radiance | baekhyun

58

baekhyun had been up early and not slept, and keeping his eyes open was beginning to become quite a struggle, hands on the steering wheel, difficult manoeuvring through the winding tracks of the arizonian desert. uphill, especially.

chanyeol in the passenger seat and roma at the back, silently observing and listening as she always was. looked at her in the rear-view mirror. to check on her. smiled.

"do you always drive up here?" baekhyun queried in an exasperated tone, switching gears as the track became increasingly difficult to drive on.

"nah, i walk up here," chanyeol replied.

"that's a long walk."

baekhyun blew hot air from his face.

"nah, it's not bad at all. it's so pretty around here. plus, it'll be worth it once we're up there, trust me."

took a side turning as chanyeol pointed it out to him. baekhyun admired chanyeol's seemingly permanent positive attitude. it confused him, but also made things better. made certain things bearable for the time being.

"roma," baekhyun projected slightly louder. paused a little. "are you okay?"

appeared woken from her trance.

she flashed him a sweet smile, nodding slightly. he squeezed his eyes and smiled back, hoping to god that she was telling the truth. even though, at the back of his mind, he knew very well.

despite it almost chiming midnight, a sliver of deep-set red remained, stretched along the horizon, staining the navy-blue with shimmers of scarlet. the lack of intense light from the hills made for a bedazzled, star-filled sky. clear and beautiful. he hadn't seen proper stars in a while. city lights normally obscured them into a hazy expanse of maroons and blacks.

baekhyun eyed the dots of light emanating from the patches of homes down in the valley. concentrated. watched as they turned on, and then off, and then he focused back on driving.

they were continuing to elevate, twisting and turning and winding, the red dirt pattering beneath the tyres. the road continued to get narrower, making him have to squint through the headlights.

chanyeol looked relaxed, as usual, the buttons of his shirt fluttering open, revealing the steady rhythm to which his chest was heaving up and down. he was casually observing his periphery, the black and the deep, framed by the metal of the front window of the speeding car.

like a film.

came to a stop. dust flying and dirt crunching.

"yeah, this is it," chanyeol spoke excitedly, immediately clicking off his seatbelt as soon as the engine ceased.

stepped out and slammed the car door.

baekhyun glanced in the mirror once again.

roma looked relaxed; studying her surroundings with her piercing gaze, the strip of remaining light lined across her features, her nose, underlining her bright eyes. dark red against the deepened creases of her face.

the heat was ever-present, sinking into the depths of the landscape, warming the parts of the car.

"you wanna go?" he asked carefully.

his deep voice broke through the eased silence.

roma turned her attention from the outside and looked right at him.

her gaze was perplexed.

"yeah," she responded softly.

and opened the door, her feet swinging over the seat and hitting the ground.