[ ✓ ] 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 , taewin .

THIRTY

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EPILOGUE

❝ all i can do is say these arms were made for holding you. i wanna love like you made me feel,
when we were eighteen. ❞
— 18 ; ONE DIRECTION.

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I've learned over the past year to get accustomed to the feeling of city air. I had to get used to the feeling of buildings all around me and the scent of fresh coffee mixed with taxi gasoline. When my lungs weren't full of the aroma of town's perks, they'd usually be filled with the smell of sweat and nylon.

Get up at five. Get to the studio at six after breakfast and coffee. Practice until lunch, practice some more until dinner. Then sleep. That's how it went up until the upcoming spring much later, when the theater would finally put on the production of Giselle. Then, there was no time for breakfast or lunch or dinner or sleep. It felt as if all the students lived on the rehearsal stage.

With that, there was no time for myself. No time to call family, no time to call Taeyong.

Weekends were the best time for catching up with him. As hard as it was, not being able to really be there with him, it was better than nothing. Just getting to hear his daily "I love you" and "Goodnight" was enough to keep me going.

And, plus, every day I got through would be another day closer to seeing Taeyong again.

It didn't require for me to see him in person to know how his heart had began to break the longer we were away from each other. I knew it by the way he would type his text messages and the way he'd speak on the phone. But seeing him with my own eyes again only solidified the idea. His eyes were pressing, his smile wasn't as wide. But it only took so long for him to be his true self again.

The way Taeyong wrapped his arms around me is tighter than he's ever held me before. He held me like he'd lost me, and finally, I've been found.

"You grew," Taeyong commented as he let go of my body. "Your arms, your—"

"Yeah. That's what happens when you're dancing everyday." I chuckled as he gripped onto my upper arms. I flexed for him, and he giggled. There was a small moment of silence before he leaned in to kiss me. The corners of my lips curled up as he presses his lips to mine. My hands reached for his fingers. Holding his hands tightly, Taeyong smiled brightly as he looked at me in my eyes. I kissed him again, soft and light.

The few weeks I had to visit home went by faster than I had hoped for. All the while, stressing over the year I had ahead of me. Trying to wrap my head around going through another painful nine months, miles away from Taeyong, miles away from his touch. College was something he preferred not to talk about. That is, so I thought.