seaside

XXII

"i can't believe
there's school tomorrow,"
Tazannah says.
it's a soft
whisper- like all those
in their shared summer
nights
of love.

and Hangyul
hums
in response, pulling
Tazannah closer. and
he still
can't believe
that she's his-
or more like he's hers,
considering how
whipped
he is
for his lover.

he laughs against
her skin. "what do you
think
our schoolmates
would
say if
they saw me and
you together?
'couple-of-
the-year-2k19', do
you think?" and Tazannah's
worries when he first
asked
the
question fades
away and she lets
her lips
slip into a smile too.

yeah, i hope so-
is what she thinks but
her mouth
stays shut.
and she
nudges him playfully,
"hey, stop being so cocky-
don't think you're off
my father's
hook
even
after you've charmed
my mom."
and he
grins
cheekily at her-
and that
image of him
in his
pure nature is
so much more different
from what
she had
imagined
him to be when they
first
crossed paths.

it's his ethereal
smile and beauty and
the slight
crinkle of
his nose and the laugh
erupting from his
cherry lips
that makes her feel
even more in love.

and perhaps,
she's
grateful
for that first little
encounter- despite the
circumstances
that
led her there.