I watched Donghae while he drove. Nothing but the quiet purr of the engine could be heard as he accelerated up the road. I looked out the window. I could see the ocean in the distance. That was one of the many things I liked about this place. It was surrounded by the sea and Donghae’s house at the top of the hill had a perfect view of it, as well as the town below us. This whole place was so free and out in the open, unlike the boxed in, jam packed city I came from. The only view I had from my apartment complex was of the sleazy night clubs and bars down the dark street I lived on. Everyone here was nice too. People smiled to me in the supermarket, and the woman at the health-food store here had even remembered my name.

The road was narrow and twisted downhill. I had to admit, it made me slightly nervous, and I wondered if Donghae was a good driver.

We had taken his silver Audi, the car which I assumed was his favourite out of his impressive collection he had in his garage.

I settled against the back of the seat, watching the sun turn from bright and radiant into a soft orange glow at the edge of the horizon. The evening light seemed like perfect lighting for our late trip to the sea.

Donghae felt my gaze on him, and turned to me briefly and smiled before focusing on the road again. He was so nice to take me all the way to the beach.

He looked exhausted though. His entire body, the way he smiled and practically bounced about said he was fine, but his eyes said otherwise. Maybe he had used some kind of concealer, but I could tell by the dark circles under his eyes that he wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep. The fact that taking care of me was apparently a full time job, and that he spent all day locked up in his office with nothing to eat or drink other than a bottle of scotch didn’t help his case at all.

My mind wandered back to what Heechul had said.

Is he really losing sleep over me? Or did I just misunderstand in some illusional state of sickness? Am I that much of a problem?

I stared at the soft brown hair falling slightly over his collar, his soft facial features and jaw line. Maybe there was more to Donghae than I saw.

Donghae pulled the car up to the curb of the road behind the beach. There was only one car left, and the woman was loading her dog into the back and ready to drive off. Maybe coming here in the evening was better. The sun wasn’t a problem and it wasn’t crowded.

I followed Donghae, slamming the door with a thud. Donghae locked the doors with a click of a button and put the keys into his pocket, leading me down the steps and onto the sand.

I looked out at the breathtaking view. The golden sun was setting over the water, shimmering its blend of pinks, purples and oranges over the black waters surface. I breathed in the refreshing ocean air as a slight breeze ruffled through our hair. The crashing of the waves could be heard, but nothing more than a hush of water and lapping of currents.

It’s so beautiful.

Once we had made it down onto the sand, I slipped my shoes off, and dug my toes into the sand. I looked at the colour of my feet compared to the sand. I had an extremely bad case of what I always referred to as ‘vampire feet’ (which is when the colour of one’s feet is so pale compared to the rest of their body, it practically looks like they’re wearing socks).

Donghae smiled, shoving his hands into his pockets, not bothering to take off his black dress shoes.

I was going to say something, but Donghae just started walking down to the waters edge. The sand was cold over my feet, and I sighed at the feeling.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it Hyukjae?” Donghae asked, stopping at the waters edge. I nodded and let my toes creep up to where the slid along the sand, then pulled back out to sea. The water hit my feet, sending chills up my whole body while dragging them under the surface of the sand.

The sun was setting in the sky, making me feel all warm inside. I was so thankful to Donghae for bringing me out here.

“Thankyou Donghae.” I breathed, settling my arms at my side.

“For what?” He laughed, turning to me. We were so close side by side our shoulders practically touched.

“For everything, idiot.” I rolled my eyes. “For saving my life, letting me stay at your place, taking care of me, buying me nice things and being the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Donghae smiled. I turned to him, half expecting him to say something mind-blowing as he always did.

The two of us stood in the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, just enjoying the moment.

Finally, Donghae spoke.

“Are you happy Hyukjae?” He asked.

“What?” I scrunched up my nose.

“Are you happy?” He repeated, adding nothing further to clarify.

I gave it a moments thought, before letting out a small ‘yes’.

What happened next possibly shocked me more than anything ever could have.

I felt Donghae’s fingers wrap gently around mine. I flinched slightly, wondering whether or not to move.

“You deserve to be happy.” He said.

Our hands weren’t touching, but our fingers were hooked together. Donghae did nothing, he just stood there. I felt my heart race at the very gesture.

Why is this so awkward?

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