radiance | baekhyun

52

09:07.

long road ahead.

roma knew that.

hours to take in, the scenery, the rushing cars, the sky hanging low across the bright horizon.

morning.

she regretted to admit that she hadn't been up this early in the day for a while. that was summer for you. this summer seemed to last an eternity. could tell baekhyun was tired, too, because of the sagging lines beneath his eyes and the repetitive nature of his yawns.

he strained himself to stay awake. to drive them both away from the city. back home.

home.

the word seemed foreign, regardless of its implications of comfort and familiarity.

life ahead, as well. that's what the motorway represented; a new chapter, perhaps. or, maybe, a different way of viewing the future and her surroundings. another outlook to have on what was going on.

roma rested her head heavily against the car window, slightly open ajar. eyelashes fluttering in time to the gushing breeze. the earth was warm today, displaying hues of gold and amber and flaxen. yellowish reflections. sapphire eyes followed the sprinkles of sunlight that glittered across the black tarmac and the metal roofs of the speeding vehicles.

she saw the sign for the city of monaco, indicating how many miles away they were.

removed her head from where it sat in her palm, and glanced longingly over at baekhyun. his hands were placed on the wheel, eyes trained hard ahead, as if he were on a mission. planned action. hair fell across his forehead, still slightly damp from the shower, his tanned skin beautiful against the white shirt on his arms.

noticed her staring.

he flashed her a small and deeply reassuring smile. radiant. lifted his hand off the wheel to squeeze her thigh, to further reiterate his promises and meaning.

roma wondered if he even knew how much those little shows of affection and appreciation meant. whether he know how much her heart fluttered or how, she could be nervous or scared, and then his touch would dissipate all the negative feelings. forever.

"i haven't told them we're on our way," he spoke deeply, the heated gesture of his hand returning back to safely steer the car.

roma straightened her posture, the exhaustion she still sensed making it difficult for her back to straighten itself. she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get her head around and to process the utterances that had quietly but profoundly slipped through his lips.

"what do you mean? you haven't told them?" she replied in an equally soft and quiet tone. apprehensive, but also attempting to comprehend.

baekhyun coughed lightly.

"as in, they don't know we're coming," he said, in a way that was trying to dissect what he'd said, but didn't really. their eyes made sudden contact. "i figured it would be easier to just turn up and see if they're still there."

roma remained speechless.

"but wouldn't it be better to have let them know?"

she suddenly became anxious, mind flooding with images of jongdae's sharp, judgemental expression and sehun's darting eyes that analysed every movement and emotion within the expanse of the room. always dark. roma couldn't help but think that they both held something against her.

"it doesn't matter, honestly," he shrugged off the question, and roma was confused by this. it must have mattered.

it weirdly mattered to her.