Should've Held Onto You (CHA EUNWOO)

30 - Snow

"Ready or not, here I come, bitches!" Sumi yelled, her voice echoing even though she stood at the entrance to the small forest, and I was inside.

A game of hide and seek seemed only fitting, what with Astro's debut song finalized. I hid in the forest, where I doubted she would look, as I know Sanha was very obviously running around the cabin, feet trudging clumsily in the beautiful buildup of snow that decided to begin to fall quickly. The sun was beginning to set, but we had a couple hours until dark, and the snow was coming down hard, willing itself to stick to the ground, making its appearance obvious at once.

I loved snow, it was beautiful, despite the cold that tagged along with it. While a cloudy, snowy day could get me down, a sunny, snowy day was my favorite.

After about ten minutes of standing, leaning against a tree trunk, I got bored and began walking around the crowd of leafless trees, shoes cracking the small layer of snow on the forest floor.

I found myself in a clearing within five minutes, confident Sumi wouldn't find me. I hadn't heard her since a while ago as I heard Minhyuk shriek, begging for "mercy".

"I'm bore-" As I began to talk to myself, I stopped immediately as I heard a twig snap a short distance away, though I could see nothing as of right now. Paranoid, I gulped. I was out here alone in this forest. It wasn't night time, but did that mean I was safe?

I heard soft footsteps, and I turned to run in the opposite direction as they got louder, but I came face to face with another, a scream building up in my throat.

His hand covered my mouth immediately as he dragged my into the alcove of a giant tree, big enough to the both of us, but small enough that awkwardness was prevalent as our breath hit each other's faces, at least when I looked up at him and him down at me.

My eyes were closed before I could see my kidnapper, but I slowly opened them to meet the beautiful eyes of Dongmin, who slowly took his hand off my mouth, bringing a finger up to his lips, whispering, "It's Sumi."

"You must be out here somewhere!" Her voice became louder as she entered the clearing, but we were shielded from view, and this was a pretty good hiding spot. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" She gave a grunt of dismay, and I knew her so well, I could basically see her scowl form. "Hm.." Her footsteps faded away as she walked back, presuming we weren't there at all.

Dongmin waited a matter of seconds before rounding the corner of the tree slightly to check and make sure she was gone, yet his body blocked my escape, and I stood there, heart beating too fast.

When he whipped back around, my heart got caught in my throat at how breathtaking he was, and he stared back at me with an expression I felt like I've seen before.

"She's gone," He whispered so quietly I almost missed it.

Matching his volume, I pointed out, "You're pretty good at hiding from trouble."

Smirking, making me almost gasp, he replied, "I'm even better at seeking it out."

Dongmin's face slowly approached my blushing one, whether it be from the cold or my feelings, my lips slightly parted.

"Miyeong, I've waited s-"

"Miyeong! Eunwoo!" The boys' calls cut through the forest louder than expected, making me jump, hitting my head against the tree trunk.

"Ow!" I exclaimed in pain.

"Are you okay?!" Dongmin quickly grabbed my hand that was holding onto my head.

I nodded meekly as the rest of the group rushed over to our alcove.

"Romantic," Sumi winked at me.

"Dangerous," Bin gave a strict look as Sumi frowned. Bin quickly but carefully pulled me from the crevice, giving me a hug. "Are you alright, Miyeong..?"

Sumi became interested in the slightly snowy ground as Bin showed his affection for me. Dongmin watched with a clenched jaw.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I rubbed my head as it stung slightly.

Minhyuk cleared his threat, "Well, you and Eunwoo won. Even though it wasn't my fault I lost."

Rolling his eyes, JinJin said, "You tried to push my out from behind a tree but ended up tripping on a root and screaming. That's all you, bud."

We shared a laugh before heading inside.

-----

It was really late. Everyone was asleep, and I snuck away from my shared room with Sumi easily, as she could sleep through a fire. I sat at the island in the kitchen, a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, which I covered with the excess length of my sweater sleeves.

The snow had paused for a while, coming down at a very slow pace, but it had built up to a white empire in the hours we'd been inside.

I missed it.

I leaned my elbows on the countertop, giving a quiet sigh. Hearing footsteps from the hallway entering the kitchen, I shifted my glance to see a very awake Dongmin.

"You don't look like you've been sleeping," I commented, taking a sip from my mug.

He gave a small smile, approaching me. "Neither do you."

I got up to make him some hot chocolate, and when I finished, handing the warm mug to him, he nodded to the front door, grabbing a jacket, and I followed silently.

"Wouldn't want to wake anyone," Dongmin explained, shutting the door quietly behind us.

It was a silent night, the moon reflecting on the white snow, making it almost appear blue.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, and only then did I notice he had been staring at me, a puzzled look finding home on his captivating face. "4Life?"

"Not this time," I replied honestly. In truth, all I could think of was us. Did I truly like Dongmin? Or was it simply the hype of us being back like the old days again? Did I feel obligated to like him since my younger self left without closure? "It's not importa-"

"I like you."

The air grew more silent, the only sound I could hear was my quickly beating heart. It was so cold, the only thing I could feel was my cheeks heating to a bright red.

Did I hear him right?

I turned to him, and he set his mug on the porch railing as I had already done. He turned to face me now, looking me in the eyes. There was that look again. I said nothing, but my mouth hung open slightly.

"Before, we'd never discuss our feelings. We just never did. Because there was nothing to be nervous about. I liked you, and you liked me. Everyone knew it, and we didn't need confirmation," He reminisced. "Now.. Now I don't know how you feel. I still like you Miyeong. I don't think I ever fully stopped." He paused to look at the snow covered horizon before continuing quietly, "No matter what happens with us, it should happen right, with us talking it out for once. I need that confirmation from you."

I didn't know what to say at first, but when I finally knew, he spoke again,

"This isn't my confession, by the way. I'll do better." Dongmin threw me a smile which I couldn't help but return, and my cheeks were so red.

A smile attached to my face, I looked up at him. "There's something here. I don't know what it is yet, but help me figure it out.."

"I thought you'd never ask."

His lips were soft.