Winter Hearts

A Point

As they walked hand-in-hand down the road that lead back to the tiny port, Siana listened to the sound of the waves gently breaking on the rocks that buttressed the road's edge as it wound around the hill's base. The road was lined with taller, cultivated pines, and it was peppered with fallen cones and dried pine needles. Ordinarily, she would fill her pockets with them to take back for the upstairs fireplace, but that simple pleasure seemed to threaten her desire to never let Taekwoon's hand go.

She smiled to herself, wondering how she ever became such a sap.

It came to her all of a sudden, the memory of her last day in Malaysia before coming here, when she had lain in bed after waking, wishing for someone to hold. She had stared at his picture on her wall in the waning throes of her crush, never thinking that there was a possibility that he could be that someone.

She marvelled at how, somehow, things had lead her to this. Even the tiny point of coincidence that made their meeting possible, seemed to be all the more a part of some big picture that was becoming her reality, a fate of sorts.

She guessed that now, with the few days that they had left together, they would need to address that reality with the hows and whens of what was to be when they went home.

"You will have less than two months to prepare for your concerts. You'll be in Seoul during that time?" she asked him. He nodded, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand as he was wont to do.

"And what about the songs? Are you supposed to make a whole album?" He shook his head.

"We just need something for our comeback. A mini album maybe, then we would have something new to show during the concerts. Do you think we have enough time?" he asked, a smile in his eyes.

Siana thought about it. She knew that a lot went in to preparations for concerts, and when it came to Vixx, there was always something new to look forward to, even with their older stuff.

"I think you guys are quick learners, but some of you need more learning than others. I won't say who." She chuckled at his sideways glance. "But I am sure preparations have long started and costumes, choreography, musical scores and all that stuff is already being worked on by people behind the scenes."

"Mmm," he responded, looking off ahead with a glazed look over his eyes.

"Oh, but none of that could have started without the title song and concept, could they?" He nodded, still looking ahead. Siana frowned. Surely they were cutting it a little fine by leaving it all so last minute. Taekwoon seemed to have pity on her and opened his mouth to speak.

"They're not really concerts. It's a tour, more like fanmeetings. So we won't be doing anything that new. The only thing we have to decide on is the new single, the concept. Our comeback is early December. We tour before New Year. Straight after."

She thought of all the preparation they would have to go through, including fitness and dieting, something she knew they all underwent just before comeback season.

"So..." he began, and she watched him as he thought carefully about what he had to say. "I have to be in Seoul until the tour, then I will be travelling for about a month, back and forth." He seemed to leave a question hanging in the air, which Siana took to mean he was wondering about when they would be able to meet during that time.

"Well, I will be here until the end of January. So I guess, we will both be back home after that." She looked at him, a smile on her lips and a question in her eyes. What was he not saying?

He nodded, looking back ahead as they walked on. She took a moment to wonder how long she would actually have to wait before he would spill what was obviously on his mind, then thought of just saying out loud herself what he was leaving unspoken.