Running Red

His home smelled like you are walking down on a wonderful resort situated at the beach. It was probably the air fresheners doing its magic of bringing in the sea spray, salt water and just… fresh breeze but let me tell you… Baekhyun himself smelled of the rain. Like… how?

How is he the same gender as Minseok and yet so different? Minseok’s room always smelled gross. Like straight up smells like sweat and other questionable stuff so I hated going to his room. Jongdae’s room thankfully smelled better but obviously not this good.

His bathroom which I was currently in looked much better than a normal man’s bathroom. I know how Minseok and dad treated bathrooms. They expect me and mom to clean up after them. Urgh! At least Baekhyun was a better man.

The small strawberry freshener put up there made me giggle a little. Maybe Baekhyun liked strawberries judging from the way I saw a giant strawberry plushie on his couch when I entered his apartment.

He probably liked beige color as well guessing from the amount of beige furniture he had as well as the tee I was wearing. It was a plain beige tee with the tiniest strawberry on the left chest.

It was quite loose on me considering it was almost twice my size. Geez. This boy only has oversized clothing? But dang. The strawberry! Who would say no to that?

In case you’re wondering, yes… my bra also got the damage but thankfully I had pulled my shirt away from it just in time so it wasn’t as bad and as for my pants and I had instinctively pushed my out so, thankfully only my shirt got the worse of it.

Letting out a small sigh of relief thankful that I have dry clothes on and that the stickiness were all gone, I dumped my shirt into the washing machine hoping with all my heart that it doesn’t stain. I liked this shirt a whole lot.

With the works being done, I walked out peering around curiously.

The bathroom was just down the hall without having to get into the bedroom so I was thankful for that. I would probably have passed out if I had to get into his room, to be honest. I am just not ready for all these information today. I have yet to asses and analyze the decors, the feel and the heavenly smell of his apartment.

I should note it slowly, one by one.

He was standing at the foot of the couch when I returned, hand on his mouth looking like an uncomfortable guest himself. Why is he the one looking nervous?

I let out a small cough to indicate my presence as he had somehow managed to lose himself standing there. How was it that he did not hear my footsteps?

Anyhow, he jumps a little and turns towards me slowly… as if he was afraid. But then as soon as his eyes lands on me, it widened but he looked rather happy with it almost clapping his hands.

“Ahem,” He awkwardly cleared his throat and blinked turning his face from me as though he couldn’t bear looking at me. “I-It’s um… a little loose on you. Um… sorry. I usually wear… large sized clothing… So. Haha.”

He swings his hands to and fro as he stuttered on looking very much like the first day I met him. Where did his confidence from the second day go, huh?

“Would-um… would you like some drink? I can er… make good cinnamon tea.”

Ah! That was it. There had been a faint smell of something sweet wafting through the air this whole time. It was probably cinnamon.

“Sure. I’d like that.”

I made myself comfortable, more than the owner himself as I took the couch scanning the small living room.

The university did not make the most spacious living quarters but for a single person… it was enough.

I blink, a little surprised when my eyes lands on Baekhyun who was still standing at the same spot. When our eyes meets, he blinks rapidly and blushes rather furiously at having been caught staring.

He was staring at me? I panicked internally as we continued to look at each other, really unsure of what to do until he darts his eyes away.

“Ah… tea!” He exclaims trying to feign as though I did not just caught him staring at me. “Let me go make it. Haha… Stay… here?”

He his lips, moved his eyes from mine to everything in the room and headed towards the kitchen like he had forgotten how to walk, tripping twice on what was probably a ten step walk.

My panic made me forgo laughing at his clumsiness as my heart was beating way too hard to laugh.

Why did he look so undeniably soft looking at me like that? Can I just die?

Also isn’t it supposed to be weird, even if it is a little that I am seated in some stranger’s home?

I promise I wasn’t this forward with anyone in the world. I take time to be comfortable so why is it that the smell of this place, the clangs of the pots and spoons and just… knowing he was within reach made my heart feel like I’ve finally come to a place I’ve been wanting to go my whole life?

Heck, I could even fall asleep now although… let’s not go there.

He comes back after sometime, clutching two tea cups rather… tightly as though afraid that it might slip and come running after me. I wouldn’t even be surprised anymore if that happens.

“Please…” He says, still blushing and not looking at me as he pushed the porcelain cup towards me. He was seated on the single seater just a few feet away from me.

Thanking him, I take the tea and smiles at the wonderful scent emerging from it with my eyes closed. I loved cinnamon and this beautiful red tea looked incredibly inviting. For a moment, I am transported into the lovely gardens in Britain where we had gone for a holiday many years back.

My smile drops like my heart when I open my eyes because the moment I did, I see him… and even right now, he was staring at me with such fondness that made my heart erratic. He even had a small smile on his lips, one hand perched on his chin as though watching a movie.

He looks away immediately and the blush returns making him look like an adorable strawberry nearly making me cry at his adorableness.

“Ahem…” He clears his throat again and takes a sip before letting out a hiss. Ouch! That must have burnt him but then by now all the suppressed laughter was making its way to my lips and soon I was laughing in all my glory.

You see, I was generally a person who laughed a lot. Whenever Minseok even remotely do something funny, both Jongdae and I would holler in laughter making him very smug. So you see… even the tiniest little thing made me laugh out loud.

And right now, all the things that Baekhyun did like his clumsiness or his way of reacting to me catching him or even his burning cheeks just made me so darn giggly.

It takes me almost five minutes to calm down and the entire time, he looked like he did not know what to do. He looked like he wanted to be mad at me for laughing at him but the way he was biting down his own laugh only encouraged me to laugh more.

“So-sorry…” I huffed wiping a tear while he shook his head. “I did not mean to laugh… it’s just…” I trailed off, eyes going to my tea feeling absolutely guilty for laughing like that. What if he finds it offensive? I mean I straight up laughed at him.

However, the next moment there’s a soft tap on my head making me look up automatically. My breath is snatched again, I am surprised I am still alive with all my breath being snatched by this man.

My heart turns wildly in my chest seeing that he had joined me in the couch. Oh boy. Am I going to die here?

“Silly. You don’t have to be sorry.” He says with a soft, soft smile with his eyes looking much brighter than how I saw him at the park. How can one be so… soft? “Try your tea, although please… make sure not to burn your tongue like me.”

I naturally curl up in my spot like I normally do when I am nervous. Oh . Now I am nervous.

Robotically nodding my head, I take a sip and quiet down. It was his turn to be comfortable and me being nervous.

He relaxes visibly and I think my laughing might have contributed to that but now that he was so close to me and I can literally smell him, I was nervous as heck.

We quieted down sipping our tea slowly relaxing in each other’s presence. Ah! I’ve missed this. So much.

It baffled me to think how much I was craving for this even though it was just once that we even sat and talked. It was almost as though my soul craved for his very presence making me unable to stop giving him quick glances every now and then.

Fear… I frowned as I realized my feelings. The past week that I was unable to see him, a weird fear had got to me making me think that perhaps I couldn’t see him ever again… no wonder I cried when I finally did. It was probably a cry of relief.

But why? Why am I so afraid? Why is it that even though he was sitting right next to me, I have to lo