The sun had dipped below the Tuscan hills, leaving the sky bathed in a deep twilight. Between the soft rustle of grapevines and the chirping of crickets, a hush fell over the vineyard. They took a quiet walk amidst the fields after dinner with the countryside’s fresh wind swaying past them. Their plan was to stay the night at Marco and Rosa’s house so there was no hurry to return to the ship.
"Look up," Jin said.
She did.
A vast canopy of stars shimred above them, unfiltered by city lights. The constellations spilled across the night sky like scattered jewels and it felt like the world had stopped turning.
"It’s almost unfair how we don’t get to see the stars in the city," Alix murmured.
As her gaze shifted, she found Jin’s eyes fixed at her.
"You should be seeing the stars."
"I like seeing you too."
"You won’t get to see such beautiful stars once we return."
"I have one right beside so guess I’m okay with the compromise," he smiled.
"...You definitely had so of that wine, didn’t you?"
"Do I sound drunk?"
"A little bit, I think."
They reached a small clearing where the vines opened into a wide field, the grass and the land twinkling silver beneath the moonlight. As opposed to the first day, this ti he didn’t hesitate as he slowly slipped his fingers past hers, holding them together.
Alix wasn’t sure why Jin had been so anxious about holding hands before but it seed like she now understood where he was coming from. She didn’t know that simply holding hands would feel so nerve-wracking. But she pressed her fingertips against the back of his hand while keeping a straight face.
They walked hand-in-hand for a while, simply appreciating the faraway hills and skies in silence. Reaching almost the middle of the fields, Jin took a step ahead, then turned to her, hand extended.
"Dance?"
"Can we?"
There was no music but Alix felt like it didn’t matter. With a small exhale, she placed her hand in his. He pulled her close, his other hand resting lightly at her waist.
They moved, barely swaying. It was awkward at first - so shuffling of feet, a nearly stepped-on toe by Alix and a quiet laugh he stifled. But then sothing softened. Their breathing fell into rhythm. His head dipped near hers, forehead resting gently against hers.
Once again, Alix felt her assumptions shattering. Like holding hands, she had thought that a dance was a simple activity. Yet strangely, she could only find her gaze glued to Jin’s chest instead of his face. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the slightly chilly wind or that his fingers were pressing onto her waist.
Jin moved her into a sudden twirl and pulled her back in his arms.
"I was hoping your gaze would shift from my chest to face with that twirl."
"Why?"
"I would like my star seeing too."
"I do see you all the ti..."
"Not right now."
Alix let her eyes close for a second, listening to the wind, the world and her own heartbeat. With a gradual movent, her gaze finally t his.
"My wife is the prettiest."
"...You have said that many tis now."
"I will say it for the rest of my life."
He saw her darting her eyes from left to right as if it was hard maintaining eye contact with him. He let out a chuckle.
"You’re nervous."
"I’m not," she said despite her own heartbeats ringing very loudly in her ears.
Alix felt her face being held in a pair of hands that guided it to et the familiar black irises again. As his forehead bumped against hers, he placed her palm on his chest.
"I guess it’s fine since my heart isn’t acting too normally either," he whispered.
The soft but rapid vibrations of his heartbeats thumped against her palm that matched her own quickened rhythm. Then it were their breaths that grew faster and chaotic in succession. And then it was their lips that had t halfway not knowing who leaned in first.
Contrary to how Jin’s feelings usually ca forth like a large tide that swept her away, the kiss felt more asured and quiet. Though she felt his heart barrage against his ribcage, his pace, she found, was gentle like...
A cherry blossom is falling upon .
He wasn’t dominating her backwards. He wasn’t sliding his tongue across. Yet his lips quivered imnsely as he pressed them deeper. So were his fingers that grazed her cheeks at that mont.
She tried to match his pace, though she wasn’t too sure if she was doing a good job at it. What she was sure about was that the stars felt too bright in the sky - so bright that it hurt her eyes. Or so she told herself as the reason for the tears wetting her eyelashes.
It was like that night Jin had embraced her in his arms. Until that point, she had been feeling cold. Very cold. She always did since childhood. But his warmth had felt very comforting that night, as if it was chipping away the prickly ice crystals.
Just like now how their kiss felt like an onset of the warm spring.
"I love you," he whispered as he withdrew an inch back.
Yes, she then understood Jin’s place. Why did he feel so nervous for simply holding hands or why did he think so deeply over a simple kiss?
It was hard for your feelings to not get all over the place when it was with the person you loved. You might have all the confidence in the world but in front of your precious loved one, there was nothing more frightening than possibly taking one wrong step.
I...
She wanted to say sothing back but her heart and mind were too overwheld and in a ss to properly construct a full sentence.
"You don’t have to say anything back. I can already hear your heartbeats loud and clear," he smiled.
She didn’t respond for a long mont.
She clutched onto his collar and then tiptoed. "...That’s why let show it."
When her lips t his once again, it was then that a faint realization had taken root sowhere in a small corner of her heart.
I don’t want to lose him.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she tilted her head slightly, deepening the kiss.
I really don’t want to lose him.
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