1.1 | constellations of you and me ✓

14 | piscis austrinus

SHE LIKES WHEN HE SMILES. Likes the pretty tilt of his lips, the glimmer in his eyes, and even the scarlet watercolors painted on cheekbones that grow strangely familiar to her during the next month. She likes when he holds her hand, too (he always draws patterns on the backs of her palms), and even when he toys with her tangled curls. But Eloise is learning—slowly, yes, but each day is a new journey.

There are a lot of things about her boyfriend she's discovered so far: he likes his coffee black (occasionally with a splash of milk and cream), is a sucker for traditional Korean stews around midnight, and likes driving with one hand on the wheel under lavender sunsets. On Saturday mornings, he's usually busy helping his mother buy groceries for the upcoming week, and then afterwards prefers to waste lazy afternoons away at her apartment. He wears a lot of black despite the hot weather and still doesn't really enjoy chocolate, much to her disapproval.

He's the type of person to bend down and pet every dog he sees in the street, or pay for a random kid's ice cream shop in their favorite creamery. And Jonah Kim is so beautiful to look at that it hurts, like swimming in the ocean when it rains or slow dancing on a low rooftop. She's starting to care about him—really care about him (not that she didn't before), and it's all so damn new that Eloise, quite frankly, can get a little lost in her own head sometimes.

Like right now.

***

"I don't think it's a good idea to go grocery shopping when I'm hungry." Jonah sends her a gentle pout as they linger in the produce section, a hint of dark hair peeking out from underneath a thick headband. It looks ridiculously good on him as the black fabric reveals his forehead, tan skin glowing and dewy from the aftermath of evening practice. It's something that most guys wouldn't be able to pull off even in their dreams, but he doesn't seem to care what other people think about him.

She doesn't know how he does it.

Eloise rolls her eyes playfully at his comment, fingers dragging on a fresh basket of strawberries before pulling them into the cart. "Oh, come on," she mutters, eyes flashing. "We'll eat soon, okay?"

"Can you feed me?"

He yelps as she smacks his shoulder, cheeks blooming a subtle shade of pink. "Kidding," he mumbles, and his voice makes the hairs on the nape of her neck raise a bit as the low tone crashes over her like a sensual wave.

She hides the rapid pace of her heartbeat as he approaches closer to her, eyebrows scrunched together adorably as he skims over the fruits. "Don't be like that," Eloise nearly whispers, looking around to see if the people around them heard. She's not one for public displays of affection, but once he gets in the mood, there really isn't anything stopping him.

Jonah wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her close, the tip of his nose running up the shell of her ear delicately as he breathes out a laugh. His breath smells like a combination of mint and sugar as her restraint nearly resolves (he knows it, too) and before Eloise grows fully aware, she's leaning into the warmth of his lean body. Clad in grey sweatpants and a thin black shirt, he looks like deviled temptation and honeyed sin and she can't get enough.

He presses a kiss to the soft spot between the juncture of her neck and shoulder, fingers resting in the curve of her waist to keep her in place. "Don't be like what?" It's a harmful teasing, really, but Eloise does her best to keep a poker face.

Tries, and fails miserably.

"Cute," she stutters out quietly after a pause. "Stop being cute."

Her boyfriend frowns and pulls back a little to observe her face, then smiles a crooked grin before adjusting the cloth on his head and collecting a jar of peanut butter. "Can't help it," Jonah murmurs, obsidian eyes mischievous. "I like you when you're flustered."