true love

our fingers were intertwined as i paid for our tickets, the bright lights flashing off of your features. you smiled, lips pink and eyes wide as you marvelled at the fishes surrounding us, their nearly fluorescent colours catching your attention. your cheeks glowed, causing me to suppress a smile. i lifted our joined hands to place the wristband on you, watching you bite your lip in anticipation.

my hand gently brushed the underside of your wrist, and i felt a shiver course through you when my fingers moved over your veins, the delicate skin tickled by my fingertips.

we had come to an aquarium, thinking about how amazing it is that we could see all these colours when nearly three quarters of the world couldn't. you had compared me to an angelfish, with the way they move gracefully through the water.

i told you that you were my angelfish. you would protect me, like an angel. and i would protect you.

we strolled through the section dedicated to tropical fish, their brightly coloured scales reflecting off of the glass they were encased in.

i remember not paying attention to the fish, but to you as you gazed at them in awe, your mouth slightly agape.

i watched your eyes wander from tank to tank, from fish to fish. the pupils of your eyes had dilated, taking in everything surrounding us. finally, your eyes connected with mine, brown against brown, a smile blooming onto your lips. i felt my heart suddenly lurch at this, face gaining a soft blush.

you were never one to wear much makeup, but today you had some mascara and eyeliner on, nicely accentuating your almond shaped eyes. you had told me to wait a moment, before you fished through your pockets and pulled out your phone, smiling at the screen which held a selca of us, my soft pink lips against your equally flushed cheek.

today, you were sporting a pair of loose faded blue jeans, the bottom rolled up to just above your ankles, tears near your knees. your top was a grey t-shirt, with a red and black flannel to cover your shoulders. you were wearing white converse, the same ones i had gifted you a few months ago.

your brown hair was curled and left loose around your shoulders, and to place it simply, you looked gorgeous. lifting your phone, you yanked my arm so we were standing near the sign to the aquarium, wrapping your arm around my shoulders, pressing our cheeks together and smiling giddily. you snapped a quick selca, but took another one when i childishly protested against it - my eyes were closed.

once again, our hands had found each other, our fingers intertwining as soon as they met. i felt different today. happy - way too happy. elated, even. i pointed out different whales and dolphins to you, catching you staring at me more often than not, and catching myself sneaking glances at you more than i'd like to admit.

as we passed the crustaceans, you had raced ahead, turning to walk backwards while speaking to me. "jungkook," you started, teeth fumbling with your bottom lip, "i feel weird." your dark eyebrows knitted themselves, teeth chewing on your lips tentatively.

instantly, my protective side came into play as i tugged you towards me, encircling your shoulders with my arms. "what's wrong? are you feeling sick? should we head home? it's fine if we need to go, i can probably get a refu-"

"no, jungkook," you giggled gently, pushing me away slightly as you looked up at me with large eyes. "it's like a weird feeling in my heart."

my jaw fell open, surprise washing over my being as i spluttered out a "i know, right!" in response to you. "i've been feeling it since like half an hour ago. do you think it's something we ate?"

rather oblivious, i began to ramble about our meals yesterday and how nothing should have messed with our stomachs, your stomach being the strongest between us. "but it's a weird feeling in the heart, right? so it can't be what we a-"

"oh my god, jungkook."

i stared at you puzzled for a moment. "you okay, sooyeon?"

"freaking hell, jungkook. i swear to the lord above, it's not what we ate."

bewildered pools making contact once more, a hand raised to your mouth as the people around us hustled and bustled their way around the busy aquarium.

"if i'm not mistaken - and i rarely am - then by god jeon jungkook, i think i'm in love with you."

and as the words spilled from your lips, i found that the colours sharpened, my vision cleared, and the vibrance of the moment bled through, leaving me muttering the same words in return.

"i think i'm in love with you, too."

the sudden realization had us both by shock, but what really surprised me was when you bounded towards me, throwing your body at mine.

i had held you, your legs wrapped around my waist and head buried in my shoulder, inhaling my cologne.

and at that moment, when we basked in each other's warmth, i found myself glowing a little brighter, a little bolder, than before.