The Painting

chapter 12

The Japanese food we ordered tasted like nothing, probably because I was stuck in the middle of a whole-ass arranged marriage discussion in front of the love of my life. Under his roof, no less! I couldn’t help but wonder how he felt about all this. Would he have to deal with the fallout too? I wanna kill myself

“Well, thanks for the meal. I barged in and ate a meal that was supposed to be for two people. Sorry about that,” Moon said, standing up.

“Yeah, well, at least you’re self-aware,” I replied, just as a pillow was thrown right at my face mid-conversation.

“Don’t worry, Night. I won’t come between you guys throughout the night. My friend lives nearby; I’ll crash at her place.” Did she really want me to die? What did she mean by not coming between us? SHUT UP!

“I wish I could have asked you to stay, but this room is too small for three of us to fit I really don’t want you to feel uncomfortable” Night replied.

“Yes, I know you’re the sweetest,” she said, tapping his shoulder. YAHH, GET OFF HIM!

She collected all her little bags and I went with her to say good bye

“Shoot your shot and make him your North! I didn’t know your choice was this good! He’s sooooo cute, and damn, he’s also handsome. No argument why you’re so fucking down bad,” she teased me as she hopped on her bike.

“Why not try getting a life?” I said sarcastically, and she hit me on the head.

“Be ready; he’s gonna call you tomorrow,” she said, patting my face before driving off.

"Welcome back, soon-to-be fiancée," Night said, and I noticed he was cooking instant noodles. I walked up behind him, hands behind my back, and rested my chin on his shoulder. Moon was right—before everything turns into a mess, I want him to know how I feel.

"Whose? Hers or yours?" I asked. He paused for a second, and I wondered what was going through his mind. Then he turned to the side, looking at me, and said, "You want to be mine?"

My heart stopped for a second. Was he flirting back, or am I fucking high?

I tilted my face a little more towards him “Why your ears turning all red?” I said slowly tracing his ears with my fingers and almost burned the instant noodles he was cooking

“Uhhhh, the noodles!” he quickly turning his attention back to the stove, I noticed a hint of nervousness in his voice and body.

I couldn’t help but smile, my heart was about come out of my damn chest and I think I might have broken down some of the walls he’d built around himself. “You’re blushing??” I teased, touching his chin with my fingers.

“I’m not,” he said refusing to make an eye contact, am I actually winning here?

“Sure, whatever you say,” I replied pulling myself back, trying to hide as I watched him struggle to maintain his composure.

“let’s eat in the balcony” I suggested, it would be a lot romantic there.

“Sure, you serve this in these two bowls, and I’ll set up the balcony,” he said, running off.

“There you go, keeping it here,” I said, placing the bowls on the small balcony. It had just enough space for two small chairs and one tiny table. It felt so cozy, I could see the street from here, he had fairy lights set up all over, wind was cold, a perfect moment to tell him how down bad I am for him.

But a loser like me just listened as he talked about his dream of having a bigger balcony so he could plant a small garden on it and maybe have cats in the future, without worrying about water shortage in the middle of the day. He also spoke about constellations, stars, space, fate, and destiny, referencing Achilles and their fate. He was usually so cold, but sometimes I caught glimpses of a softer side of him, and it made me melt completely.

“You sleep on the bed; I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said.

“Why the hell would you sleep on the floor in your own house?”

“Because you are my guest.”

“Fuck no, I’ll feel bad. You sleep on the bed; I’ll manage on the floor.”

“Have you ever slept on a floor, khun North?”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Fuck yeah!?”

“Fine. How about we both sleep on the bed?”

“Haan?”

“Why are you so afraid?”

“Why would I be afraid?”

I moved closer to him. “You know why,” I said, locking my gaze onto his, smiling. He took a deep breath and looked away from me. And we were actually sharing a bed—damn, the progress I was making was impressive.

“So, what’s your idea of love?” I started the conversation, unable to sleep in a situation like this.

“Non-existent. I used to not believe in that shit.”

“Past tense? What made you believe?” I asked, hoping he would say it’s me.

“Why not try shutting your eyes along with your mouth and go back to sleep?” he replied, closing his eyes.

I turned towards him and kept looking as he opened his eyes and was staring at the ceiling.

“What?” he asked.

“What, what?” I countered.

“Why are you staring?”

“I’m counting the stars in your eyes,” I said, throwing his words right back at him. He turned towards me, rolling his eyes.

“Those were my words,” he said, his tone teasing. I could literally feel myself melting. I thought I might need to tie myself with a fucking rope to keep from doing anything impulsive in this moment.

We were facing each other now, and his gaze was locked on mine. My heart raced at an inhuman speed; I could only hope he didn’t hear it.

“Good night,” he said, turning away with a sulking tone.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” I replied, ruffling his soft and fluffy hair. Sharing a bed with him was a terrible idea—this close, I could literally see the way he breathed. My heart wasn't strong enough for this; I had completely fallen into his world and had no intention of coming back anytime soon. My heart beat differently only for him, and it felt like I had loved him for eternity already. I had grown a habit of thinking only of him.

I would never leave him. It would be like this for as long as he’d let me.