"I want to know why you do it."
"Why I do what." he asked, stripping off his overcoat.
He flung it over the back of the couch without much thought as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Why you always save me. Every time I'm in trouble you always come...
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Yunho realized his presence before I did. His tall frame moving aside to face the kitchen entrance, revealing the man responsible for why I was here in the first place. Seonghwa didn't appear surprised to see the two of us. His lean frame filling the doorway as if debating whether or not he should leave. It didn't take him long to come to a decision, one boot-clad foot taking its first step back the way he came. Until my voice filled the silence between the three of us.
"Seonghwa, wait."
He halted, green pools finding my pleading gaze easily. Sensing the incoming need for privacy, Yunho turned back to me, his large palm landing on the top of my head in a soft pat before gracing me with an equally gentle smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He murmured before stepping away.
He approached the door, Seonghwa's form stepping inside the kitchen to allow him to pass. Neither said a word to each other, Yunho simply gave a quick nod to Seonghwa as he slipped out of the room. Without Yunho, the atmosphere turned as awkward as it had been the first evening I stumbled upon Seonghwa in the kitchen. I didn't know how to start this conversation and Seonghwa's typically impassive nature gave me no inkling of whether he felt the same as I did, or if he just didn't care. In times like this, I longed to be able to know him well enough to interpret his feelings without him having to express it. If that were possible.
He was dressed down for the late hour. Leather pants I was familiar with seeing him in, red silk tunic left untucked to flutter near his thighs. The sleeves had been rolled up and the collar of it gaped open widely, porcelain skin on display, being bathed in the soft orange glow the kitchen lanterns provided. The light coasting his flesh like a caress, the dip of his collarbone shadowed before the light smoothed over the top of his shoulder once more. I was mesmerized under the sight, a small part of me even jealous that the light could take such liberties with him while I couldn't. The pang in my heart reminded me that I shouldn't be thinking such things. Yunho's question echoing within my melancholy heart and, for the first time, I genuinely wondered whether I had been deluding myself into thinking I'd be able to remain friends with Seonghwa. Averting my gaze, I remembered the peace offering I had been making when Yunho found me.
"Would you like some?" I asked, gathering the crushed crackers to begin layering the treat together.
I wasn't surprised I didn't receive an answer, expected it even, but I was internally grateful hearing his approach. He wasn't turning me away, that was a good sign. Though it probably had more to do with one of his favorite desserts than me specifically.
"I'm sorry about the other night." My voice was quiet, but I knew he could hear me. "For prying, I mean. It was wrong for me to try to force you to tell me your feelings."
I added the last layer of strawberries, purposefully adding extra to his before sliding it his way and turning towards him. My heart skipped a beat finding his bright green orbs already on me. Steadying it, I swallowed hard to continue.
