Should've Held Onto You (CHA EUNWOO)

31 - Sled

All I could hear was my heart thumping in my own ears. My arms were to my side, hands balled into fists trying to hold in every feeling that struck me; I didn't know what else to do with them anyways. It was cold, but his hands on my cheeks were warm, radiating heat throughout my whole body. How could he be so warm in this cold? Was he as nervous as I was? Could he feel the heat of my blushing cheeks under his hands?

It felt long, but in reality was short. I felt bad, because I was so awkward. This was definitely my first kiss, and if I remember correctly, it might be his.

When he pulled away, his hands kept their place, and his forehead rested against mine. As if on cue, smiles lit up our faces, bringing light to the dark of night.

"Finally," He had whispered, and my smile grew, though seemingly impossible.

He removed his hands from my cheeks and backed away, but only slightly, as if now comfortable with our close proximity. He gave a small laugh, teasing, "You're cheeks are really red.."

"Shut up," I grinned, embarrassed.

Dongmin pulled me in for a side hug, kissing my head, igniting the fireworks again. "It's really late," He commented, "I think we should head to sleep. I think we'll have no problem with that now."

And so we parted ways, my feet padding against the floor with every step up the stairs, and his door closing ever so quietly, but as I entered me and Sumi's room, she was awake waiting for me, her phone light illuminating the dark quarters.

"Well?" She smiled widely, "What happened?"

Quietly, I whispered, unable to keep a grin from my face, "Dongmin and I kissed."

-----

A day and night full of heavy snowfall resulted in hills covered well enough for a good day of sledding. To be honest, I haven't gone sledding since I'd last been here with Sumi. My first year in America, Sarah invited me to go on a winter retreat with her family in Colorado, but I didn't feel comfortable enough, as I was still grieving the loss of my true home and my first friends.

"Lets goooo!" Sanha sang out.

"Let's go," Bin harmonized with the third.

Catching on, I added the fifth, "Let's go!"

MJ added the octave more than happily, "LET'S GOOOO!"

As we finished with claps and cheers, Sumi mumbled, amused, "Buncha nerds."

As we approached the hills, I noticed Suyeon and her friends giggling and blushing, eyes locked on Dongmin.

Giving him a nudge, I whispered, "Looks like you've got a couple of admirers."

He gave them a glance before a small smile graced his features. Turning back to me, he said, "That's sweet, but the only admirer I await anxiously is you."

Embarrassment and shock filled me as I felt my cheeks, once again, turn red.

"Oh my god!" Sanha shrieked, mouth hanging open as he stared wide eyed at us. I had thought no one had heard me and Dongmin's exchange, and judging by the look on Dongmin's face, neither did he.

"What?!" Everyone, including Sumi's parents and the younger girls, turned around, assuming something was wrong.

Sanha began, "Eunwoo and Miyeong are-!"

"They're pregnant?!?" Minhyuk interrupted.

"No, they're-" Sanha began again, but this time, I interjected,

"-going to race you all to the hill!" I immediately cursed myself for that, but it was the first thing that could come to mind.

Dongmin whispered to me, "But you don't run.."

"I know," I whined before mustering up the strength to sprint. The others, minus the parents came trotting behind, shouts and hollers falling from their lips. I imagine it looked pretty funny, as the snow was high enough to hinder our movement. Within seconds, JinJin and MJ were zooming past, not saying a word, but laughing with everything they had.

Sumi, from the bottom of the hill, yelled, "I can't do this! Leave me, I'm only holding you back!"

"Fair maiden, I can't leave you; take my hand!" Minhyuk yelled with an accent.

Grabbing his hand, she yanked him into the snow, and he landed on his side with a face that said, "I should've expected that." Sumi laughed loudly, clutching her sides as she did so before trudging her way to the top of the hill.

That'll stall him for a while, I thought as I watched Sanha argue with Bin about who technically got there first. However I knew in a short amount of time, I'd have to talk to him about what he heard.

"Alright, kids," Sumi's parents feigned exhaustion with a laugh. Her mother said, "There's only a few rules. Number one, have fun. Number two, be safe. And number three, don't let Myungjun out of your sight."

At this, we all shared a laugh as MJ exclaimed, "Hey! I'm responsible!"

Patting him on the back, Minhyuk said sarcastically, "Sure, buddy."

"Ok, you all can keep doing this, but I'm sledding down this hill in about two seconds," Sumi interrupted.

Grinning, I agreed, "I second that!"

"Race?!" She smiled back.

"Ughhh.."

"Miyeong, there's no running in this race!" Sumi pointed out.

".... Fine."

——-

Just as I was about to take a picture of Suyeon and her friends sledding down the hill, per request, I was knocked to the side by cackling Sanha.

"Ah-!" I fell to the side, the camera caught just in time. I braced for the impact of the cold winter ground, but it didn't come, but instead the gloved palms of a certain someone.

My eyes met Bin's for a second, and I saw several things behind his deep brown eyes. He was happy in the present, here with his friends, yet sadness still lurked in the background,

what be the cause, I couldn't tell you. He liked me, he looked at me like I was something special. How did I look at him?

It was important for me to step back and consider everything we'd been through together, how important he is to my existence as one of the best friends I've ever had.

"Sorry about that," I quickly said before standing up straight, putting the camera's strap around my neck.

Giving a classic grin, he relied, "It's no problem."

"Did you get it?!" Suyeon came bouncing.

Frowning, I said, "Sorry, I got pushed right at the last second. Would you mind going again?"

She smiled, revealing her teeth, where one on the top was missing. "More fun for us!"

As her friends and her skipped away, Bin nudged me with his elbow. I looked up at him, and he simply smirked. I gave a laugh before nudging him back.

——-
A/N
Hey, sorry it's been literally forever. Grades have been really stressful lately, and I've missed this story so much (also I kind of left the last chapter on a cliff hanger). Stay tuned!