baila

 You walked over to the room Keonho was staying in and lightly knocked on the door.

No response.  

Slowly, you cracked it open and peeked in to find Keonho still sleeping, comfortably tangled in his ivory sheets. It was hard not to notice how beautifully peaceful he looked. No matter how hard you tried to ignore it, you couldn’t peel your eyes from the sight of him. 

The way the morning light slipped through the curtains and coated his already sun-kissed skin stirred something unfamiliar in your stomach. 

You didn’t know how you felt, but you definitely weren't going to entertain the thought. 

Brushing it aside, you tiptoed over to him and gently shook him awake.

Keonho sleepily groaned, burying his face into the pillow and pulling the blankets over his head to shield himself from the incoming light, and well, you. 

“You’re going to sleep our whole vacation away if you don’t get up” you say, pulling the blankets back off of him.

“I have to get my beauty sleep,” he mumbled.

“As if you need any more,” you scoffed.

“Why? Because I’m already beautiful right? ” he said, finally facing you with a teasing smile and half lidded eyes. Probably just waiting for your answer so he could tease you either way. Though, if he were being honest, he was hoping you'd agree.

It’s not even a surprise to you that Keonho had jokes this early in the morning but nonetheless, if agreeing is what it takes to get him up then so be it.

 “Yeah sure you’re gorgeous, now hurry up” 

He looked up from the pillow with a satisfied look on his face before finally throwing his legs over the bed, and making way for the bathroom. 

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Keonho took it upon himself to gather all the amenities needed to spend a day at the beach and throw them together in a bag. Staring down proudly at the ‘responsibility’ he’d taken on while you got ready in the bathroom.

 Either way, he’s happy to take at least one weight off your back as trivial as it is. All that he’s hoping for is the softened look in your eyes and small smile of appreciation, that in itself is enough for him to be willing to do anything you ask. Your wish is his command. 

“Keonho–” you call out from the bathroom, “can you come help me please?”, fumbling with the strings of your bikini as they slip through your fingers. You honestly think you might’ve pulled a muscle in your back from all the unnecessary stretching and struggling you're doing. 

“Yeah?” He answered, following the trail of your voice. “What do you need?” 

“I just need help tying my bikini, I can’t get it” you say, stepping out the bathroom and turning your back to him so you could hand him the strings. With your free hand, you grabbed your hair and wrapped it around your knuckles so that it wouldn’t interfere.

A little stunned, he carefully took the strings from your grasp and began fumbling with them himself.

Honestly, as simple as looping and tying a knot was, something about it felt strangely domestic. Or at least that was what he told himself to justify the unusual nervousness creeping through him.

Despite that, the task was proving to be oddly difficult. He tried to think of anything he could say to distract himself from the awkward silence filling the room.

“Oh, by the way, I already packed the beach bag. So we can just head out as soon as you’re ready.”

Really?!” you said excitedly, snapping your head around to face him, almost forgetting your top wasn’t properly secured. Luckily, you managed to grab it before anything happened, but Keonho was already looking away. Your ears burned pink as awkward tension filled the room, but it was easy to move past once he finally finished tying the knot.

After collecting your things, the two of you finally made your way out, ready to spend the day by the ocean.

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The warm sand beneath your feet was everything you hoped it would be, the grains giving way under your weight as you wandered closer to the shoreline. The sun shining down on you as your skin soaked in the warmth. You could spend the entire day here doing absolutely nothing, content with existing in the moment. 

Luckily, you booked a private resort, and there was little to no one at the beach. Creating the perfect atmosphere to simply just relax. So It didn’t take long for you guys to find the perfect spot to set up your things. 

Both of you struggled against the wind to lay your towels out but eventually you got them to settle somewhat straight. Close enough to the tide that you’d probably have to worry about the waves wetting the edges later, but that didn’t matter.

Keonho placed the bag between the two of you, immediately rummaging through it with a concentrated look on his face until he pulled out the sunscreen. While he was preoccupied lathering his skin, you figured that wasn’t necessary. If anything you were already looking a little pale, the sun was definitely not your enemy at this point.

“Are you not going to put any on?” he said, squinting from the beam of light shining directly in his direction. 

“Nahh look at me, I could probably use a tan anyway” you said, gesturing towards yourself.

“You should take care of your skin, you’re gonna burn if you don’t”, nudging the bottle closer to you. 

With your mind already made up, you weren’t one to be talked into anything. So even if you were considering it, that possibility was long gone for alone the petty reasoning that he told you so.

“Nothing’s wrong with a little vitamin D, Keonho. You’re going to turn into casper before you know it. You’re practically wearing enough for the both of us.” 

He just scoffed, rolling his eyes before looking away. “Okay fine, don’t complain when you're all sore and blistered later.” 

And with that, you spent almost the entire day at the beach bathing in the sun and letting keonho drag you by the wrist into the open sea.

He barely gave you any time to get your feet wet and adjust to the temperature. The sudden cold contact with the water sent shockwaves through your body, but it was soon forgotten as he led you further out, becoming shoulder level with the ocean. 

The waves were calm for a moment, letting the current gently sway your body with its movement as you guys laughed and lightly splashed eachother with all due respect to keonho’s teasing. 

You were so blissfully unaware that you were enjoying the calm before the storm because without warning, a giant wave crashed down on the two of you and completely submerged you  underwater. 

Immediately, the two of you came up for air, choking up the saltwater and rubbing the burning sensation from your eyes. And as soon as you looked at each other, you both burst into laughter.

Unfortunately, the ocean didn’t seem to understand your humor. The waves only grew angrier, knocking you off your feet repeatedly. As if every time you tried to break for the surface, it only pulled you back under.

Amidst the thrashing of the waves, Keonho reached for your arm and helped guide you back to the surface. To be fair, he was a much better swimmer than you. So just as he dragged you into the water, he dragged you back out, letting you lean on his back for support. 

Once you got closer to the shoreline, you settled for letting the bubbly white foam chase your feet as the breeze brushed your damp skin, coursing slight chills up your body each time.

Keonho took that sentiment a little too seriously, running from the water pooling in each time it reached him like he wasn’t just head bobbing out the water a few minutes ago. His energy should be spent from the struggle but God knows where he gets his stamina from. 

You ended the night sitting next to each other on your towels watching the sunset. Eventually  wandering off towards the shore one last time to collect seashells while pointing at the little crabs you caught scurrying across the sand before finally deciding to head home. 

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Once you got back to the room you were ready to fully collapse from exhaustion, but you still had one thing to do. You made your way towards the bathroom, lazily pushing the door open and turning on the faucet.

 Hoping a warm shower would soothe your body, you stepped under the water, only to immediately regret it. The droplets against your back were not relaxing at all, they burned. Not because the water was too hot but because Keonho was right, you definitely got a bad sunburn today.

 In your defense you didn’t plan on staying out that long, but nonetheless, it was your own stubbornness that got you into this situation. Wincing through the pain, you finished your shower and put on a matching tank and shorts. 

When you got out you looked at your reflection in the mirror, and  it was worse than you thought. Your skin was strikingly flushed and more importantly, painful to the touch. 

You groaned, leaving the bathroom before walking into the living room and sitting beside Keonho on the couch.

His eyes immediately traveled to your back. It wasn't like he tried to hide the fact that he was staring.

“Just say it, Keonho,” you said, letting out a deep sigh of frustration and mentally preparing yourself for the “I told you so” speech.

“You’re really red,” he blurted out.

“I know.”

Keonho reached out, placing a gentle palm against your shoulder. “Does it hurt?” he asked, lightly poking the area as his voice filled with concern.

“Yeah.”

“Want me to kiss it better” he joked,  a slight smirk tugging on the corner of his lips, he was actually worried about you but it was impossible to stay serious for that long. You have to cut the guy some slack, he just wanted to lighten the mood.

“Anddd there it is, I'm not in the mood for jokes Keonho, I'm going to bed”, you said, sitting up from the couch. Your tone struck you, you didn’t mean to take out your frustration on him, but there's a time and place. 

“No no i’m sorry” he looked up at you with the classic pout on his lips, ushering you to sit back down. 

“I brought a bottle of aloe vera with us, I can rub it on your back if it’ll make you feel better.”

“yeah”

And so you did. His fingers moved carefully on your back as he massaged the lotion into your burning skin. You almost hate him for how gentle he is with you, not just now, but all the time. It makes you ache for something more. 

“Still hurts?” he said softly, turning his head to look at you. 

“Yeah, but feels better than before” 

You waited for his response, but it never came. Neither of you said anything, yet he never looked away from you. 

“Can I–” He said, breaking the silence before hastily cutting himself off. 

“Can you what?” you said quietly, a hint of realization washing over you as you looked into his eyes. His pupils were blown out, flickering between your eyes and your lips.

Something in your expression must have reassured him because slowly, he leaned closer. His hand gently cupped your cheek before he closed the distance, pressing a hesitant kiss to your lips.

You weren’t sure what to do, but everything in your body was telling you not to pull away. So softly, you kissed him back.

He took your reciprocation as an open invite to deepen the exchange. The taste of saltwater still lingered on his lips as your hands tangled in his hair. You would give anything to stay in this moment forever almost forgetting to breathe. 

Eventually both of you pulled away, breathing heavily as you caught your breath.