IKIGAI l KIM TAEHYUNG

Chapter 25: Hera

"There's a bedroom, bathroom and a store-room. I... never really thought about being here with someone else so there isn't much space. Bear with me." I smiled sheepishly at him.
"Don't worry about it. This is more than one could ask for in some underground place." He chuckled.

"You can rest on the bed. I'll bring some snacks." I told him and he plopped down on the bed a few steps away from the door.

Yeah, before you ask, there was only one bed.

"There are snacks?" He asked curiously.
"Of course. Snacks, movies, a tv, projector, water. You gotta be prepared." I winked at him.

As I started to go to the store-room, the lights went off.

"Shit." We both said in unison.
"It will be back in an hour or two." I sighed. It was pitch black now. I opened the door to the store-room but a hand brushed my back gently, stopping me from going on.

"Don't go alone." He whispered in the dark and I could feel the warmth radiating off his body. I was about to ask him for the reason but he grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently, as if trying to convey his desperation.
"You...you can help me find, then." I told him breathlessly.

The real struggle was to locate the drawer. While we searched, our arms brushed against each other. We collided a few times, muttering a nervous sorry. I tried to maintain my composure but I knew that he could feel the spark between us too.

I found a flashlight lying on the top of a stool.
"Found a flashlight." I spoke to no one in the darkness.
"Thank heavens." His voice answered from around the corner.
I turned it on and pointed it to where he was. I grabbed another one and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He mumbled, as our fingers brushed each other. I swear I felt a shock pass through my body.

He grabbed the snacks while I grabbed a movie to watch on the projector. Gotta pass time, you know.

I put on the bed and we both sat down on the bed, but on the vertical opposite sides.

Well, this isn't awkward at all. I leaned against the headboard, while he was bending at an awkward angle due to his height to let me see the movie.

I even found that hot.

"You know... you don't have to do that. You can come sit here." I patted the space beside me, unsure if he would agree or not.

"Can I?" He turned over to look at me and smirked. I was almost at a loss of words. He looked ethereal in the dim light. I just nodded.

Quickly, he crawled over to sit beside me, but made sure that he wasn't touching me. Sometimes I don't like this gentleman side of him.

Even with so many restrictions we both were repeating out loud in our minds, I felt us shifting closer to each other. It was as if our bodies had a magnetic force. Our hands brushed and our legs were now touching.

I was trying hard to not look at him. If I did, I might not be able to control myself. From my peripheral vision, I saw his head slowly turn towards me.

Fuck it.

I turned to face him and our eyes locked.

He slowly leaned in, our hot breaths mixing.

The power decided to come back at that very moment.

We both looked at each other, startled and then focused on the movie again. Shit.

I don't even know when I fell asleep.

I sipped on the tea as Notus smiled at me. He and I looked pretty similar, except for our noses and eye color.