emotions | love alarm

10 ~

Chapter Ten

"This is fun," Ae-ri smiles as she closes her eyes and lets the breeze run through her curls.

"Indeed," Sun-oh agrees, sinking deeper into the bright colors of the sunset.

They were currently on their first turn around the Ferris wheel near sunset, both of their bodies tired but their minds too filled with content to give up on the rest of the day. "Can we go get smoothies after this?" he asks, opening his eyes as she does the same.

"For sure," she smiles at him.

His heart beats a little harder at the sight and he lingers on her gaze for a second before moving away, "Great."

Sun-oh knew something had shifted between them when she held his hand per usual and he wanted her to keep it there forever. He kept finding himself lingering on her longer than necessary as a way to keep her perpetually present in his mind; he wanted to be around her at all times.

Yet, he would be damned before he ruined this friendship. It was the only thing giving him stability and he didn't want to lose her. He'd rather have her as a friend and never lose her, than attempt something more and have her leave.

Seeing her as happy as she was today, all because they were spending time together, made him warm all over, and made his mind forget about what was; he wanted to keep this feeling alive for as long as possible.

As the Ferris wheel begins its second turn, she leans her head against the railing, trying to memorize every detail of the moment so she could recall it when she was feeling devastatingly human. "I love you," she hears Sun-oh say softly, his fingers finding hers. Her eyes shift to him, his face vulnerable and his touch lighting her skin on fire. Sun-oh swallows when she flips their hands so hers is on top, and presses a kiss to his knuckles. Her eyes flutter up to his and she smiles at the care behind them, "I love you, too," she says equally as quietly.

"Thank you for showing me there's more to life, Ae-ri," he whispers, his eyes glossy and his tone grateful.

She holds his hand a little tighter, their gaze unwavering, "Always."

***

"You have to make sure they can be combined or else it will cause clumps."

"Interesting."

Ae-ri grabs some of her curl smoothie before applying it to her hair, root to tip. Sun-oh looks at the movements analytically, trying to memorize all the steps from his stool. They were currently in her bathroom after they had showered and Sun-oh had asked if he could watch her do her hair so he could learn more about how to deal with her texture.

"You also have to make sure its soaking wet. It has to make a squishy sound," she says as she begins to spray her hair with water until it's at maximum absorbency. He nods in understanding as she explains gel comes next and that when it is drying, you can't even breathe near the curls until they are dry because they will frizz up at any minor inconvenience.

"Why are you so interested?"

"I want to know for the future."

"When will you do this in the future?"

"On my kids," he says absentmindedly, one of his fingers touching a curl to see what it felt like after product infusion.

"Who's the mother?"

Sun-oh catches himself before he can give the initial response and looks as she sprays more water in her hair, "Someone with curly hair. It's very pretty."

Ae-ri looks at him through the mirror and scrunches her nose, "That's a weird flex, but okay."

Sun-oh smiles and hits her with a towel, "Don't test me, I'll mess up your hair."

"Do it, and I will shave yours off in your sleep."

***

"You cheated!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!" she exclaims as she demonstrates where he broke the rules.

"You put the card down before you can pick up another one!"

Sun-oh thinks for a second and finally retorts, "You didn't clarify!"

Ae-ri's mouth drops open, "Sir. I literally explained it to you in the directions."

"Really?"

She shakes her head with a soft smile and begins to reshuffle their cards, "Yes, really."

Sun-oh takes an agitated sip out of his smoothie and listens to the music playing as he waits for her to deal out the cards. Her hair had dried enough that she didn't have to sit still as much and he had suggested playing cards until they had to go to bed.

He notices the sound of the song playing is more tropical and asks, "Is this Salsa?"

"No, Salsa is a little faster, this is called Bachata," she explains as she begins to spread the cards out.

"Can you teach me?"

"Sure," she shrugs.

They both get up, Sun-oh excited to learn how to dance, and she shakes her head as he extends his arms out for her to place them accordingly. Sun-oh watches as she switches the song and smiles softly at her phone before stepping close to him, their chests pressed close enough for a small sliver of space to lie between them.

Ae-ri grabs his right hand and places it in the small of her back before laying her arm on his, her hand on his right shoulder. She lays her hand in his left one and looks up at him with a smile, "It's not that bad, it's quite simple."

She begins to explain the feet movements and Sun-oh follows accordingly, earning a few laughs from her when he messes up. Soon enough, he knows enough to lead her with fewer corrections and smiles as she nods encouragingly, "You're doing great."

They dance closely, Sun-oh admiring the fluidity in her movements and the way her hips and body seemed connected to the music. He pulls her closer and she follows, their eyes holding each other. She smiles at his smile and they laugh once more, acknowledging the awkwardness and clumsiness in their dance.

The song ends, but he doesn't let go. She doesn't mind.

"You did good. Now you won't embarrass me at family functions."

"Does that mean I'm your designated dance partner?"

She looks up at him with a soft smile, "Something like that."