off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ forty three

Vicky had been quite surprised when Ricky came to her, telling her he would be walking home from school more often. A slight smile on his face, he'd asked her if she would agree to show him around a few more spots in the neighborhood, like she'd done with the playground. Needless to say, Vicky had had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

Wasn’t it crazy? Ricky, who had always been driven by his father, had decided to break that routine right after having walked home with her once. And now, he was even asking her to be his personal guide. Asking her to spend time with him. She wasn’t quite sure if she was being delusional, or if she was indeed reading the signs right, but it seemed that Ricky... Kind of liked her? Not in the romantic sense, she would never even dare assume that. But at the very least, he enjoyed her company. That was worth so much.

"So, where are we going?" Ricky asked with his husky voice, his hands in his pockets as he looked around.

"There's a beautiful garden right there." Vicky pointed to a gate a few meters away from them. "They have so many varieties of flowers. And a beautiful fountain!"

Ricky nodded slowly. "Oh, I see. A kinda romantic spot."

At that, Vicky felt herself turn red. Yes, maybe it was a bit of a romantic spot... And apparently, going there with her didn’t seem to bother him too much. Vicky was trying very hard not to let her mind wander to assumptions, and crazy scenarios, but she had a strange feeling she and Ricky had gotten a bit closer, lately. Maybe meeting his family had brought them together, not feeling so much like classmates anymore, but true friends. That sounded really pleasant to Vicky's ears.

As they walked through the garden in full bloom, Ricky did not make a sound. He observed his surroundings, the corners of his lips turned up, matching Vicky's pace perfectly. Surrounded by flowers, he looked like a prince taking a walk around his castle. Ah, this was exactly what she needed after today. To be frank, her exams hadn’t gone very well. Even Jiwoong's tutoring hadn’t been very useful. Today marked the last week of midterms, and she hoped she would at least do a little bit better then. It would be so stupid to fail and have to come to summer school... That would mean less time with Ricky. She couldn’t have that.

"Oh, that's the fountain," Ricky exclaimed as he stopped in his tracks. "Wow, it's a lot bigger than I expected."

Vicky waved her thoughts off and smiled. "Right? Should we go sit on it?"

"We can do that?"

She couldn’t help but laugh at his wide eyes. "Of course."

He nodded fervently, and the two walked towards the large fountain standing proudly in the center of the garden. They sat side by side, the stone hot to the touch. Under the warm light of the sun, the rushing water behind them brought a wave of freshness to their backs. A few children were playing nearby, laughter and cheer erupting from their group from time to time. To Vicky, this was every last bit like a date. It wasn't an official one, but it was by far the best one she'd ever had. Not that she'd had many. Never with guys as princely as Ricky, anyway.

He hummed gently, leaning back on his palms. "I really should go out more often. I moved here a few years ago, but I still didn’t get a good look at Seoul."

"It's a beautiful city," Vicky commented. "And we’re glad to have you here!"

Ricky chuckled lightheartedly at her semi-joke, as he lifted his chin to look at the sky. Vicky's breath caught in her throat. His side profile was simply striking, so much more than words could express. Like that, he looked like a beautiful statue perched upon the fountain, for everyone to look at in awe. She sometimes wondered if Ricky wasn’t just a figment of her imagination; it felt impossible, for a human to look so incredibly gorgeous. Even more impossible, that she would be able to sit right beside him.