Chapter 21; 

Against every shred of reasoning screaming in his mind, his hand shot back, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

He turned around and looked at her straight in the eye.

“I love you.”

Taemin’s words swirled in my mind.

“What?”  A question came out unconsciously as I struggled with a rising pain throbbing in my head.

My gaze lowered to his hand that was gripping firmly on my wrist as I waited for his reply.

A second passed.

Then a couple more.

I was fast aware of a headache that was accompanying my heart pain, overwhelming so much that I could hardly breathe right.

So I started pulling myself away from his touch. It became a silent tug-o-war as I pulled my wrist to my side while he would pull it back to him.

The cycle repeated with more force exerted each time.

Back and forth...back and forth, until my wrist felt pain from these side-to-side jerks.

“Stop!”  My voice came out as a raspy whisper as I stared angrily at him. “Let go.”

His face held no expression as his pair of dark eyes stared at me in a way I was unable to....no, I didn’t want to discern. 

I was too tired and afraid to realize an answer which might release all the pain and hurt I had barely temped down.

“Let go.” I repeated firmly, determined not to let tremble caught onto my tone that will revealed my weakness. “Let go of me, Taemin.”

But he held on tightly, unwilling to let go. “No.” His voice was faint. “I don’t want to.”

I didn’t know why I was chuckling tiredly at his reply. Maybe it was the headache getting to me.

“This is crazy.”

The end of my words drew us into another moment of silence.

“I guess it is crazy, because I truly do love you.” Taemin tenderly said as his other hand lightly pulled my chin up to force me to look back at him. “I’m not lying.”

I found myself staring at a pair of gentle eyes swirled with numerous feelings. This time, I made an attempt to recognize them.

Happiness…fear…despair…desperation…anxiety….all mixed and churned within those dark orbs that were looking straight at me.

Had he been that scared as well?

“Say something.” Taemin’s anxious voice reconfirmed my guess.

But in my overwhelmed state, I could find no words to reply him.  Instead, I simply nodded my head, wondering if he caught onto my subtle reaction in the dark.

In the next moment, he pulled me forward and I crashed against his body. My head found a resting spot on his shoulder as his arms wrapped my waist tightly, securing me firmly in his embrace.
My heart lurched forward at our contact, more so as his hand petted the back of my head repeatedly.

A quiet musical laugh soon played in my ears as Taemin shook his head, his raven hair tickling the side of my face as he did.

“This is crazy.”

“W-what do you mean?” I mumbled, feeling blood rushing to my cheeks as I wondered if he was aware what he was doing, hugging me so intimately in the middle of a field.

“Me, I’m crazy...because knowing of my idol status and all, knowing that I’m not allowed to….yet I still did it, confessing to you.” He paused for a while as if deep in thought. “But I’m still crazily happy.”

“Oh.” I replied as I considered his words. “Then I guess you are.”

He laughed out that delightful laughter again. “You’re not supposed to agree with me.”

“Oh really?” I mumbled, “But I’m glad….that you’re crazy enough to do that. I’m really glad.” The tears started blurring my vision as they trickled and landed on his shoulders.

“Omo!” My body jerked back as he held me away at arm’s length to examine my face. As I cried, I felt the back of his sleeves wiping away my meandering stream of tears.

“Then why are you crying?” He asked me worriedly.

I shook my head and laughed hopelessly at myself. “I guess I’m just having a really bad headache.”

I finally wiped enough tears away and caught a glimpse of Taemin’s bewildered expression.

It was there, under the blanket of stars, where we stood with our hands linked and laughed together.

**********

“Soooo?” Kibum’s face leaned towards Taemin’s face, staring down at the maknae. “How did it go?”

Taemin blushed as he recalled the event upon Kibum’s question. “W-what do you mean hyung? Nothing much happened.” He tried futilely to act nonchalant as his four SHINee hyungs surrounded him in one of their set-up tents.

“As if we will believe that.” Jonghyun poked the maknae’s blushing cheeks lightly. “Now fess up or you’re not gonna escape this tent tonight.”

Taemin threw a desperate look of help towards Jinki, his best chance at escape. But the leader merely shrugged.

“Fine…” Taemin sighed and pouted his lips as his hyungs leaned in closer.

He focused his eyes on a loose button on his sleeve.  “I told her I love her.”

A moment of tensed silence filled the place.

“Whaaat…?” Kimbum’s disbelieved voice broke the stillness and Taemin shot up to see four pair of bulging eyes staring right back at him.

“What?” Taemin echoed back cutely, not quite catching onto the situation or why his hyungs were staring him in that way.

Minho’s hands reached out to grab his shoulders and gave it an anxious shake. “You told her you love her?”

“Yes?” Despite his confusion, the maknae sensed something terrible was afoot when Jonghyun groaned out loud and hand palmed his forehead.

“You’re not supposed to do that!” Jonghyun spoke out.

“Do what?” Taemin etched his eyebrows and stared at his hyungs’ weird reactions.

“Tell her that you love her!” Kibum’s voice almost raised a notch higher as he answered.

“Why not?” the maknae was still not getting it. Sitting somewhere on the outer circle of the confrontation, even Jinki was rolling his eyes at their maknae’s reply.

Jonghyun wagged a finger at the pretty youth’s face. “You do not. I repeat. Do not tell a girl that you love her when you confess!”

Taemin’s eyebrow etched deeper. “Why can’t I? I do love her.”

Jonghyun gave up with a dramatic sigh and rest his defeated self against Minho’s body. Kibum stepped in and grabbed Taemin by the shoulder.

“Taemin ah…” The blonde man looked worriedly at the youth. “You don’t tell a girl that you love her when you confess. I mean…you should only say you like her. Love is for…” He paused for a moment to think through. “You reserve the word ‘love’ when you decide she is the one.”

“Exactly!”  Jonghyun suddenly sat up straight to support Kibum’s words. “If she’s the one!”

Taemin titled his head at his group. “The one? But I think she is.”

Kibum’s jaws dropped opened. Jonghyun groaned and collapsed into Minho’s arms once more.

Jinki finally shifted towards the center of the battlefield and faced the maknae. “Taemin ah, you just know Seo-Yun….barely two months right? I mean that’s not enough to know whether she’s the one for you. Some even take years to figure out if the other is really the one for them. So you shouldn’t rush yourself in this.”

Minho nodded at their leader’s wise words.

Taemin bit his lips as he thought through the words. “But hyung, I don’t know…I feel that I’ve known Seo-Yun for a long time…” He lifted a hand and placed it over his chest as if to re-confirm his feelings. “A very long time…very very long….” He peered up to his leader’s surprised look. “I don’t know why, just being with her, I feel like it’s the right place to be.”

“That’s it. He lost it.” Jonghyun declared out loud and crawled his way out of the tent.

“What?” Taemin called out to his hyungs as he watched them exiting one by one.

He threw a desperate look at the last hyung, Kibum who simply shook his head and tossed him a bag.

“Get changed!” He ordered before crawling out of the tent, leaving the confused maknae behind.

#Author's Note =D

I can't believe I survived my examinations! It was truly hell I tell you. Sleeping less than 3 hours a day in preparations for them...the results better be good (=_=;;)

Back to the story. I have a confession to make. These past few chapters are actually inspired by the song "To Your Heart" because I really like the song. That's why there are mentions of stars and a natural secret place well away from civilization where they can be alone and set for an adventure to love.  Hohohoho...for those who are clueless about what I'm rambling along, here's an eng subtitles of the song that I love.

Thanks for reading! Tee Hee <3