Strangers ~ A Taemin Fic

Chapter 7

     I walk along the tiled floor that surrounded the pool. I had even taken my shoes off so my feet met with the cool, smooth tiles. The water waved at me with each ripple the wind brought it. I couldn't help but feel so peaceful where I was.

     Out of the blue, I find myself dancing to Taemin's song Danger only slowed down. I twirled with the wind, it's flowing air running it's fingers through my hair.

     My lungs expanded and contracted, and I felt so alive. My lips spread into a smug grin at the image of Taemin dancing along to Danger, and with that angelic voice of his. If I had a voice like his, I would have auditioned to be a soloist immediately.

     My dancing and joy got the best of me for a puddle of clear liquid missed my gaze and I slipped on it, resulting in a splash into the pool. As I quickly swim up to the surface, pushing away my hair while laughing at myself, Taemin walks out with a few clothes on hangers in his arms.

     His eyes widen at the sight of me in the pool, coughing up a bit of water. "Yuki!" He calls out, tossing the clothes on a nearby lounge chair and racing over to me where he immediately jumps in after me.

     He resurfaces, his hands meeting my waist where he holds me up so I could get all the water out of my lungs. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He giggles as I show a smile, my eyes watery from the hacks.

     "I...blame you for me slipping into the pool," I chuckle, brushing wet strands of hair away from my eyes as he to hold me up in the semi-deep end. "Your stupid choreo got me in here," I say sarcastically.

     He eyebrows furrow but a large grin remains. "What made you think dancing to Criminal beside the pool was a good idea?" He laughs, my mind just noticing my legs naturally wrapped around his torso. He could touch in this part of the pool while I couldn't.

     "It was Danger," I gasp, rubbing my eyes from chlorine. "This part," I go on, raising an arm and attempting a body roll that was performed at the beginning of the chorus. I see his eyes flicker down to my waist he was continuing to hold as it rolled a few times before stopping.

     "Well, it looks like someone needs to work on their footwork," he cocks an eyebrow as I place my hands on his shoulders for support. It was then I also noticed his shirt halfway unbuttoned so a good bit of his chest and stomach were exposed. I could already feel my breathing increasing.

     I jokingly scoff at his words. "You wrote the choreo and the song...it's your fault," I smile, guaranteeing him that it was indeed an accident and, of course, my fault after all.

     He shakes his head at my response, his smile still wide with sarcastic dismay. Drops of water fell from his bangs to his face before trickling down to his chest, where my eyes accidentally followed.

     "Actually," I murmur at the sudden feeling of his hands pulling me closer to him. I could barely feel his breath on the tip of my nose as I gaze down to avoid his gaze. "Want...was my favorite choreo," I go on, pressing my lips together as he slowly raises his head in slight disbelief.

     "Oh really?" He hums, his fingers carefully teasing their way under my shirt one by one. "Did you enjoy the choreo...or only when I performed it?" He teases, the water flowing the back of my shirt open, giving him complete access to my bare skin.

     My breath softly hitches as he pulls me even closer so my legs completely wrapped around his torso. My inner thighs grazed against his ripped stomach, allowing a feeling to return to my body that hadn't been felt in years. Wearing  a skirt wasn't helping either. 'Oh god, am I turned on?'

     "I-I loved...the choreo," I reply, trying to keep with the conversation as our noses gently graze past each other, teasing the idea of a kiss. At this point, my arms were completely wrapped around his neck while he held me by my bare waist and my legs hugged his hips tightly.

     His brows flickered up before replying with, "is that so?" I nod unsteadily, avoiding his gaze and pressing my lips together nervous. As I feel his fingers crawl higher and high up my torso, he stops below my bra where his head slightly draws back and he stares at me with a concerned gaze. "Yuki...I can feel your ribs too well."

     My eyes widen at the sudden realization. My legs quickly kick away from him where they allow me to swim away so I could touch the pool floor. "Oh god..." I breathe, hugging my frail sides as I hurry to the closest ladder.

     "Yuki, wait! Come back!" He calls behind me as I climb the ladder to the surface. Standing up, I notice my drenched shirt sticking to my skin, only showing my skinny frame even more.

     "No...don't look at me," I say, trying to cover my sides with my arms as he climbs out as well, his eyes surveying me with worry. "I think...I have to go now..."

     "Yuki, this isn't healthy. Why're you dieting when you don't have to anymore?" He asks, referring to my two year term that forced me to diet and pushed me onto this path of hating my body.

     Pulling the wet fabric out so it loosened a bit, I keep my back turned from him and near the door of the house. "I'm going home, Taemin."

     "You're not leaving until you talk to me," he says, quickly catching up to me where he blocks the entrance of the door: my only exit. Whipping away from him once again, I keep my shaky hands on my figure piercing through the fabric that was still visible to him. "Yuki..."

     "I can't stop it!" I snap, holding back tears as I grasp my ugly ribs tighter until I thought they were going to snap from being so weak. "It's something...that I can't stop..."