21:22.

"tell me all about yourself."

deep purple had settled thickly upon the horizon, the luminescent glow of violet outlining the lessening orange tint of the departing sun. the two of them sat opposite one another; both their bare legs apart and barely touching, but enough for her heart to race against her ribcage. flashing amber and yellow city lights dotted the town, a gentle, warm breeze comfortably fluttering past her small dress.

both of them wore lazy smiles, even roma, the rich taste of alcohol scorching her throat and warming her insides. dark strands of hair fluttered across her face. baekhyun's hand ran through his own, the messy array of his hair rustling with the frequent gusts of midnight wind. roma couldn't help but notice how handsome baekhyun was, basking in the reddish evening glow. lips turned up at the corners in that familiar fashion.

the necklace, hung around her neck, drifted with the wind.

"there's not much to tell," she admitted, turning her gaze sideways.

between them, a bottle of red wine had been placed in the centre of their legs, as well as an ashtray. baekhyun had just picked it up, taking a large swig as his eyes never left roma's, a drunken smirk forming on his lips. his tongue wetted his lower-lip, as he placed the wine bottle back down, not before offering her some.

"roma," he chuckled lowly, the rumble of laughter only making her blush further. "come on, tell me everything. i wanna know about you."

he was leaning forward, chuckling, winking.

roma was drunk, too, maybe. or, at least, she'd drank too much to form any sort of thought that made any sense. she laughed loudly but sweetly, the noise in juxtaposition to the isolation of the balcony ledge.

"you tell me," she sighed, leaning forward, too. "about yourself. you're more interesting, i bet."

baekhyun didn't flinch, simply continued to grin.

"i'm boring, i promise."

roma just smiled.

lapse of comfortable silence.

"go on then, ask me something," he tried, a devilish smirk turning up the corners of his mouth. maybe he was flirting.

roma hesitated, pondering, put on the spot. caught off-guard by his sparkling features.

she knew what she really wanted to ask him, but she gulped back the thought, focusing on something other than the events of the last week;

tried to turn her attention to asking him about his favourite colour or what he liked to do in his free time. anything. tried to ignore the dashing lights that appeared to dance across his facial features.

"okay," she started, edging slightly nearer, her throat dry, "what do you do?"

he let out a breathy laugh.

"you mean, like, do i have a job?"

she nodded, "yeah."

"um, no, not really."

roma felt a momentary heat of embarrassment; her being unsure of what to do or say next. wishing she'd asked something more intellectual, more interesting, anything.

"that's a boring question. ask me something else," baekhyun smirked, saving the situation.

"um, okay, what's your favourite colour?"

baekhyun burst into laughter. the beautiful sound pierced the thick atmosphere of music and pink light, ringing out against the isolated view of their balcony.

"bloody hell, roma," he chuckled, and the way her name spilt from his mouth in a lazy and casual manner made her stomach turn and her heart beat.

"i'll ask you a question, okay," he continued to laugh, and roma was so intoxicated by their proximity and his scent and just everything that she mirrored his gestures, bursting into fits of light, inebriated laughter.

"okay," she smiled, still containing her giggles.

he was staring.

"do you like kai?"

the question took her aback, her posture immediately straightening up.

"what do you mean?"

she was trying to suppress her drunken laughter, wondering if baekhyun was being serious or not. dark eyes met her gaze, his previous reposed state vanished, replaced by a solemn quirk to his mouth.

"yeah, he s-seems sweet," roma enunciated, unsurely. stuttering.

baekhyun looked unmoving, seemingly unaffected. little did roma know.

"thought you said he was cute."

the depth of his eyes increased; cocking his head, analysing her.

"i guess," she spoke unsurely, "i haven't really spoken to him properly, though."

"seems like you were speaking earlier."

roma looked up, shocked, confused as to why baekhyun would even notice something like that. it wasn't as if they were together, or anything. she'd only asked kai about his writing. that was all. why did baekhyun care?

roma blushed at the thought, and then bowed her head at the serious look wiped upon his face, the smirk he wore turning up his lips at the corners. he knew the effect he was having on her.

"baekhyun," she let out, breaths heavy.

a dark exchange passed between them, baekhyun almost glaring, narrowing in on her delicate and fragile gaze. soft breeze fluttered the ends of his shirt; rustled the caramel locks of his hair; lit up the fire dancing in his irises. she took a deep breath, inhaling the city scent of car engines and fireworks. attempts to calm her flustered state.

"we only spoke, baekhyun, it was nothing," she promised, and she didn't know why she had to reassure that to him; why it made any difference. "i don't like him like that."

the last statement felt embarrassing to say out loud, as if maybe kai would hear. even though he'd gone out an hour or so ago.

baekhyun's stiff shoulders and posture relaxed slightly upon hearing her utter those words.

"okay," baekhyun said, his speech and tone less intimidating. he didn't know why the whole ordeal bothered him so much. it shouldn't--but then, he knew that.

silence, again, and roma spoke without thinking. not for the first time.

"so, do you have a girlfriend?"

it was baekhyun's turn to look taken aback, although his expression only widened into one of further amusement.

stupid girl.

he was laughing gently, throwing his head back. roma didn't know why he found it funny.

"no, love, i don't," he managed between chuckles, the look on his face only rendering her cheeks a glowing pink, a shade that she prayed wasn't visible in the dim light that shadowed over the balcony.

"you're so--" baekhyun began, lifting his chin up, then dropping it once the smile he wore vanished his statement.

"so what?" she whispered. barely audible against the shimmering sounds of the city.

he shook his head, something indescribable crossing his sparkling eyes.

"nothing," he replied. his head shook from side to side, lips curling into a familiar grin once again.

with the dim light casting a golden glow of shadow upon the concrete of the balcony, illuminating the pale material of their clothes, baekhyun's prominent muscles stood out against the darkening aura, blue veins visible and protruding.

she found it dumbfounding; how someone could possibly look so attractive, with only the light of the moon shadowing across his stunning features. each curve, perfected, his bronzed, sun-kissed skin positively glowing in the haze of the setting sun.

roma knew that, if it hadn't have been for the fair amount of alcohol she had consumed, her heart would be racing ten times faster, and her breaths would be uneven and her lips would quiver at the slightest action on his part. she would be even more of a stammering mess than she already was.

baekhyun was leaning back, arms resting, sitting himself up. he blew out a breath of hot air.

roma fidgeted; noted how baekhyun emptied the wine bottle, necking back the last few sips, her eyes trained on his simple, natural actions.

"you're here for a gap year, right?"

he broke the silence, dark eyes observing her again.

"not really. more like i'm just here for the summer," she muttered in response, managing a small smile. "same for you?"

she hoped for a change of subject.

"yeah, something like that," he spoke under his breath. his finger trailed a pattern of light across the balcony floor.

"i just had to get away from home, you know."

roma listened closer, edging further towards him. she didn't seem to be affected by the fact that she may have been prying too far into his personal life.

"really. how come?"

"just nothing there for me. i wasn't doing anything, just wasting my time with working in and out of jobs and selling."

roma nodded, unsure of what to say, but wanting him to continue speaking if only to hear his soothing tone again.

"now i do the same thing, just somewhere more exotic," he laughed, his hair fluttering in the breeze.

roma laughed nervously, too.

roma couldn't tell whether he was joking. it didn't matter.

another long, weighted pause.

all that seemed to matter--all that seemed to play over and over again in her incomprehensible mind--was the first night she'd found him. wide-eyed, panting, scared. she wanted to know why.

it was insignificant, but the light source dimmed ever-so slightly, the bright yellow changing to a more lustreless tone of its colour.

"baekhyun," she spoke, bravely. a sheen of light sweat formed along her forehead.

"yeah, love."

she gulped back the prevailing fear of interrogation.

"are you ever going to tell me what happened that night?"

the question almost didn't take him by surprise; as if, maybe, he'd been expecting it. sooner or later.

his response was to edge closer, so slowly, shuffling forwards, bringing his arms up. that dark look of curiosity and mystery clouded over his sombre vision. roma's breath hitched in her throat, heart thudding.

perhaps it was just her, but she felt the diminishing presence of the lights down below; felt them switching off, leaving the smothered city in lessening light, noticeable in her periphery.

"roma," baekhyun sighed, so close, now. his hand reached up to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind the curve of her ear. she gulped.

roma knew that she was too far gone to pull away from him.

"tell me," she spoke in the same exasperated, almost silent, tone. eyes shut, savouring in the sensation of his warm breath fanning against her cheek, as he leant to gain further access.

"you wouldn't understand."

"just...please. tell me. i want to know."

"roma."

"baekhyun," she started, and she pushed herself backwards, wanting to be able to look him in the eyes.

"hmm?"

his voice was so warming; his tone so soft yet mildly apprehensive.

"what--what do you want?"

quiet: inaudible, maybe. as soon as she uttered the question, her head turned, focusing on the dazzling, far-off colours of the shimmering sea of street lamps and strobe lights.

maybe baekhyun was even more out of it than roma, and maybe the wine had become tasteless quite a while ago, and maybe roma looked so beautiful in the amethyst haze of the latter evening that he couldn't help the racing of his heart and the quickening of his pulse.

maybe that was why he spoke on impulse.

"you."

he whispered, closer again.

roma couldn't tell whether it was simply her thrashing heart that brought her forward, or her strong desire to feel his skin beneath her palms again. didn't matter. nothing did, when their proximity was merely inches apart.

she didn't have to answer.

baekhyun's lips ghosted past hers, hesitantly touching. all was silenced, everywhere around, except for the droning of cars and thumping of faraway music. roma didn't refuse--even though she should have--as she felt the pressure of his lips fully on hers, his soft mouth kissing her slowly, breaths mingling and becoming one.

the kiss was deepened, roma's actions unsure and fumbled, in comparison to baekhyun's more skilled ones, his head turned sideways as a hand was brought up to rest at the back of her neck. roma somehow returned the gesture, wanting him closer, more, grabbing the fluttering material of his white shirt.

his tongue parted her own trembling lips. she attempted to reciprocate the movement, tilting her head and allowing him more access. roma was on fire, burning, his careful actions turning into movements with more want and desire. the kiss progressed into something more tongue and teeth than either of them were expecting.

the light above the open french doors, leading out to the balcony, switched off. neither of them noticed, their only sense of feeling being one another. baekhyun pulled away, leaving roma breathless, a mess of rustled hair and swollen lips.

it was dark; so dark. his eyes shone like fiery beacons.

"stay with me," baekhyun whispered. "i want you."

"yes," she breathed. wasn't thinking.

he could've been smiling. roma wouldn't have known. darkness encased them both.

lips re-attached themselves, baekhyun's soft touches gradually becoming rougher. more desperate. skin on skin.

he was beautiful,

and she needed him.

they stayed like that for what felt like hours.

//