elsewhere.

roma didn't realise how heavily she was breathing.

"mia is fine. don't worry," baekhyun said simply.

annoyance took over her thoughts and feelings.

"how do you know?" she continued to demand, somewhat aggressively, bordering aggravation. she sighed inwardly. "baekhyun, why do you always act so cryptic about these things? it's mia, like, i need to know--"

"roma, okay, mia isn't the problem here."

baekhyun spoke so bluntly, interrupting her train of irritation. he wasn't angry, or particularly annoyed with her outspoken words. he was just at a loss for words himself or explanations or something credible to say. nothing he could articulate without revealing his inner torments. and others'.

"so what is? who is?"

roma knew too well. he couldn't hide it anymore.

tension.

baekhyun reached forward across the table, over the plates, the wine, his calloused fingers gently grabbing hold of roma's smaller hands. she immediately, to even her own surprise, retracted them, not wanting to be sympathised with or patronised, even though baekhyun's intentions were purely comforting.

his pupils dilated, could have gone unnoticed, as he was slightly shocked by her forward actions. roma didn't have the objective of making baekhyun feel guilty or bad. not his fault. she was just reaching her limits.

"you were on the phone last night. what's happened? kai and sehun..."

pause.

baekhyun stared at her.

"you said s-something happened," she continued. quieter. stammered.

"yeah. something did."

roma hated this.

she felt a foreign sensation of anger towards baekhyun. for being purposefully discrete and mysterious, winding her up, although not intentionally.