VIII

“So what are we going to do?” Sora asked in a hushed manner. Are we going to be okay?

Sehun gave her a reassuring smile, “We’ll be fine, don’t worry. By tomorrow morning, I’m sure we’ll be heading home in one piece. But you should contact your parents to let them know.”

He slipped his phone out of his pocket to call his own when he noticed Sora was still motionless. She felt his gaze on her and she knew she would have to tell. 

“I live by myself so it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” A forced smile planted itself on her face.

Sehun slowly nodded before dialing his dad’s number. He wasn’t sure as to how to respond to her statement so he avoided it all together. Honestly, he had this image of her having a perfect family, unlike his. That she was doted on since she was born and her honest smiles were only there because she hadn’t faced much hurt in her life. Curiosity developed, but he decided to bury it this time; it didn’t work out the last time he pressed her.

The two decided to ski for the remaining hours before it became dark since winter nights always came soon. Sehun taught her different techniques with better instruction that didn’t include shapes of food and Sora soon found herself getting better and better. 

“Race you to the bottom?” Sora beamed, feeling confident after getting used to sliding down the slippery slope. She finally found a sport she was good at and this would be their last run for the night. The sun had already set and their only source of light came from the lamp posts.

“Are you serious? Alright, but let’s bet on it. It’ll make it more interesting.” Sehun smirked.

“Alright. What do you want to bet on?”

“One request. The loser has to do one thing the winner wants them to do. No time limit on it either. Sounds good?”

“You’re on.”

“Ahh, I can’t believe this!”

Sora kicked her skis off in frustration and plopped onto the ground, her gloved hands grabbing at the snow and flinging it towards Sehun. She didn’t think she was one to be a sore loser, but she was too devastated not to be. Why?

It wasn’t even close. 

He was a whole minute faster and had been pretending to sleep when she finally arrived.

“What did you expect? I’ve been skiing all my life, of course I’d win.” A cheeky smile on his face. “I can’t believe you actually thought you could beat me.”

Sora gave him a glare before growling. “Fine. What’s your command?”

“Woah there, remember? No time limit. I’ll take my time thinking about it.”

She made another snowball and tossed it at him, landing square on his face. A fit of laughter soon escaped her lips before she felt an impact and snow in . All smiles vanished and her eyes narrowed.

“You asked for it!”

Snowballs were pelted at each other and she soon felt overpowered, so Sora sprinted towards Sehun, knocking him down. Her legs were on either side of his torso and her face loomed over his own. Sehun felt his ears burn in embarrassment and Sora took the chance to dig her fingers into the snow around her and mush the snow into his face. 

Sehun quickly pushed her body off his own and sat up, coughing while smacking his face to get rid of the snow. Once he could open his eyes, he turned to the right and the two faced off in a mini glaring contest.

Only, mere seconds passed before they both laid back onto the snow and laughed their hearts out. Tears filled each other’s eyes at how ridiculous everything was and it felt like a lifetime had passed before they calmed down and simply gazed into the night sky. It was already dark and stars began to twinkle brightly against the black canvas.

Puffs of white vapor that released with each breath were the only things moving in this picture as the two became lost in thought.

Sora had never seen a starry sky before. Even if she looked out the window of her hospital room, the polluted air and night lights from the never sleeping city would blanket the view and left her with nothing. She looked up pictures and Yoojin would explain different constellations, but it never satisfied her curiosity.

Thinking of Yoojin, her mind wandered to the person laying only a few centimeters away from her. The person that brought her back from the dead. The one she must have hurt so deeply. 

Oh Sehun.

He resembled his mother greatly, which only added to her heartbreak when she first laid eyes on him. His dyed hair threw her off a bit, but he was just as good-looking as Yoojin. A budding desire rose in Sora to sneak a peek at him, to see what expression he had on his face. Her head slightly tilted towards his side and she glanced over, only to see he was looking at her too.

And for the first time, Sora’s heart fluttered.

A warmth crept up to her face and a tingling feeling spread from her chest to the tips of her fingers. He was so close to her and his almond eyes peeked out from his messy hair. Most people might say his eye color was like any other Asian, but to her, it was a beautiful pigment of coffee. 

It was as if there were butterflies, not in her stomach, but in her heart. It was a foreign feeling, something she’s never experienced before. 

Yet she didn’t want it to end.

The two continued to peer into each other’s eyes as their heads and hearts slowly turned more towards each other, ignoring how red Sehun’s ears and Sora’s cheeks became. She found herself wanting to be closer to him; to have his arms wrap around her and hold her in his embrace. 

Sehun’s mind had already gone blank. He could only focus on the person in front of him: Sora. Their eye contact broke when he found himself studying her face. How her dark hair was sprawled out in large waves in contrast to the colorless snow. How her strong, yet soft eyes were framed so perfectly with long, dark lashes. How her nose curved into a small button at the tip. How her lips had the slightest pink hue to them. How a dimple would appear every time her lips curled.

How she looked so perfect to him.

He never thought that he liked Sora, and even now, he was unsure. Unsure if he wanted to be so vulnerable to a girl he’s just begun to grow close with. But what he was sure of was that he didn’t want anything to interrupt this moment. 

It’s funny how two people could grow this close in a month. In a day, really. Sehun swore to himself he wouldn’t grow close to females; they were unfaithful beings. But something about Sora was just different. He wanted to believe she was different. That she would never betray him. That she would never lie to him.

And as that thought ran through his mind, a flickering light disturbed the intimate moment, ruining this dream-like picture as Sora quickly scooted herself away in realization. She was here as an angel. The electrifying emotion was unknown, but she had an idea as to what it was. And reality was that those feelings were forbidden.

It would only make her departure that much harder and messier.

“Hey! You two! Didn’t you hear the announcement? A blizzard’s coming so hurry on back inside! They have a list of rooms available in the main lobby.”

The man was on a ski machine, most likely on patrol to inform any people left on the mountain. The flashing light came from the machine he was riding on.

They hurriedly nodded and apologized, swiftly heading into the main room where they could head into a room for the night. In the middle was a bulletin, with room numbers and keys next to the ones available. At the bottom was a message asking that groups take one room since beds were large and some had more than one. 

Sehun quickly scanned the list of available rooms to find one with two beds, but they were late in coming and none were available. He nervously glanced over to Sora to see her reaction.

“What are you waiting for? Just grab a random key and let’s go.”

Sora didn’t have the same nervousness Sehun felt. She’s slept with Jaehyuk before when he snuck in one night and didn’t see it as a big deal. Sure, that was when the were kids, but what was the difference? It’s just sleeping. Anytime a similar scene appeared in a drama, Sora was always left confused at the protagonist’s anxiety; in the end, nothing ever happened. 

Left a bit flabbergasted, but amused at her straightforwardness, Sehun took one of the keys and headed to their room for the night. Something in his gut was telling him something would happen tonight, but he pushed it aside as he clumsily unlocked the door.

The smell of campfire and smoke wafted through the air, the source being the mini fireplace on the side. The room was quaint and somewhat had a rustic feel to it. The walls were made with wood and though it’s appearance looked to be older, the shiny wood, the modern bathroom, and the lack of dust gave it away. 

Upon entrance was a short hallway that had the bathroom on the right and a closet on the left. Further in, the room expanded and a large bed laid in the middle with the headboard touching the right wall. A T.V. was placed in the back left corner with accommodations on a table touching the left side as well. A small drawer with a lamp was next to the bed and on the back wall was a sliding door; it gave access to a modest balcony.

At the moment, only the lamp was lit and it emitted a romantic atmosphere that didn’t go unnoticed by the two. 

Sehun gulped as he took the first steps into the room, holding the door for Sora to enter as well. Once she walked in, he closed the door, an audible click signaling their seclusion.

Sora felt the awkward tension in the room and she hastily took her shoes off and entered the larger room past the mini hallway. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for something to eat the tension away when she saw a wrapped plate on the table. She meant it figuratively but this would work too.

“Hey Sehun, they left us some food for dinner. Let’s eat.” Her voice was a little shakier than she had hoped, and she hated how she was acting this way when there was no need to. She didn’t know it was because her perception of Sehun had changed. He was no longer simply Yoojin’s son. Sora now saw him as Oh Sehun; as his own person.

After Sehun removed his shoes as well, he approached her. “Why don’t we wash up first? There was a note on the closet saying they had some pajamas we could wear in there.”

Sora nodded at his idea, “Yeah, that sounds good too. Do you want to go first?”

“No you can go first. I’m fine with waiting.” Sehun smiled.

“Okay. Thanks Sehun.” Her dimpled smile brightening her expression. 

She slipped off her bulky ski clothes she had rented, leaving her in the simple dress she had on in the morning. Her steps quickened towards the closet, exchanging the set of blue pajamas for her own clothes, then making her way into the bathroom. 

Sehun laid on the bed, feeling a bit stirred at how she stripped without hesitation. He was still a 17 year old boy no matter how bitter he was towards the female population. It didn’t help that he felt hopelessly attracted to the girl that was now and just a room apart from him.

He sighed at how weak he thought his resolve was. It only took a month for a girl to make him feel things he had never felt before. Sure, there had been pretty girls he had been enticed by, but it was different with Sora. He was captivated by her outlook on life that reflected on her hazel orbs.

He was stagnant and he knew he was deteriorating. It was Sora that got him to open a channel and clear out the murky waters, even if she annoyed him at times.

The sound of the water shutting off startled him and his heartbeat picked up. A good five minutes had passed before she stepped out with a towel in her hand, damp hair, and the button up pajamas hugging her body from the moisture left on her body.

A smile lit up on her face once she caught Sehun’s gaze. “Your turn. The water is nice and warm so take your time.”

“Alright. Don’t start eating without me though!” His attempt at lightening the atmosphere while trying to get his eyes off her body. Sora simply laughed at his statement before sitting on the spot Sehun was laying previously.

Sehun quickly grabbed a set of white pajamas before heading to the bathroom, still humid from Sora’s turn. It was a bit suffocating and he immediately undressed and hopped into the still hot shower. His hands roughly ran through his hair, cursing at how his thoughts always ended up being about Sora. 

Maybe this night will be longer than expected.

A/N (Warning: It's sort of long):

So this chapter left me feeling greasy and a bit lonely but I hope you guys enjoyed the mushiness. (Hella 손발오글오글if you know what I'm sayin) I know there hadn't been much "romantic" moments between Sora and Sehun, but I hope this makes up for it (: This is only the start yo.

And just clarifying, they are in the "crush" stage. The stage that makes you go crazy cause you find yourself thinking about the other person all the time.When you want to get to know everything about them. I wanted this to be a bit realistic so they won't be falling in love super fast. 

Also, I know I have never mentioned her dimple before...that's my bad. I completely forgot about it. To be honest, whenever I read or write a fic, I imagine the ulzzang Baek Su Min because I think she's so flipping pretty. You guys don't have to imagine her as the OC in this story though. Make her look like however you want (:

Btw, Should I stop having A/N's every chapter?  Is it annoying? & can someome tell me how to put a background lolol.

Anyways, thanks for reading, I really appreciate it !

But it'd be better if you subscribed & commented (;