Promise Me | Daerin

Chapter Five

"It's beautiful, Haerin! come, come look!"

The absolute joy in Danielle's eyes is something Haerin imprints into her brain like a stamp slamming down into her hippocampus fiercely, but she raises her camera regardless and takes a photo of Danielle's smile as she looks up at Haerin with excitement, Isabelle and Hanni watching from the door to her balcony fondly while Haerin saunters up to the brand new telescope she and Hanni have tirelessly worked on building over the last week to look down into the scope, her hand gripping Danielle's frail one tightly.

a brilliant, bright yellow light shines through the circle, moving through the stars and burning a path through space and time as Haerin watches it do so in complete and utter awe.

"Wow...this is amazing, Dani!" she breathes, pulling back and squeezing Danielle's hand as the girl leans down to look into the telescope once more with a breathless laugh.

"Can you believe it exists, babe? Just tearing through the universe so brightly...no idea of the impact it's having..." Danielle whispers, pulling back and looking up into Haerin's eyes, and god, she's trying so hard not to focus on the bags under Danielle's eyes...the dark circles and the way her skin pinches slightly now...

"It reminds me of you, Dani..." Haerin whispers, letting out a deep breath to stop herself from crying as Danielle gives her a shaky smile of her own. She grips Haerin's hand tightly, interlacing their fingers before she leans down to kiss her softly.

Haerin lets her tears fall as she kisses her back, her hands gripping Danielle's waist to pull her closer with a whine before the brunette-haired girl pulls away breathlessly and looks down at her sadly.

"Don't cry, Haerin..." she whispers, brushing away her tears as Haerin's bottom lip trembles, and she feels horrible, because she promised Danielle, she promised her no more tears...

"I know, I'm sorry, Dani...I'm sorry." Haerin whispers back, sniffing and smiling up at Danielle as best as she can as Isabelle and Hanni sigh by the door. Haerin looks back at them to see them both crying, and she feels the guilt that quickly overtakes her.

They can't be sad right now...

The list.

Haerin wipes away her tears and clears her throat before she smiles and presses another kiss to the corner of Danielle's mouth.

"So...now we can cross off another thing on the list! Do you have it?" Haerin asks brightly, smiling as Danielle reaches into the pocket of the robe she's wearing before she's taking Haerin's hand and leading her to the bench on her balcony with a grin. Haerin sits down before she pulls Danielle into her lap, the girl's back pressing against her chest as she lets her feet lay flat across the rest of the bench.

She presses a kiss to the back of Danielle's head as she watches her cross off number seventeen, and Haerin hesitates before she moves her lips to Danielle's ear to whisper gently...

"You can cross off number twenty, too. And number six." she says softly. Danielle hums gently, smiling and closing her eyes as Haerin presses a kiss to her temple and tries to ignore the ragged breaths Danielle draws in.

"Really?" she whispers, looking at Haerin with nothing but love and affection as Haerin smiles and wraps her arms around Danielle's chest to hold her as close as she possibly can.

"You're my dream come true, Danielle. And I'd be stupid if I denied how much you've changed my life..." she says, pressing kiss after kiss to Danielle's hair and face as the girl giggles against her happily before she crosses off numbers twenty and six.

2̶0̶.̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶o̶n̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶d̶r̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶e̶.

1̶9̶.̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶l̶a̶n̶g̶u̶a̶g̶e̶.