It wasn’t a frantic heart beat every time she was around him, but rather a warm sense of serenity. Her toes dug into the soft sand as he settled down beside her. There was silence, only the salty scent in the air, and the waves meeting the shore. Her eyes trailed up to the sky glowing like little fibre optic cables back at her and the moon clouded over. His hand came to rest over hers as she made no move, simply looking back down at the white fabric that covered her skin before meeting the soulful pools that were his eyes.

His fingers tightened around her hand as her lips twitched into a smile as she pressed against him, heat and warmth; her head resting on his shoulder. Just a few more months and these would simply be memories he held close to him. It was still that comfortable silence that he loved, simply because he felt at peace. Peace was what he needed in the chaos of his celebrity life. She was the first to speak into the silence, punctuated by the waves.

“Now what?”

He looked down at her, startled by the question.

“What do you mean by that?”

She shifted away and turned to him “just to everything, what now?” her gaze was steady as it pierced through his. They had had the conversation before, he wasn’t sure why this was repeating itself, but the way her lips were set firmly pursed made him realize she was probably still in denial about it. A sigh left his lips and he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers.

The salt in the air had rendered his lips dry causing his tongue to trail over them. Her eyes flickered down to the subtle movement.

“I enlist. You sign up for the MA program. We hold on.”

Her voice was soft “how long can we hold on for Donghae?”

He liked how his name rolled off her tongue. His breath ghosted over her face as he considered her question.

“We’ve done pretty well this far. Even with all the tours, schedule clashes, and chaos.”

She couldn’t control the smile that involuntarily quirked her lips up at the many memories that came to her mind, and she knew he had noticed. Goosebumps rose on her flesh as the sea breeze glided over it followed by his warm palms running up her arms. They rested beneath her jawline cupping her face.

“We’ll hold on.” She whispered, her lips grazing against his as he gently tipped her closer.

“Yes we will.”