emotions | love alarm

13 ~

Chapter Thirteen

"Sun-oh," Ae-ri aggressively whispers. He pushes her away and groans, "What?"

"Come on, get up quickly, we are gonna miss it."

***

"This is interesting," Sun-oh smiles as Ae-ri smiles back at him.

They were currently walking through the fields behind their homes that her parents owned. It was before dawn and Ae-ri had decided to let him in on the tradition she loved to share every morning she lived on the island.

Ae-ri tugs on Sun-oh's fingers, her flowy shorts and baby blue cropped tank leaving her skin open to the warm breeze that drifted among them. Her hair was in a lazy messy bun, her face slightly puffy from sleeping yet Sun-oh felt she had never looked more breathtaking as she did in that instant. She tugs on his fingers once more and he twirls her around, hearing her laugh reach his ears; the sound makes him smile.

"You're gonna love it," she says as they finally make it to the place she wanted him to see. They reach the ecotone soon enough and Ae-ri slips off her sandals, letting her feet touch the ground. She smiles and breaks out into a gentle run, rushing to the shore where the warm ocean rises to meet her.

Sun-oh's eyes take in the scene before him. Everything was so beautiful, yet subtle in ways you wouldn't think of. The palm trees and coconut trees hid the area away from the public eye, and the sand was soft and rid of sharp stones. His glance shifts to Ae-ri who was letting the ocean meet her toes only to recede. He watches as she turns to him, tugging off her clothing so she was just in her bathing suit. He had yet to see her body in such a manner, so when his eyes make the pleasant mistake of looking down past her face, his blush is undeniable.

"Come on," she beckons with a grin. The sky was beginning to become brighter and Sun-oh follows suit, taking off his shirt before standing next to her. She looks up at him and grins. "Let's go," she motions. She lets go of her hair before stepping into the ocean and begins to paddle out past the palm trees that hid the sun from view. Their beach area was almost like a secondary thought of the ocean; it was in a circular shape but somehow separate from the sea--almost like a natural pool.

Sun-oh follows her in, watching her dive in before breaking the surface of the water, her skin glistening and her curls sticking to her skin. Her eyes glimmer brightly when they meet his and he feels his body turn warm.

He didn't know his heart could beat as fast as it did.

"Race you," she grins. He shakes his head and smiles softly before accepting the challenge.

"You're on," he sticks his tongue out.

***

"Woah," he breathes out as Ae-ri leans behind his shoulder.

"Right?" she says quietly.

Her arms were thrown lazily over his chest and shoulders, and his hands were holding the back of her thighs in a piggyback position. They were out past her family's private area but had found a slab of rock to lean against in order to watch the sunrise.

The world was beginning to wake up slowly, the sky shifting to beautiful colors, and the birds chirping softly amongst the trees. There were already a few boats out farther out in the water and the waves were very gentle. Ae-ri shifts so her arm is under his and rests her hand on his abdomen, her other arm soon doing the same. He moves his fingers so he can caress the length of her legs and they stay in this way.

"This is beautiful," he says softly, not wanting to break the serene silence.

Ae-ri tucks in a curl behind her ear before resting her head on his back and closing her eyes, "It is indeed." She listens to the sound of his breathing and tries not to hear the hitch in it when she presses him closer.