Memories - Purinz

Chapter 10 - The Last Dance

Now

Time only moves forward.

And as the sunlight in Damyang slowly makes its way through the cracks of their curtains and into the room, Chaewon finds herself staring at the sight in front of her — pale skin marked with faint and scattered constellations of freckles that she knows runs across the tip of her wife's shoulder and her back, and messy white sheets covering the rest of her.

Her wife.

She feels herself smile, Yunjin looks so at peace that Chaewon doesn't mind that she's hogging the purple duvet all the way to her side of the mattress. Despite the cold tingle she feels on her skin, Chaewon feels warm all over. She reaches out gently — fingers lightly weaving their way through raven colored locks, careful not to jostle the bed too much and wake her up. She does not dare move an inch closer, like she's a mere mortal admiring the goddess she worships.

It's become her morning routine in the past years and Chaewon thinks of how lucky she is to have been able to do this, to wake up next to the love of her life every single day since she came back home, to live the life she's longed to have during those lonely nights she's spent hiding herself away from everyone, from the pain and all the hurt, all the fear.

They've come so far, she thinks to herself as she runs her thumb softly across the space under Yunjin's eye.

The creases remind Chaewon that they've gotten older.

She thinks of how much time has passed and yet they're still together, choosing to keep their promise of staying day after day. The warmth runs from her cheeks to the tip of her toes.

Some days she still catches herself in disbelief that all of this is real, that she's dreaming. But when she sees Yunjin sleeping next to her peacefully, when she hears their dogs soft barking outside their room, when she hears Yunjin's soft snores, she accepts it wholly. She lets herself bask in the constant realization that everything surrounding her is real, as real as the oceans that cover the Earth, as real as the beats of her heart.

It's a useless fight, she thinks, the universe has already made its verdict years ago when they bumped into each other and their world came crashing together the way they were always meant to.

Sometimes the universe deals people with such a bad hand, sometimes the universe leads people down a path where they hurt, where they doubt but it's her and Yunjin — the natural order of things.

The universe wins this one, and if meant spending most of her nights curled up against Yunjin's chest as they talk, or read, or sleep, Chaewon surrenders fully.

She watches in awe as chestnut eyes blink open in the sunlit room.

Her heart sings against her ribcage when Yunjin's lips form a lazy smile, eyes still half-lidded with sleep.

"Watching me sleep again, huh?" Yunjin says, her voice raspy and rough but Chaewon still catches the hint of teasing in her tone.

She lets out a giggle, "I reject that accusation."

"You can't do that." Yunjin counters, much more awake now. "I have proof. Tons of them."

"Oh no." Chaewon replies, eyes widening in fake terror. "Is there anything I can do to stop you from exposing me?"

Yunjin hums as if she's in deep thought.

"Maybe," she murmurs.

"What could that be?" Chaewon asks. She knows what's coming next but she asks anyway because it makes her feel giddy.

Yunjin's lips quirk up.

"Are you flirting with me? Gross."

Chaewon makes a face.