15:53.
soft sound. gentle breeze. ambient music. aqua-blue sky.
roma could have sworn that she'd felt, remembered, the presence of baekhyun's sleeping figure beside hers. strong arms resting against her own, bodies entwined comfortably, heaving up and down, matching her own breaths. white-washed walls having created a comforting encasement of the sound of his light snores and the distant bustle of downtown life, filtering upwards from down below the balcony.
day-dreaming. she almost still felt the ghost of a gentle touch of lips across her forehead, too close, yet not enough. she could've sworn. light had poured brightly into every corner of her wandering mind, warming her, reassuring her that he had stayed. like he'd promised. the night before.
but roma had woken to a mess of left-over, crumpled sheets, creased covers and an empty space beside her.
and, of course, the blazing heat of the foreign sunlight.
he'd left; roma couldn't help but feel sad, because, what else? she'd thought, stupid girl, that maybe last night had changed something. maybe he would have stayed as if he'd meant it. with a promise of one of his curved smirks and a warm cup of coffee.
the thought of his bruises and cuts became more prominent once morning light had shed its irradiance, the image of him haunting her mind. she wished he was here with her, so she could touch him. check that he was still real.
roma had rubbed her tired eyes, sitting up, looking around hopelessly. or hopefully. didn't matter.
once adjusted, her piercing vision had darted towards the unfamiliar object placed purposefully atop of her novels and notepads. heart raced, as she reached forward to grab it, the crinkle of the ripped paper in her hand, soothing.
good morning, beautiful
what you did last night meant a lot. sorry i left like this, but i'll be back. promise.
love,
baekhyun
below, he'd inscribed a messy array of scribbled digits, having drawn an arrow and stating, call me. roma recollected that they'd already exchanged numbers a few days ago, his repeated forward proposal provoking that all-too-familiar red flush to her cheeks.
roma smiled, because baekhyun had this weird way of making that warm feeling inside of her tummy erupt into butterflies.
she'd also smiled because the prospect of seeing him again meant seeing those sparkling eyes and those full, pouting, pink lips, despite his beautiful features being momentarily masked by the consequences of his protective nature. it meant that all of this would be real again.
maybe he actually wanted to see her; spend time with her.
a couple of days had come and gone, the memories and occurrences encompassed by heat and radiance. as always. it was the hot afternoon the day after that she'd got a message from baekhyun, saying that he wanted her to meet him at his flat. meet his friends.
at the thought of friends, the indistinct but definite memory of kai greeting her boisterously at the club flitted to her mind, the thought of facing him, even though it didn't really matter, made her blush.
her nerves would kick in at random moments, stimulated by meeting new people, being in crowded places, speaking to baekhyun. a current one. but he'd asked her to come, and she was hardly going to refuse. even offered to pick her up, but in need of preparation time, she politely refused, stating it wasn't far. he'd reluctantly agreed. if you're sure, he'd said.
mid-afternoons were always pleasant, calm. unmoving and peaceful. visitors and locals rested, waiting for the excitement and rush of the night to overhang the small town, encompassing it into a centre of vibrance.
not now, though, as roma stepped along the cobblestones, her white tennis shoes lightly tapping the ground below her and the transparent wind fluttering the ends of her pale-blue dress. legs and arms were fully on show, and roma was anxious, but she was too hot to care too much, the high temperatures of the air making the light-weight clothing a necessity.
baekhyun's flat approached as she rounded the corner. roma gulped down the lump in her throat as she slowly stepped forwards, taking a deep breath. she knocked gently, instinctively wrapping her arms around her waist and tapping her foot patiently. swayed from side to side.
bit her lip: a nervous habit.
baekhyun appeared, pulling open the front door quicker than expected, and roma wasn't sure whether it was purely the bright light, or whether he really was that stunning. roma always forgot. she half-smiled, and then tried to focus her attention anywhere other than his captivating eyes.
faded slightly but still apparent damages were present, but less so than the other night. a few days ago, but what felt like an eternity. roma wanted to touch him. make sure he was real and here. sometimes he seemed non-existent.
"hello, beautiful," he grinned.
she blushed. remembered the endearment he'd used on the note he'd left. baekhyun's bronzed fringe was draped over his eyes, golden and rustled, creating a handsome appearance and bringing out the caramel tone of his vision. he matched the resplendent aura of the day. as always.
"h-hi," roma returned, fiddling with her hands.
broad daylight brought out her shy nature, in contrast to the dark shade of night, a time of day that marginally obscured her fumbling gestures and red cheeks, as well as her lack of being able to formulate coherent sentences.
baekhyun simply continued to grin.
without warning, he leant in, grabbing her arm in the process, and left a small kiss to her cheek.
"roma, love. don't be shy, it's just me," he laughed quietly, uttering the words into her ear.
before she could embarrass herself any further, he ushered her into his flat and closed the door behind the two of them. leaving the dazzling daylight.
as she'd imagined, kai was there, as well as the other boy she'd recalled from their first encounter. kai was perched, bare legs and feet, tanned skin contrasting the white walls, on the window ledge. the large windows were wide open, fluttering the pale, whispering curtains. a book was resting on his knees, pencil poised in thought.
the image of him fitted the aesthetic of their room. despite being here before, roma couldn't recollect everything being so minimalistic yet so quirky, with large piles of old books littering every corner, along with pairs of mismatched shoes scattering the carpet and a visible mess of dirty dishes on the counter. the books she assumed were kai's.
"guys, roma's here," he announced, to which roma immediately tore her attention away from kai's casual position.
"hey!" kai beamed.
she risked a glance upwards, only to see that kai had turned his attentive gaze back to his writing, chewing on his pencil in deep thought. blush crept up from her neck to her cheeks, as she mumbled a quiet, "hey," in return.
"you remember sehun?" baekhyun asked, a darkness overtaking the glossiness of his eyes.
roma remembered.
sehun greeted her in very much the same way as kai, a polite welcome but more focused on his own activities, raising a hand in a wave without looking her in the eye. as if they were used to baekhyun bringing home people. girls. a normality, not something they felt the need to make a big deal out of.
with the afternoon sunlight shining in, sehun looked as if he'd only just woken up, white t-shirt askew, prominent collar bones visible. she tried not to stare.
"do you want a drink, love?" baekhyun asked suddenly.
they were stood facing each other.
"it's only four in the afternoon," she breathed out, laughing lightly.
baekhyun shrugged.
"so?" he grinned, displaying his teeth.
he stretched out the cuts still evident on his features, the action not appearing to cause him any discomfort, unlike they'd done before. she wondered what his friends had commented on his bruises and grazes.
roma laughed incredulously, arms still folded across her chest.
"um," she replied, "okay, i guess?"
baekhyun smiled.
god, he really was something.
"you can look around if you want," baekhyun stated. "what's mine is yours," he added cheekily, spreading his arms out wide, as if to emphasise.
roma wasn't sure if she'd be able to get used to this.
baekhyun disappeared through the doorway. roma assumed he was heading towards the kitchen, leaving her to stand awkwardly on the spot, kai and sehun still in her presence. it was at times like these when she wished she wasn't so nervous; unable to confidently hold a conversation with people she didn't really know.
she wished she'd gone with him.
sun rays slanted in.
roma slowly meandered through the piles of muddled shoes and stacks of books, not really sure what she was doing, where she was heading to. she'd noticed a painting on the wall, abstract and colourful; something that caught her attention, hanging over near where sehun was stood.
she noticed kai glancing up to observe her, the grin still evident on his features.
"you alright?" he asked, chuckling, stretching his arms out behind him.
"y-yeah, you?"
"not too bad, yeah. bit hungover," he laughed.
roma reciprocated his warm gesture as best as she could, giggling under her breath.
"not as bad as sehun over here," kai said, looking his way.
sehun glanced up from where he'd been looking aimlessly through his phone, resting against the counter.
"shut the fuck up," he mumbled. "my head's pounding."
kai laughed loudly.
"we all have our choices, mate."
roma felt strange, an outsider, but it was nice that they were treating her normally. like their friend, almost. not that she really knew what she had been expecting.
"come sit down," kai offered, adapting his position.
"oh. okay. thank you."
she perched herself on the edge of the window ledge, careful not to crease any of kai's papers, shifting them into a neat pile. taking a brief glance, she admired the calligraphy of his writing, swirling and looping across the crinkled page. art.
"what are you writing?" she mused, immediately thinking that, maybe, it wasn't her place to ask.
kai merely returned her question with a smile and a shake of his head.
"just stuff, really. at the moment, anyway."
"i love writing, too," she admitted, a shy tone lacing her words, as usual.
"really?"
"yeah," she smiled. "can i read some?"
"sure, go ahead," he said, waving a hand. "can't promise it'll be any good. here, take this."
he handed her a specific pile of sheets that he'd had on a stand beside him.
"this is what i've been working on most recently."
"thanks," she said warmly, relishing in the feel of crumpled and worn paper against her palms.
sehun interjected, changing the topic.
"where's baekhyun with those drinks?"
"sehun, i thought you just said your head was killing, mate," kai sighed, exchanging a friendly glance with roma, one that made her heart flutter and caused her to stare down at her feet.
sehun ignored his statement, chucking his phone to the side and heading towards the archway where baekhyun had left.
"honestly, what is he like," kai tutted, starting to gather the notepad, that had been resting on his knees, to the side. a cigarette was placed between his pink lips, a lighter brought up to capture the butt-end with an amber flame.
smoke billowed out from his mouth. he coughed, turned to face roma as he'd changed his position so they were now sat side by side.
"that's pretty," he commented.
the action took her by surprise, as he reached forward and carefully grabbed the necklace that was hanging delicately from her neck. warm fingers scorched her exposed skin.
"oh, that," she chuckled nervously. "my dad gave me that when i was younger."
memories.
don't think about it, she told herself. not now. not dad.
the small heart-pendant was twirled between his fingers, as he analysed it; brought the cigarette up to his lips again.
small chatter began to filter into the room, sehun and baekhyun returning from the kitchen.
baekhyun saw kai with his arm against roma's chest, the drink in his hand wobbling, slightly.
"hey," he said slowly. quietly.
kai took no notice, casually releasing the metal and allowing it to swing against her bare skin.
"finally," he said, getting up, the cigarette resting between his ink-stained fingers.
sehun and kai disappeared off, drinks with them, chattering amiably and heading in the direction of the balcony.
roma was left with her hand clutching the pendant, trying to look anywhere but baekhyun because, really, it wasn't a big deal, but. why, she didn't know, was he looking at her like that?
early evening was flitting in, reflecting the bronzed air of the ending of the afternoon. soon, the buzz of night-life and rushing cars and people would fill the empty space of cobbled streets and the market square. the lights would come.
"will you stay?" baekhyun suddenly asked, breaking the silence. walking forwards.
roma looked right at him.
sparkling eyes.
"of course," she gulped.
//