★ | #50 | bus
"come here, you dummy."

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ nicole's radio station
is now playing...

not a lot, just forever • adrianne lenker
"through your eyes i see, a smile you bring to me."

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FRIDAY morning came around, days passing by with a growing familiarity settled deep within. Acceptance for the constant flutter in her heart, and growing habits of handholding and cheek kisses.

Haewon had been drowned in school, and working at the café to save up money to put towards her future, of which she hoped would be spent in a decent college.

Now, having taken time off, she carried a backpack filled with essentials she would need, though not excessive. The girl stood in line to get on the bus, unsure of where exactly Lee Heeseung was.

Perhaps he was ahead of her in the line, hidden amongst the other twelfth and eleventh graders. Or, behind her. Maybe he was already on the bus?

As she moved closer in line, lips pursed as she held onto the straps of her rather heavy backpack — filled to the brim with changes of clothes and such, a tap on her shoulder snapped her out of her morning daze.

Haewon turned her head, her eyes softening as a smile spread across her lips, meeting the gaze of the one she wished to see the most.

“I was looking for you. There's so many people waiting here right now, I couldn't find you right away.” Heeseung breathed out with a small laugh, taking his place beside her.

“Mm, yeah. Teachers are making sure everyone here actually got approved to go on the trip.” Haewon explained quietly, as he hummed and nodded.

“I see that.” He chuckled, patting her back before retracting his arms away, folding them over his chest. “You look tired.” He commented, a brow raising as his words came out in a mumble.

“Yeah, a bit.” Haewon smiled sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders as she turned her head to focus ahead of them — as the line progressed further.

“I was having a crisis last night. I didn't exactly know what to pack, but I eventually figured it out. Just not at an ideal hour.” The girl confessed briefly, as he smiled gently and shook his head.

“Ah, I see.” He uttered, clicking his tongue quietly. “Well, maybe you can get some rest on the bus ride.” He suggested, tilting his head. “How long of a ride is it, anyway?”

“About six and a half hours, I believe.” She replied. “So, yeah, I think I may be able to sleep a bit. I don't know how well, though. I'm not necessarily good at falling asleep with motion.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Heeseung shrugged, his hand reaching out to rest on her lower back as he beckoned his head forward, pointing out the moving line as she hummed and allowed him to guide her further.

“I guess so.” Haewon sighed out, finding herself subconsciously leaning into his side.

“Let's sit together on the bus.” Heeseung said, shifting to wrap an arm around her properly, holding her up.

“That was my original plan. I just didn't know where you were, so it was a bit troubling.” The girl responded, a small smile on her lips.

“Well, I'm here now, at least.” Heeseung hummed, fingertips tapping rhythmically against her waist. “And Jay, Jake and Sunghoon are somewhere here as well.”

“Oh, really? They're coming too?” Haewon asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked curiously up at him.

The boy nodded, a smile spread across his features as he tilted his chin downwards to meet her gaze. “Mhm. I talked with them about it yesterday. They're all pretty excited.” He voiced out, soft laughter bubbling in his throat.

“That's cool. I had no idea they were coming, even though they're in the correct age group. It just kind of slipped from my mind.” Haewon let out, shrugging.

“I don't blame you. You've been dealing with a lot, haven't you? With work and school, I mean.” He pointed out, as she nodded slowly.

“Mm, yeah, I guess. But it's worth it in the end. I realized now that I wanna ensure my future will be stable. So, I asked my manager for another shift so I can save up more money.” Haewon voiced out, as the boy raised a brow.

“Your future will be just fine. You don't have to work yourself to the point of exhaustion, okay? Make sure you're allowing yourself the proper time to rest, Haewon. I mean it.” Heeseung warned, narrowing his eyes.

“I know. I promise, I won't. I'm not exhausted, just a little bit tired. But it's fine because I still have days off, which allows me to focus on other things and rest as needed.” She dismissed, progressing further down the line of students — some unfamiliar and familiar.

“Whatever you say. I trust you enough to the point that you know how to take care of yourself.” He sighed out, pursing his lips as she nodded.

“Thank you, thank you.” Haewon smiled lightly, shifting to stand upright instead of leaning into him, as it neared their turn to show their paper to the staff just up ahead.

It wasn't long before they were directed to a bus, entering the already crowded vehicle quietly and finding a seat towards the back, in an empty row.

Heeseung allowed the girl to settle into the seat comfortably by the window, as he took the aisle for now, in hopes nobody would choose to sit on the middle seat.

After a longer, awaited time, the bus began to move — taking off and leaving school grounds as they finally got onto the road, beginning the long drive.

Once ensuring that everyone was settled into their own seats, Heeseung moved his bag off of the middle seat that separated him and the girl, instead setting it in the aisle seat as he scooted closer to her.

“How long have you been waiting to do that?” Haewon chuckled, raising a brow as a winsome smile took place across his face.

“Does it matter?” Heeseung huffed, rolling his eyes playfully. He pulled his headphones up, over his ears as he plugged them into his sony walkman.

“You can try to sleep now, if you want.” Heeseung pointed out, as she hummed, pressing her lips into a thin line.

“Ahh, right. I'll try my best. Don't know how successful I'll be, though.” Haewon sighed out, shifting to lean her head up against the window.

Heeseung stifled a laugh, snickering as he raised his hand to clasp over his mouth. Haewon raised a brow, shooting him an annoyed yet intrigued look.

“What's so funny?” She scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

Heeseung huffed, rolling his eyes as his head reached out, cupping the side of her head and guiding it to his shoulder, where she could rest more comfortably.

“Come here, you dummy.” He cooed, as she scrunched her nose up slightly.

“You're really annoying sometimes.” Haewon breathed out, shifting closer to him as he hummed quietly in return, as she readjusted her head more comfortably on his shoulder. “But thank you.”

“Mhm, of course. Now, go to sleep. I'll wake you if anything fun happens.” Heeseung promised, patting her thigh gently as she grabbed hold of his hand, slipping her hand in his to rest in her lap.

“Mhm, sweet dreams.” Haewon uttered jokingly, her eyes shifting to glance at their hands, which rested in her lap. Shortly after, her eyes fluttered shut, seeking rest after a restless night.

Finding herself able to drift off to sleep with the comfort of his presence at her side, and the familiar scent that filled her senses with each breath she took, time flew by in a breeze, much like the scenery they drove by.

Heeseung made sure to stay as still as he could on the rather bumpy ride, not wanting to disturb her peace as she held his hand in her slumber.

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★﹐authors corner ．﹗﹑ 1.3k words.
new arc new arc new arc new arc new arc !!!

guys the more i think about it the more this fic is coming to an end what. things have moved so fast ??! need to slow down fr

i mean, i still have a LOT to cover so it won't be ending that soon, but still crazy to even think about 😭

anyway, i'm so sleep deprived oh my goodness. i haven't slept this whole night bro 😦‼️ crazy

pulled an all nighter with my good friend nabi !!

which, by the way, please go support her as she is starting out on a brand new story! xxursolovelyxx <3

ALSO i apologize if there are any spelling errors. as mentioned before, i am sleep deprived and not at all going over anything as much as i should be 😭

thank you all so much for reading. i'll actually call it quits for now and take a break from writing until later today 🙏 i believe three chapters in one night is enough ahha

i love you all endlessly <3
july 21st, 2024 — 5:34am.
not proofread.