digital heart | minsung | ✔

30

After a lot of teasing, bags and suitcases, and stress, Saturday has finally rolled by.

Even though it isn't midnight yet, I'm already online. I find myself on a bench on the familiar plaza of Nox, my cloak snugly wrapped around me. Now that the sun is absent, it's rather chilly outside and it only took a minute for the chills to run down my spine.

The only body part poking out is my hand, that I use to scroll through my inventory frantically. I don't specifically know what I'm hoping to find there between all the pointless items, but maybe there's some long-forgotten clothing item or random accessories to freshen up my appearance a little bit because I want to look remotely decent for our date.

Even after ten minutes of searching, I find nothing and I close the menu with a huff. Maybe I should just leave it like this. I mean, he did mention that he likes the way I look. So I just settle with hastily raking my hands through my hair in order to fix it a little, a gesture I'm repeating for the umpteenth time already.

Though you can't see the time anywhere online, I know it's getting closer and closer to midnight. The idea that Lino can appear any moment makes my heart significantly beat faster. Not only because I haven't seen him in a week but also because I'm curious to find out what he has in mind for tonight. Midnight is an interesting time of the day and honestly, a fairly unusual time to meet up, which only makes me wonder more and more why he wanted to meet up with me.

Minutes go by tauntingly slow and I rest my chin on my hands as I stare into the distance lazily, wondering what will show up sooner; Lino or the end of my not-so-copious patience. My legs wiggle impatiently and I heave out a sigh. Sitting still and doing nothing has never been something I'm good at and I might regret going online so early.

I'm about to give in to the self-pity when a small burst of light appears, accompanied by a whirlwind of tiny particles that shimmer in the dark streets. My heart jumps in my chest as I look at the sea of light in anticipation, smiling when surely, Lino's figure appears.

He looks ethereal, surrounded by the light that slowly disappears into the night sky. But even then, the pale moonlight still casts a soft and otherworldly light on his features, making his soft smile even more beautiful than it already is. Everything about him seems to shimmer, from his raven-black hair to the gems adorning his fingers, the small dent between his collarbone and his ears. It's his eyes that leave me breathless for a moment, as they seem to carry more light than all the stars above.

"Cat got your tongue?" 

Lino's words snap me back to reality and I blink a few times. "Nah, just admiring the way you look," I quickly reply, attempting to hide the fact how much his appearance affects me. I already know he's freaking gorgeous, there's no need for me to freak out every time I see him.

And let's be fair, what I said is the plain truth.

"Thank you," the raven-haired chuckles, his eyes quickly skimming over me before meeting mine again. "You look amazing as well, but I knew that ever since we met."

"You're such a big flirt," I scoff, looking away to hide the smile that ghosts over my face.

"You love it," Lino counters, his tone giving away that he's smiling as much as I am. 

"Yeah, I do," I reply without hesitation, keeping my eyes on the pavement to avoid looking at him.

The other just chuckles softly and a short silence follows, in which we both appreciate the fact that we're together again. I really feel the urge to hug him, or maybe even to kiss him again, but I have no idea what Lino's plan is so I wait for him to speak up again, a little impatient.