Honestly

By the evening, a large bonfire was set up in the middle of a circle where we gathered around. The flames crackled and danced, sending out an eerie glow of light. As soon as the sun was gone, chilly wind took over. Chanyeol had taken out his guitar, and after tuning it, began to play while Yixing sang along with Baekhyun joining in not too long after.

We were sitting with our legs crossed on towels that had been laid on the sand, swaying to the music. Luhan was sitting beside me and I watched the fire flicker as he prodded at the bonfire with a stick.

“Are you cold?” he asked. I didn’t realize he was speaking towards me until he looked over his shoulder at me from my lack of response.

It was only then that I noticed I was hugging myself with my teeth clenched. “Kinda.”

Luhan ran his fingertips over my forearm, feeling the goosebumps on my skin. At least his skin had given me a hint of warmth. “What do you mean ‘kinda’?”

“I—”

He stood up and dropped the stick he held before I could finish my sentence. Luhan disappeared to God-knows-where while the sudden loss of his body heat beside me only brought in more chills down my spine. There was only cold space beside me. A part of me expected him to offer his jacket and not to walk away. Thumping my forehead with my first, I scolded myself for even imaging that he would have done something like spare me his jacket. What were we? In a drama?

Something covered my shoulders and back, acting as a shield just as a cold breeze passed by. Luhan returned to his spot beside me and I could only speechlessly stare while he draped an extra blanket over my shoulders.

“Is this warm enough?” He adjusted the blanket between my shoulders carefully.

I nodded, feeling the warmth return to me because of the blanket or him. “It is.” I gripped on to the blanket tighter, noticing that his features were still glowing despite the lack of lighting. "Thanks."

An aww sounded form Junmyeon and Minseok while Sehun made kissy-faces at us with Chanyeol. Half of them had been watching us without my knowledge. I wanted to shrink away and disappear off the face of the earth.

“Hey, I wasn’t going to let her freeze.” As if to prove his point, Luhan scooted closer beside me until our hips were touching.

Chanyeol continued to play his guitar while Kyungsoo picked up on the next song after he volunteered to sing. Our circle fell in silent awe for a moment while Kyungsoo’s rich voice rang in the air. Eyeing Luhan sideways, the way he was nodding his head back and forth along with the song made me let out a quiet laugh.

He turned to see me when I caught his attention. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I half-whispered. “But your acting is getting good.”

“My what?”

“Your acting. Being all couple-y... Like right now.” I shook the blanket as evidence, reffering to his earlier gesture.

Luhan blinked, confused for a while until he understood what I meant. “Yeah, thanks.” He stared at the lack of space between us. “Should I move if you feel weird, or...?”

"No, I’m fine.”

Luhan tucked his knees to his chest, smiling to himself at a sudden thought. “Should I leave the office and be an actor if I’m so good then?”

“Nevermind. You at acting.”

He nudged me with his shoulder, acting offended. “You just want me to stay and bring you coffee every morning.”

I couldn’t argue, because I’d like it if things still felt the same even after the trip was over. Our relationship was in the level that it was normal for us to sit that close or for him to put an arm around my shoulders, but now that we were doing it to look like we were loved each other, it was... different.

When the sky had turned darker, Tao, Jongdae and Yixing decided to ditch the circle behind and to run into the beach like they were chickens with their heads cut off.

“We should play another game,” Kris suggested, watching Yixing who was off in the distance shrieking from the cold water.

Sehun clasped his hands together and begged. “Please not arm-wrestling again.”

“Don’t worry.” Kris waved a hand to dismiss it. “I have a new game in mind. Last three people to touch their nose lose.”

My finger automatically came up to press the tip of my nose. The circle did the same in quick thinking, but there were those who hesitated and took a second too long to respond. It was hard to tell who had done it last, but Kris apparently had sharp eyes.

“Junmyeon, Chanyeol and Luhan lose.”

Luhan sat up straighter to complain. “Wait, I only lost because Baekhyun was already picking his nose!”

Baekhyun stared with wide eyes. “I wasn’t picking it, I was scratching it!”

“But your finger completely disappear up your—”

Kris coughed. “Anyway, each of the losers have to say something they dislike and like about someone on this trip. It’s an honesty game. If you’re not honest...” Kris shifted his eyes at everyone at the circle with a threatening leer. “You’ll get thrown