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A light, ticklish feeling spreads over Minji’s face, her brows creasing and eyes beginning to flutter open. She’s met with a pair of honey brown irises, illuminated by the sun spilling through the curtains. Blinking a little more, soft giggling brings Minji further out of her sleep-riddled daze.
“Wakey wakey~,” Danielle giggles, as bright and cheery as the morning itself. “How did you sleep, unnie?”
Minji can’t help but chuckle along, opening her arm for the younger to curl into her side, comfortingly rubbing her upper arm out of habit. “I slept… pretty good actually, maybe even the best I’ve ever slept in my life.” A fond breath leaves Danielle’s nose at that, she nods in agreement.
“Same here~ though, I always feel like I sleep better when I’m back home…” she trails off, breaking out into a smile once again. Minji watches fondly as Danielle looks around her childhood bedroom. After finally earning a well deserved break during the summer, not only was Danielle thrilled at the idea of spending it in Australia, she was overjoyed at the fact that Minji would be able to come with her, finally fulfilling the wish to show her girlfriend the place she grew up.
Minji simply watched quietly as waves of nostalgia continued washing over Danielle, happy to be with her and honoured to be in a place as sacred as the one she was in now. Danielle’s room hadn’t changed since she was a young teen, the walls were a soft yellow, the shelves held precious memories within colourful picture frames and her desk, personalised with cute trinkets Danielle had collected over the years.
To Danielle it was just the bedroom she;d grown up in but to Minji, it was another piece of Danielle’s life she was lucky to be let into—one she’d cherish for many years to come.
“ Helloooooo? Earth to Minji!” Danielle laughs seeing her girlfriend blink back into reality. “I lost you for a sec there unnie, you wouldn’t stop staring at me!”
“Why would I?”
A warm hue spreads across the younger’s cheeks, Danielle groans playfully and buries her face into Minji’s chest, making her voice sound muffled. “You’re such a cheeseball…”
The older shakes with hearty laughter. “It’s a genuine question! Anyway, should we get up now?” Danielle nods and peels herself away from Minji’s warm embrace. She walks over to the window and draws back the curtains, fully allowing the sunlight to fill the room. “Oh Australian sun, I missed you!” She says, pushing open the windows and breathing in the fresh air.
Danielle inhales, the sweet scent of honeybush wafting through her nostrils, her lips part slightly, almost as if she could taste it. Subconsciously she lifts onto the tips of her toes, her body feeling drawn to the yellow flowers.
Home sweet home.
She doesn’t push away the arms circling her waist or the lips against her cheek because that’s home too, her home away from home. It was even hard to tell the difference at times, the warmth of Minji’s embrace felt akin to the heat of the sun down under and her kisses were almost as sweet, if not more than, as the taste of honey.
Danielle opens her eyes to see the gummy smile she loves so much and she can’t resist, cupping Minji’s soft cheeks to pull her into a kiss. It’s slow and gentle, their lips moving comfortably against each other, enjoying the familiar intimacy.
“I’ll go make breakfast for us,” the brunette murmurs, reluctantly pulling away but not without one last peck to Minji’s lips. “Ooh! I know just what to make too!” She thinks aloud, excitedly making her way down the stairs.
Minji freshens up before joining her girlfriend, walking towards the sounds of bowls and spoons clanking in the kitchen. The house was empty apart from them, the couple had already spent a few days with Danielle’s family, her parents and sister warmly welcoming Minji to Australia making her feel right at home though, they were happy to give her and Danielle a day to themselves, briefly mentioning they’d be at some art museum the night before.
Danielle instantly perks up hearing footsteps, in the midst of scooping yoghurt into two bowls. “Unnie! You’re okay with yoghurt bowls for breakfast right?” She grins at Minji’s nods and continues, conversing with her enthusiastically as she does so. Danielle adds a generous amount of fruit to each bowl, making sure that both her and Minji had a fair amount. Minji hears her girlfriend mutter something about bananas, coincidentally spotting the mentioned fruit behind her.
“Oh, there’s some in that basket behind you back there.” She adds nonchalantly, eyes widening a little at the squeal Danielle lets out after she turns around.
“Oh my god!” She gasps, holding the fruit as she faces her girlfriend again. “Look! I love these red-tip bananas!” Minji doesn’t quite get the excitement but she chuckles at Danielle’s child-like excitement.
“Yeah? What’s so special about them?” She asks, eyeing the red wax on the bottom.
“Mm, they’re like, really high quality! And eco-friendly—the company that grows them handpicks each banana based on their ripeness and immaculate taste,” Danielle explains, plucking two to cut up into pennies. “You’ll love them, I promise.”
Minji hums, watching the knife carefully cut into the banana. “Careful, love.”
“I am being careful,” Danielle says fondly, arranging the pennies into the bowl and pushing one bowl across the counter to Minji. “There! Brekkie is served~”
True to Danielle’s word, Minji did love the red-tip bananas, they were sweet and creamy, pairing nicely with the sugar free yogurt beneath it. Clearly her girlfriend also thinks the same, eyes closed as she hums in delight—if there was one thing Danielle loved, it was organic fruit.
“You said you wanted to go to the beach today, right?”
“Yeah!” Danielle clasps her hands together, licking a bit of yogurt from her lip. “Bar beach, you have to see it— it’s not too far from here actually, you’ll love it!”
Yet again her girlfriend was right (a reoccurring pattern in their relationship in general), Bar Beach’s view was truly to die for. Danielle excitedly tugs Minji towards the railing giving them an overlook of the bustling beach below. It’s a beautiful day, families are scattered across the pale sand and the waves are crystalline in appearance, sparkling when the sun hits it just right. They’re high up so the sounds of children screaming and laughing are distant, like a perfect picture of a joyful atmosphere.
A warm and sticky feeling arises in Minji’s chest. She’s happy, Danielle’s happy and the people around them are too.
Life couldn’t get much better than this.
As eager as her girlfriend is to get a taste of the sea (again), they had already been to another beach a couple days prior and Danielle wishes for a change of pace, suggesting the two return later when the beach was a little less populated. Minji agrees, happily following her to one of the many stores lining the street ahead.
It was a good thing Minji was there with Danielle, needing there to be one rational person in the duo. She had to stop the golden retriever from buying out the whole store, constantly reasoning with her as Danielle cooed at every single cute thing she saw.
“Dani, baby, we can only fit so much in our suitcases.” Minji says, exhaling slowly to rid herself of the need to give in to her girlfriend. Danielle pouts, brown orbs sparkling as she holds two kangaroo plushies in each hand, she holds them in front of Minji’s face in another attempt to get her to crack and give in.
“But unnie look at them! They’ve even got little joeys in the pouches-“ she pleads, looking as if she were about to cry because of how cute she found the stuffed animals. “Hyein and Haerinie would love these, don’t you think?”
“I do but you already bought souvenirs for them yesterday, remember?” Danielle sighs in defeat, reluctantly putting the toys back. She’s careful to position them exactly how she found them.
“Fine… you win…,” she sulks. “Bye bye little kangaroos… and your little babies too.” Minji chuckles and takes a picture of the plushies as Danielle walks to another side of the store, she knows she’ll bounce back in no time and thus gives herself a pat on the back for resisting those deadly puppy eyes.
It’s only when they’re close to leaving does Minji lose the battle- but only because it was matching rings! Minji loved jewellery, rings especially and, well, matching items were cute. Especially when they were small like rings, something less obvious and that could be easily misinterpreted as friendship rings to the public. Danielle and Minji leave the small souvenir shop hand in hand, the new metal cool against their skin.
To Danielle, it’s not a sunny day without ice cream so that’s where she takes her girlfriend next. The two sit on a cute little table outside, exchanging bites every once in awhile. Danielle opted for lemon flavoured sherbert, fond of the tangy aftertaste whilst Minji opted for plain strawberry. She had a sneaky suspicion Danielle kept offering her bites just to see her face scrunch up from the sour taste but she stayed silent.
Whatever makes her happy , she thought.
The rest of the afternoon is spent in a similar fashion, shopping and eating. Minji gets some widely entertaining photos of her sunflower, posing in all kinds of outfits and accessories. Of course she returns the favour too, pulling faces while trying on hats and sunglasses. Minji looks through the photos as they make their way back to the beach with a smile on her face, sure the sun had begin to set as they hours went by but it was still pretty bright when it shone through her camera roll in the form of Danielle Marsh.
“The beach is a lot more quiet now,” Danielle murmurs, closing her eyes again. “It’s so peaceful like this.”
Only a few people remained on the sand, Minji finding a place that was secluded enough for them both. They hadn’t brought a blanket but neither minded, sitting cross legged with Minji’s head resting atop Danielle’s.
“Now I know what you mean by this being the most beautiful time of day here.” Minji says softly.
“Right? It’s so pretty…” Danielle replies, her accent thick and her tone heavy with the love she had for her birthplace. Minji lifts her head to look at her girlfriend, her smooth skin bathed in the golden hour, makeup-free too, revealing the few moles dotted along her cheek. It’s what Minji loved most, Danielle in her purest form, free from any worry or distress just like she deserved. A gentle breeze passes by making some stray hairs cling to her face, Minji reaches to brush them away without thinking.
Loving Danielle came so naturally to her, something she could do without thinking twice, without hesitation. The woman in front of her was the embodiment of love itself: genuine, comforting and the best part— real.
Danielle feels the same too, no doubt, looking into Minji’s eyes feeling so safe and at peace. There was nowhere else she’d rather be, swimming in the gaze of who she loved most in this world.
The kiss that follows was inevitable. Danielle can still taste the strawberry on Minji’s lips from earlier, her heart beats steadily reflecting her calm state, content with the moment. Being with her girlfriend was like constantly being high on cloud nine, but even when she pulls away she knows she’ll be just fine. Danielle floats down from the sky, soft sand between her toes and the ocean waves crashing quietly a few feet away.
Love could be a lot of things. Honey brown eyes and fluffy chocolate curls, or deep brown eyes and tousled black locks.
“Thanks for coming to Australia with me,” Danielle whispers cutely. “I love you so much unnie.” Minji smiles, resting her forehead against the younger girl’s.
“Thank you for bringing me here… letting me into this part of your life, I like getting to see aussie Dani.” Danielle giggles, brows furrowed in slight confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
Minji bites her lip as she tries to come up with the right words, her girlfriend stroking her cheek as she waits patiently. “Just seeing you so… comfortable, carefree… I mean, you are naturally but here especially.” Danielle hums in agreement.
“That’s because I love being here, home, with you,” she whispers. “Same thing, really.”
Minji chuckles. “Same thing?”
“Mhm, I never understood that saying but, now that I’ve met you, I do.” Danielle replies honestly. Minji could cry but she doesn’t, choosing to close the gap instead. The kiss they share this time deepens naturally, Minji’s hand finding its place on the back of Danielle’s neck. Bar beach was completely empty now, smoky scent of barbecue still lingering in the air—Minji saves the smell into her head, engraves the feeling of Danielle’s lips into her brain, embracing the memory of her sweetest summer yet.
One she hopes neither her, nor Danielle will ever forget.