Chapter Two
Merely StrangersSilence doesn't have to be awkward or uncomfortable, but this silence between them was nearly unbearable. Seunji mentally slapped herself for not thinking of something to say. As hard as she tried, thoughts seemed to flee from her grasp. For once in his life, Chanyeol was also silent. It was an occasion that rarely occurred, as Kyungsoo would often remind Seunji during filming breaks. Kyungsoo always talked about s and the little fights they got in. Seunji could tell that Kyungsoo loved them all so much, even despite the frustration they brought him. Seunji was almost jealous of how tight knit the group was. She often thought about her lonesome acting career and how she wished for a group of close friends like EXO and other groups.
"Seunji-yah, are you alright?" Were the words that shook her from her dark thoughts. Startled by the sudden conversation coming from the elder boy, her eyes opened wide.
"Yes, sorry. I am fine." Seunji replied applying her thick mask of emotions.
"I wouldn't mind if we dropped formalities, we can get closer that way don't you think?" Chanyeol uttered shyly. Seunji shook her head holding a bright smile. She chuckled.
"Thank you, I was really hoping you'd let me speak informally." Chanyeol busted a huge laugh.
"Well maybe I'll have to make you now." He teased. Seunji poked her tongue out at him.
Their taxi was parked literally right outside the main entrance of the mall with their names painted on the windows.
"Do they always have to show off like this?" Seunji mumbled earning another laugh from the cheerful boy.
As they rode towards their new home, the couple decided to play some ice breaking games to get to know one another. They sat and asked questions to the other. Simple questions like, "How many siblings do you have?" and "What is your favourite color?". As the car ride dragged on the questions became more challenging and definitely more bizarre. Instead of a favourite color or animal, they asked about "What would your weapon of choice be in the zombie apocalypse?" and favourite superheroes. Seunji welcomed these topics because she prided herself on her knowledge and interest in video games and comic books. Chanyeol, surprised at her knowledge of such things, asked more and more questions to test how much his wife knew. The couple had finally felt like they exhausted all the questions they could think of.
"Do you want kids?" A question she never expected to hear from a boy she met merely an hour prior. How was she supposed to answer such a forward question? She hadn't thought much about it, she was awfully busy as is. Sure, she liked kids and dreamt of having her own little ones running around one day. But like everything else in her life, it had it's place on the back-burner behind her career.
"Of course, when the right time comes around." Seunji calmly answered. It was funny how just a simple question could make her heart flutter. Chanyeol smiled and briefly glanced out the side window. He perked up when he felt the car coming to a slow in front of an apartment complex.
"This must be it!" He shoved open the door, hopped out and ran to the other side. Seunji's door sprung open followed by a hand held to her view to help her out. She gently grabbed his hand and slid out of the car. His hands were warm and smooth and extremely large in proportion to hers. As soon as she stood by him, she tried to pull her hand back from his helpful gesture. Chanyeol did not return her hand without holding it up to his own. His grasp on her wrist was gentle but commanding.
"Wow. Your hands are so small!" There was a good distance of maybe an inch and a half from the tips of her fingers to the tips of his. He gently let her hand slide from his and grabbed the suitcases from the back. The couple was directed to the fifth floor of the complex. Seunji cursed under her breath when all she saw were the looming stairs ahead of her. She could see it now, her weak noodle arms would fail her and end up with her barely making it up the first flight. The woman at the reception desk chuckled.
"We have an elevator right this way if that is easier." Seunji let out a sigh of relief and dragged her suitcase to the well hidden elevator. Chanyeol, who had already started his trek up the stairs, sighed in disbelief and followed suite.
Their apartment was a small one. Concealed behind it's door was a kitchenette, a bathroom, a small sitting area and ONE bedroom. Seunji groaned internally. Hopefully she could make him sleep on the couch. Seunji watched as Chanyeol left the luggage in the front room and explored their tiny new home. Seunji studied her husband as he walked about. He was good-looking. His hair was darker with a slight red tint that he sported well. His facial features were large, but on him it seemed to match, except his ears, which seemed slightly out of proportion. Despite the largeness of his ears, he still looked good, really good. Seunji was constantly afraid Chanyeol would accidentally walk into a door frame because he was so tall. Seunji was of average height and to her Chanyeol looked as if he was tall enough to touch the clouds. Chanyeol finished his exploration of the tiny living space and sat on the small couch behind Seunji. The two didn't talk, letting the silence creep into the room. From her position on the floor in front of the sofa she laid her head back on his knee. Chanyeol stiffened for a moment, not expecting the small gesture. Skinship was rare at this early stage of a relationship. With innocent intent, Seunji merely wanted to experiment on how the boy would react to such things. He laughed and looked into her eyes. The intense eye contact made her shift nervously. His hand rested on her cheekbone near her ear. Chanyeol lightly caressed the side of her face. Her eyes fell from his, causing Chanyeol to let out an even more triumphant burst of laughter.
"Two can play at that game." He teased. He knew exactly what she had attempted to do. Seunji rather enjoyed the competitive side she was seeing in her husband.
"I always win at games like this. You can't beat me." She bragged. She found skinship games the most fun. Games like hand slapping, and staring contests, she could beat anyone. Seunji didn't have many problems with personal space. Her inner competitive side lit like a flame. Chanyeol responded with a shrug, his eyes seemed to say "We'll see".
The couple unloaded their suitcases together and finally started breaking into their small apartment.
"I'm hungry." Seunji groaned after they had finished settling in.
"Me too. Let's get take out." Chanyeol replied, stomach voicing it's opinion as well.
As the two waited for their food to be delivered, they occupied their time with music. Chanyeol grabbed his guitar from the bedroom and strummed a few tunes as they sat on the couch together. He started to play a familiar melody. From her childhood, she remembered all the lyrics to the song. She was pulled in by the music and swayed along. He hummed gently before he began to sing. His voice had a quality to it that she hadn't heard before. It was a sort of depth that felt and sounded nice. Seunji knew Chanyeol was a rapper for EXO, but she didn't expect his voice to be so nice also. After listening through the first verse of the song, Seunji joined in the second. Sweet, beautiful music rang all throughout the apartment. Both of them couldn't help but smile at the fun they were having. As their duet came to an end, the couple laughed and couldn't erase the smiles from their faces.
"You sing beautifully." Chanyeol complimented.
"Thank you. You are amazing yourself." Seunji was struck by how heartfelt his compliment felt. She could tell that he didn't just say that to people who didn't deserve it.
"Our voices sound very good together, don't you think?" Chanyeol asked. Seunji shook her head, face bright with a smile.
A few moments later their food had arrived and they sat down to eat. Both members of the hungry couple were too busy shoveling food into their faces to speak. They ate in silence, but this time the silence was a comfortable one.
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