The quiet city allowed Donghyuk’s eyes to close for a second. The sight of the cars outside pulling up a fantastic light show as a possible way of communication made the male peek at his phone, wondering why it didn’t light up the whole day. It was almost reason for him to worry. He almost thanked the universe for providing him some comfort over the silence he didn’t get to hear often due to the busy schedules that only dragged him into a van where the annoying sound of rushed cars beeping by, didn’t allow him to sleep. But this time, he didn’t feel as thankful as he thought he would. Sure silence was some kind of comfort but he didn’t ask to be alone.

‘’I’m coming by today, be there in ten.’’ he blinked as he read the message. He wondered if people missed him the way he missed them, if they needed him the way he needed them and if they would ever notice if he simply didn’t bother to call out for their name for a moment. The answer to that was, however, yes. That thought made him sigh quietly once again. With a quick look to the outside, he noticed that on the other side of the window he stood against, the rain drew abstract patterns as it danced down the window. ‘’It’s raining.’’ he smiled a bit, taking a look up at the sky where the clouds could be spotted at. They looked dark, covering the stars he didn’t have enough time to appreciate.

He only wasted a couple more minutes staring at the clouds as he thought over his life, over how things had happened and over what he could actually do to make up for his mistakes. After simply shaking those thoughts away from his head, he gently combed his hair up with his fingers, taking a glance at the mirror as his hand reached for a jacket. He knew he would be scolded if he even thought of getting sick therefore, that was just not something he was looking forward to. It was like the winter had decided to live inside the dorm instead.

On the other hand, the sender of the message smiled hugely. She chuckled and sighed in content as she thought over just how long it has been ever since she had the chance to see her best friend. He was busy and she was too, school, work and life had a lot to drop on her which only lead for her to have less time for herself - even if some nights she just decided to stay awake so she could talk a bit longer to her best friend, when there was the chance to. He would tell her to go to sleep and she’d whine to him. Then, he’d whine back and eventually whisper a goodnight to her, saying his friends were getting annoyed with all the fuss he was making and accusing her of needing sleep as he knew he also needed some. He deserved some.

She didn’t even think of changing clothes - ever since she knew him, she was comfortable around him therefore, the ridiculously large sweater she used to sleep the night before along with the boxers she had bought a few weeks ago, fit her perfectly for the occasion. The only thing she had to do would be get some pants on and she was ready to leave. She couldn’t help but be fond of that sweatshirt; it was the one Donghyuk got her for her birthday last year and she couldn’t simply stop thinking over how comfortable it was and how much it actually meant to her.

Upon making up her mind, the female simply slided a pair of pants on, smiling to herself as she thought of meeting him just in a short period of time.. Her next task was to comb her messy hair that was giving her a hard time and that made her scold herself for not combing it after the shower to make it easier the next morning - just how long could she actually excuse her laziness with being tired? It was even ridiculous.

‘’I’m here.’’ the female called out as soon as arrived. She closed the door behind her as Donghyuk had opened it for her a few minutes ago - he was waiting for her, clearly. It didn’t take long until the male rushed to the door to greet the female he has been dying to see the features of. His arms engulfed her into a tight hug while her head rest over his shoulder; she chuckled ‘’Is this just how much you missed me?’’ she whispered to him, knowing he was enjoying the sound of the rain outside that had gotten her raincoat wet as she quickly ran to his building’s entrance from the taxi. He didn’t even mind that. All he cared about was having her in his arms and he had her right there. That was enough.

‘’How does a movie sound?’’ the female suggested, waiting for Donghyuk’s reaction. ‘’Just….let’s stay like this for a bit longer….please’’ he asked her, earning a gentle smile from her without knowing of it.. She didn’t argue and simply stood there, on his embrace that was just so comforting and filling - it made up for the time they didn’t get to see one another.

They had moved to Donghyuk’s room in hope they would feel more comfortable. It wasn’t even strange or awkward to find them laying on the same bed, the female protected with his arms around her while the movie played on his phone. The screen was maybe too small but Donghyuk’s brain wasn’t even paying attention to what was being said or done on the movie. He was just enjoying having his best friend there with him while they actually did nothing. ‘’Do you have popcorn?’’ the female suddenly asked as she paused the movie - she was actually watching and finding it interesting. Upon hearing her, the male thought for a second before shrugging his shoulders. ‘’I’ll go check, wait here.’’ he offered, unwillingly letting go of the female as he got up, even finding time to press a gentle kiss over her temples. She smiled.

‘’If there is popcorn, how do you want them?’’ he asked as he stood by the door of the room. The female thought for a second before answering ‘’Buttered is fine.’’ she told him, nodding slowly. He shared a gentle smile with her before calmly walking out to complete the female’s request. While he was gone, the female took a look around the room, smiling to herself as she didn’t even think of continuing to watch the movie without him (even if she probably was aware of the fact he wasn’t paying attention to the movie). Her eyes caught the sight of the white walls that surrounded the male almost every day but she could only think of the moments she had spent together with him inside there. Either both arguing over stupid thing, in a playful way or simply allowing the silence to eat their voices and take control over them.

His best friend suddenly came up with the idea of pretending to be asleep. It’d be funny to see him jump out of surprise when she decided to scare him. Nodding her head firmly, she closed her eyes and got comfortable on the male’s bed. After getting her plan rolling, she patiently waited for the male to arrive. Donghyuk, on the other hand, was hating the way the silence spread through his own apartment. It was awfully quiet. Was she even there? He felt empty with the silence that consumed him even if he knew she was right where he left her, in the room.

Sighing, the male made his way to his room after getting the popcorn she wanted, done. He was quick to find his best friend’s body over the bed he had cuddled her quite a few times or simply annoyed her when she studying just to get her attention for a second. He smiled a bit at the memory. Little did he know that she wasn’t asleep, she was just waiting for him to get to her so she could scare him - she was excited over this, to the point she wasn’t even sure of how she kept quiet and still..

He stopped by the bed, trying to figure out how to sit down without waking her up as he just didn’t care about the silence anymore. Instead, he was focused on how her features made his heart flutter so easily. He smiled a bit at the sight of her closed eyes - the popcorn he had put some effort on suddenly weren’t important anymore. However, his feelings for her, were. He found this a great way to get them off his chest.

The hand that held onto the bowl of popcorn he held, rest it on the floor as he didn’t find anywhere else to lay it on - the bed was occupied with her body and now his as well, therefore, it was just not a choice for him. She was about to scare him when the bed sank but he was quicker. The words that exited his lips were quicker than her brain.

She wasn’t sure how she kept herself still once his hand rest over her cheek. He seemed to be in deep thinking, concerning the girl for a few seconds but she patiently waited until he spoke what his brain thought. ‘’You know, even if you don’t see me as a man, it’s okay. Having you like this is enough for me.’’ he whispered to her, making her doubt her own acting skills - did he know she was awake? However, the way his thumb crossed her skin so gently, made her think he really didn’t know she wasn’t asleep. ‘’I really love you’’ he confessed quietly, knowing he wasn’t brave enough to say it face to face, not only because he feared rejection but also because there were many reasons for him not to take such step. Be it his professional life or even their friendship. He knew he couldn’t force her to like him.

Again, she was surprised at the sudden confession but she wasn’t aware of the way his eyes carefully appreciated every inch of the skin that covered her facial muscles. She wasn’t aware of how his heart was racing but she could sense the nervousness and the honesty in his voice. Her brain shouted at her saying that what she was doing was just wrong. She wanted to scare him but instead, she was letting him confess to her without him knowing she was awake. It was maybe too mean.

Her heart started racing when she felt him shift on the bed. Not only shift but actually lean down towards her. She thought she could explode with joy or worse, he’d heart how loud her heart was betraying her by beating so quickly. It sounded like drums against her ears. Loud drums that hit her chest harshly yet so softly, almost like the truth he just revealed. His lips rest over her cheek in maybe a longer kiss than he had ever dared to share with her. It was like he was sad over what he just confessed, like his soul was heavy over such beautiful thing. She felt guilty.

Before he could even think of pulling away, the male finally decided to let him know she heard him and was actually awake. Her arms wrapped around his neck, stopping him from getting up from the position they stood. With this, his hands rest on both sides of her, for support, so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight. ‘’Why do you sound so sad over what you just said?’’ she asked him quietly, giving him enough space to pull his lips away from her cheek even if she didn’t want that nice feeling to leave her body. ‘’I should have known you weren’t asleep.’’ he commented, sighing quietly.

The female took a deep breathe, smelling the popcorn he made for her - she had forgotten about it - but she didn’t really care for them anymore. She was rather hurt over the way he just avoided her question. She was lost for words and expecting he could guess off her that his feelings weren’t one sided - it sounded too important and overwhelming for her to say it back to him, what he just confessed to her. She only let him pull away enough for both to face each other. His eyes were on hers, almost telling her the fear of revealing the truth had left him. He could read in her eyes the fear she wanted to hide, though.

This was one of those moments when she felt his look was too intimidating, looking into her soul for the slightest lie she had ever told him and by now, her hiding her feelings for him was probably the worst thing she had hid from him. It consumed her inside and scared her to the point she was lost for words. ‘’I don’t want us to be awkward with each other, much less our friendship to be ruined over this’’ he commented, not pulling away since the closeness didn’t really bother him. However, he moved upwards, resting his lips over her forehead to signal her he was done talking. The gentle kiss he heartily gave to her felt like fire on her skin. She was afraid her heartbeat could give that away but the male seemed deaf in that moment. He seemed blind as well and maybe even senseless.

With a sharp and unexpected move, he pulled back from her, getting back on his feet. He wanted to process the fact he just told her about his feelings for her, alone. It only took him a second to walk to the door but even so, for her, it seemed much longer. She almost lost her breathe or rather, held it back as her brain processed what was happening. She quickly sat up on the bed and looked over at the door, finding his body leaving, in slow motion as her brain seemed to be drunk for some reason.

‘’Wait, Donghyuk!’’ she called out, getting up from the bed just as quickly as he left. It was now or never. ‘’I love you, I love you, I love you!’’ she half shouted at him, rushing to get her arms around him like he usually did to her. She wanted him to find the same comfort in her arms as she felt in his. She wasn’t sure if he spoke to her in that moment because even if he did, her heart was stopping her ears from hearing his soft voice over how loud her heart was.

This time, her words ate his, beating them to the outside before his could even reach his throat. ‘’I love you more than a friend’’ she continued, not wanting him to misunderstand her words and say that the love she felt for him was different when it wasn’t. She was afraid to let him know about it but at the same time, she was relieved she did let him know about them in that moment. Her feelings couldn’t be kept inside when his were exposed like that. She’d be dumb if she kept her lips shut.

His long fingers rest over hers that were tightly intertwined over his torso, in hope he wouldn’t pull her hands away. He didn’t. His fingertips gently tapped hers, asking her to take them away instead. She understood what he wanted and calmly removed her hands, watching him turn around to meet her. His eyes looked different this time. Soft but still quite scary - she could swear he just digged a hole and saw past her that easily.

After a long staring contest, a smile erupted over his lips, making his eyes look less scary, softer and more welcoming. She smiled back at him, breathing out the nervousness that consumed her inside over the words she just told him. ‘’I love you, too’’ he whispered to her as if she didn’t know that already. As if he didn’t reveal that to her a while ago, as if she was the person who was brave enough to take the first step. The female nodded slowly to him, feeling relieved once his arms wrapped around her and her hair was used as something like a shield for him. He hid his face there, pressing his lips on her head. She smiled warmly at his action. Her heart fluttered.

‘’Can we stay like this for a while?’’ he asked her as his head had somehow buried on her neck this time. She chuckled, feeling the smile over his lips kiss her skin. ‘’For as long as you please’’ she answered him, resting her head over his as she couldn’t hide the smile her lips carried either.