I looked at the canvas in front of me and tilted my head. I bobbed my head to the music that was blaring from my headphones. The canvas and my hands a mess of colors with paint-splattered clothes. I moved the different paints around till I found the one I wanted. I danced around to the beat, my eyes landing on Jooheon at the doorway and dropped the brush in my hand.
He was handsome, with his messy hair, dark washed jeans and the leather jacket he had on. His smile and the dimples as he stepped farther into the room had my heart skipping a beat. I pushed the headphones down around my neck, hearing the laughter spilling from his lips.
âYou are here early,â I accused, embarrassed he saw me in this state. I bit my lip, glancing at the mess of color on the canvas resembling nothing.
âAnd I thought you were writing,â Jooheon asked as he gestured to the canvas behind me. He was assessing the mess on the canvas and looked at me then back to the canvas confusion on his face.
âI thought you wanted the quiet to write,â Jooheon stated as he looked at the messed my little corner was in. I had covered the area with a drop cloth, and paint and brushes scattered around the table.
âIâve hit a writerâs block thatâs refusing to budge.â I shrugged, but his eyes narrowed as he turned back to look at me as I brushed off his question. Not wanting to talk about how frustrated I was.
He didnât press but the need to talk about it pushed me I crossed my arms, âI need to write about a life changing moment.â
âItâs making you sad,â Jooheon murmured, fingers grazing my cheek. He nodded, a look of concern crossing his face, âyou need to get some fresh air.â
âMaybe I do,â I shrugged as I picked up the brush and set it in a container of water.
âI missed you,â he mumbled as he leaned down to peck my lips, switching gears on me, not that I minded, Jooheonâs kisses were the best distraction.
Jooheonâs hand came up to wipe another smudge on my arm, âI need a break and so do you.â
âWho ratted me out?â I questioned, wondering which of my friends had the audacity to not listen to me when I asked them to give me space. I didnât want to worry Jooheon since he had his own project to work on as finals were drawing closer.
âDoes it matter?â He asked as he brushed my hair away from my face. He slipped the headphones off of me and turned them off, setting them on the table.
âNo,â I mumbled as he cleaned up, putting the paints away and the brushes in the water so they wouldnât get ruined.
âI need to wash the paint off first and change, Jooheon,â I pointed out.
âHmm,â he smiled and pushed me to the bathroom, âthen get cleaned up, we are going out.â
âWhere?â I asked I grabbed the bag sitting near my corner that held my change of clothes and makeup.
âOut to find our muse!â He grinned, and it made me laugh and melt from all the aegyo he was giving me.
I smiled and got myself cleaned up. Twenty minutes later, I find myself ready and excited. I grabbed my bag with all my necessities before taking Jooheonâs hand in mine. The warmth of Jooheonâs hand had butterflies fluttering around my stomach. We stepped out of the building as Jooheon locked the door and tugged into a random direction. The city still alive and awake at this time of night. The cool air felt good as I breathed it in and I smiled. This is what I needed as the stress was melting away.
He took me out and it was a rush, as if I was seeing the city for the first time. He took me to and from, running to catch the train or the bus. We watched and listened to music performances on the street. Finding inspiration from people watching, the way night seemed to relax the city in a way that day never could. Taking me to the coffee shop and fed me too much sugar and espresso shots when it seemed I was getting tired. Jooheonâs energy was infectious, like it always was. We kept going, taking silly photos and going to the arcade and playing games.
As the night was winding down and the sugar and coffee used up, our final destination was the bridge. He sat me down on the ledge. My hands tightened on his shoulders, almost freaking out knowing I was so close to the edge.
âJooheon,â my breathing quickened as I looked behind me and down at the dark water below.
âTrust me, I wonât let anything happened to you,â Jooheon said as his hands tightened their hold on my waist.
I nodded, not looking away from him. He gave me that dimpled smiled, and I relaxed.
âNow look around and breathe it in,â he said and the way he looked now though, was something I didnât want to forget either. I relaxed my hands and cupped his cheek. I leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips and pulled away.
Jooheon pouted, âIs that all I will get?â
I laughed and his pout had me melting; I leaned down once again to give him another kiss, and he took control. His thumb caressing my waist where he held me. It was slow and soft and stole my breath away.
When I pulled away, he had the gentlest look on his face. The city behind him, and sound of the ocean in the background drowned out by the cars. A mix of words, all jumbled up and difficult to understand except for three simple words that I couldnât say out loud yet.
