radiance | baekhyun

37

12:18.

the water splashed across her back and body, the broken tap doing its best to suffice for a much-needed shower. her skin had felt dirty and hot, and the cold temperature was welcomed readily, relaxing her weary and fatigued joints. it soothed her aching limbs and stiff muscles, sputtering noisily against the bath.

her entirety almost succumbed to her exhaustion, but she knew she had no time to sleep now. an odd exhilaration passed through her, seeping through her body, reaching the ends of her fingers; practically visible. something bright against the blank walls.

she brought her hand up to the water falling down; her fingers parted the aqua stream, her similarly blue eyes observing thoughtfully. roma put her hand down to her side.

his shining face and glowing features was all she saw. roma smiled.

she wanted to know where baekhyun and her were going. didn't care why or how, or about the fact that she would have to drop everything and leave it all behind again. she was excited; wanted to go. adventure into the world.

of course, she wasn't thinking clearly. of course she wasn't. but it felt right, and after the past week of worrying and being unhappy, the promise of yet another exploration seemed anything but a burden.

roma wrapped her arms around her body. the shower didn't even have a curtain, and she was conscious of her bare entirety, glancing behind her exposed shoulder. her dark hair cascaded down her back, sticking to her.

she turned the tap off. the water ceased.

her dirty clothes were strewn across the floor from her rush to get into the shower. not wanting to add to the mess, after wrapping a towel around herself, she picked them up, folding them neatly but pushing them to the corner. she wasn't sure where to put them exactly.

she felt a bit like a stranger, in their house.

the bathroom was small and constrained, various other clothes and items thrown across the floor. she noticed a few worn-out toothbrushes scattered across the sink, as well as a large crack down the steamed-up mirror above it. roma's face was distorted in her reflection, the line splitting her face into a million pieces.

roma gulped down the lump in her throat.

with the towel firmly in her grip, roma braved the corridor, running towards the nearest bedroom. feet padded softly across the groaning floorboards, and her wet hair dripped across the floor. hoped to god that no-one else would walk past her.

the sunlight over-powered the room.

someone had opened the shutters, monaco appearing before her in all its radiant glory, the light spilling in brightly, the sun illuminating the occupied bed and the known, sleeping figure reposed upon it. mia was asleep, body heaving up and down slowly, still in the same clothes, too, her hair a messy array around her head. her bare legs were bent, her laden breathing evident against the echoing silence.

roma felt calm, that she was here. a familiar face amongst all of the misunderstanding. the annoyance of her being here, in the way, was forgotten.

perhaps she must have made quite a noise entering the room, because mia's head perked up out of surprise, sleepy eyes filled with questions and wonder. it took her a few seconds of recognition, eyes darting and lips frowning, but she lay back down, after seeing that it was only roma. roma still clutched her towel to her frame.

"mia, it's just me," she said, her voice a whisper.

it took her a few minutes to fully wake herself up. mia struggled with getting up, pushing her body weight upwards, removing the hair that had fallen over her face.