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smooth, honeyed lyrics floated on a wave of sound emanating from her phone that had kim yoohyeon humming along absentmindedly as she mixes shades of sunset paints, a baggy white sweater draped over her purple floral-print dress. the soundtrack for this sunny afternoon was peach pit as a drop of champagne acrylic drips off her paintbrush, she sighs as shimmering hue falls onto the stained studio floors. the silver haired girl draws her cherub-pink bottom lip between her pearly whites as she inspects the canvas before her that was painted with her amorphous dreams, tilting her head to the side. she lifts her paintbrush held between gold adorned fingers and paints over the swirling colours.
the sky outside was the colour of pink lemonade and her eyes were stained with the colour of hickory and rich chocolate, all married together with golden flecks of stardust and a lovesick gaze. her flowery self seems to wilt as she is left without inspiration for her art but the corners of her lips fought back a smile as she spots her muse though the glass doors. the girl with sloppy streaks of pink peeking out from between her hickory locks that cascaded down her shoulders in loose curls and she rides her skateboard in lazy circles, her coral lips clasped around a red lollipop. yoohyeon stares in awe at the teen idol as she tucks a lock of bubblegum pink hair behind her ear. feelings bubbling under the surface, teeming and threatening to spill out of her chest and onto the canvas.
a warm breeze whipped through the air, dancing among the leaves and weaving in-between the people. for the last week, red and white ribbons decorated the stairways and red cut-out hearts where taped to the cream painted walls. it was valentine's day, a holiday their high school seemed to make a very big deal out of although most of the students seemed loathed the time of year. as usual, everyone rushed out of the doors as soon as the bell rang in hopes of escaping the 'love in the air' that was suffocating them, to escape the roses coiling around their lungs and restricting their breath. which led us here, to the art studio right across from the skate park on the corner.
she rubs the smudged black liner under he eyes even further as tan feet hit the cold floor as kim yoohyeon pads her way over to the window and peeks between the closed blinds. the light casts shapes across the room, beams forming a crooked ghoul's grin on the walls. flicking away a stray hair that had escaped the messy knot on the top of her head. her skin was dipped in caramel, a sunkissed tan that contrasted with the white of her sweater and the pink paint splattered on her hands.
the skater girl across the street was perfection in sunset hues, her hair the colour of when a sunset touches the night sky and her lips like the ripest cherries. dark eyes that seem to burn brightly with a fire and yoohyeon was drawn to them inexplicably. the girl's name was lee siyeon and kim yoohyeon was utterly infatuated.
siyeon always smells of cherry blossom and vanilla, when she walks by the world turns to stare. yoohyeon wanted to memorize the taste of her soft lips or how it felt to hold her hand, how the night touches her skin and the way her eyes sparkle. it was the typical teenage love story but that didn't stop the butterflies in yoohyeon's stomach. (so intoxicated by the being that is siyeon.)
yoohyeon attentively eyes the girl as she strips off her black hoodie and tosses it towards the pile of backpacks that had been abandoned in the rush to begin the fun. the silver haired girl had tried time and time again to sketch the beautiful siyeon, to draw the slope of her nose or the soft curve of her lips but all that comes out are the wrong shapes and lines that didn't belong. wielding a pencil should come like second nature but in times like these she feels like a clueless fool set in front of a ticking (love)bomb, trying in a desperate attempt to diffuse it only to have it explode. she couldn't hold on to siyeon tight enough to know her soul.
siyeon's curly hair was tied into a low ponytail at the back of her neck and blew in the gentle breeze. her skateboard tucked under her arm and wore knee pads over her clothes. she was clad in black, ripped skinny jeans and a red crop top that exposed a sliver of skin. siyeon was able to make even stranger's knees weak and eyes starry without fault.
she watches her love and the corners of her coral lips slide upwards. days spent with siyeon were the days she truly felt what it was like to be truly alive.she remembers one day in particular, almost two years ago, the two of them were sitting at one of the booth's at mc donalds. siyeon cracked a few jokes and told a few stories about her wild weekend (which was spent watching a musical at the local theatre), yoohyeon's heart warmed at the sight of her eyes shining and hands waving around as she spoke. she had noticed that her fingernails where always painted black and her dainty wrists where weighed down by bracelets and bangles, and she had a stick and poke tattoo of a spider that just barely peeked out her collar. her glossed lips formed words so prettily that the silver haired girl couldn't help be entranced. she held onto everything the girl said as if it were gold spilling from her lips instead of words. she just needed to know if there was something worth chasing after, would siyeon wait for her with open arms? well, her question was soon answered.
the brunette can feel the girls gaze white hot on her back and quickly spins around, time slowing down. siyeon meets the girl's gaze and winks, yoohyeon giggles are like a ray of sunshine and she waves her over. siyeon runs over to the studio, ditching her board at the door and bounding up the steps with a glowing grin. soon enough she yanks the studio door open and peppers the sliver haired girl in soft kisses.
"singie!." yoohyeon laughs as siyeon wraps her arms around her, holding her close like she was the most precious thing in the universe. kissing her forehead with sun-soaked lips, a touch teeming with adoration and the faint taste of artificial cherry.
the girls started dating a year ago, a valentine's day quite like this one. after yoohyeon spent hours debating whether or not to ask her out she finally mustered up enough courage to ask her out. to her surprise, siyeon said yes. a daring move that if executed incorrectly would result in shame and embarrassment but that had always been the difference between love and reason, our eyes are blinded by the fireworks. we all need a little risk to decorate our lackluster souls.
they kiss as if they have fire in their veins instead of blood and there were more stars in their eyes than there were in the night sky. their first date ended like a dream and they fell in love like someone dropped them. because after all, the story the world needed most was love.
the brunette girl let's go of the girl and glides across the room to where yoohyeon's abandoned painting stood resting against the easel. she stands with her arms crossed and hip jutted out as she stares at the mess of paints, a choir of colour that failed to sing in harmony. it was a mess of nostalgia and nameless emotions; it was a story written in a language not known to man. she was surrounded by palettes of sunsets and golden earth tones. in yoohyeon's eyes, it meant nothing, it didn't bare her soul, honest and true. it was nothing more than a canvas of colourful throw-up.
"what about this one?" siyeon asks, her cheeks where painted with a rosy blush. "what story does it tell?"
"nothing." yoohyeon sighs, "it's a jumble of paints and mixed emotions, it's like a foreign language that even its creator doesn't understand."
"mhm, are you sure?" yoohyeon looks baffled but siyeon continues. The brunette reaches out her hand to the canvas as if she was trying to dip her fingers in the brush strokes, wade in the world of colour. "I think tells a story, a story of a person's endless thoughts. a messy drawer of stories that said person has yet to untangle."
"huh, maybe you're right." the silver haired girl scoffs, it was oddly accurate. "maybe you're the only one that makes the nonsense I seem to spew."
"i'm always right darling." the brunette laughs as she tucks a lock of her girlfriend's ash grey hair behind her ear. yoohyeon blushes and casts her gaze down to the floor.
"i don't suppose you could translate the story for me?" yoohyeon whispers with laughing hazel eyes, a smile pulling at her pomegranate lips, eyelashes fluttering like the wings of a disturbed butterfly. siyeon raises the girl's chin with her finger, rings glittering in the sunlight that leaked in through the windows like warm honey.
"unfortunately, not even the great lee siyeon can do that for you but she'd be happy to help." siyeon says fondly as she takes the girl's paint stained hands into her own, rubbing her hand over her knuckle. yoohyeon rolls her eyes with a chuckle.
"well regardless, it's still early. fancy going out?" the ash grey girl trails her fingers along siyeon's collarbone.
"well of course kim yooheyon. what do you have in mind?"
"anything your heart desires." the girl smiles. "so tell me bubblegum princess, will you be my valentine?"