Purple Scent

Ch. 10: Flirt

I watched him hang his unzipped sweater on my shoulders before he sat beside me. He just smiled before he looked at the fire before he hugged his knees to his chest. I looked at the fire as well. "Soljun, why are you still awake?", I asked him.

He laughed before he tilted his head a bit, "You're not supposed to ask someone back when he had asked you.", he said and let out another but gentle laugh.

"Ah, if it's me, It's because can't sleep for no apparent reason.", I said and looked at him and waited for his reply.

He sighed and hummed, "I just woke up from a dream, then I can't find my sleep back.", he said and chuckled, silence then filled our atmosphere.

"Say, Soljun, do you think we're safe here?", I asked him and looked above at the metallic roof of the gymnasium. It's a closed gymnasium and since it was big, I felt so small. It felt like an ant inside a large jar. It's wide, yet suffocating.

"Hmm? Honestly, I'd say yes, but seeing that hole there, I think not.", he said as he pointed at a hole on the roof. It might look small from here, but it was big enough for a Violet Harpy to get inside—that, is if they could ever find us here—there's a lot of possibilities, actually.

"You're right. We should move after a few days. We can't stay here for good. It's not safe everywhere.", I said and silence filled the atmosphere again. It's not awkward, nonetheless, it felt comfortable.

"Yul once told us something about you being not able to smell anything aside from those Violet Harpies.", he glanced at me carefully.

I playfully scoffed, "How could he talk about me behind my back? That brat.", I said before he laughed. What else did he talk about me, though? Well, it’s not that he had much to tell about me.

"It's called anosmia. I was caught in an accident years before, that lead me to develop inability to smell anything.", I explained and I glanced at him with a pretentious grin, "Isn't it amazing, I could smell only one thing?", I asked him.

He laughed lightly, "How do they smell, though?", he asked. I sighed and grimaced when I recalled how they smell like.

"I couldn't really put it into exact words nor compare it to anything since I hardly remember how things smell like. But, to put it to simplest words, it's something not pleasant. It's irritating and cloying odor.", I described.

It was his turn to grimace, "Ew.", he acted like he was about to throw up and then he added, "That sucks."

I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Aren't you going to sleep?", he asked. I glanced at him and looked for his eyes, to find his brown and concerned ones.

Perhaps, he's asking that since he wanted to sleep. Maybe he just felt bad to sleep knowing I was still awake, all alone. The mention of sleep made me yawn a bit.

"Go ahead and sleep, I'll sleep later, too. I’ll stay here for a bit.", I said and he checked my reaction first, so I smiled a small smile.

He nodded in understanding before he patted my shoulder and playfully putting a little bit of weight on me when he stood up. I watched him lie beside Yowoo and Jaewook who had slept on the floor of the stadium with scattered carpet all over to cover the coldness of the cemented floor of the gymnasium.

I looked right back at the fire and placed some woods of chairs the other guys have broken to use for fire. Since we don't want the fire to spread and burn us, we placed the burning woods on a metal roofing sheet Jaehwa and Soljun found somewhere.

I glanced beside me when I felt someone had sat there, this time closer that our sides had touched. Yul looked at me with his famous toothy smile, his eyes folded into an eye smile. He looked happy for some reason. I looked at his empty hand, he didn't have Coco with him. Maybe he was sleeping.

"You should sleep, it's nearly 12 a.m.", he said, which sounded like a scold from my mother.

I chuckled and looked away, "Why are you up, too, anyways?", I asked, ignoring what he said.

I glanced at him and saw him pouted before he said, "I woke up from the cold then I saw you here alone.", he explained the added, "What were you thinking about?", He was really this nosy. I guess it’s part of his nature. But I liked it that he sounded worried, too.

"I'm thinking about my parents. And some plans before we leave this place.", I answered and he nodded without further questions. I yawned and stretched my arms.

"You should sleep.", he repeated, which I just ignored. My body and eyes were sleepy but my mind was still wide awake. "Did you have a boyfriend?", he asked all of a sudden which made me look at him, feeling taunted. "I'm just curious.", he said and shrugged.

"I haven't been in any relationship.", I said and chuckled.

He gasped, "Really? A pretty girl like you?", he exclaimed. An overused line when flirting. I heard that before for a lot of times.

I laughed at him and rolled my eyes, "Just because someone is pretty doesn't mean she has to be in a relationship. I don't need no man. I wouldn't.", I said and I saw him grin.

Besides, I was too busy pursuing my dreams that I didn’t have time to look for a relationship nor entered the complex and complicated world of couples.

"Are you sure? How can you be so sure that you won't need me?", he pulled up a playful grin and my eyebrows furrowed, trying to comprehend what was he talking about. I grimaced when I understood what he meant.

“Of course, I won’t. You are a goofball and ball of clumsiness.” I said and shook my head, “Just thinking about it already makes my head ache.” I said, and I was serious. Sure, Yul was a good person, but I wasn’t prepared to be in a relationship with anyone. Not yet at times of apocalypse.

But then again, I shouldn’t have spoken too soon.

He chuckled at my remark, which meant he just admitted he would really might be just a headache, or maybe not.

I just shook my head and buried my face on my arms that had hugged my kneed to my chest, only to hide my smile. A smile I never knew was coming, and had disappeared as soon as it got there. I may have been stupid, and so my heart for skipping a beat. As far as I could remember, I don’t have atrial fibrillation of some sort to have my heartbeat suddenly irregular.

Then I felt a weight on my shoulder, and when I lifted my head up and turned toward him, all I saw was his crown and the mop of his head. He yawned with his hand patting his mouth.

I blinked repetitively and he caught my eyes when he suddenly glanced at me with his cute smile, his face so close to mine. I felt my blood rush to my cheeks, my heart back at it again with the rapid heartbeat. He grinned before he looked back at the fire.

I cleared my throat and looked away. "Just go to sleep instead of giving me a weight on my shoulder.", I scolded and he just stayed still. I meant it literally, not the idiomatic kind of meaning.

We stayed in still silence, staring at the fire.

I was startled a bit when he suddenly spoke, "After we survived all of this,", he trailed and looked up to me still leaning his head on my shoulder, locking his eyes with mine. His warm breath brushing against my neck ever so softly. That’s when I realized, he really does have that way of making me slightly—just slightly—swooned.

He continued, staring down at my lips, "and if the coasts are clear, if everything are back to normal and everything fixed, I'm going to have you as my girlfriend."