*.☽.*
I didn't realize how much I missed his house until I stepped foot inside.
The spacious living room welcomed me with the kind of scent that I had always remembered. This very place held bittersweet memories. A lot of conflicts were brought up here and it was somehow relieving how we're still here. My eyes darted on the couch and all I could think were the beautiful moments Baekhyun and I shared on it. The hugs, the little kisses...the time when he was sick, or that one time he was too lazy to go back to his bed and persuaded me to just sleep here wanting to appreciate the minimal distance it offered.
Despite, the overwhelming things that happened today, I felt myself giving way for a subtle smile. I guess, the good stuff just outweighed the bad stuff somehow. I looked outside through the huge tempered glass wall and found out that it had started to snow once more and I was about to be drawn to it deeper if I hadn't noticed Baekhyun come in.
Turning around, I saw him with my luggage. His head was covered by snow and the tip of his nose kinda looked red. I suddenly felt so soft looking at him like a typical boyfriend helping his girlfriend with her things. I watched him bent to remove the snow on my luggage.
Before I could even think of another thing, I walked towards him and stopped in front of him. He must have noticed me right away causing him to slowly look up. I met his wondering eyes for a brief second before I raised a hand to remove the snow on his hair. I saw a hint of his eye smile the moment he realized what I was doing.
Honestly, I wanted to hug him so bad but I was scared I might cry, so I tried my best to ignore the gentle expression on his face as he stared at me.
"My bucket hat looks good on you." His low voice, distracting me right away.
I met his gaze, not breaking it as I watched him sat on my luggage. He titled his head down for a moment before I felt him reaching out of my right hand.
"I wanna ask you if you're okay...so bad..." He said in a sad tone, his eyes on our hands. "But I know you're gonna lie and tell you are."
Oh, Baekhyun. He never ran out of ways to make my heart flutter. I knew he was sad and emotional too given the stuff that happened today but he just does this to my heart no matter what.
Bending my legs so I could talk to him, I gave his hand a squeeze to make him look at me. We held our gazes for a few seconds of silence before I lifted my free hand on his head to touch his cheek, my thumb caressing his soft skin. My hand probably felt warm against his cold skin, he closed his eyes at the contact.
He looked peaceful and I indulged myself staring at him, wanting to save this part in my memory.
"Baby?" I muttered, wanting and determined to put a smile on his handsome face.
His eyes flew opened, meeting mine right away. There was an obvious curiosity in the way he looked at me.
"Why are you calling me baby all of a sudden?" He asked in a wondering tone.
"Well..." I trailed off. "Aren't you my baby?" I reasoned out, in a gentle matter of fact tone as I removed my hands from his face to my knee.
One...Two...by the time I counted to three, his full, breath-taking eye smile, accompanied by a pleasant sounding soft laugh brought butterflies in my stomach.
His lovely laughing voice caused the corners of my lips to turn upwards.
"Damn..." He uttered, shaking his head sideways, his lips still curved into a beautiful smile. "When did you get so good at this?"
It was my turn to laugh. And right at that very moment, I felt genuinely happy. I was aware that I got chased by a crazy woman today and read a small percentage of the mean comments about me on the internet but the smile on Baekhyun's face right now seemed to have reduced their impact.
"Well, if you have an ultimate flirt as a boyfriend, you can't resist but take down notes." I reasoned out, smiling.
He chuckled, his beautiful orbs forming into crescents before he stood on his feet, tugging my hand to help me stand as well. He gently brought my hands on his shoulders while his made their way around my waist, pulling me closer into a heart-warming hug. We were too close, he leaned his forehead on my shoulder.
"Will you please call me Baby more often?"
His remark sent me smiling once more.
"Why?" I replied, prying.
"What do you mean why?" I could imagine a brow rising as he answered and I was proven right when he leaned away so he could look at me.
"Why you want me to call you Baby more often?" I teased but trying to sound as innocent as I could be.
"Well, I AM YOUR BABY." He stated, putting emphasis on his every word. "JUST LIKE HOW YOU'RE MINE."
I laughed so hard at the way he said it in a matter of fact manner and the way he looked at me like I just asked the most unbelievable question.
Then he did the most Baekhyun thing, he pouted. His slightly puckered lips instantly tempting me to cling to him, so before I could even say a word, I leaned in closer to hug him tighter.
"Okay..." I trailed off, unable to stop myself from smiling more. "Baby."
He chuckled once more, his beautiful laugh resonating inside the room. His comforting arms tightened around my waist, his warm lips grazing against my neck as he buried his face on it.
"Flirt." He muttered and his childish accusation sent me laughing once again.
"It's your fault." I rebutted right away.
"Ugh, what am I gonna do without you?" I heard him ask in a muffled voice.
It my turn to lean away this time, automatically bringing my hands to his face. I stared into his eyes intently, watching his every blink for the next moments before I spoke.
"You're not gonna lose me..." My lips curved upwards, reassuring him. "So, don't think about stuff like that anymore okay...Baby?"
A coy smile painted his lips and I swore, his face felt warmer on my skin.
Is he actually...blushing?
He cleared his throat, momentarily looking away and brought a hand to scratch his head for a brief second before meeting my eyes once more.
"Can we just cut to the chase and kiss now?" I told him, with a lingering smile on my lips.
He was surprised by what I just said, I could tell by the way his eyes grew wide.
"Who are you?" He asked, forehead creasing. "And what did you do to my girlfriend?" The corner of his lips went up and I knew that he was trying to hide his amusement.
"Good question." I answered, already overwhelmed by the butterflies that never left my stomach for a second.
My hands slowly made their way to up his face, landing loosely on his chin before leaning closer, tiptoeing in the process. I couldn't explain the magnetic pull I felt towards him and there was absolutely something about how he looked at my lips as they near his. Closing my eyes, my mouth landed straight on the right spot, his warm lips. Initiating the kiss this time, I recalled how he exactly did it. I grazed my lips against his gently but for some reason, I kinda noticed that he was teasing me instead. His lips remained steady, not kissing me back. I even felt him smile.
No, I won't let him do this to me. I thought.
Determined to get him to give in, I draped my arms tightly around his neck as I intensified the kiss a bit, even tugging on his lower lip. I also made an effort to push my body closer to his until I felt his hands landing at the curve of my waist. And in a split second, I got him wrapped around my finger. His previously stubborn lips started moving along with own rhythm. He also started to pull me closer as if there was even a slight amount of distance left between our bodies. Tilting his head to get a better access of my mouth, a hand gently landed on my nape, holding my head steady.
He was so into it now, I could feel it by the very sensations this was giving me. Parting my mouth open, his pace became more needy and aggressive. My legs had turned jelly, my mind gradually being brought to a trance but then before I could even fully succumb to it, I immediately detached my lips from his which got him startled right away.
Breaking his momentum, he looked at me wondering. Surely, he was waiting for an explanation.
I wanted to laugh at him and make him know how huge of a mistake it was to tease me in the beginning by refusing to kiss me back. My silence, and probably the subtle smirk on my face caused him to look at me unbelievably this time.
I stared back at him, still not saying a single world as I stepped away from him, increasing the distance between us. Given the expression on his face right now, he looked like he was about to ask what was wrong with me but he must have been too speechless.
This was the very first time I did this to him and I understood the reaction I was getting from him. Locking eyes for a couple of seconds more, I watched him shook his head quickly before stepping towards me, his arms ready to pull me closer once more but I avoided him.
Now, he looked more confused.
"This is what you get when I initiate the kiss and you refuse to kiss me back." I told him briefly, stifling the smile I was so eager to make. "Baby."
His mouth fell open.
And it was my signal, I turned around and started to walk towards the stairs.
"My god Park Hae Won, you're gonna be the death of me." I heard him grumbled behind.
***
12:04AM
I just finished washing and was so desperate to sleep and forget everything that happened today. Stepping out of the bathroom, my eyes instantly darted to him, lying horizontally on the bed. As I walked towards him, I realized that his eyes were already closed, his hands meeting over his stomach, his bare feet touching the floor. I stopped right in front of him, staring at him silently.
What could he be thinking right now? Was he thinking about the attack outside his company or about me being chased by a sasaeng? I sighed because the truth was, I didn't want to know. It also breaks my heart to recall how he told me that he's scared to ask me if I was okay because I totally felt the same way. I was scared he'd say he's fine just to keep me from worrying. Taking a deep breath, I momentarily looked away so I could distract myself for a bit but as soon as I tilted my head to other side I heard his, low, slightly raspy voice.
"I'm still mad at you."
Turning to look at him immediately, I saw his eyes opened for a brief moment before he shut them close once more.
He looked so cute, that lingering pout his pretty mouth made instantly making me feel softer. I wanna dive right next to him and cuddle with him.
"Should I go to the guest room..." I trailed off seeing his eyes opened suddenly. "Instead?" I added, attempting to leave but he was fast to stop me.
He brought his upper body to sit, reached for my hand before pulling me down on to the bed with him. Of course, I landed on top of him, crashing against his broad chest.
"Did I say you have to leave?" He asked, sounding hurt.
Instead of reasoning out, I gave in to his antics and smiled at him. Adjusting my position on top of him, I leaned my head on his chest.
"Baby?" I muttered and I should I heard him smile. "Can we sleep like this?" I added, closing my eyes.
"Sure Baby." He replied with an obvious smile audible in his voice.
The corner of my lips turned up as I listened to his heartbeat. I concentrated on it and noticed how it beats the same time as mine. Then I felt his hand gently rubbing the back of my head as if sending me to sleep.
My heart wanted to explode realizing how much this man loves me.
However, as soon as I allowed myself to go down this emotional lane, I was reminded of the events that took place earlier. It all seemed like a movie, watching all those unfortunate events unfold before my eyes. Until now, my legs felt sore from the running I had to do to get away from that woman. Yet, the most painful thing was watching Baekhyun getting attacked by his fans. The look of shock and hurt on his face that very moment was haunting.
It breaks my heart every time, and it breaks my heart now.
"Baek..." I called, not really knowing if he'd answer right away.
"Hmmm?" He replied.
"I'm sorry." I apologized, feeling so guilty all of a sudden.
He didn't answer for a couple of seconds and it made me nervous. Then I felt him embraced me tightly before I heard him speak.
"Make sure that the only thing you're sorry for is leaving me hanging in the living room a while ago."
I almost laughed.
"Do that one more time and I'll make you regret next time." He warned though his tone was already soft and sleepy.
I smiled, with my eyes still closed.
"Goodnight Baby." I said in an already slightly muffled voice.
"This baby thing shouldn't be an overnight thing or I'll really throw a fit."
He absolutely sounded like he was pouting so hard, so a soft laugh automatically escaped my mouth before I could even stop myself.
"Love you."
This was the last thing I heard from him before I finally gave in to exhaustion. Though I muttered an I love you too, I was pretty sure it sounded weird already.
I love you Baekhyun.
I repeated in my head.
***
6:17AM
With my eyes still closed, I pulled the blanket up to cover my body because it had somehow become really cold. I also moved to Baekhyun's side of the bed so I could snuggle with him but to my dismay, he wasn't there anymore. Slightly squinting due to the brightness, I opened my eyes to look for him right away but he wasn't in his room.
Getting off the bed, I walked towards the bathroom to grab the robe I used last night because despite of the heater, it was still really freezing. I caught a glance of myself on the mirror, so I decided to wash my face and brush my teeth before I proceeded to fix my hair using my fingers. I wore the bathrobe on top my matching beige pyjamas.
As soon as I reached the stairs, my still slightly sleepy eyes located him standing right before the huge tempered glass wall of his living room. He wasn't doing anything, he was just on his feet, gazing outside.
Following his focus, I realized the thick white blanket the covered almost everything outside. My god, it's so beautiful! It must have been snowing all night.
I slowly took my way down the stairs not wanting to distract him from his thoughts. I walked towards him and adored his back profile. He was wearing a grey hoodie, blue plaid bottoms and indoor slippers. His broad shoulders seemed so inviting and the fact that he looked so huggable from this angle caused me to slowly slip my arms between his arms, draping them around his waist before tiptoeing so I could bring my mouth to his ear to whisper something.
"Morning Baby."
His body jerked in surprise as I hugged him even tighter, his warmth making this a thousand times better. I couldn't resist resting my head on his shoulder but I wasn't even that satisfied yet when he held my hand and pulled me away from hugging him so he could face him instead.
"You don't want me to throw a fit, do you Baby?" He asked with a teasing smile on his lip before cupping my face with his hands and made me lean closer so he could plant a quick kiss on my lips.
Ugh, even his lips felt so warm.
I bobbed my head as a response to his question but my thoughts were filled by how warm his lips on mine was. He let out of a soft laugh and my attention was automatically drawn to his mouth. So beautiful, so warm. I knew I'd start leaning in closer for another kiss, so before I could even give him a chance to tease me about wanting to kiss him again, I distracted my own thoughts by hugging him instead.
"Why did you get up so early?" I asked, closing my eyes to savour the feeling. "The bed was so cold without you." I added, sulking.
I heard him chuckled as he leaned away a bit only to unexpectedly claim my mouth for a couple of seconds. His warm, satin-soft lips gently grazed over mine and it was just fascinating. My heartbeat started to race like it always did whenever we kiss.
With my eyes closed, I realized one thing.
Nothing beats the warmth that is Byun Baekhyun.
He slowly detached his lips from mine only to repeatedly plant smaller kisses next until we both smiled and ended up laughing. His eyes forming into my favourite pair of crescents took my breath away. He looked so soft right now with his beautiful black hair slightly parted to one side, giving me a glimpse of his forehead which I happen to love just as much.
As soon as I was satisfied staring at him, I looked outside and thought that the view was equally beautiful. Everything seemed freezing all together. The ground was covered by white, I could barely see any green at all. I could imagine how the snow would feel on my skin or the shiver it'd bring me as soon as the wintery breeze blew.
"You like it?" He asked out of nowhere.
I nodded.
"You wanna see something more beautiful than this?"
I looked at him, wondering at first but then realizing that there must be a place he wanted me to see. I felt a bit excited, bobbing my head.
"Get ready." He told me. "Make sure to wear something to keep you warm...I'm just gonna make a phone call then I'll get ready myself so we could leave right away." He instructed, stepping away and walked towards the couch where his phone was.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." He replied quickly with his signature Baekhyun smile plastered on his handsome face.
I didn't pry anymore recalling how he never actually share information of the places he showed me before. Just like how I got the same "You'll see" when he took me stargazing or that one memorable cabin trip we had a couple of months ago.
I wasn't complaining though. In fact, I was so excited that I turned around right away and started to make my back to his room to get ready and wear something to keep me warm.
Though, I think he should know that he's the one who keeps me warm the most.
***
I changed into what I thought was suitable for the winter trip but Baekhyun ended up disapproving. He said that my simple thick black coat over my rust, knitted, turtle neck sweater, navy blue jeans and dark brown winter boots wouldn't be able to protect me from the cold. He told me to change into something more appropriate for this weather but I whined about not having a lot of clothes with me.
"Baek, this is all I got." I reasoned out.
He just stared at me dressed in his dark grey hoodie with his white undershirt sticking out at the bottom, perfect hugging jeans, brown winter shoes and an extremely good looking long, black, buried alive padded jacket.
He looked like the type of Byun Baekhyun you'd see at the airport on a winter day.
"You're gonna get cold." He insisted.
I shrugged and it sent him wondering right away.
"Well, just hug me when I get cold?" I replied quickly with a playful smile.
Actually, I was a bit surprised with myself being this carefree with him right now.
He smiled right away shaking his head sideways.
"You have a point and yes I'd do that of course but I really don't want to you turn into a statue in the middle of the trip. I want you to enjoy what I'm about to show you." He replied, pausing for a while as if contemplating on something before he walked towards me, took my hand and walked us out of the living room.
***
The moment we were exposed outside, I shivered. Gosh, it was so cold, for real.
"I guess we can drop by a shop and buy clothes for you." He told me as soon as we got to his car.
"Are you planning to take me to Antarctica?" I joked trying to hide how cold I was already feeling.
I heard him chuckle as he opened the door of the passenger's seat for me. I turned around to face him, opened my mouth to say something but I totally forgot about it when he immediately leaned closer to my face to give the corner of my lips an unexpected kiss, startling me.
"Just get in Baby." He said afterwards, a crazy handsome smile taking over his mouth.
"Okay BABY." I replied emphasizing my last word and it sent him laughing.
His literal HA HA HA laugh filling my ears before I got inside his car.
***
Just as what he had planned, we dropped by a famous winter shop to get me proper clothes for this trip. With his bucket hat on, he got out of his car and hurriedly went inside the shop. I waited in the car, wary of my surroundings. I could see him through the glass wall of the shop checking on the coats assisted by a sales lady. I could tell the staff already recognized him as he was looking intently at him while he check the items.
Taking my eyes off him for a moment, I thought of the place we were going to visit. Knowing Baekhyun, and recalling how breath taking the previous places he showed me in the past, I was confident that this trip was going to be awesome.
There were pending issues, I knew. I couldn't just dismiss my curiosity about his company's verdict about the whole thing and it made me nervous. In fact, I wasn't fully aware that I was getting a bit tense by the thought of it until I felt myself fidgeting with my hands, which stopped right away when I saw him come in with a huge paper bag.
"You okay?" He asked as soon as he sat beside me.
"Y-yeah." I lied, stuttering. "I'm just cold." I added, faking a smile.
I watched him stretched his arm on the backseat to place the bag there before he shifted his position to lean closer so he could reach for my hands. He rubbed his palms over mine and it gave me that comforting warmth.
"I bought a scarf and gloves for you." He announced before he adjusted the temperature inside the car.
"Did you buy one for yourself too?"
He shook his head and I shot him a how come look.
"I need to find an excuse to hold your hand when mine gets cold." He reasoned out with a wink and a cocky smile.
I opened my mouth to argue but he signalled me to stop, his lips forming into a thin line. Left speechless, I closed my mouth, accepting the fact that I'd never win this conversation over.
The next stop we made was a restaurant where he ordered a take-out meals for the both of us. I felt bad that he had to do all the work, this time with his bucket hat and mask on.
I should have gotten used to his celebrity life by now but...
***
1:07PM
Even though we left Seoul pretty early, we still spent a lot of time on the road. We had been driving for more than three hours now. I didn't bother asking him where he was taking me anymore, knowing he'd just smile at me and keep me wondering.
Though the drive had been long, being bored was never an issue. Aside from driving Baekhyun showering my attention with an ultimate boyfriend vibe, the view outside was equally breath taking. We're heading to the countryside, this I knew for sure now. The trees were really pretty in the absence of their foliage and all dressed in seemingly white, glistening snow.
This is our first winter together.
This idea alone kinda melts my heart.
Of course, due to the long ride I couldn't help but get flashes of the stuff that happened to both of us yesterday but every time my brain get ransacked by these thoughts, I would just stare at Baekhyun, watch him while his eyes were on the road.
This man, right here. God, he's worth it.
***
After about another forty five minutes of driving, he turned right from the main road and gradually started to make the way up.
I looked around and all I could see were the leafless trees on either sides of the way. The place was so wide. The snow was way thicker here than it was in Seoul. Honestly, I had never seen a place getting this much snow in Korea. My attention was glued on the window, my eyes busy admiring the scenic view before me. The surrounding was bleak but absolutely breath-taking. Then, the car halted making a sudden stop, the engine turning off so I turned to Baekhyun right away.
"It's okay Baby." He told me before I could even ask.
He revved the engine on once more and resumed driving. Everything seemed fine like he said so I went back to what I was previously doing. I was in awe when we passed by a small house in the middle of the snowy place like this. It was actually the only one I had seen so far.
We advanced on our way and it was almost twenty minutes later when the car stopped once more accompanied by Baekhyun's announcement that we just arrived.
I excitedly got out of the car and was instantly welcomed by the chilliest winter breeze, giving me the shivers right way.
Oh my god, it's freezing. The kind that sent shivers down my spine real hard. I automatically wrapped my arms around me, my brain very much focused on the cold when Baekhyun appeared next to me. He was holding the padded overcoat that he bought for me which turned out to look identical with what he was wearing. It was even the same length.
"See, I told you." He said in a matter-of-factly tone. "You're going to freeze in these clothes." He added, helping me wear the jacket and the scarf too.
"O-okay." I struggled to say. "Baby." I emphasized, rolling my eyes.
I couldn't even smile, it was that cold.
He laughed at me, probably because I looked like an idiot right now. He rubbed his palms together before placing it on my cheek.
Oh, so warm. It felt so good, I just had to close my eyes.
"Don't get me started with you BABY thing Park Hae Won or I'd start kissing you right here, right now." He warned, a hint of smirk and a glint of teasing in his eyes.
I opened my eyes and directly met his.
"Then kiss me." I told him with a serious tone.
His eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm really really really...cold right now Baek." I explained, forcing my mouth to spill the words against the cold. "You might as well do it."
He remained staring at me. He didn't even move a muscle. Worse, he looked like he was going to make fun of me, so my impatient, not to mention, freezing self, grabbed him by his jacket's collar. I pulled him closer to me until my mouth collided with his own. My slightly trembling lips struggled to kiss him, desperate for warmth but my crazy boyfriend probably wanted me to freeze to death by refusing to kiss me back.
Again. Yes, again.
Annoyed, I leaned away and raised an eyebrow.
"My god Baekhyun." I hissed, my every breath accompanied by smoke coming out of my mouth as I glared at him. "If you don't want your BABY to freeze to death then kiss me back!" I demanded, looking at him unbelievably.
A smirk. He smirked. He just smirked. Wow.
I let out of a harsh sigh.
"You know what, never mind." I snapped.
I wanted to punch him in the face right now. Heck I even wanted to kick him down there. I was so annoyed that I pushed his chest away.
I hate him. Gosh, I hate him.
The next thing he did was reach for my hands but I avoided him by stomping a few steps ahead.
"Baby..." He called and there was an evident tinge of amusement in his tone and it got me more irritated.
How could he even find this funny?
I didn't pay him a glance and continued to walk ahead, struggling through the thick snow. I could feel my anger building up inside me and I knew that I just wouldn't be able to shake it away easily.
"Are you seriously mad at me right now?" He asked and I knew, I just knew, that he was smiling.
I stopped walking, my hands forming into fists as I inhaled to fill my lungs with air before I turned to face him again. The corners of his lips were raised but not until I glared at him. He stopped smiling, his attention on my clenched fists.
"Yes." I answered firmly.
"Why?" He sounded confused.
I got more annoyed, feeling even more embarrassed now that he was acting clueless when I was so certain that he knew why. So, to my frustration, I bent and scooped a handful of snow, not minding the cold, and threw it at him.
He looked so surprised, his eyes widening as he was hit on his chest.
I honestly didn't care if it hurt him or not.
The expression on his face was telling me he was waiting for me to justify my actions but I ignored him by turning away, once again stomping ahead.
"Baby c'mon-"
"No. Don't call me baby!" I told him firmly, as I turned around. "I'm not your baby anymore." I added, my lips slightly trembling.
I attempted to turn around to leave once more but I was just so mad, I couldn't control myself anymore.
"Do you know that it took me a lot of courage to ask you to kiss me?" I sighed harshly. "I'm so cold and your lips are so warm but you were so inconsiderate to kiss me back." I added, my jaw clenching, my chest pounding. "You even laughed!"
I knew my face had turned red as my cheeks, even my ears, felt hot right now. I looked away, not wanting to pay attention to him. Then the wind blew and it almost seemed as if all the muscles in my body stopped moving. Right at this moment, I partly regretted choosing to walk away rather than getting inside the car. I scolded myself silently as I wrapped my arms around my body, balling my hands.
I should've sulked in the car where there's a heater.
My head was tilted down, my eyes closed when I sensed him in front of me. He took my hands and I suddenly felt a thick and warm fabric grazing my skin. I opened my eyes and saw him making me wear the grey gloves he bought a while ago.
My hands must have been frozen, I couldn't remove them from his grip even if I wanted to. I watched him in silence, I was still mad at him to even speak to him. When he was done, I felt his eyes on me but I didn't meet his gaze.
"Sorry." He muttered.
I remained quiet, ignoring him.
"Hey, I'm sorry." He repeated, his voice gentle and apologetic. "The truth is every time you ask me to kiss you, I'm a bit stunned." He went on, his words taking my full attention.
Finally meeting his eyes, I couldn't help but be drawn to him. That soft expression on his face, ugh.
"Since you don't always do it, I guess my brain's a bit slow to process the idea." He explained further. "I just like the feel of your lips setting the pace and it's making me a bit crazy..."
Damn, he's so good with words.
"Then why did you laugh?" I asked.
"Because you looked so cute, sounding hurt because I wasn't kissing you back." He replied with an unsure eyebrow raise.
Being surrounded by snow, there was something entrancing about the way his eyes bore into mine. I couldn't stop looking into his eyes as words started to get mixed up in my head.
"Kiss me." I said, my voice just above a whisper.
Those two words, of all the words that were trying to fight to get their way to my mouth, those two words prevailed.
As if in slow motion, I watched him come closer to me and when he was close enough, he brought his hands to my head, his thumbs landing right below my ears before gently stroking my jaw. His eyes, leaving mind landed on my mouth for a brief moment before meeting my gaze once more.
The way he would take things slow before the kiss...
He proceeded to gently tilt my head up, this time our lips about an inch away from touching. I could even feel his warm breath against my skin and it was already comforting. I was so tempted to close my eyes and wait for his lips to land on mine but I just had to adore my favourite mole on his face, the one on the upper right corner of his lips.
Like a beautiful ballad song, his lips grazed over mine, sending that familiar warm feeling in my heart. I felt his mouth pouting as he planted small kisses on my mouth before he tilted his head to the right to have a better access. His soft, warm, beautiful pair of lips sending butterflies in my stomach. The kissed remained gentle for a brief moment before he started to intensify the kiss by parting my mouth open, seeking for entrance right away. Giving in, I let him.
As his mouth turned needy and aggressive, one of his hands left my head and travelled down to the small of my back, pulling me closer to his body. And honestly, right in this very moment, I felt like melting. My legs turning jelly, I brought my hands and wrapped them around his neck, tiptoeing so the kiss wouldn't break. His other hand joined the one already on my waist, tightening the embrace.
The feeling of warmth and surrender this was giving me was crazy. It seemed as if everything around us started to spin and I could perfectly imagine how the leafless branches of the towering trees looked.
"Do you still feel cold?" He asked when he finally gave us both time to catch our breaths.
I shook my head though our foreheads were still touching.
"Thanks to you, I feel warm." I answered, my lips stretching into a smile before giving him a quick but firm kiss before hugging him.
I heard him chuckle and it sounded like music to my ears.
"Baek..." I muttered with my eyes closed, enjoying the warmth brought by his body next to mine.
"Hmm?"
"I think I'd like winter more now...." I paused as my brain took me back to the first time he carried me on his back up at the old hiking place.
The very first time, I get to experience how good it was being so close to him that I had a full access to the warmth he exuded. The way I accidentally mouthed how warm he was at that time and telling him to pretend he didn't hear me afterwards.
"Why?" He asked gently, blessing me with the best hug.
"Because I have someone who keeps me warm the most." I answered, the corners of my lips turning up.
He leaned away, causing me to open my eyes and look up to him. There was an evident look of affection on his face. The one that kinda melts my heart right away.
"You are my favourite warmth." I added with a subtle smile, accompanied by the slight heating of my cheeks. "So, you have to stay close to me no matter what, do you understand?"
I watched how his beautiful eyes turned into crescents, his beautiful lips stretched into a beautiful curve.
"If you're gonna be this clingy, then I'd hope for winter to last throughout the year." He told me, obviously teasing with that cocky smile.
He pulled me into another warm hug before I heard him say something that made me laugh so hard.
"Thank God, I'm hot." He sounded both so relieved and confident at the same time.
Thank God, he's hot. I silently agreed in my head. I just had to.
***
We spent the next hour climbing the upward slopes, struggling against the thick snow. In fact the place wasn't so high but we chose to walk ahead since Baekhyun said, he wanted to show me something somewhere else. We walked hand in hand, talking about our unforgettable snow experiences. We both ended up laughing from time to time because he was just too funny, I couldn't handle it that my stomach even hurt due to laughing so hard.
A few minutes more of walking, my knees wanted to give up. This was too tiring, even more tiring than any hike I had ever done in my life. I stopped walking, placing my hands on my knees so I could rest for a bit.
"Baek, I'm too tired." I told him, panting. "I can't...I can't..." I trailed off as he stood in front of me with his back on me before bending down.
"Are you sure?" I hesitated.
"I am..." He trailed off to glance at me. "Always sure when it comes to you." He added, winking.
I laughed at his antics before I also bent closer to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. When he stood, he held on to my legs, carrying my entire weight. I felt my cheeks heating once more as I watched him from behind. It was so absurd how he could look so handsome even in this angle and he must've noticed my staring that the next thing I knew, he tilted his head to look at me.
"Don't look at me like that, you're making me weak in the knees." He said casually with a smirk.
I laughed, not being able to hide my amusement. It's crazy, totally crazy how he really knew what to say at times like this. There's never a dull moment when I'm with him.
Only about fifteen minutes later, he stopped on his feet. No, he didn't just stop, he fell on his knees, taking me with him on to the ground. I shrieked, my heart almost skipping a beat, surprised and clueless of what was going on.
"Baek!" I exclaimed. "Oh my god!" I shrieked when we both collapsed, my body landing right above his.
My face almost brushed against the snowy ground is he didn't shift our position. He rolled to one side, freeing me from clinging to him. We both ended up lying down on the ground, groaning at first but later on burst out laughing when we met each other's eyes. I laughed so hard thinking how funny we both looked being covered by snow and just by how we both fell.
"Why...did we fall?" I struggled to ask, laughing.
My eyes were almost watery from laughing so hard.
"I told you to stop staring because it's making my knees weak!" He answered, pouting at almost every word that came out of his mouth.
"I wasn't staring at you anymore!" I answered in my defence.
"Liar!" He replied. "I could even feel your hands feeling my abs a while ago." He accused, raising an eyebrow.
My eyes widened, unbelievably looking at him for what he just said.
"I wasn't feeling your abs!" I reasoned out, laughing once more, this time at the absurdity of his remark. "How could I even do it when my hands are up here?" I went on, pointing right about his chest.
"Okay then, you were feeling my chest." He stated, sounding determined to win this argument.
I didn't answer anymore, I just stared at him. Deep inside, I was using all my remaining strength to stop myself from laughing but it was impossible to do so when his face had an identical expression to mine.
The next moment, we were laughing like crazy.
This was nonsense, we were so petty having fun like kids playing around.
And to make things more childish, I stood only to scoop a handful of snow. He looked at me, wondering as I stopped next to him. I stretched my hand in front, levelling it over his head and without a warning, gradually poured it on his face. I watched how his face squints at the contact, he even had to blow the ones that landed on his mouth.
What amazes me was the fact that he was just letting me do it. He even seemed like he was enjoying, so when my hands were empty, I turned around to get some more snow but when I turned to him once more, I saw him stretched his arms sideways, as well as his legs and moved them in synch back and forth. Letting go of the snow in my hand, I was left in awe.
Snow Angel.
Baekhyun making a snow angel.
How adorable can he get?
I swear, it warmed my heart right away. He looked so happy, a wide smile painted his snow decorated face. Watching him, I couldn't help but smile, admiring the beauty before my eyes right now.
He's such a baby sometimes.
Though, he's my baby all the time.
"Ah, I'm tired." He said, both his arms and legs stopped moving. "Wow, I thought that was easy." He whined, breathing heavily.
Amused, I walked towards him, met his eyes for a couple of seconds before I fell on my knees. My hands landed on his face, cupping them. I gazed at him and for a moment, getting lost in his eyes. As if in slow motion, I watched him blink a couple of times. Then the snow on his hair caught my attention, the tiny white drops resembled like little stars contrasting with his black hair.
"Just kiss me already." I heard him say with a hint of playful impatience.
When I met his eyes once more, they were in their breath-taking crescents form as his lips were stretched into a beautiful curve.
Without making him wait any longer, I leaned closer interrupting his smile with a firm kiss. I detached my lips from his as I attempted to stand but he refused to let me go by pulling me closer, making me land right above him before rolling to one side, pinning me on the ground.
I felt dizzy at how swift it all happened that I could do was stare at him for the next seconds. He brought a hand to my face, his fingers caressing my cold skin. The way he was doing everything slow was as magical as the place we were in. I felt that magnetic pull again, drawing me closer to him...deeper into his gaze.
"Let me keep you warm." He added, his lips about an inch over mine.
There was no time and space for me to even utter a response as he claimed my mouth with his warm lips. My eyes automatically closed at the most satisfying contact of our skin and in a matter of time, I was already drowning from the all the sensations. I both felt cold and hot at the same time. My hands, being on the snow-covered ground were cold but my already flustered cheeks were hot.
Then he deepened the kiss and I did my best to keep up with his rhythm, afraid that my sanity would leave me if I didn't. Despite the neediness, his mouth didn't turn out aggressive but one that was feverish. I literally started to feel warm, really warm inside. It was like sitting in front of the fireplace on a freezing weather. Yes, nothing else would be a better description to what I felt right now.
Now that he was aware that he's best at keeping me warm, he's pretty much maximizing his ability.
He leaned away, giving us room to breathe only to shift out positions. This time, I was on top of him, his hands tightly wrapped around me for support. My hair, like curtain fell to one side, slightly touching his face. We were staring intently at each other, a bit breathless because the kiss that had just come to an end.
I saw how the corner of his lips turned up, his eyes...there was happiness in them.
"How did I ever get so lucky?" He asked, tucking my hair behind my ear.
For a split second, I didn't know what to reply but just by watching him, my brain miraculously formed a response.
"My boyfriend is Byun Baekhyun, I don't think you're more lucky than I am."
He chuckled.
"My girlfriend's Park Hae Won..." he trailed off, gently tracing my jaw with his finger. "The most...amazing...woman...I've ever known." He added, emphasizing every word.
He wasn't smiling but I could sense the affection in his voice and with the way his eyes bore into mine.
"And my heart wants to explode of love for her."
I smiled of genuine happiness. I tilted my head down, avoiding his eyes for a moment before facing him once more.
Oh the way this man loves me. I rested my head on his chest, savouring the serenity the moment was giving me.
"What was it that you wanted to show me?" I asked leaning away to look at him, recalling the thought all of a sudden.
All I got was a sweet, heart-warming smile from him as I felt him gently rolling me down next to him. He extended an arm so I could rest my head on it. I was so caught up with the moment, I just continued to stare at him, waiting for an explanation.
"You might want to look up baby." He stated staring back at me before looking up.
Though wondering and a bit confused, I slowly did what I was told to do. And I instantly realized how unprepared I was for what I was about to see. My vision was overwhelmed by the sight right before me. The towering trees with the littlest to total absence of leaves served as beautiful decorations accentuating the magnificent, pale orange-pinkish winter skies. The faint sunrays struggling to make their way through the snow painted branches, even hitting them leaving them glisten like pretty little stars.
Wow. The view looked so beautiful. No, actually beautiful was an understatement that I wanted to cry. My love for nature was overflowing right now. But then, I realized I had never seen and appreciated winter this way. I couldn't remember lying down on a cold, snowy ground, basking under the beauty of the winter skies like this.
"Winter is made more beautiful because of you." I heard him say, taking my full attention with him.
Looking at him, I couldn't help but ponder upon the thought of him making me fall, deeper in love with him.
If this was a dream, I'd never want to wake up. Ever.
***
4:34PM
It started to snow and it's getting a bit dark though it wasn't that late yet. The surroundings have turned more bleak and gloomy while the snow fell. Baekhyun was holding my other hand as we walked side by side. I kept glancing at him, I couldn't help but admire him more after today, not that I admire him less before of course because that's nonsense.
"What is it?" He asked casually without looking at me.
Getting caught, I panicked a bit. Just a bit.
"I..." I hesitated. "Love you?"
He stopped walking and turned to look at me right away, blinking away the snow that fell on his eyes.
"Why does that sound like a question?" His little pouts making an appearance.
I chuckled, he's so adorable I swear.
"I love you." I replied, this time making sure it sounded like a statement.
"I know." He answered with a confident upward curve on his lips, looking ahead once more.
I continued to gaze at him, not paying attention on the road since he was leading us anyway. I watched how smoke would come out of his mouth every time he breathed. I could also heard him sniffling, his nose turning red, and his grip on my hand tightening.
He didn't have gloves on and I felt bad that I was the only one who had them.
He must be cold. Very cold, so without saying anything, I removed my hands from his grip, immediately causing him wonder. Then, I slipped my hands around his body, inside his padded jacket. He was slightly taken aback, I could tell by the way his body tensed.
"You feel cold, don't you?" I muttered, looking up at him.
He nodded, smiling as he relaxed while he draped an arm around me as well.
"Thank you." He said.
I smiled at him and I saw how he closed his eyes, sighing.
"Will you please stop looking so pretty?" He stated, opening his eyes to meet mine. "I'm afraid my brain would freeze and malfunction."
We stared at each other for a whole 2 seconds before we burst out laughing. I pinched his side and it earned a loud ow from him.
***
It was snowing really hard and we were both shaking by the time we reached his car. Getting inside, he turned on the engine and manipulated the heater control. My hands already felt numb inside the gloves, I couldn't even speak anymore because my lips were already slightly trembling. When I turned to him, he was rubbing his palms together before he wrapped his arms around him. He looked outside, probably checking the situation. I followed his gaze and found out that the snow pile had become way thicker. I immediately got worried if we would be able to drive out of here. Turning to him, I was about to ask him but he already hand his hands on the steering wheel.
The next thing, we were both driving down the road. He was being careful, I could tell given how slippery the route was. With the heavy snow covering the front windshield, it was really hard for him to see the way. Through nervous, I remained quiet on my seat, not wanting to bother him since I knew that he was already having a hard time.
About ten minutes of struggling our way out, the car suddenly came into a stop. It was so sudden that my body leaned forward but then Baekhyun was quick to place an arm over my chest to prevent my head from hitting something.
Surprised, I looked at him.
"I'm sorry baby." He apologized. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, though my heart was wildly racing behind my chest.
"I'll go out to check outside, just stay inside the car okay?"
I nodded once more.
I watched him get off the car and I just had to take a deep breath, realizing that I had been holding my breath. This was making me anxious, with the amount of snow right now I wasn't really sure if we'd be able to get through them. I heard him come in, making me snap out of my thoughts.
His hands were on the steering wheel once more then rested his head on it.
I instantly had a bad feeling.
"Baek..." I called, hesitating.
"We're stuck." He replied, turning to me.
"What?" I muttered.
"The snow's way too thick." He answered.
I blacked out for a moment. It was freezing out here, how were we supposed to survive the night here. I was sure we'd freeze.
"It's okay..." I said, shaking all the negative thoughts in my head. "Let's just ask for help Baek..." I added as I looked reached for my purse in the backseat, fished for my phone inside.
Unlocking it, I was ready to go to my contacts to see who could help us but the no service indication on the upper left hand corner of the screen threw my hopes out of the window. Glancing at him who remained in the same position, he probably knew that out phones were useless here.
My shoulders slumped as I leaned on the seat, feeling hopeless. I shut my eyes closed, my thoughts blank.
"I'm sorry Baby, I didn't know it'll snow this heavy and we'd end up having to deal with this situation." I heard him say, his tone absolutely apologetic.
His face was as guilty as his voice when I looked at him again.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have brought you here."
My heart sank, it wasn't his fault. Wanting to console him, I moved closer and cling on to his arm, resting me head on his shoulder.
"We'll be fine." I told him with a subtle smile. "At least we're together, right?"
The corner of his lips turned up, shaking his head sideways.
"Don't look at me like that." He replied, bringing a hand to his mouth, biting the tip of his thumb. "I'm so cold and desperate for some kind of body heat right now."
I swallowed, his words ringing in my head.
I'm so desperate for some kind of body heat right now.
Body heat?
We're in the car...
Flustered with the thought of us doing it in the car, I could feel the pink tinges spreading across my cheeks. I didn't want my blushing to be noticeable so I removed my hands from his arm and went to sit up straight in my seat. I focused my attention on the windshield wipers going back and forth, distracting myself from being awkward right now.
"I'll go out and to ask for help." He said, taking my attention with him. "I'll be back right away."
I gulped, he's going to leave me here.
"No." I objected. "I'll go with you." I added, rattling.
"Baby..." He sighed, placing a hand on my cheek, the slight warmth from the contact made me relax a bit. "You'll freeze if you go with me. Can't you see how heavy the snow is?" He convinced me in a calming tone.
"Baek..." I muttered. "I'm not letting you go alone." I insisted.
"But I'll be back right away. I promise." He reasoned out sounding stressed out.
"I'm not that crazy to let you out in this snow Baek." I stated firmly. "You could die."
"Dying is a little bit too much baby." He answered. "I can take care of myself." He went on in a matter of fact tone.
He's so stubborn, I sighed. I was so worried about him but he didn't seem to care enough. I looked away, my eyes on the window. He removed his hand on my cheek and sensed him leaning on his seat too.
I took a deep breath feeling anger building up inside me.
"Then do whatever you want." I snapped, not paying him a single glance. "I won't stop you."
I heard him sigh before silence enveloped us for a few seconds.
"I'll be back right away." He informed all of a sudden. "Don't get out of the car."
I couldn't believe what I just heard. I was so annoyed that I didn't even look at him anymore, so the next thing I heard was the closing of the door of the driver's seat.
I couldn't believe he really went out and braved this snow.
What if something bad happens to him?
What if he freezes on his way?
What if... oh my god Baekhyun, are you out of your mind?
My chest was heaving due to heavy breaths, I was so mad but deep inside I knew I was more worried. What made me more anxious was the fact that there was no way for me to contact him because of the lack of phone reception.
***
It's been more than an hour now and everything had turned darker and the snowfall didn't stop. I had grown more anxious every passing minute and had been fighting the urge to cry. I couldn't imagine how this beautiful day turned out to be. I was left alone in the car out here in the dark and Baekhyun...oh my god I didn't even know if he was fine. My heart wanted to burst out because of worry and fright that something might have happened to him.
Did he freeze along the way?
I was absolutely going nuts and maybe the universe thought this misfortune wasn't enough, the car's engine turned off. My eyes widening, I found out that it ran out of fuel, the heater along with it since it had been on since we got in the car a while ago.
I am gonna die.
"Baekhyun, where are you?" I muttered, hopeless.
I can't die alone like this, this is so pathetic.
I tried to hold on to my sanity for the next thirty minutes more until I decided to get off the car. Without the heater, it was freezing inside and I was back to shivering, my lips trembling. Taking my purse with me, I forced my numbing legs to move so I could get out of the car. I pushed the door open, using all my strength to get up.
A huge rush of icy cold wind welcomed me as soon as I was out. The crisp breeze harsh on my face making me regret my decision right away. But then, I didn't have a choice anymore but to move realizing how the stack of snow had piled up around the car. If I stayed inside, I'd imagine being buried alive.
What if I find him frozen on the road?
Gosh, my thoughts were already wild.
Thankfully, the snowfall wasn't that heavy as it was a while ago. Though the icy cold wind was still unforgivable. I forced my shaking body to move forward before I collapse on my feet. I didn't know what time it was anymore since it was already dark and the only source of light was the pale reflection of the moon.
"Baekhyun..." I struggled to say amidst my trembling lips.
My arms were wrapped around me but there were no use since the cold was still seeping through my skin. My nose had become stuffy that I had to keep my mouth parted so I could breathe. I looked like an old woman with the slowest pace of walking right now.
I wasn't sure as to how long I've walked from his car and I was so close to giving up when I saw headlights approaching from afar.
My heart pounded, my thoughts debating if I should be relieved because it's Baekhyun or I should runaway and hide because it'd be some random people who might end up killing me.
Oh my god, these ideas in my head weren't helping.
My brain commanded my legs to move to the side since I was in the middle of the snowy road but I was too tired. My legs were too numb to move. I just stood there not even moving a single muscle, braving the harsh cold that was already trying to kill me.
The headlights neared until they were already blinding me. My eyes instantly hurt at the glare, I had to shut them and tilt my head away. For some miracle, I was able to lift a hand to cover the blinding light so I could look again.
It was a truck, a small one that stopped a few meters away from me. I heard a door opening and revealed a silhouette figure of a man which I recognized right away.
"Baekhyun."
Relief rushed through my veins that I finally allowed my weak knees to give up. Bending my legs, I fell on the ground, my palms directly hitting the rough road.
Completely exhausted, I felt like crying as I waited for him to reach me, but then it was as if my tears were too scared to come out as they'd freeze in this cold.
"Baby." He muttered, relief, worry and guilt all mixed up in his voice. "God, are you okay? Why are you out here? Didn't I tell you to stay inside the car?" He was speaking so fast, I knew he was panicking.
He held me in his arm, brushing away the hair that covered my face. The headlights allowed me to clearly to clearly see how worried he was right now.
"Didn't I...tell you not to leave..." I replied in a weak voice.
He sighed.
"I'm sorry Baby. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." He apologized over and over again before he planted a firm, steady kiss on my lips.
Through drained, I would've been harder to him more if it wasn't because of the warmth brought his lips on mine.
This man, it was ridiculous how he knew very well what to do to shut me up.
"You can get mad at me later, I'll let you but we need to get you out of here first, okay?" He stated, not letting a single word out of my mouth but scooping me from the ground and carrying my entire weight in his arms.
I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him, desperate both for support and warmth. The wind blew but they were now barely audible as his heartbeat filled my sense of hearing.
I felt him slowly lift me up, entering the truck. We got in the backseat and I instantly noticed that the truck didn't have any heater because even the seat felt cold. I continued to cling to Baekhyun, still shaking. I felt his eyes on me as he leaned away from me and took his padded jacket off and draped it around me. I wanted to protest but was too weak to utter a word.
"Take off her gloves." I heard a stern sounding elder man's voice from the driver's seat.
I wanted to look at him but my brain was busy panicking, all I could do was look at Baekhyun instead who nodded nervously at the man's command. He proceeded to take off my gloves as he was to do and held my trembling fingers afterwards.
"Now let her hold you." Went the old man's voice again. "Maybe put them inside your shirt."
Baekhyun almost choked at the man's remark, his eyes widening.
"Trust me, kid I know what I'm talking about."
Rattled and probably pressured, I saw Baekhyun bobbed his head muttering a low and hesitated "Yeah."
We met each other's eyes until I felt him leading my hands inside his hoodie. If I wasn't so cold, my face would've already looked like a tomato. The next my numbing hands felt was his skin, his satisfying warm skin. His toned abs were very distracting right away as well, I had to look away.
Well, I sensed how awkward this was for the both of us because the old man who was with us in the vehicle.
When the car started, Baekhyun let go of my hand as he leaned closer so he could wrap an arm around me. My hands, on the other hand hesitantly travelled from his waist to his back, hugging him this time. He made my head rest on his shoulder and I could feel the cold subsiding.
Minutes passed, I started to feel better. The trembling of my bottom lip stopped and my palms, which were still inside his shirt, were already warm. I felt cozy, being inside his arms like this.
"You feel better baby?" I heard him ask, caressing my head.
I nodded in response, too satisfied to even open my eyes.
"Are you two on your honeymoon trip?" The old man from the driver's seat asked, sending my eyes opened in an instant.
"Are you married?"
Baekhyun and I looked at each other. I unintentially bit my lower lip feeling awkward once more. I didn't know why exactly but my heart started to grew wild behind my chest. It was pounding too loud, I was scared he'd hear it.
Then as if in slow motion, I watched Baekhyun's mouth parted to respond to the elder's question.
"No." He muttered, his eyes never leaving mine. "Not yet."
Not yet.
Yet.
There was something about the way he said not yet that caused the butterflies in my stomach to come alive. My heart beat grew wilder, if that was still possible. I darted my attention to the window, not wanting to give him an idea of how his remark was affecting me right now.
Then he said something else that made me forget how to breathe.
"But I'll marry her someday."
***
AN: I hope this chapter made your heart warm. Btw, I decided to make this a 45-chaptered fic instead of 40 so we'll have more Baekwon moments! Hope this put a smile on your faces. Thank you Loves! ^^
Always grateful,
Paige.