Chasm.| Seo Changbin

Thirty-Two.

Changbin stirred and groaned in his sleep. The sun that had escaped the curtains almost grilled his face. He rolled to the other side of the bed and threw his arm over it, expecting it to drape over the girl who was supposed to be by his side, but that arm landed against the mattress. Blindly, his hand fumbled over the bed and in the covers, with no luck in finding the warm body that was cuddled with his. Changbin opened one eye and then the other to finally see the empty bed beside him. He yawned loudly, stretched, and looked around. His eyes scanned the single-room cottage but found no trace of Stella.

That cottage was nothing but a space with a bed, two seats, a mirror, and a very tiny bathroom over the corner. There was no room for hiding. Changbin sat up and looked around again. She wasn't there and the bathroom door was open so she wasn't in either. Changbin pushed the covers and stood up. He pulled his shirt from the seat by the bed and slipped it over his bare torso. He rubbed his face and sleepily walked to the door. It was odd to wake up and not find Stella in bed. She was a sleepy head. She never wakes up before him. Did she not sleep?

Changbin walked out of the cottage. He squinted his eyes once the sun attacked his face, tried to look through his squinted eyes to find her, and when he did, he forgot about the sun and opened his eyes wide while smiling. She was back facing him, with her hair dangling down her back. Her hair and skin were shimmering under the sunlight. She looked breathtaking even from her back.

Smiling like an idiot, Changbin walked towards her. He silently sat behind her on the sand and snaked his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her against his chest and squishing her as if he were squishing a teddy bear.

"Ahhhh," Stella giggled while groaning from how hard he squeezed her. He started tickling her sides and she laughed out loud while throwing her head back down on his shoulder. "Spare my life!" She screamed playfully while still giggling.

"No," He continued tickling and even leveled up and started attacking her neck with his lips to tickle her for more. "That's what you get for sneaking out of bed so early."

"I- I... Oh God!" She was out of breath, so Changbin went easy on her. "I woke up... early... and didn't want to wake you up." She breathed in deeply and then pushed her head back to look at him. "Good morning, handsome." She smiled at him and extended one of her hands to caress his cheek.

"Good morning, pretty." He smiled even wider and dipped his head down to kiss her cheek. "Why did you wake up that early? You normally sleep till later."

She pouted at him and then looked ahead of her. She wiggled herself back, closer to him, pulled his two arms, and wrapped them tighter around her. "It's our last day here and I didn't want to waste it."

He rested his head on top of her and looked ahead too, taking in the beautiful scenery of the ocean before they went back to the bustling city. "So, what did you do while I was asleep?"

"I worked on a song." She smiled and patted a few papers and a pen on her left on the sand. "I had those lyrics in my head begging to be let out."

"Hmm, about what?"

"About you."

Changbin jolted. "Me?"

"Hmm, you." She caressed his arm. "About me with you. About the girl that you brought back from the depth of me."

"I did nothing." He grabbed her chin softly and tilted her face towards his. "I just fell for you and loved you."

"And that was more than enough to put my heart at ease and make me see things how they really are so that I could bring my true self to the surface without being afraid." She let out softly.

Still holding her chin and looking down at her, he talked. "Don't give others the credit for what you've done. You did that for yourself and by yourself because you are capable of being loved in all possible ways."

"See?" Stella chuckled, shaking her head. "You are still giving me encouraging words and making me feel like I'm the strongest woman ever."

"You are." He commented.

"UGH!" She groaned. "You'll make me so full of myself."

"You deserve to be!"

Playfully, Stella pushed him away and stood up. "Just stop, you make me want to change the world."

Smirking, Changbin stood up to face her. "And you can do so!" He chanted cheerfully.

"AAAAAAAH!" She covered her ears and started running away. "I said stop!"

"Why?" Changbin was running after her. "I'm just telling the truth!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" She screamed and kept running in circles, sprinkling sand everywhere around her. Changbin didn't stop chasing and he knew she would be tired soon and let go.

And that was how they spent their last vacation day. It was very short but sweet and healing. They spent those days by themselves and for themselves. They talked, bickered and teased, played, sprawled down on the sand to gaze at the stars, and swam in the sea all they wanted. They got to know each other for more and let all the remaining walls between them crumble down.

Stella was still the shining star she was, but she was more like a lovely young girl who was so sensitive yet so strong in Changbin's eyes. Changbin was still the stiff personal guard who took his job way too seriously, but he was a very affectionate and loving man in Stella's eyes.

For a very few days, those two healed up and re-energized to get ready for what was waiting for them when they went back to their normal life.

And once they did, they wished that 'their normal life' was a little bit kinder to them, cause what was waiting for them was nothing kind at all.