BELLADONNA

Chp28: his arms

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky darkened into an inky black, a chill began to creep into the air. The day had finally given way to night, and with it, the comforting light that had once filled the room was replaced by shadows. The quiet of the evening felt oddly oppressive, amplifying the sense of unease that had been gnawing at me throughout the day.

Wooyoung and his mother had retreated to their room for the night, their footsteps echoing softly down the hallway as they went. I was left alone, wrapped in a blanket of darkness that seemed to grow heavier by the minute. A nagging sensation prickled at the back of my neck, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. It was an unsettling, almost palpable presence that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

A shiver ran down my spine, so intense that it felt almost like a physical touch. The room seemed to close in around me, its shadows deepening and shifting as if they were alive. Desperate for a sense of security, I reached for my phone, its bright screen a small beacon of comfort in the encroaching darkness.

With my heart racing, I crept out of my room, every step echoing in the silent house. My phone’s screen illuminated my path, casting a faint glow that barely penetrated the oppressive blackness. I approached Wooyoung’s door, my hands trembling slightly as I raised them to knock.

The soft knock on the door felt like a loud intrusion into the stillness of the night. I waited, the silence stretching out, my anxiety growing with each passing second. The idea of being alone in the dark, haunted by an unseen presence, was too overwhelming to bear. I needed reassurance, and I needed it now.

I stood there in the dimly lit hallway, feeling an overwhelming sense of awkwardness as I tried to figure out what to do next. The silence between us felt heavy, filled with unspoken questions and my own racing thoughts. My heart was still pounding from the unease I’d felt earlier, and now, standing in front of Wooyoung, I found myself at a loss for words.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, my hands fidgeting with the edges of my phone, which now seemed like a poor shield against the darkness I had just escaped. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The simple act of standing there, in his doorway, felt like a breach of privacy that made me uncomfortable, yet I couldn't bring myself to turn back and return to the oppressive solitude of my room.

Wooyoung looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity, his brow furrowed slightly as he waited for me to say something. I could sense his patience wearing thin, and the awkwardness of the moment only seemed to amplify my anxiety. The cozy glow of his room’s light contrasted sharply with the cold, creeping darkness that had driven me here, but even that comfort seemed to heighten my self-consciousness.

I cleared my throat, trying to muster some semblance of composure.

“I—uh, I’m sorry for coming in like this,”

I finally managed to stammer.

“I just... I felt really unsettled and didn’t know where else to go. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Wooyoung gave me a reassuring smile, his eyes softening with empathy.

“You’re not intruding,”

he said gently.

“It’s okay to feel scared, especially after everything you’ve been going through. Just come in and make yourself comfortable.”

I nodded gratefully, stepping further into the room while trying to push aside the awkwardness that lingered. The warmth of Wooyoung’s room enveloped me, and I took a deep breath, attempting to calm the jittery nerves that had been gnawing at me. Even though I still felt out of place, Wooyoung’s presence and the inviting ambiance of the room began to ease my discomfort, providing a small, yet welcome, reprieve from the unsettling feelings that had led me here.