…━━━★*:・ﾟ

Hope.
It sprouts in my chest when he holds onto my wrist, guiding me along with him, and keeping me close.

It feels just like how it used to, before. It was just like how he used to do it earlier, this being a habit of him. I'm glad to see that it couldn't be altered, even after 'it'.

It assures me the fact, that he still cares. He still is my best friend.

His fingers bring my body a certain warmth I cannot explain in words.
He glances at me from the corner of his eyes, as if looking for any signs of discomfort, but there are none. How can there be any? He's my comfort after all.

A few steps later, we reach the the building of my apartment.

I slow my steps down now that we're here, but he doesn't. He walks inside without a pause, dragging me gently along.

He stops in front of the elevator, waiting for it to come back down.

'He's coming up with me?! Upstairs?!'

The elevator doors slide open with a 'ping' and we step inside. The doors close as he enters the floor number, a heavy silence lingering in the air. I glance at him from the corner of my eyes, but he's just staring ahead of him, at our reflection of us, on the metal doors.

It 'pings' again and the elevator opens up wide again, allowing us to step out and ahead.

We pause in front of my apartment, awkwardness resting heavily on both our shoulders.

I gulp, before clearing my throat and blurt out a 'thanks' before I can fully think of a statement. I silently curse at the slight quiver in my voice.

He says nothing but lifts up his head, which was hanging low, to my eyes, a conflict within his own, and glances down at my lips for a moment. This sends a shiver down my spine, as he says nothing but stares at them.

But then, he starts leaning in, and before I can process, I am engulfed in a familiar warmth I'd been craving for days. He sighs, and rests his head in the crook of my neck, tempting me to wrap my arms around him as well, and I give into it.

I tighten my arms around him as much as I can, hugging him close to me. We stay a bit like that, drowning in each other's auras and warmth, before he pulls away.

His expressions are unreadable no matter how much I try.

"Goodnight Hyaejin."

And with that, he walks away.