You grab the heaping bag of strawberries that you both had definitely crammed too many in. Baekhyun finishes paying for them, and he sidles beside you, putting a protective arm over your shoulder as he leads you back the car.

    You didn’t know how it was possible that he went from complete stranger to someone you could exchange skin contact without thinking anymore. Honestly, it was impossible to gauge what you both were considering that it was going pretty damn fast.

    And you also found it simpler if you didn’t question and just went along with it. Grinning up at him, you wrap your left arm around his waist, and honestly, you couldn’t blame anyone if they thought you were just like any other couple. Hell, he made you felt that way too with how easy it’d been to talk to him.

    Baekhyun parks in a secluded part down from the farm. Dinner is improvised much like this trip. You’d already rinsed the strawberries beforehand because what kind of psychopath eats unwashed fruits?

    You realize that the amount of strawberries you’ve eaten is probably unhealthy, but the amount of times Baekhyun makes your stomach feel like marshmallows roasting on an open flame is plenty unhealthy too.

    You’ve both relocated to the back of his car. He sits propped up against the car door, and you’re between his legs with his arms around you. Your body feels like it’s in perfect harmony with his, and you wonder where he’s been your entire life.

    “Is everything sorted out?” Baekhyun asks, breaking the pregnant silence of you basking in the view of the sunset.

    You tilt your head slightly to catch his eyes. There’s an uncertainty in them, and you’re suddenly guilty that you haven’t told him anything about Eli. “Oh, about that…”

    He stretches his arms, intertwining his fingers with yours. “It’s completely fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I feel like we’ve gone through enough heavy topics today.”

    And he’s also understanding. You were definitely falling head first and if you’ve dived any faster, you’d probably crack your head on the asphalt. Somehow, that prospect didn’t scare you as much as it should have.

    Biting your lips, you heave a sigh. “No. I think you deserve an explanation. I know what it feels like to be strung along, and it’s not—well, it’s not the best feeling when you’re in the spot. Especially, right now. Earlier. I got a text message from my friend.”

    Baekhyun inquires thoughtfully, “I’m guessing it wasn’t good news, which is why you were so restless, right?”

    You nod stiffly. “You’re correct. Eli was with another woman, and it hit me in a way I didn’t expect for it to.”

    “How so?”

    “I felt betrayed and the anger was so paralyzing. I felt like I couldn’t breathe without my chest hurting. It was like I’d already known the outcome, but to have it so blatantly pushed in my face—god, it hurts like a . I spent four years committing myself to him, and we ended so suddenly. I can’t even comprehend half of it. All I feel is blazing fury,” you lament.

    And your words sound harsh—grating to your ears. You were familiar with this disappointment and you’ve felt it so many times, but to share this with someone whom you’ve just met feels personal. You know you’re guarded. Hell, you’ve never even told your mom about your ex-boyfriends—much less your close friends.

    You couldn’t fathom how it was so easy for the words to flow out of you when you were around him. It was as if his presence was your safe place, and that thought rattled you because of this trip. It was finite. These feelings would have to end soon, and you’d have to shove it back down the proverbial box where the rest of your pity party occupants are locked.

    Frankly, you didn’t have time to unload all of these feelings. You were too busy. Being a judge was more than sitting in a courtroom. As a federal worker, you had an image to uphold.

    You couldn’t be too soft or you’d be called out for being too much of a woman. If you were too harsh, you’d be listed as someone unapproachable, and you couldn’t have that either. Clearly, your individuality didn’t belong in your workplace.

    But, here, next to him, you could feel the lock trying to break out of its mold. And you didn’t know if you were equipped to deal with these sentiments.

    Yet, somehow, the gentle squeeze of his hand had been enough to coax your anxiety.

    “It’s okay to feel anger,” he murmurs, kissing the top of your head. “I know you pride yourself in being more macho than me—“ You laugh, and he does too—except his tickles your ears and does something extraordinary to your chest. And then his laughter dies down, and he grows serious again. "But doesn’t it get stressful sometimes? You carry too much of the world on your shoulders, and you should have a place where you can let go; where you can unload all of that burden—even just temporarily. I’m aware that it’s too selfish to ask of you to do permanently because technically, your job description requires that of you.”

    You consider his words carefully as you distractedly play with his hand. He squeezes your hand—this time, more resolute.

    “So what I’m trying to say is—this road trip. Let it be a distraction from your life, okay? Don’t think, feel.”

    You snort out a laugh. “Did you just quote Bruce Lee on me?”

    “I believe I may have temporarily lost my mind,” he titters. “And I blame you, especially.”

    You let out a wounded gasp. “Hold up—why is it suddenly my fault?”

    Baekhyun chuckles adoringly, squeezing you tighter between his arms. “Because you’re irresistible, pretty.”

    You pretend to gag, hunching over. “Alright—enough mushy sentiment. Let’s talk about you now. Other than being Mr. CEO, I don’t know anything about you.”

    “You know that I’m thirty and I like sweet tea,” he remarks.

    Rolling your eyes, you say, “you’re so cumbersome.”

    “Says the girl currently snuggling up on me, but who can blame her? She has good taste,” he says cheekily.

    You attempt to pull away by lurching forward. “Get off.”

    Baekhyun tightens his hold, laughing against the back of your neck as he kisses his way down. “Nope.”

    “Why? Ugh, let me go right now.”

    “Because she’s as cuddly as a teddy bear,” he answers, and you giggle when he presses his fingers into your ribs.

    Turning your head with half-filled teary eyes, you catch the boyish gleam in his eyes. Everything begins happening in slow motion. He stops tickling you. He stops moving, and then he’s moving again—bending down to kiss you.

    His lips are soft and then they’re not. You groan, pushing off his lap to spin yourself around. He welcomes you again, moving further from the door for your legs to wrap around him. Baekhyun pulls away mid-breath, watching you with a half-dazed expression. You smile lazily at him, and immediately, he ducks in your direction, capturing your lips feverishly.

    The kiss gets too far, and you have to push at his chest lightly for him to slow down. You don’t feel ready to take this further, and he seems to understand that. Smiling reassuringly, he pecks the corner of your lip and pulls back. The two of you take a minute to catch your breath, and he’s hard—which makes you feel bad.

    “I’m sorry,” you tell him, trying to move but he shakes his head and tightens his arms around your waist.

    “You’re good. It’ll go down eventually. I just need a distraction.”

    Laughing, you ask, “right, you should answer my question. What else do I not know about you?”

    Baekhyun drops his head back, eyes glancing at the darkening sky. “Well, I don’t have much free time—when I do, I’m usually doing something to fulfill a quota. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this free—not that my usual responsibilities are stifling. But I’m glad I met you on this trip. You’ve helped me unwind, and I realized quickly that I’ve forgotten to care about myself in the wind of everything happening,” he explains. every word of his is carefully plucked, and you feel honored that he’s telling you this at all.

    Honestly, he’s been more guarded than you when it came to sharing information. You grin, pressing your head against his neck. His smell is intense and it makes you dizzy with happiness. “You’re so precious,” you whisper.

    He chuckles into your hair. “No, you.”

    “You.”

    “You.

    “You.”

    “You.”

    “You’re actually irritating. I changed my mind.”

    And somehow, despite your statement, he doesn’t let you go and continues messing with you. You’re such a liar because he’s not irritating one bit. He’s the biggest ing puppy in the world.

When you wake up, it smells like salt—like you’re in the middle of the ocean. Your hair whips around you and you scrunch your nose, eyes fluttering open. You’re tucked under a blanket in the passenger seat, and when you turn your head, you see Baekhyun talking to someone on the phone.

    Your heart flutters because he smiles in a way you’ve never seen before. You didn’t think he was capable of looking even lovelier than he did before. But he’s proven you wrong—just like he’s proven you wrong when you didn’t trust yourself to go for it.

    Now, normally, you weren’t a nosy person, and you hated overly possessive people. However, you were simply curious. Who was he speaking to and who was that person to him?

    Baekhyun finally notices that you’re staring intently at him, and his eyes twinkle. Okay. Never mind. Scrap that. If you could wake up to this—his immediate happiness once he sees you—you wouldn’t need to eat or drink. You were full from just him.

    He quickly bids goodbye to the person on the phone and prompts, “good morning, pretty.”

    You bite back a smile. “If you call me pretty first thing in the morning when I look horrendous, I can’t help but doubt the rest of your judgment when you’ve called me that.”

    Baekhyun reaches out to fix a straggly strand of hair, but you reckon that it was useless because your head probably resembled a bird’s nest. His smile is precious and if you could just tuck it inside your pocket and keep that for the rest of your life, you didn’t need anything else.

    “So, where are we?” You ask, turning to look at the surrounding.

    He answers, “San Diego.”

    Your eyes widen. “We’re at the beach?”

    Baekhyun laughs adoringly at your excitement. “You said your mom’s birthday was on Friday. I’m sure she won’t mind if I drop you off tonight.”

    Your heart drops when you remember that it’s Thursday. You didn’t want it to end so soon, but this thing between you both—you’d already known that it wasn’t permanent. Forcing down unwelcome bitterness, you say, “cool. Is there a place nearby where I can freshen up?”

    After he points to the beach’s public restrooms that conveniently also have showers, you put a dent in your pocket change for a nice long hot shower. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to complain when you greet him with a beam.

    He watches you stuff your soiled clothes into the back of your duffle and pack up the rest of your toiletries. Then, tilting your head sideways, you ask, “what’s the plan for today?”

    Baekhyun squints his eyes at you, reaching to pluck the damp towel in your hands. “First things first, dry your hair completely so you don’t get sick,” he says in a playful scolding tone.

    You attempt to struggle away but he catches you by the shoulders gently and fluffs the towel on your hair. “Baek,” you grunt. “That’s a myth, you know? I sleep with wet hair all the time.”

    His body does something close to a grimace. “Point not taken.”

    “Oh yeah?” You begin, lips curling into a mischievous smile.

    He grunts out a yeah.

    “I bet you have an ulterior motive. Either that or you’re a senile dad,” you chirp, laughing when he muffles your shrieks with the towel.

    Early morning joggers throw you both weird looks as they pass by. “If I get arrested for looking like a murderer, you’re coming with me,” he teases, pulling the towel in his direction which naturally pulls you as well.

    Your eyes flutter close and you tilt your head, feeling him greet you with a dreamy morning kiss. If your insides hadn’t become gelatin by now, you were definitely made out of insubstantial material right about now.

    “How did you know to stop here?” You ask when he brushes a final soft kiss on your lips and begins to pull back. Then, you narrow your eyes. “You—you’re a stalker, aren’t you?”

    Baekhyun releases a huff of laughter. “Woah there, buddy. Don’t you know better than to spiel baseless speculations? You’re already ruining me, pretty. I’m afraid you’re going to ruin my reputation, and I’d still be okay with it.”

    You laugh, slapping his chest. “It’s only been three days. Haven’t you heard? Don’t settle.”

    “You’re right, actually. Should we elope now? Vegas isn’t that far away.” Baekhyun doesn’t seem too far off from joking, and you roll your eyes playfully before tucking your arm around his.

    “Where’s the first stop, Baek?” You ask, pulling him along.

    Baekhyun points to the cement sidewalk leading up to shops and restaurants. “Breakfast because if I eat another strawberry, I will keel over and die.”

    You tsk. “Lightweight.”

    “I’m sorry, I think it’s called having taste.”

“You call this having taste?” You ask in mock horror.

    Baekhyun lifts a brow, holding his chest. “You need to stop coming for me so early in the morning, pretty.”

    “I—there’s no way that’s substantial,” you comment, inspecting his pancakes dusted with powdered sugar. And that’s it. That’s breakfast. And to you, that’s appalling. “Where’s the bacon? The eggs? The sausage links?” Your eyes dip to your own breakfast, a full hearty one with heart-clogging consequences.

    He takes a bite, getting sugar on the corner of his lips. You reach to smear it off with your thumb. “There’s a time for protein, and there’s a time when I want to enjoy sweets.”

    You scoff. “I think our s may have switched. You might want to check to see if you still have a—“

    Baekhyun shakes his head in exasperation. “Who was the one who said to scrap hypermasculinity? You’re the only person in this world who isn’t allowed to be ist, missy.”

    You open your mouth to speak, but he interrupts with unintelligible sounds, and you end up surrendering to laughter. To think there’d be a day when someone cuts you off and you had nothing to say in return. Well, it happened. And this man. He’s really something special. “You’re right, Baek. I was only joking. If you want to revel in your pancakes and the colossal rise in your estrogen levels, you do you, boo boo.”

    He blinks. “Has anyone ever told you how passive-aggressive you are?”

    You grin, tapping his nose. “Only several hundred times, but who’s counting?”

    Baekhyun snorts out a laugh, and you two finish your breakfast with several more interesting debates on everyday life.

    For example, you find it absolutely egregious that he works over holidays. Correction. He volunteers to work over holidays, and you thought you were the morally sound one. After all, you were a judge, and it was kind of your job to preach. You found it impressive that he was a hard worker. You especially liked that he wasn’t the stereotypical young CEO who spent weekends on shopping sprees and jetting off to foreign countries on his private jet.

    Though you weren’t sure you supported his workaholic lifestyle, you weren’t in the position to peg him for it because you were in the same spot.

    “When exactly do you have time to date?” You ask him when the two of you walk out of the restaurant.

    “I don’t,” he answers simply.

    You frown. “What?”

    He his eyebrows at you. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

    “But—have you seen yourself?” You ask in bewilderment.

    Baekhyun makes a face. “Have you seen yourself?”

    You snort. “I’m nowhere as gorgeous as you, Baek. Let’s be honest here. I’d initially thought you were a model in the beginning.”

    His cheeky smile is cute, but you knew that you just boosted his ego up to a ten. “Thank you, you’re very sweet.”

    “Shut up,” you quip because he’s teasing you as he throws his arm over your shoulder. “Are you one of those men who are unemotionally available or something?” You’d meant it as a joke, but he takes it seriously.

    Baekhyun bites his lips. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought about it.” His eyes dip from mine to the ground, and you feel the physical lurching of my stomach.

    “Baek,” you call out softly, proceeding to cup his face when he doesn’t look up. “No one’s got their entire life figured out. I may seem like I’m this put together independent woman, but in all honesty, I’m a mess. Relationships are messy, and mine was a prime example of that. In my opinion, you dodged a bullet.”

    He laughs, ruffling your hair. “You know what I think?”

    You tilt your head, blinking. “What?”

    “You’re a beautiful mess,” he says earnestly.

You drag Baekhyun down the street into a candy shop, and you’d thought you’d seen it all when you, an avid candy lover, bought a giant gummy worm for the hell of it—but you clearly didn’t because Baekhyun has a sweeter tooth than you.

    You found it absolutely adorable that he spent at least two hours in the shop debating whether he’d wanted to stockpile on chocolate or gummy candy. Finally, you had the liberty of dragging him before the shop owner throttled him for asking her another question about the integrity of the sourced cocoa beans.

    You laugh hysterically, hunching over to catch your breath. “God. You are so ing weird,” you wheeze, reaching to wipe a tear.

    He pouts, jutting his lips out cutely. “Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s not nice to bully others?”

    You stand up straighter, still recovering from your fit of laughter. “You’re adorable, Baek. I thought there’d be no one in this entire world that could be much weirder than me, but here we are.”

    He snorts. “Okay, I wasn’t that odd. Besides, aren’t you the environmentally conscious one? I was just making sure it was sustainably sourced. Sue me.”

    “Alright, alright—I’ll stop teasing you, baby Baek.”

    Ignoring the way he rolls his eyes, you tug him along to the next shop where he spoils you with cute gold jewelry. Honestly, you could’ve gotten it yourself, but he insisted on getting them for you.

    You found a pretty gold band to accessorize, and as a joke, you secretly bought him one too. Of course, he doesn’t know about it. You haven’t given it to him yet because you didn’t want to scare him off or anything.

    You found a rollerblading shop that rented out skates, and Baekhyun looked like he’d rather die than get on one. To say the least, you forced him to tag along. You also made sure to record the times he fell on his .

    “My opinions are starting to change,” he grumbles when you loop arms with him. Baekhyun yelps when you two skate over the ridge in the sidewalk.

    You burst out laughing. “Have you never rollerbladed in your life?”

    “I preferred indoor activities,” he deadpans.

    You raise an eyebrow. “What are your hobbies?” Then, you crack a smile, adding, “if you have any.”

    Baekhyun huffs. “You’re mean.”

    “Maybe I just like to tease you.”

    “Maybe you should stop being a bad girl,” he quips.

    You titter, “what are you gonna do about it? As far as I’m concerned, you’d be on your if it weren’t for me.”

    “I don’t want to play with you anymore,” he sulks, squinting his eyes.

    You chuckle. “You become so much cuter the more I get to know you.”

    “Is that a bad thing?” Baekhyun questions, tilting his head, and it also makes your heart throb because a few strands of his hair fall into his eyes.

    You shake your head nimbly, reaching to push them away. His eyes dip to your lips and he does it again. He gives you that look. And maybe you do want him as much as he wants you. You smile shyly, feeling your nerve endings tingling.

    His lips part and you’re mesmerized. Releasing an awkward laugh, you briskly let go of his arm and he flails. “! I’msosorry,” you sputter, jumping to help him, but it’s too late because he’s already down.

    Baekhyun buries his face in his arms when a group of preteen boys skates by the two of you. Quite casually, you might add. Chuckling quietly, you urge, “come on.”

    A flush creeps across his cheeks when he drops his hands, tilting his chin up to meet your eyes. “Not a word.”

    You stifle a laugh, miming the zipping motion across your mouth. You hold out your hand, and he grasps it firmly. His hand is warm, making each of the little hairs on your arms and the nape of your neck rise. You fight back the shivers and tug him up. “Let’s go. The skates aren’t going to return themselves.”

    He groans into his hands. “I’m not sure whether to feel grateful that we’re stopping this nonsense or to feel mortified because there’s still the trip back.”

    “Don’t worry about it. Keep your eyes straight on the road, and we’ll be back in no time.”

    “You sound experienced.”

    “How do you think I mastered walking on stilettos?”

“You look—wow,” Baekhyun comments, dragging his eyes down your body.

    You snort. “Ever seen a bikini, baby Baek?”

    He playfully pinches your side and you jerk away, letting out a string of curses. “You’ve been testing me all day, missy.”

    “Ack—get away from me!” You shriek, turning on your heels to run, but you’re in sand and it’s no easy feat. He swoops an arm around your waist, throwing you over his shoulder easily. A gasp falls from your lips, and you slap his back hurriedly. His skin is smooth to your touch, but you ignore the heat in your palms and yell at him to let you down.

    Your protest falls on deaf ears, and through your upside-down vision, you can make out the azure hue of the sea. He ignores you, wading deeper into the waters and proceeding to drag you under with him.

    “ you,” you whine, coughing out water.

    Baekhyun curls his lips, smirking. “You look good.”

    You fold your arms across your chest and immediately notice how his gaze falls. “So—you’re a tit guy?”

    He chokes. Not on water, though.

    You let out a throaty laugh. “,” you surmise, squinting your eyes at him and feigning disbelief.

    Baekhyun beams, wading over to you and dodging your attacks. He grabs both of your arms, ridding you of any escape. “You’re not allowed to be this adorable,” he tells you, wrinkling his nose.

    “Stop manhandling me, jackass.”

    “Make me,” he teases through a toothy grin.

    “Why are your noodle arms so unbelievably strong?” You grumble, twisting out of his grasp.

    He gasps. “The amount of times you’ve hurt my feelings today. Insurmountable.”

    You stop struggling, tilting your chin up. “You said I was fun to be around. I knew you lied to me.”

    His arms slip down and around your waist. You two are flushed against one another, and you can feel the heat radiating off of him. You’re strongly aware of your heartbeat—pounding in your ears. “I told you—I wouldn’t be bothered even if you ruin me.”

    “Bad idea,” you whisper.

    “You know what you taste like when I kiss you, pretty?”

    You can feel a slight flush rising from your neck. “What?” Your words are barely audible, and you can feel yourself hold your breath to hear his answer.

    He leans in close. “Like I’m standing on the line between a dubious mistake and the best decision of my entire life. But,” he murmurs, further closing the distance. “You taste like certainty, and when I’m with you, I want to explore this. Whatever this is. I don’t care.”

    “Byun Baekhyun, where have you been all my life?”

    His eyes twinkle, and everything seems to fade away because quite frankly, you’ve never witnessed such a beautiful man before. And every time he smiles, it’s a treasure, and every minute you’re with him, you find yourself greedily tucking way the tidbits of his expressions and words before it’s all over.

    But right now, you’re not going to think about it. Instead, you push yourself on your tippy-toe, reaching to kiss him. His sigh is delicate and you realize with triumph that, at this moment, you’re the only one who gets to see him like this.

    “I guess it was only a matter of time,” he murmurs against your lips. “Earlier…” he prompts.

    You hum out a reply, dizzy from his mouth and his hands. God. They feel exquisite and if you were to compare yourself to an instrument, he was plucking your strings in all the right ways.

    “You asked me if I had any hobbies,” he says, eyes gradually darkening as he anchors his attention on you. You nod furtively, waiting. “I like satisfying women.”

    You lift a brow. “What are you trying to say, Baek?” But you already know what he means. It’s in his expression—in the way he touches you. It’s in the way his eyes flit into yours. He’s telling you without actually voicing it.

    “I’m asking you to spend the night with me,” he answers, thumbing the skin of your neck.

    There’s honestly nothing you can say because even though you’d known exactly what his intentions were, it still surprised you. And for ’s sake, there really wasn’t anything holding you back.

    So you smile, and then you’re ghosting your lips on his—teasing, testing him. “If I say no, what would you do?”

    “I’d find some way else to woo you. I think we have another few hours before you decidedly have to go—but if nothing else, I’ll just have to kidnap you, pretty.”

    You titter, “you’re crazy.”

    “Yeah?”

    “A good kind of crazy.”

    “And?”

    “And I think I may be as crazy as you—so, yes."

[a/n] ah yes. another chapter of pure fluff and out of this world chemistry. i redid the banner bc i hated the previous one. lmao this one took me so long oof. but it was super fun //shrugs

i'm going back to work in a few days so my update schedule might be wack.

im prolly gonna hit you guys with that soft or might skip it idk. i didn't even plan the next chapter but i planned the ending already sdkfhdskfndfnkdn. wut is wrong w me bc i'd like to know as well

so many people are enjoying this! uwu. tysm for the lovely comments. do tell me how u like this chapter <3