Sedona. 07:01.

woken up early; in fact, he'd not really slept. not that he'd expected to anyway.

it was far too hot, the descended heat having settled into the creases of the clean and large bedsheets, settling into the junctures of his body, into the coveted areas of revealed skin. making it impossible.

roma had tossed and turned, too. he had felt her beside him, her bare skin pressing to his, legs constantly shifting. he didn't like the idea of her discomfort, but it had been far too hot to try and embrace her, to reassure her. too much skin.

things were getting almost impossible to handle.

uneasy dreams, too. each segment and image that crossed his mind and vision contained flames and electricity and sparks flying and overtaking and too much. played with his consciousness and toyed with the numb feeling that resided within him.

so, here he was, a glass of water clutched between his fingers, bare torso and legs, standing facing the astonishing view from the huge glass panels. he chugged the remains of his drink, throat parched and lips dry. placed it with a loud clang onto the coffee table.

wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

serene but troubled silence.

fuck, he thought to himself.

mellow aura. a similar serene silence encompassed the unmoving pieces of furniture, muting the nature that lay endlessly in front of his eyes. the lack of wind and rain suggested that the landscape never moved, anyway. a dry, distinct and cracked vision.

dirty earth: split and divided into two. the beige dustiness of the landscape was parched and seemingly untouched. baekhyun tried not to let his inevitable thoughts slip into what he knew was going on. or rather, the explanation for the two of them being here. wondered, to himself--how come chanyeol wasn't with kyungsoo?

he gulped down the hesitant lump in his dry throat.

everything here seemed to be in that same transcendent state.

an almost unreal turquoise atmosphere hung in his vista, accompanied by a glimmering sheen of bright yellow, twisting through the valleys and reflecting off of the other sparkling mansions dotted within the creases of the dusty canyon.

baekhyun still couldn't quite comprehend how chanyeol had even managed to get hold of this place. it was far too posh and expensive for him to have paid for completely on his own. the modern furniture and aligned corners represented a stark contrast to the simplistic, messy and second-hand nature of his shitty flat.

perhaps it would forever be a mystery.

baekhyun ran both of his hands through his hair.

he had a sudden realisation of his own selfishness. stared at a blank spot in the vast and endless valley.

sighed.

felt himself collapsing inward slightly, his back muscles giving way.

flashback to the hot and dark streets of lyon.

he'd just looked her in the eyes and told her that she was going to come with him. she wanted to be at home. he hadn't even asked her if she was okay with it, or whether she contested the idea; hadn't even, in the moment, considered that this whole situation was incredibly unfair on her.

but she'd come with him anyway. regardless of her own intentions and responsibilities and wishes.

"fuck," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and placing his palms onto his sweating forehead.

he owed her a fucking good apology.

roma was the most beautiful and caring human being he'd ever met in his life. and that wasn't an exaggeration. the things she did for him...his heart hurt just at the thought. the constant memories and snippets of conversations plagued his mind.

her flushed body and skin, pressed desperately to his, arms clinging to his back, uttering the words that she'd never expelled to anyone else before. and he was too much of a coward to have said exactly what he wanted to say back.

in truth, he was scared; terrified, even, of letting himself into someone again. the thought made his head hurt. all of these feelings were too much. they weren't just dangerous, but they could put the others in danger. baekhyun knew that all too well.

but he also felt himself ready to explode. she deserved a proper explanation; one that told her exactly how he felt about her.

not yet.

his mind was spinning uncontrollably.

upon walking back into the bedroom, baekhyun decided that he desperately needed a shower. the cold water soaked his heated body, relaxing the permanently tensed muscles in his back, chilling him. once he was done, he heard shuffling and murmuring, and realised that roma had also woken up.

in the bed, her messy and teased hair falling around her face like a halo, t-shirt hanging haphazardly off of her shoulder. looking at him with a beautiful, sleep-filled, sheepish smile, spreading her lips while she rubbed her tired eyes.

"hey," she greeted in a raspy tone, her morning voice sounding so good.

"hey, roma," he returned.

fucking hell, she was gorgeous. and she couldn't even see it herself.

a towel was wrapped firmly around baekhyun's waist, his hair dripping, skin covered in droplets of water. he knew roma was watching his fluid movements. walked up to her, bending down slightly and slowly to lightly kiss her pink, flushed lips. he pulled away a bit, but roma grabbed the top of his towel and brought him down to her again, accompanied by a small giggle from her and a deep, appreciative chuckle from baekhyun.

she tasted sweet; like stardust.

"it's early," he whispered. "go back to sleep if you're tired."

roma shook her head.

"it's too hot," she said in an equally whispery tone, pouting slightly.

baekhyun chuckled.

"let's take the car and go out for a bit," he said.

roma smiled softly. looked at him for longer than she needed to, with that expression of pure adoration that he knew he took for granted. god, if only she knew--

"sure, okay," she agreed, swinging her bare legs over.

he turned his head and watched her from behind as she made her way to the bathroom, her shirt rising up to reveal her underwear and her beautiful legs. baekhyun knew how lucky he was. to have someone like roma to be in love with him.

sighed.

soon, their skin was met with the already-searing temperatures of the arizona air, the strong rays of the radiant sunshine beating down on their backs. baekhyun momentarily wondered how on earth chanyeol handled this heat, as he sighed heavily and pushed back his hair from his pulsating orbs.

the sound of belts clicking and the feel of the burning leather beneath their bare thighs felt very familiar, as baekhyun pressed down harshly on the pedal and backed out of the looming gates of the driveway.

dusty orange was something new and exciting, and baekhyun couldn't help but get somewhat distracted as he sped back through the same winding crevices, the day view of the landscape captivating him. roma was doing the same.

he didn't really know where they were going, but he realised he was hungry and needed some coffee, and wanted to just be away from that strange house for a bit.

side-glanced: roma was leaning her elbow against the open window, the small, white dress that she'd thrown on fluttering up slowly because of the rushing, hot wind, skin practically glowing. the wind pushed her long hair in all directions, eyelashes fluttering, her lips parted slightly.

baekhyun smiled.

the name sedona sounded pretty and cool to him, so he followed the dilapidated signs towards it, the tyres crunching harshly against the dust and gravel. the bright sun continued to beat down; baekhyun shielded his eyes with the visor, squinting. not used to this.

sedona, he sounded out in his head. it sounded so film-like, which was funny, because as they drove through the small, perched town, it felt exactly just like they were in a movie. roma's eyes shimmered with exhaustion and excitement.

baekhyun stopped at the first place he saw.

silence filled the car as the engine was cut off.

he parted his lips; squeezed her bare thigh. roma gripped his wrist gratefully.

"are you hungry?"

she nodded, lips spreading into a childish grin.

"come on."

they both pushed the car doors open at the same time.

a diner, with a huge, bright red sign met them, sat atop of the slightly crumbling exterior. large, glass windows and multiple colours bedazzled in the glorious sunshine, a few trucks parked outside.

baekhyun took hold of her hand as they entered, roma clutching him, as they walked into a new setting. she was always like this when something was unknown, uncomfortable to her.

it held a warm aura. rather empty, with typical, american booths lining the side of the windowed room; deep, red leather and scratched surfaces and 50s rock and roll playing, muffled and crackled, on the dingy record player in the corner. faded posters and beer glasses lined up across the tiled bar and the smell of fat frying.

baekhyun smiled at one of the grumpy waitresses that passed them, mumbling for them to sit wherever they wanted.

sat right by the window, opposite one another in the booth, menu poised between them. squeezed her hand, as she observed the maroon rocks that lay for miles beyond the diner, and the wavering asphalt, and the overpowering sun taking over the sea of turquoise.

couldn't help but let his eyes be drawn to the way her pendant hung down on her neck, in between her chest, the white dress perhaps revealing more than roma normally would.

beautiful.

he ordered for them both.

took her hands in his.

roma looked down at his fingers, playing with the one ring that rested on his middle finger, toying it between her own. fascinated by the blue veins and remnants of blood that lingered within the crosses and lines on his hands and palms. the heat brought them out.

eternities passed by in comfortable quiet.

"do you know what i think?" roma stated, eyes still fixated on his skin.

baekhyun smiled, again. waited a few seconds.

"what?"

deep voice and burning eyes.

"i think that things are really going to be okay, in the end."

her voice was calm and collected, but she was looking down, and baekhyun wanted to see the communication in her stunning, blue eyes.

he didn't know what he himself believed. all he knew was, however the fuck he was going to figure all of this shit out, it wasn't going to be without her. even if he wouldn't be able to ever explain it properly to the others, they would just have to understand.

for a moment, that thought gave his mind and body inner-peace. sighed. yeah, she was right. in the midst of all of this overwhelming heat and light, there was something serene and right about the whole thing.

"i hope you're right," he replied, quiet and nervous. very unlike him.

their food came. and roma picked at her with a plate with a happy smile on her face; an expression that he hadn't seen in a while; that he'd missed. she playfully kicked at his feet underneath the table, to which he pressed down on her thigh, making her laugh shrilly.

she removed the eggs off of her plate and onto his, claiming that she didn't like them. she sipped at her chocolate milkshake, the drink leaving cute stains on her lips and the corners of her mouth. she blew a kiss to him, pursing them. she pushed back the hair that had fallen forward behind her ears, an endearing gesture.

baekhyun observed her every action and every word.

of course, he loved her.

so, why couldn't he just say it?

doe-like, big eyes looked up at him as he thought this, grinning, framed with thick lashes, cocking her head to the side slightly. rubbed her foot against his.

"something wrong?"

he looked straight at her.

if only she knew how things really were.

one day, he would explain.

but he didn't want to ruin the moment.

"no," he smiled.

she reciprocated the gesture, blushing and turning away.

//