🔞I May be Falling in Love // Hwang Hyunjin🔞

🖤Chapter 40🖤

When I walk through the front door of my father's cabin, I am immediately warmed by the fireplace and cosy atmosphere. Cole passes through to the guest bedroom to put my belongings away while I talk to my father.

"Who is Harley?" He inquires as he brings the three of us a cup of red hot coffee from the kitchen.

"Harley was my boyfriend when I moved to Mountain Waters, but that quickly ended," I respond in a monotone voice, my gaze fixed on the mug in my hands as I watch the coffee move in a circular motion.

"He was a jerk who cheated on your daughter; she deserves better... someone like Felix," Cole shouts from the bedroom.

"Darling, who is Felix?" My father asks me, puzzled as he takes a seat on one of the two armchairs in the living room.

Cole storms into the room and sits on the chair beside my father, clearly making himself at home, before I could even finish my sentence. "Felix is a charming gentleman, a cutie, and a ray of sunshine. Felix has a crush on your daughter as well, and the two have kissed-"

"Enough already, Cole!" I yell, interrupting him.

We both burst out laughing and turn to look at my father, who is trying to process what is being told to him.

"Felix is also visiting in this neighbourhood!" Cole goes on, and I roll my eyes.

"No sneaking off then," my father whispers, raising both eyebrows at me.

We talk for a few minutes longer before Cole rises up from his chair and pulls his car keys from his pocket. "I'd better get out of here before a big thunderstorm hits." He makes a suggestion, and I nod in agreement.

I walk over to Cole and give him a warm and thankful hug; I'll miss his company for a while. I went from being separated from Cole to living together to now being separated for three months. I'm hoping that spending time with my father will strengthen our bond, and that I'll be able to make some friends through the little village that appears, as there are many young parents my age.

After some time, Cole left and texted me as soon as he arrived home. It's beginning to dawn on me that this entire trip may be the most awkward thing I'll ever do, as I haven't had a single conversation with my father since Cole left. We both sat in silence, finishing our coffee before he took off to his bedroom to go to sleep which is a normal thing for him to do. However, because I tend to stay up late, I am now out of ideas on what to do as I have been scrolling through my phone and cannot find anything of interest, I decide to go for a walk since the neighbourhood is gated and appears to be a relatively safe area to walk about at night.

Before leaving the small cabin, I grab my red puffer jacket, my phone, and some spare house keys. Unsure where to begin my brief journey, I stroll through the quiet neighbourhood and make my way to the playground to sit on the swing for a few minutes. It's peaceful but dark. Because there are only streetlights between each cabin, the playground is pitch black, and I get startled every time I hear the sound of a distant animal.

The silence got to me, and I notice my eyes drooping as I continue to rock softly on the swing. As I stand up, raindrops start to fall onto my hands. "Shit." Just as the water droplets begin to fall faster, I mumble under my breath and cover my head with the hood of my jacket. As I walked under a small picnic table with a metal roof, heavy droplets of freezing cold water stung the sensitive skin on my hands. Every time there's a loud thud of rain hitting the roof, the water sounds loud on the tin and almost jump scares me.

I attempt to wait out the rain, but it seems to be getting heavier by the minute as a thunderstorm approaches. I can see distant lightning and am considering making a run for my cabin, but considering how heavy the rain is, I won't be able to see where I'm going unless I have an umbrella.

That's when I noticed a peculiar cabin on the street I'm facing. The porch light turns on, and the door creaks open to reveal a thin figure exiting the cabin. I can't see who the person is, but they're clearly heading towards me with an umbrella, realising my situation.

"Audrey?" I hear the figure call out. That's when I recognise the Australian accent.

"Felix?" In response, I yell.

That's when his sandy blonde hair comes into view; he must have just dyed it to be that perfect.

Felix greets me with a friendly smile and hands me his umbrella. "Take it and get home safe." He offers, still smiling brightly.

"Thank you." I mouth and begin to walk away until I feel a grip on my forearm, stopping me in my tracks. I turn my head around to face Felix, whose smile has faded.

"Are you okay?" He inquires, concerned.

"I think so." I whisper in response, smiling back at the boy.

That's when Felix lets go of my hand and lets me walk back to my cabin. I keep turning around to see if he's still standing under the tin roof, arms folded across his chest. His smile has faded, but I can tell he's still smiling as he waits for me to enter my cabin, which is almost hidden from view from the playground. Before entering, I give Felix a friendly wave.

The cabin is dark, with only the moonlight shining through the windows, and all doors are closed on the inside. I remove my jacket and leave the umbrella by the door to dry before entering my room and immediately sprawling out onto the bed. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I realise I won't have to sleep outside in the rain tonight thanks to Felix's presence. Now I know where his cabin is and he knows where mine is.