forty two

"you're the one that i want." -blue hour, txt.

——

misun stepped into jihoon's apartment, the familiar smell of coffee and faint vanilla from a candle greeting her. she smiled nervously, holding her bag close.

"hey," jihoon said, leaning against the doorframe. his smile was soft, eyes lighting up when he saw her.

"hi," she said, her own smile matching his.

they moved into the kitchen together, picking ingredients for dinner. the music from jihoon's speaker filled the apartment, soft indie songs mingling with the sound of chopping and sizzling.

"don't cut yourself," jihoon said, glancing at her hand as she chopped vegetables.

"i can handle it," she replied, smirking. then she added, teasingly, "unlike some people i know."

he raised an eyebrow, mock offended. "hey, i'm a professional chef in training, thank you very much."

she laughed, and the sound made him grin. he reached over to adjust a piece of hair falling in her face, his fingers brushing her cheek lightly. misun felt her heart skip, but she didn't pull away.

they moved around the kitchen naturally, passing each other ingredients, laughing when something spilled, stealing small bites from the pan. every brush of hands, every shared glance, made the space between them feel warmer.

"okay, this smells amazing," misun said finally, sitting at the small dining table with a plate of their food.

"only because we make a good team," jihoon said, sitting across from her, smiling.

after dinner, they curled up on the couch with a movie playing quietly. misun leaned into him, his arm draping over her shoulder. they shared popcorn, laughed at the funny parts, and stole glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

"this was perfect," misun whispered, resting her head on his chest.

"yeah," jihoon murmured, kissing the top of her head gently. "just us, finally."

they stayed like that for hours, letting the movie play, the music fade, and the night stretch quietly around them, content in the simple, perfect comfort of being together.

slowly, her breathing evened out. jihoon realized she was asleep, her head still tucked under his chin. a small, soft smile tugged at his lips.

he looked down at her, tracing the curve of her cheek with his thumb.

his chest felt tight with something he hadn't allowed himself to feel fully in a long time—relief, happiness, love. four years of waiting, worrying, and fearing he had lost her forever, and now here she was, asleep on his chest, trusting him completely.

he couldn't believe this was finally real.

he stayed still, careful not to wake her, but his mind kept spinning with gratitude and quiet wonder.

he never wanted to let this go.

he never wanted to let her go.

the movie played on, but he barely noticed. all he could focus on was her—the rise and fall of her chest, the soft brush of her hair, the faint scent of her shampoo. he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.