I'll take you anywhere you say, I'll take you to my hideaway // Lavender And Velvet

Jieqiong doesn’t quite remember the last time Nayoung’s shown up at her door uninvited. Not that she minds but it’s the middle of the night and the older girl usually gives her a heads up or a warning of some sort that she’s coming over and it’s cold and she’s only wearing a thin shirt and a pair of pajama pants and she can see Nayoung holding a paper bag with her left hand and trying to hide her old sled behind her back with her right and it’s snowing and oh.

It’s snowing.

Jieqiong takes in a breath, watches as soft snowflakes fall from the red waves of Nayoung’s hair down to the door mat. Said girl had her head hung low, looks up with her eyes and stares at Jieqiong through her lashes and the Chinese pushes back the shivering feeling of the cold that stung her bare arms that passed through the open door.

“Nayoung—“

“I bought you a new pair of pajamas.”

Jieqiong looks over her shoulder, sees the scarf she bought for Nayoung—the one that matches with hers—resting on top of the counter, looks back to the front. She beams.

12:17 AM in the middle of December had never felt so warm.

xx

The moonlight glows on brown eyes and it exposes so much of the childish glee that Jieqiong tries so hard to hide despite the spring in her step, to which Nayoung thrills at, as they work their way up the nearest slope. Nayoung has one hand dragging the sled up the hill while the other easily slips into Jieqiong’s mitten-clothed ones.

There were only a few steps left until they reached the top when a silent wind passes through them. Jieqiong scrunches her face, probably because of the -biting cold despite the wind being weak, so Nayoung had to pause from their walk and put the sled down. She removes one of her mitts and tucks it in between her knees before she brings her bare hand to the raven-haired girl’s cheeks.

Jieqiong’s face eases almost instantly and presses it further into Nayoung’s palm, turns and leaves a kiss onto her skin. Nayoung doesn’t say a word, thrills even more than that.

They reach the top of the snow-covered hill, Nayoung gently placing the sled down and motions for Jieqiong to get on all the while making sure the damned plastic disk doesn’t slide down without them. She sees Jieqiong try not to let out an excited squeal, finds it cute that this is her first time sledding.

Once the younger girl had tucked her knees in front, Nayoung positioned herself where she can be able to wrap her arms around Jieqiong’s waist. Seatbelt Nayoung had said. For protection. Safety first.

She let her hot breath hover over the back of Jieqiong’s neck before she whispered so low, as if they weren’t the only people around, as if they weren’t the only es that came up with this terrible, terrible idea. “Ready?”

The girl excitedly nods, and off they went.

Jieqiong finally lets out the squeal she’s been holding, leans further into Nayoung’s chest, both of them feeling so light and free, flying of some sort.

They reached the bottom, faces red, breaths heavy. Jieqiong gets up, hoists Nayoung along with her, offers her a gummy smile. “Again!”

Nayoung falls harder.

xx

And here they are now, back at Jieqiong’s. Their tresses still covered with snowflakes, neither planning on brushing them away.

It’s already two in the morning and by some dumb luck, they managed to find a bakery that still sells cake at this time.

“Thank you,” Jieqiong starts as she adjusts the heater. “For tonight.”

Nayoung just sits there, fidgeting with her fingers, unsure of what to say. Jieqiong sees through her as if she were glass, so she speaks for her.

“You’ll miss me, wont you?”

Nayoung stays mum. She stands up to get the cake, lights the candle, walks up to Jieqiong.

“Make a wish.”

And so Jieqiong does as she’s told, claps her hands together and closes her eyes shut, silently wishes for more nights and days and months and years and even more than that with Nayoung.

Her birthday isn’t until tomorrow but this will have to do. She blows out the candle before opening her eyes, sees Nayoung staring at her so hard, as if carving “wish granted” in pretty handwriting just by looking at her.

The older girl breaks the silence when she grabs Jieqiong’s phone from the coffee table, finds an angle, takes multiple shots and sends about fifty to herself for good measure.

xx

They settle on the couch after that. Nothing but thick blankets and the scarf Jieqiong had bought for Nayoung, the pajamas Nayoung had bought for Jieqiong.

Jieqiong once again rests against Nayoung’s chest, Nayoung’s arms wrapped tightly around her, not wanting to let go. Jieqiong eases her by feeding her gummy bears and promises of being back from China before New Year’s Eve. Nayoung knows she will.

Jieqiong continues to blabber on about how she can talk Minkyung into throwing a party for her while she’s away, or how they can skype on the eighteenth.

Nayoung dismisses all of it. She doesn’t like the idea of spending their birthdays apart, anyway.