The Storm after the Calm
 

*.☽.*




 

I didn’t know how long the drive was until we finally stopped because I was so engrossed with snuggling with Baekhyun, his warm skin felt so good against my hands. The elder man, whose face now seemed clearer to me turned to us. I could see a small portion of his graying hair under his old-fashioned beret. Without a smile and his strict-looking face, I instantly thought how grumpy he seemed to be. His scrutinizing eyes darting on my hands inside his shirt, caused me to feel one hundred percent awkward. As a result, I hesitantly pulled my hands out of his clothes, my face red with embarrassment. Thankfully, I heard Baekhyun clear his throat and asked the man why we stopped.

“Well did you expect me to drive you all the way out in this snow right?” He said with a raised eyebrow and hoarse voice.

I was surprised by the way he responded, scared even. He sounded really angry as if Baekhyun asked the wrong question.

“No,” Baekhyun answered in a hesitant tone.  “Of course, I didn’t.” He paused to clear his throat once more and it was so noticeable that he was way too uncomfortable right now. “I didn’t mean to”

Baekhyun had to stop talking when the elder man turned around to turn the engine off, took his seat belt off before going out of the truck.

Baekhyun and I ended up exchanging looks.

Did he just ignore us?

I opened my mouth to ask Baekhyun something when we both heard the door open, the man standing outside holding the door for us.

“Now, get off of my truck.” He demanded in a serious tone.

My heartbeat grew wild thinking how we’d end up freezing outside if we get out of the car. I held Baekhyun’s hand firmly, meeting his eyes hoping he’d get my message for him to do something to convince the man.

“Sir…” Baekhyun muttered. “If it’s okay…” I saw his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. “Can you let us stay here for tonight?”

The man’s forehead creased as soon as Baekhyun finished speaking. 

“I mean…my girlfriend’s going to freeze outside.” He went on and it was obvious how we were already begging the man. “I promise I’ll pay-” His statement got interrupted once more when the elder cleared his throat loudly.

I was startled, squeezing Baek’s hand in the process.

“What are you talking about?” He sounded so mad. “No one’s staying in the truck.” He dismissed as he walked away, making room for us to get off.

Hopeless, I felt Baekhyun sigh right next to me as he urged me to get off. He got down first and helped me afterward. The wind sent shivers down my spine the moment my body was exposed outside. When my foot touched the snow-covered ground, Baekhyun draped an arm around me right away, pulling me closer into a hug.

Worried, I leaned closer to him while he brought a hand to my face.  We stared at each other, both looking anxious about what was going to happen to us now.

“Oh for heaven’s sake!” The elder man exclaimed making us both alarmed. “Why are you two acting like it’s the end of the world?”

“Well…” Baekhyun gulped. “We might die out here-”

The third time, it was the third time he got interrupted. I had never seen someone talk to him like this and I didn’t know how I’d react.

I’m pretty sure the old man doesn’t know who Baekhyun is.

“No one’s going to die.” He stated, his eyes growing wide.

I got confused and I was sure Baekhyun was too due to his furrowed eyebrows.

“I asked you two to get off the truck so we could head to my house.” He added in a matter-of-fact tone.

Relief rushed through my veins hearing what he just said.

“Really?” For some reason, Baekhyun and I chorused.

Without answering us, he proceeded to shut the door of the truck closed before he went on the lean way. Baekhyun looked relieved as he glanced at me for a moment before we followed the man.


*.☽.*

We walked through a narrow road which was only a few meters away from the truck before we saw a small house. It looked so cozy with its roof fully covered by snow. It was made of wood and I could already imagine how warm it’d be inside. We weren’t even at the doorstep yet when the door opened, revealing an elder woman. Like the old man, she seemed to be in her early sixties. However, unlike him, she had a heart-warming smile plastered on her face.

She must be his wife, I concluded.

This idea was proven right when she immediately leaned in to kiss the old man on the cheek as if welcoming him home, causing Baekhyun and me to exchange looks right away.

Oh, my heart wanted to melt at the sight of an elder couple being affectionate in front of us.

“Well, who are these two extremely good-looking visitors we have here?” She asked her prying eyes on us.

“Let them in.” The man replied quickly, not giving us the chance to introduce ourselves to his wife.

“Oh, of course.” The sweet-sounding granny said, stepping aside so we could come in. 

As we got in, I instantly wanted to melt due to the warmth and the coziness aura that the house radiated. I was so drawn to the atmosphere that I didn’t notice Baekhyun bent on his knees, helping me with my boots. The corners of my lips curved up right away with what he was doing.

“Are you two married?” There went the question once more, this time from the old woman.

We both froze, Baekhyun was halfway done taking off my last shoe as he turned to the woman before looking up to meet my eyes.

“They’re not married.” It was the old man’s voice that we all heard next.

Looking away, I tried to locate him but he wasn’t in the room with us anymore. He must be in the next room then and must have heard his wife asking us the same question he asked a while ago.

“Oh.” She muttered, sounding sad or something.

Baekhyun, finally done helping me to take off my boots, stood and went to clear his throat. I glanced at him and I was certain he was ready to open his mouth to say something but the woman in front of us chuckled, catching both of our attention right away.

“Well, by the looks of it, you two are likely to get married.” She told us, her eyes forming into crescents as she spoke.

My heartbeat doubled hearing her say those words. I swear, this whole getting married thing was making me antsy and fluttery at the same time.

“That’s what he said.” The old man said once more, this time revealing himself on the door from the room on the left.

Without his hat, he still looked grumpy. His hair is almost silver and only had a few streaks of the black left. His hands were shoved in his pockets as his eyes were on us.

“Really?” His wife exclaimed, her hands meeting together excitedly.

I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I tilted my head away for a bit. Then all of a sudden, I felt Baekhyun’s hand on mine, squeezing it. Turning to face him, I directly met his gaze. He was looking at me and I could sense the affection in his eyes.

“Yes.” He muttered, making me forget my uneasiness. “I definitely…” He paused for whatever reason I didn’t know but his eyes never left mine. “Will.”

Oh God, the words coming out of his mouth and the way he was looking at me right now. Someone tell me how to survive this moment.  

I didn’t realize that I was holding my breath until we heard the woman’s voice.

“Oh, they’re under each other’s spell….” She said softly, this time standing next to her husband, her hands on his waist. “Right dear?”

The elder man only cleared his throat as a reply to her question. He looked like he didn’t want to agree with his wife or something.

“Anyway, come now let’s get you two something to eat.” The woman went to us, taking my hand to lead us inside.



*.☽.*

We ate some very delicious meals. Though it was a simple dinner, my stomach ended up full and contented with the food they served. We introduced ourselves, skipping the part that Baekhyun’s a singer/celebrity. Later on, we got to learn about them too. The old man, remained quiet most of the time while his wife talked to us from time to time. Her name was Kim Shin Myeong and her husband’s name was Kim Dong Yoon. According to her, it was just the two of them in the house since their only son now lived in Seoul with his family and they only come to visit once in a while. She also noted that Baekhyun looked quite familiar to her but Baekhyun, who wanted to keep his identity a secret told her that his face was quite common. She laughed at his remarks calling him such a humble man.

Later on, she led us to the room on the right. The house was not so big and it looked pretty traditional which I truly loved. She opened the door by sliding them apart, revealing a small but very cozy-looking room. There was a tall closet on the right that was made of wood, a small desk right next to it. There was a lamp on the table. The wooden floor was bare but it felt so warm under my feet.

“This used to be our son’s room.” She said. “I’m sorry if it’s small.”

“Oh, it’s okay Mrs. Kim.” I immediately told her. “You don’t have to apologize. We are thankful to you and your husband for welcoming us to your beautiful house.”

My statement immediately earned a smile from her which made me feel good. Seeing her reminded me of my grandmother and this somehow made me feel nostalgic.

“I hope we’re not causing you to burden or something,” Baekhyun said, who was standing right next to me.

“Don’t worry.” She replied. “I’m always happy every time we get to have visitors. And you both seem nice and so in love.” She added, emphasizing her last two words.

“Well, I guess she’s too obvious right?” Baekhyun said in a teasing tone, pointing at me. “You’re right Mrs. Kim she’s head over heels in love with me.”

My mouth fell open before I slightly hit him on his chest sending the woman burst into laughter.

“Actually…” She muttered when she stopped laughing. “You…” Trailing off, she pointed at Baekhyun. “You’re the one who can’t seem to keep your eyes off her.”

Baekhyun, not saying anything tilted his head down and lift a hand to his nape, scratching it as if he just got exposed.

“She must mean the world to you.” She said, her eyes on him.

I watched how his lips formed into a beautiful smile before opening his mouth to respond.

“Yes…” He paused and turned to face me. “She does.”

The way my heart wanted to explode with love for him. If he only knew how much his words meant to me, how much they make me want to cry, how much they make me weak in the knees.

“You should say yes.” I heard the woman’s voice.

Blinking as I turned to look at her this time, I found out that she was talking to me.

“I’m sorry?” I apologized, not getting what she meant exactly.

“I mean when he asks you to marry him.” She stated. “You should say yes.”

Oh.

I didn’t know why but I immediately panicked inside, my heartbeat growing wild behind my chest. I was so aware that Baekhyun was waiting for my response as well and my moron self couldn’t even find the words to say right now. My cheeks started to feel flushed as I stood there speechless. This was somehow overwhelming for me.

“Don’t worry Mrs. Kim, I’ll do everything to get her to say yes,” Baekhyun told her, saving me from further embarrassment.

“You better do.” She replied, a wide smile plastered on her face before telling us to wait for her.

She went out of the room and left us alone.

I stared at Baekhyun feeling a bit sorry for not being able to respond to the elder woman’s statement. I just hope I didn’t give him the idea that I didn’t want to marry him.

Marry. I gulped, realizing the weight of this single word. Do I want to marry him?
Marrying Byun Baekhyun? Holding my breath, my brain seemed to have stopped working as I started to space out.

“Hey, baby…” His slightly husky, low voice made me snap out of my thoughts and caused me to meet his eyes. “Are you okay?” He asked.

I nodded hesitantly, not knowing what else to say to him.

“Do you still feel cold?”

I nodded once more. “But just a bit.”

“Come here.” He replied, stretching his arms out to welcome me into a hug.

Smiling automatically, I leaned towards him and succumbed to a heart-warming hug. Closing my eyes, I hoped that this would last for a long time but I felt him pull away as soon as the elder woman came in once more.

She had with her a light blue mattress and about four huge pillows that Baekhyun immediately took from her. He followed her to the side and placed the cushions on the floor. When she turned around, she gave searched us both from head to toe.

“I’m gonna get you both clothes to change into.” She said and left once more even before we could say anything.


*.☽.*

10:36 PM

We both stood in front of each other, both trying to stifle a laugh due to how we looked right now. He was wearing a loose, grey, long-sleeved sweater and plain black pajamas. I, on the other hand, was wearing a loose, short-sleeved, white shirt paired with plaid pajamas. We also both didn’t take off our white socks.

“You look amazing.” He said, a playful smile visible on his handsome face.

“Stop kidding me Baekhyun,” I told him, turning around while pulling the sleeves of my shirt. “I’m not a kid anymore-”

I wasn’t able to finish my statement when I suddenly felt his hands around my waist, meeting right over my stomach. Then, his chin landed softly on my shoulder before I felt him tilt his head closer to mine and gave my cheek a peck.

“Even if you wear a curtain, you’d still be the most beautiful woman to me.” He said, his warm breath fanning my skin. “Not to mention, the iest.”

I laughed at his absurdity before I took off his hands on my waist so I could face him. My hands landed on his face, cupping it before tiptoeing to kiss him on the lips. The kiss lasted for a couple of seconds before we went back to stare at each other.

“Okay…BABY.” I replied, the corner of my lips turning up.

“Ugh!” He groaned, stepping away from me while his hands landed on his waist.

I got confused with his reaction. I stared at his back as he turned and faced the other way. I didn’t say anything and decided to just wait for him to justify whatever this was. The next second, he swiftly turned to face me once more with an unreadable expression on his face.

“I feel like my heart is doing multiple somersaults whenever you call me baby.” He said before he, without a warning, advanced towards me.

His hands immediately found their way to hold my face steady before he leaned closer to dismiss the minimal space between our mouths. He kissed me slow but passionately this time, making my head spin the instant his tongue seek entrance. My cheeks were burning as I tried my best to keep up with the pace of his lips on mine. I was so into it, my legs turning jelly, my heart fluttering and beating like crazy at the same time, my head filled with thoughts of not wanting him to stop.

However…

Knock knock…

My hands, having a mind of their own, immediately found their way to his chest and pushed him away from me. And maybe I did it with so much force that he made a few steps back, shock written all over his handsome face.

I didn’t even have time to apologize to him when Mrs. Kim’s figure showed up on the door. Totally and flustered, I bit my lower lip as I focused on her. There was a confused or probably a suspicious look on her face as she looked at Baekhyun, who I must note, seemed like a statue.

He must be so shocked.

“Is he okay?” She asked.

“Uhm...” I gulped. “Yeah. He’s fine…” I added forcing a smile. “Don’t worry.”

“Okay…” She replied and it was obvious that I was not able to convince her. “But why is your face so red?”

I swallowed before I lifted my hands to cover my cheeks which were hot, not sure if it was still due to the kiss or the embarrassment that was slowly eating me now.

“She’s fine.” It was Baekhyun this time.

Turning to him, he seemed like he had gotten over the shock.

“She was cold and I told her I’d take off my sweater so I could give it to her and I’d sleep …” He paused to meet me in the eyes.

My eyes grew wide in disbelief. Did he just say that in front of Mrs. Kim?

“She got too flustered that’s why she looks like a strawberry right now,” Baekhyun added in a casual tone and with a crazy smile on his face.

“Is that so?” The woman asked her forehead creasing before letting out a soft laugh before turning to me. “Don’t worry dear, I brought you an extra coat so you won’t get cold anymore.”

I’d die of embarrassment because of what he said.

“Here.” Mrs. Kim said as she walked towards me to hand the brown coat to me.

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” She replied with a sweet smile. “Now, you two go to sleep.”

I nodded, ignoring Baekhyun who went to stand next to me. I watched her get out of the room and right after the door closed I shot Baekhyun a questioning glare.

“What?” He asked, sounding so innocently.

“I can’t believe you.” I hissed, not wanting anyone to hear us. “You could have come up with a better excuse other than sleeping next to me.”

“Well sorry since my brain kinda stopped working because you pushed me too hard and almost gave me a heart attack.”

I sighed, finding him so unreasonable right now. I turned around to wear the coat that was given to me, at the same time to avoid him.

“Well thank you for embarrassing me in front of her,” I grumbled.

“What?” Disbelief was evident in his tone. “What was so embarrassing about that?”

I glared at him. “Yeah, what was so embarrassing about that?” I said in a low but sarcastic tone.

I heard him sigh before I walked towards the mattress.

“C’mon baby, are you mad at me because of that?” He asked, still standing on the same spot.

“Can you keep your voice down?” I snapped. “I don’t want them to hear us arguing because that’ll be embarrassing too,” I added before I laid down on the mattress, pulling the comforter up to my shoulders.

I heard him sigh once more as he sat next to me and I felt him staring at me, so I faced the other way. I felt him lay down on the other half of the mattress.

Gosh, I swear this was making me feel so weird.

We didn’t always argue like this and this was a bit awkward. I couldn’t explain why but I was so annoyed right now, I was so irritated because of what he said to her. I forced my eyes closed and tried to shut everything out around me, including him…of course.

Minutes passed…

I didn’t know how many minutes it had been exactly but when I couldn’t hear anything from him anymore, I thought that maybe he had fallen asleep already. I shifted my position and slowly turned until my back touched the floor. I was expecting to see him facing the other way but he wasn’t. He was facing me instead as if he had been doing it the entire time. He got an arm right under his head while the other one rested on his side. His eyes, though a bit sleepy, were boring into mine.

I could have looked away, I could have avoided him again but I didn’t. I gazed at him as well instead.

The silence, as we both continued to stare at each other, seemed to have calmed my irritation down. I came to think that maybe I just overreacted and I should be the one who should be sorry. Settling with this thought, I opened my mouth to apologize but to my surprise, he turned the other way.

I swear, he saw me wanting to say something but HE STILLTURNED THE OTHER WAY?

Wanting to cry out of frustration, I bit my lip as I turned the other way as well, sulking. However, I couldn’t even process a single thought in my head yet when I felt him place an arm over my waist and gently pulled me closer. I was too startled to even protest nor break free from him. Totally forgot that I was mad at him.

My heart almost melted when he snuggled his head closer against my neck. Suddenly, the rage behind my chest died down and I had to blink my eyes a couple of times to recover from what he was doing before I closed my eyes in surrender and succumb to my weakness.

My weakness is Baekhyun.

We both remained quiet for the next whole minute. I listened to our st