BEOMGYU | ARTLESS.

fifty-four

2:53AM

after the group's mini end-of-trip celebration, the youngsters fell fast asleep after cleaning up the cabin lobby.

both yeonjun and soobin were found sprawled and passed out in their shared room due to the amount of champagne as they drank that night.

however that night, both sejin and beomgyu were unable to sleep.

sejin was helplessly squished between chenle and hueningkai, leaving little to no space for her to sleep at all.

similarly, beomgyu was left squished at the edge of his bed as seri and taehyun cuddled in a deep sleep.

before beomgyu could scoot for more space, taehyun unconsciously rolled towards beomgyu's side of the bed, causing the poor boy to fall on the floor.

huffing out in annoyance, beomgyu pulled his sweater over his shivering body as he made his way out to the cabin lobby.

only to find sejin sitting on the sofa with her bundled up blankets.

"can't sleep?" beomgyu asked softly before sitting on the sofa as well.

"hueningkai and chenle were suffocating me," sejin sighed causing beomgyu to laugh.

the pair sat in front of the fireplace, the comfortable silence embracing the quietness of the night.

"hey sejin?"

"hm?"

"what did areum do to you?" beomgyu asked as he took her cold hands into his warm ones.

sejin let out a heavy, contemplating whether it was the right time to tell beomgyu.

however, when she looked into his warm, brown orbs, sejin felt safe.

she didn't feel scared, only reassured with his presence there.

"areum and i used to be best friends until i found out she only befriended me just to use me for her projects and assignments.

i didn't make much friends in school because my parents always told me that friendships were a waste of time.

i fought against my parents when they found out about my friendship with areum, i fought for her. thankfully my parents had a change of heart.

one day i confessed to her i found you, choi beomgyu. i wanted to so badly approach you-"

"so you did have a crush on me!" beomgyu beamed but was only flicked on the forehead by sejin.

"don't get too ahead of yourself choi," sejin huffed out before covering herself underneath the blankets.

"alright, alright. please continue?" beomgyu pouted as he gently uncovered her.

sejin smiled slightly before scooting closer to beomgyu, laying her head on his shoulder as she continued talking.

"but she took her chance upon you. that's when you guys started dating. i found out when chenle and i got ice cream at Blue Orangeade before our project.

that day, areum confessed that she was only using me and wanted to deliberately hurt me so she could finally get rid of me from her life.

she hurt me that day, physically and emotionally.

chenle found me crying at the Boy With Dreams Café and that's how i found my first friend.

because of areum, i always wondered whether if i was beautiful like her, if i could be like her.

i'm really sorry if i lack many things. i may appear strong but i'm still healing,"

beomgyu sighed sadly before lifting her chin up softly to face her.

"sejin, i want you to be you. areum is my past and i want nothing to do with her anymore.

you're my present and hopefully, you'll be my future sejin."

before sejin could respond, beomgyu had already pressed their lips together.

warmth. that's all sejin felt besides the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

a rush of euphoria ran through her veins as she kissed the boy back, smiling in between as beomgyu caressed her cheeks.

"you're beautiful, sejin. inside and out," beomgyu mumbled between their kiss causing sejin's eyes to water.

beomgyu gently encircled his arms around sejin's waist as she sat straddled on his lap, giggling as the blanket covered their clothed bodies.

"i think i'm falling in love with you, beomgyu," sejin whispered into his ear as beomgyu kissed her flushed cheeks.

beomgyu tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as he gazed into her eyes.

"i think i'm falling in love with you too, sejin,"

"promise me we'll take things one day at a time?" sejin pressed her forehead against his.

beomgyu took her smaller hand, intertwining their pinkies together before kissing her hand.

"i'd do anything for you cha sejin. this time, i'll do everything i can just to see your beautiful smile everyday.

and one day when you're ready, i'll tell you how much i love you,"

sejin smiles softly, nodding in agreement before reattaching beomgyu's lips with hers.

"what are we, sejin?" beomgyu asks after the thought came to his mind.

"we're beomgyu and sejin. we're us; we're friends, enemies, lovers, strangers. anything you want us to be, we'll be,"

"most importantly, you'll be my future wife," beomgyu winked teasingly as sejin kissed his nose.

"and mutually, you'll be my future husband. for now, i just want us to be us. no labels, just beomgyu and sejin," sejin whispered as she traced beomgyu's features.

"anything for you sejin,"

that night, the pair didn't make love.

instead, they felt love.

although he didn't confess it to sejin yet, beomgyu wasn't falling in love with her.

in fact, he was already in love with her.

he was just waiting for sejin to tell him that she did too; only when she's ready, that's the time he'll tell her.

just like beomgyu, sejin was waiting for the day she was no longer scared to love.

she wanted to tell him she loves him right there and then, but she wasn't ready to say the l-word.

so for now, sejin and beomgyu decided to embrace their love instead of rush into it.

they'd prove their love to each other in many different ways before they were ready to admit it.

they'd take it one day at a time.