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

🖤Chapter 45🖤

When Felix and I arrive at the lake, it's much more beautiful than it was from the car. The crystalline water is calm, and the sun's rays perfectly reflect on it, giving it the appearance of gleaming. A majestic mountain sits behind the lake, surrounded by swaying trees coated with a lovely covering of snow. When I move my head to the side, I observe Felix standing and taking in the scenery. He had a bright smile spread across his lips, and he appears to be as elegant and delicate as the sun. His freckles remind me of constellations, but during the day, they're a lovely sight, especially with his sandy golden hair blowing in the breeze.

I feel heat creep up my cheeks as I realise I've been gazing at him for quite some time and hurriedly shift my sight away from him, focusing on the lake in front of me. I can hear Felix  quietly giggling to himself as he must have noticed me staring.

"Now you know how I feel when I look at you." He mumbles, his smile growing into a sneer, his eyes fixed on the lake.

As I return my attention to him, I can't help but feel the flush on my cheeks. "I like seeing you happy."

The boy grins back, and I think of how much happier he is now that he is no longer at Mountain Waters, where he was unhappy, especially having to keep such a large secret from me about Harley. He was back to his effervescent self and much calmer than before, yet still exuding a sweet innocent face.

"Have you spoken to Cole since he left?" Felix inquires after a little pause.

I shake my head no and decide to contact him and check on everyone, including Harley. I excuse myself and stroll over to a tiny seat on the lake's edge where I can make a peaceful phone call while still enjoying the spectacular view.

"I was wondering when you were going to call." Cole responds through the line, and I almost cry. I already miss his sweet voice and cheeky demeanour.

"I'm missing you!" I scream into the phone, fighting back tears.

"Audrey, we all miss you. How are things doing over there?"

"It's going well. My father is really making an effort and he's warming up to Felix. He even let us sleep together." I spill, not realising that Cole would interpret the information incorrectly.

On the line, I hear a door close, signalling Cole is now in a private place. "You what?" He yells, and I'm not sure what emotion he's shouting with.

"Not like that! Because of the massive blizzard, Felix had to stay the night... although we did end up cuddling." I respond reply back, pausing mid sentence.

"Cuddling? So you're into him?"

"I'm not sure; it feels too soon for me to decide, yet the more time I spend with him, the more difficult it is to resist the urge to grab him and kiss him." I concede, sighing as I kick snow beneath my feet.

"Audrey, keep it in your pants." Cole bursts out laughing.

There's a little pause between us as I prepare to pose the enquiry to which I'm not even sure I want an answer.

"How is Harley doing?"

"H-he's okay. Harley hasn't left his house except to go to work, and he's stopped talking in our group chat. He realises he made a mistake, but Jesse claims he's still seeing that girl." Harley's actions do not surprise me. We're no longer together, therefore he can go screw whatever girl he wants... even though I'm still hurt.

Cole continues to speak after seeing I am silent. "You should spend the night with Felix and see where things go from there; you don't have to start dating straight away, but you clearly like each other. It shouldn't be up to Harley whether or not you can begin to like people again."

Cole is right. Even if I end up labelling myself a narcissist, I can't deny my feelings for Felix, whether they are recent or old. I also can't pretend to be over Harley because I am not. I'll never be able to forgive him, therefore I should give myself permission to do whatever I want.

We chatted some more, and he gave me an update on the group and their relationships, telling me that Kiki and Syd are now dating, Jesse has moved in with his girlfriend leaving Syd alone while Hayden always stayed at Luke's place, and finally, Chris' wife will be moving in with him and Felix.

The phone conversation ended, and I returned to Felix, who was photographing the lake.

"How is everyone?" He gives me a kind smile.

"Everyone is good, Harley has already moved on apparently, and you now have Chris' wife living in your house." I answer with a laugh at the last statement.

"Great, now Chris will start giving me curfews." Felix jokes as we lean on a railing, peering into the clear blue water and watching hundreds of fish swimming about. "Also, Harley is just hooking up with that girl to try and get over you now; he wants to see if you would run back to him."

I roll my eyes and sneer. "I would never."

The remainder of the day passes by quicker than planned. We finished at the lake and then went to the small buffet that Felix had suggested earlier. It turned out to be inexpensive, and the cuisine was fantastic, since I tried so many different foods from around the world. I was sad when the day turned to night as Felix dropped me back home to where my father was sitting on the armchair enjoying a beer while watching television.

"You're back late." He calls out, a smile on his face, knowing full well that I was with Felix.

"It wasn't even a date, so don't get your hopes up." I laugh at his comment. I settle into the armchair next to my father and breathe a sigh of relief to be home. Should I go visit Felix tonight, considering what Cole said over the phone? I shrug my head and decide to spend the remainder of the evening with my father, chatting about all he has planned for the coming months. I won't have much opportunity to hang out with my dad during the week since he works, but Felix is here, so I won't be bored.

"You should get some sleep because you have to get up early tomorrow." As I observe my father dozing in his chair, I remind him. He rubs the side of his face gently, before nodding and walks off to his bedroom, halting at the doorway.

"I love you." He looks at me and says. I walk up to him, awestruck, and put my arms around his neck to hug him.

"I love you too." I enter my room quietly, closing the door behind me.