COLLIDE [PARK SUNGHOON]

18.

"Boo" I whisper as I come up behind Sunghoon who is staring through the locker room's window with his back to me and I lean my chin on the soft fabric of his sweatshirt, touching his shoulder, causing him to startle. 

Once school ended, we had the training session I had forgotten about earlier. This time it will be the real deal. His delicate lips curl into a smile and a slight blush covers his cheeks that makes my heart flutter.

I have just come from the restroom where I have changed into my skating clothes and when Sunghoon's eyes pass my figure and take in my sight, I start to feel shy. There has been a thick air around us all day and I don't know when we will talk about yesterday. He has been very honest with me, so I hope we can talk about it at some point, for the sake of clarity.

Last night I thought about him a lot, I let him kiss me, willingly, I let him comfort me, I let him know secrets that only my heart knew. Isn't that part of loving someone? Showing your good and bad sides, knowing they won't judge, knowing they will embrace every imperfection until you feel perfect next to them.

As the eeriness of the hall takes over the atmosphere, I decide to interrupt. "Let's go?" I utter and grip my bag of clothes a little tighter. He grins before taking a step closer to stop me. I gulp as he leans closer. The look on his face is smug and the next thing he does is pull on the hood of my zip up hoodie and adjust it so that it covers my entire head. He strokes his hands along the side of my head and shakes it with both his hands while laughing at my puppy, confused-looking expression.

"It's still raining" he reasons, and I look past his shoulder to see through the same window he was staring at earlier. He is right. Harsh drops splatter against the glass. Smiling softly, I thank him and he just gives me a nudge against my shoulder, guiding us out of school. The walk is silent again and it feels like we both want to say something, but are too afraid to mutter a single word.

So when we arrive at the rink, I go straight to the changing room where my skates are stored and drop my bag nearby. What will happen between us from now on? Pondering as I lace up my skates, I sigh before dusting off my trousers and walking to the rink.

I'm met with a familiar sight, Sunghoon is already warming up and he looks so graceful and beautiful again, gliding across the ice. His body twirls in an elegant manner as the scratching of the ice echoes through the building. I take a moment to admire him; his hair is blowing slightly out of his face as it is already a pinkish colour from exercising, his white, pale skin stands out against the dark clothes clinging to his athletic body.

I break out of my little trance and gently skate across the icy surface, feeling the adrenaline rush into my body and immediately start warming up. My entrance does not go unnoticed and soon he approaches me and stops abruptly, making the ice ripple and splash like snow. He is so close that I can almost feel his body heat as his chest is nearly pressed against mine.

"Ready?" He smirks lightly as I look up through my lashes to find him staring down at me. I nod hesitantly and suddenly his one hand sneaks around my waist and now pulls me flat against his chest. My breathing stalls in my throat and I curse him for the effect he has on me.

His fingers softly press into my back causing me to grit my teeth slightly as I lean my head on his shoulder and look at the stands. In our starting position, we hug each other as if we will lose each other the moment we let go. It is the very beginning of our choreography, as I said earlier, it is an intense and intimate but also sad and generally just a very emotional routine. But after our kiss it feels different, there is a tension that doesn't seem to fade. Even when it is cold here, his presence always brings warmth.

His strong arms are now securely wrapped around me and his hot breath fans my neck. The moment I feel his whisper, we loosen up and skate backwards, maintaining eye contact. Picking up speed, we do the first few tricks as we mirror each other's movements in the first part of the choreography. 

For the next part, we start our duo tricks and I feel a current of anxiety coursing through my body. The moment we meet, he successfully holds me by my thigh while I host myself on his leg, as this is the first duo trick of our routine.

Struggling a little with the landing, it worked out quite well for our first time on the ice. Seeing his hair fluttering and his plump red lips with focused eyes, he moves to lift me up, but my skate was positioned incorrectly so I lean forward a little too much, causing me to stumble. He is quick to react and catches me in his loving arms. "Careful."

"I know...sorry"

Now that I have regained my balance, we try again and this time it goes better. Much better. Now comes the scary part, as I let go of my arms, so I grab the back of my skate and have my other leg wrapped around his waist. It should work. Remembering the technique and how I did it off the ice, he gently lets go of me with one arm, while I still feel the sensation of his hands on my sides. I successfully grab my skate.

We hold this position for three seconds and then straighten up again, with me skating backwards a little and him forwards until we slowly come to a halt. We will build up the routine in bits and pieces, adding more and more until we have perfected each movement.

Panting slightly, a grin escapes my lips. "That was pretty good, right?" I let my legs skate lazily backwards again as I regain my breath and Sunghoon follows slowly. He also tries to catch his breath and runs a hand through his slightly dishevelled hair. "I shouldn't have underestimated you in the first place." He stares ahead for a moment and then shakes himself out of it, not believing what his earlier self thought of my skills.

"I used to figure skate and I won the roller skating competition a few weeks ago, not to brag of course" I tease, shrugging my shoulders sarcastically, but then pinch my face together and shiver as I cringe a bit if I really meant that. Sunghoon exhales a laugh as cold vapour swirls in the air. We are back on the free side and I love it. Teasing each other, but knowing when we have to work again.

"Mhm sure" He motions his head in the air with raised eyebrows teasing me too.

Feeling a smile emerge on my lips, we look at each other as we still skate laps on the empty ice rink at a rather slow pace. The familiar wind brushes past our faces, but it doesn't seem to bother me much, and it doesn't seem to bother him either. It's a tranquil round of catching our breath and admiring the other. Until he decides to break up the moment.

"I meant it" he whispers.

My eyebrows knit together and I cock my head to the side as those words leave his mouth. He looks down at his skates scratching across the white surface before meeting my gaze again. A few strands of hair cover his forehead in an angelic manner as his hands tug at the ends of his black long-sleeved shirt.

"I meant what I said yesterday."

Oh. My face turns crimson and I tuck a few wavy strands behind my ear. I take a big intake of air before I decide to speak and my mouth forms the shape of a vowel, but the slamming of the entrance doors startles us both and our heads swivel to the commotion in an instant.

A bunch of straight pitch-black hair pops out from behind the doors and when I look more closely, a bunch of blonde locks also follow. My eyes widen and I lightly grab Sunghoon's elbow before leaning forward to whisper. "Why didn't you tell me your coach was coming?"

He looks dumbfounded and shakes his head before looking at me. "She didn't tell me that." I pull up my lower lip suspiciously and look back at both women who are approaching in view. Areum hops along excitedly with Ms Choi whose sharp features do not betray her thoughts. Sunghoon bows and I mimic him, before skating to the edge of the rink.

"Sunghoon, we need to have a chat."

A/N:

Hey Siri play Drama by Aespa...🫣