⊰ emptyhousc. ／ angelica & jinseok ⊱
jax couldn’t keep his eyes away from angelica as she gently laughed and smiled, noting how delicate and lovely her hand looked as it covered her face. all he could think was that he wished her hand moved away, that he could directly cherish the memory of how breath-taking she was. and the worst part was that he knew she didn’t think so; he would travel to the ends of the earth for her to understand, but this thought was abruptly ceased as he felt her warmth beside him. the closeness, the tiny space between the two bodies was something he hadn’t experienced yet, not with angie. and then her hand rested atop his, her palm soft against the top of his hand. his thoughts were riddled with the idea of this blueprint displayed on the blanket being an accident — yet when her hand remained, he felt at peace.
a grin spread across his cheeks, eye smile following, and still, his pupils locked onto her features. it felt right. the world spread before them, urging them, pushing them together. there was a single, thin cloud blocking the sparkling night sky, and the normally busy beach remained silent. waves crashing became the background music, almost enough to urge his confession immediately. but her teasing and jokes were too sweet to ignore. “ if you’re drowning, i’ll save you. promise. i know cpr, you know ? mouth to mouth and heimlich and everything. “ he smiled again, returning the playful teasing tone. as he watched the red fruit pressed against her soft lips, he felt a jealousy that a strawberry could feel her kiss when he couldn’t; and he had a passing thought, wondering if her lips would taste like strawberry, or if they would have a taste at all. his cheerful mood remained as the teasing continued, the jokes rolling off angie’s tongue with such ease. and then the question appeared — so quickly and so abruptly. and suddenly, his plan crumbled before him. he was so confident when he messaged her earlier in the night, so sure as he packed his small bag. but now, same as it had happened time and time again, he was shy. and he just looked down, swallowing the anxious lump in his throat as the corners of his mouth perked up.
“ does it have to be for anything ? “ jax sighed as he looked back at angie, shrugging his shoulders. he leaned back on his hands as he prepared the words he had prepared so many times before. the thought he shouldn’t confess came to mind; a piece of him worried he would become a passing face in her life, just someone she felt affection in while the world fell apart around her, but the optimist in him egged him on. because if not now, then when ? if ever ? “because i like you. “ the phrase felt juvenile, pure, even, but there were few other phrases that felt appropriate in the moment. he wasn’t sure if it was just a crush, or a fixation, or even love, because he never felt the way he’d been feeling around angelica. and he wanted her to know it. “ and i think you like me, too, but i’ve been scared. “ he exhaled a quick laugh, moving his position again, facing out towards the horizon. “ yeah. i like you, ang. and i have the best time around you. and god, i don’t know. i haven’t really felt this way, but i’m sorry i didn’t say it sooner. or immediately. “ clearing his throat, he looked down, back gently slouched. “ so, do i get to see some cartwheels tonight, or what ? “
to say that jax’s smile was contagious, would be an understatement of the year. the way his cheeks raised, the way they pushed into his eyes when the male was smiling his hardest? too adorable, and easily the female was mirroring the smile. angelica felt the way his gaze fell on her, creating a more bashful reaction; an attempt to hide behind the hat that was now like a shield from all the emotions that her doll-like eyes were always displaying. his promise was heartwarming, words that made the dark-haired woman feel even more safe than usual. yet the mention of mouth to mouth earned a tiny gasp and a quick aversion of her eyes. angie had been thankful the half-eaten strawberry wasn’t back in her mouth, or she’d probably need the heimlich then and there. nervously, she’d laugh it off though — knowing that he could only be teasing… it was only fair because she had done it too, first at that. however the thought of their lips caressing one another evoked a strong grip on her stomach; one that could be considered as butterflies. “ i know what cpr is, y’know… ” angelica stated hushedly, before finishing off the last edible piece of the dimpled fruit. she’d stretch her legs out in front her body, taking note of the difference in their length before casting a concerned glance at jinseok.
“ if i’m being honest, no? i… was just asking to ask ” she paused, meeting his optics with her own, curious filled ones. if angelica had been less aware, she’d be like a child interested in their favorite thing — all leaned in with wide eyes. somehow the noirette managed to stay put, as brown irises began to slowly dilate in anticipation. not that the elder had to rush, but angie felt herself almost on edge while waiting for him to give up the little secret behind it all. and it was definitely easy to say she just expected he wanted company, maybe he was bored from ‘studying’ all day, or perhaps something else was going on and he needed a good friend to keep his mind off it. but if it was something as simple as that, he wouldn’t appear to be mentally and physically struggling with how to say. or was he having issues with how to say it? that alone made angelica want to place a comforting hand on his broad shoulder, anything to help. yet, the words that spilled from his lips seemed to make the world stop. the younger one couldn’t hear the ocean waves anymore, or the breeze; rather her eardrums were filled with nothing but the loud sound of a once calm heartbeat.
it was funny to think about the change of conversation, albeit it was almost the same. the feeling of drowning was definitely there, even if she wasn’t even in the water. and it wasn’t a bad thing, no. this small confession shouldn’t have elicited such excitement, it wasn’t like nobody ever told angie that they liked her; it was something so innocent to say. with that in mind, she took a few deep breaths as dark orbs focus on her feet while dainty hands held onto her flushed cheeks — an attempt to hide the amount of redness on delicate features. a quiet hum was able to vibrate in response to the initial statement, late but she felt he jinseok deserved some kind of acknowledgment. but when the other mentioned his own thoughts on her emotions and how he’s been feeling, angelica slowly looked in his direction. “ i… what gave you the idea? ” were the first careless words that came out first, before anxious hands fiddled with each other. “ i mean, i -- i do like you. at first, i thought nothing of it, because i figured friends are supposed to ‘like’ one another. but it’s… gotten stronger, in a way friends don’t exactly look or think of, y’know? ” she rambled on softly, still refusing to make any kind of eye contact.
mentally angie would curse herself for saying so much, but it was one of many bad habits that the girl had when extremely nervous. even though, there was no reason to be; it was jax after all. instead, she listened to him confess some more, and it was enough to urge her to peer at his features once again. jinseok seemed so vulnerable and sincere, which only made her want to hold him. not only to reassure him that it’d be okay but to display that he didn’t have to be scared alone. . . because the truth is, she was scared too. “ you don’t have to apologize silly, i think — we both should’ve said something. er, well never mind. i guess what i really want to say is: nothing has to change. i wouldn’t want to lose you... ever. ” angie’s usual soft voice, had been laced with newfound confidence even though she was still in shock. and to sweeten the moment? the ambidextrous female lifted up her right pinky between them, as a few giggles fell from pillowy lips. “ if you wanted to see cartwheels so bad, you could just google me again! ” a joke to soften the atmosphere again, admittedly not wanting him to be so anxious. but angelica was always a woman of her word, even though mentally? she wasn’t exactly sure if she could do a proper cartwheel, considering it had been a while since she’d done anything. without displacing her digit, she’d slowly maneuver onto her knees in order to fully stand up once he’d link with her pinky. “ i can’t say it’ll be anything like the videos, it’s sand after all. ”
