to get a lover any time sooner was something y/n wasn't expecting, especially not when she was close to demise. however, it warmed her to know she will be loved before she meets her doom. the night after the kiss, the duo sorted out their feelings and now things changed between them.
they were no more friends. her silly little crush became something more with him reciprocating the feelings as well. at times, she would get a wave of self doubt. she wondered if she should let their relationship continue or if she should end it before it gets too much for kai. she'd hate to know her man was hurting whilst she was resting in peace. she didn't want kai to get attached to her. but at the same time, she wanted to be greedy a bit. will she be sent to hell for feeling this way? whatever it is, it's her future self's concern.
she fiddled with her box of cigarettes. she stared at it hesitatingly but ended up taking out a cigarette and wasted no time to light it up. the stick rested between her lips as she whiffed it. she boringly stared off into the distance while waiting for kai since he had to help his family with some stuff. sitting on the porch and enjoying the late afternoon's sunny breeze the day offered, she watched a car drive by and farmers trodding the meadows. colourful flowers bloomed and swayed. grey fog dissipated in the air every time she blew out the smoke. one of the farmers caught her attention and they exchanged warm smiles. she doodled on her little notebook boringly then began to flip the pages, stopping at a particular page with her wishes.
she traced her fingers down the page. "he really helped me finish off three of my wishes." she croaked softly. she ticked off the ones she managed to complete. "festival and christmas.." she whispered. staring at the other wish, she absurdly snorted, "stop smoking? that's crazy but i'll try."
thud..
thud..
thud..
she looked up from her books to see an unknown man, who looked around her age, jog up towards her boyfriend's house. both of them shared eye contact for a moment until the guy looked away. instead of going through the front door, he went to the backyard. y/n watched with suspicion. she didn't remember seeing anyone looking like him here. after 10 minutes or so, he emerged from the yard. the male glanced her away once more before continuing his jog.
a shudder went down the girl's spine when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. she turned to face her boyfriend who was cackling loudly at her reaction. y/n huffed, smacking his arm.
"kai! bruh, you scared me."
"you looked too funny."
"how long were you standing behind me?"
"a while ago while you were busy staring at taehyun." kai answered, slipping into the spot right beside y/n. y/n scooted closer.
"taehyun?" she repeated.
"yeah. he's the son of the builder. he usually visits my house to provide tools that my father needs. we're not that close though despite being the same age." he responded. y/n returned her gaze at taehyun's figure who slowly disappeared from her sight. "i never really saw him around."
"he's a homebody."
"ah.. i see."
kai nudged his girl, smiling teasingly. "why are you so interested in him? think he's cute?"
"... what?" caught off guard, y/n faced kai. "no! i was just curious. you're the cutie i'm interested in, dumbo."
kai's grin grew when he heard that. he pretended he didn't hear and masked the goofy smile with a confused expression. he leaned closer. "say that again. i didn't quite hear you."
"you heard me. i'm not repeating that!"
"i really didn't hear it!" he pouted and pushed his face closer. y/n pushed his head away, causing the latter to get even sadder. "so mean."
y/n didn't respond. she cupped her head. "why don't you befriend him?" she turned her head to look at her guy. kai pursed his lips, "i would but he looks at me like he wants to fight me. he's awfully quiet too and just nods and replies to me with short answers."
"so he's not much of a talker." y/n hummed. "or you just suck at befriending people."
"hey!" kai shrieked. "just so you know, i'm good at befriending people. i befriended you."
"and now we are more than friends." y/n added. kai nodded and chirped, "you're my lover and best friend."
the former felt herself blush. she shifted around in her seat and looked away from his watchful eyes. simultaneously, her notebook and pack of cigarettes fell from her lap. it immediately caught the male's attention, especially the box with nicotine. y/n retrieved the items, tucking them at the other empty spot beside her.
"you know.." kai uttered. "i have been thinking of this lately."
"of what?"
casually, her boyfriend grasped her wrists and pulled her to face him entirely. y/n felt herself grow shy under his gaze.
"every time you feel like smoking, you should kiss me."
y/n's eyes widened slightly at his suggestion, surprised. she could feel her heart fluttering in her chest, a mixture of nerves and affection swirling within her. "kiss you instead of smoking?" she repeated, her voice soft, almost incredulous.
kai nodded, his gaze unwavering as he reached up to gently brush a stray lock of hair from her face. "yeah," he confirmed, his thumb tracing a delicate pattern along her cheekbone. "i know it's not easy, but i want to help you quit. and i wanna kiss you a lot too. if you're okay with that..." he trailed off, laughing awkwardly after that.
"silly." y/n laughed. "if you just wanted to kiss me, you should've just told me that long ago." warmth spread through her as she smiled at him. "you're really something, kai," she murmured, leaning in to press a soft, tender kiss against his lips that sent sparks dancing across her skin. y/n melted into the embrace, her heart soaring.
as they pulled away, a gentle smile graced kai's lips, his eyes soft with affection. "whenever you need me, i'll be here," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur.
