Within These Shadows || Park Chanyeol/Do Kyungsoo || Book 1

26

2nd March, 2019

Waking up on her warm bed back at Changwon was something Mae could never get tired of. She loved Seoul and her dorm room, but nothing could ever beat the warmth of one's own home. It had been exactly one month and four days since they came to Changwon; also one month and four days since she and Chanyeol confessed their love for each other and he finally asked her to be his girlfriend.

Mae stood before the sink in her bathroom, brushing her teeth and staring off into the mirror. Her mind wandered back to the thoughts of 26th January, the night of the confession, when they were both in Choi Hye Rin's restaurant after DO and Jay had left them.

~~~

"So..." Chanyeol cleared his throat.

"Yeah...?" Mae rubbed her hands, still shy. With DO and Jay gone, she was very conscious of the couple of inches of distance between them. It was as though she could feel his skin brush against the sleeve of her dress, and the tingling sensation that it gave her.

"So, uh...so I uh...I uhm...wanted to say that, uh..." Chanyeol kept stuttering and clearing his throat, trying to word out his thoughts, but failing miserably.

"For someone who can sing a love song on the stage, in front of the whole crowd while mentioning my name, you're becoming nervous about wording out your thoughts?" Mae laughed. "You're adorably cute," Mae's eyes were focused on her fiddling fingers.

"Music helps me express my emotions clearly, which I find easier and more comfortable than just talking," Chanyeol smiled shyly.

"I like you too, Chanyeol." Mae confessed after a short pause, looking up to focus her attention on Chanyeol.

"Thank you," Chanyeol blurted out, taking a few more seconds to process what Mae had said. "Wait, what?" His head whipped towards her direction to see that she was laughing. He couldn't believe his ears: did Mae really confess her love for him? "Really?" He asked, hoping that he hadn't imagined the words that Mae said a couple of seconds ago.

"Park Chanyeol, you're a 6'1" giant Pikachu! Jinjja!" Mae laughed at her own words.

"You're serious, right?" He looked eagerly at Mae, still trying to make sure that he had heard right.

Mae beamed at him, clasping his hand, interlocking their fingers. "I am."

Chanyeol laughed from relief, and from joy. He pulled Mae into a tight hug, holding her close like the most precious thing he had ever had in his life. He could feel his heart drumming against his chest, cheeks warm, skin tingling wherever it touched her. Mae; the girl he was in love with, the girl who made his day brighter, who listened to whatever he had to say, be it music or anything goofy. And now, she was the girl who loved him back.

~~~

On the way back to the dorms, the two walked hand in hand at a slow pace, savoring each moment before Mae had to leave for Changwon in the morning. They talked about Chanyeol's practice for the concert; how he was worried if he'd be able to find the right song to sing to Mae. But somehow, it came to him naturally and he knew 'To Make You Feel My Love' was just the song he wanted to sing.

They talked about how Mae felt when he sang the song to her, on stage, in front of thousands of students. She told him how she felt like the world had quieted down, and everyone was zoomed out of the picture, leaving just her and Chanyeol, feeling the raw emotions that he wanted her to feel through his voice, and the love that was adorned in the whole song.

And getting back to their respective dorms was tough for the pair; neither was willing to leave the other's company just yet. They bid farewell to each other about ten times and still stood there, talking, swinging their entwined hands like teenagers in love for the first time. After spending fifteen minutes like that, Chanyeol finally managed to convince both Mae and himself to go back to their respective dorms as she had to wake up in the morning to catch the train back to Changwon.