𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 ‣ jjk

三十一 ; bonfires and stars

[Two days late but I hoped you enjoyed your Christmas! ♡ In case you forgot, you refer to the previous chapter (author's note) to see the bucketlist]

day 11
11:00 pm
lee haru

of bonfires and stars

it's about half an hour later
when the car begins to slow down
and eventually come into a stop
with the sound of the engine dying

"what's happening?"
i glance out the window in confusion
he tosses me a sheepish smile
and emits a sound somewhere between
a laugh and a strangled cry

"looks like we're out of gas"

"oh"
right
we were so excited on our getaway
that we forgot to check if the car has gas
damn it

i roll down the side window
and push my head out
trying to find out exactly where we are
there's a few streetlights along the road
some are not even working
others are dim
there's no other cars coming along

i let out a nervous laugh
looking at jeongguk with eyes out for blood
"we messed up didn't we?"

"looks like it?" he frowns
"the next gas station is about
a mile away from here"
he stares at his phone screen
before pushing it back in his pocket
"i'll go, you wait over here"

"what? no, wait it's late
you can't possibly leave me
a lady, alone in the middle of nowhere
what if a nasty serial killer finds me?
or what if there's a ghost?"

"but the car—"

"we can get it in the morning
just don't leave me, please?"

i pull him back down by his sleeve
and eventually we end up sitting by the roadside
arms waving out every once in awhile
when a rare car passes by until eventually
the clocks ticks
signalling that it's past midnight now
and jeongguk begins to look around for wood
with a small flashlight we found in the car
to make a small bonfire for us to keep warm

considering that winter is almost here
it's getting colder and colder

"seems like you're experienced
in these kind of things
maybe you could survive if you're
left out in the wild for a couple of days"
i say, leaning forward with
my hands held out towards the fire

"naver, google" jeongguk shrugs
turning his phone screen to face me
in it are letters in bold saying
"what to do if your car breaks down
number one: don't panic"
how useful

"number two: look around for a gas station"

again, how useful

"number three: consider flagging down another car
someone might be friendly enough
to give you a ride, hmmm
number four: camp out yourselves until daylight,
here's how to build a fire..."

oh
i stare into the fire
as he stuffs his hands into his backpack
and i snap back to reality
when he holds out an energy bar
"eat something so you don't
end up with a stomachache later"

after another hour of warming ourselves
we end up laying down in the trunk
of the rover jeongguk stole
staring up at the star filled sky above us

apparently they're the only ones
accompanying us two tonight

"aren't they pretty?"
jeongguk says, folding his arms behind his head

i hum as i pull an old blanket over my body
i notice him shivering a little
so i throw a part of the blanket over him
he thanks me with a smile

then he takes a deep breath
and with the softest most gentlest voice
begins to sing in almost perfect english

"god, give us the reason
youth is wasted on the young"

my head jolts up at the sound of his voice
singing to me for the first time
he turns to face me, continuing his little serenade

"it's hunting season
and the lambs are on the run
searching for meaning"

a smile tugs the corners of my lips
and i don't realise that we're staring
back into each other's eyes
until i start to feel all warm and fuzzy again

"are we all lost stars
trying to light up the dark"

it's followed by the silence of night
and my eyelids flutter close
feeling the calmness engulfing me whole

"check it off the list"

"hm?"

"sleeping under the stars
it's your #6"

"ah" this moment was just right

"if anything good came out from
our car breaking down
in the middle of nowhere, it's #6"
jeongguk smiles, trying to bring a little positivity in

"i'll make sure to check it off
in the morning then"

the night is young, and so are we