Celestine

six // jungkook

"So you're a Pilates pro or a Pilates newbie?" I ask, as we walk down the street.

It's 5 p.m.. Célestine has finished a Pilates class an hour ago, and now I'm making the most out of my day off. Tomorrow's the party for Sapphire Lakes cast, so today Seokjin and Yoongi forced me to take a day off. "One day at home won't destroy the business", they said. Agreeing wasn't as difficult as usually, plans with Célestine easing the unsettling feeling in my stomach.

"It's fun, but I haven't gotten out of the newbie stage even after ten years," she says with a small pout on her lips. She tends to just turn off this powerful feeling she carries around, and just be... damn adorable. The pout disappears when she looks up at me. "But now, are we really going to your place?"

"I wanna show you something. And I made cherry brownies."

Célestine grabs my wrist, making us walk faster. "Hurry up, then! If I stay long enough, will you make us dinner, too?"

"You don't even have to ask."

She twirls, walking backwards, and smiles at me. Her fingers on my skin, eyes locked, that smile. I forget what I've just said and what I wanted to say. I'm sure there was something at the tip of my tongue, but it's all gone. It's just her in my mind for a few seconds, and I press my lips together, just in case they say a word too much.

Célestine, the queen of no balance, trips over her feet again, and before she can tumble back, I catch her arm and pull her up, arm secured around her waist. When her chest bumps against mine, we freeze, air knocked out of me.

Every second of physical contact between us so far has felt like pure relief washing over me. That kind of 'finally' relief. Whether she held my wrist or our arms just brushed, I could let go of everything for those few seconds and feel light.

When I hold her against me like that, I don't breathe. I'm scared she'll pull back if I move. It feels so good I don't want to let go, just in case I never feel her like that again.

"Seems like you want me to hold your waist now," I blurt out, trying to ease into breathing again.

Célestine huffs, her fingers clutching my arms. "And it's working."

I swallow down the heat rushing to my face.

A few seconds longer, and there will be no going back.

Reluctant, I take a step back and let her go, making sure she's safe on her feet. We keep walking, side by side, arms brushing. It never feels like enough. My fingers recklessly brush against hers and my legs weaken.

I haven't known before how much I crave simple things. Holding hands, locking eyes, sharing laughs. Every time she's with me, it all comes crawling across my skin. The subtle want to feel comfortable enough around someone to let them hold me and them letting me hold them.

"My place is pretty small," I say, unlocking the door. "But I live alone."

"I like small apartments," she says, hands in her jumper. She never wears anything like a bag, her pockets full instead. "My place is way too big for me."

Right behind the door, a small hall leads to the living room area. It connects directly with the kitchen on the left, the door to the balcony behind the couch, and a short hall to the bedroom on the right. Besides the neighborhood, the size of the windows determined the apartment I chose. Even though I spend most of the time outside, in the restaurant, I like to have a view of the world in the mornings and evenings.

Célestine lets out a surprised "Oh?" and steps further in, twirling around, taking in the grays, blues and whites. "Oh my God, I love it here. It's so much nicer than my place."