Heart Shaker

Miso was staring at the window next to her. For some unknown reason, the road was blocked causing severe traffic when they were on their way to the dorm.

But she never hated it.

In fact, Miso enjoyed that she could stay here. The alcohol must have been kicking in, but she felt slightly sleepy. Although, she didn't want to sleep just yet.

After spacing out, she felt something tap her shoulders. Slightly turning her head to the left, she saw Chris leaning his head on her.

Butterflies in her stomach invaded her soul as her heart started beating fast.

She wasn't here to fancy the members, but why was she out there doing it?

Miso gulped the saliva forming in her mouth. She stayed still and wondered if Chris fell asleep in just a short period of time. They spoke just literally two minutes ago and aside from the thought of him doing it intentionally, nothing else has transpired between them.

"Can't I just lean my head on your shoulders for a few minutes?" asked Chris in a low voice.

Miso turned and gave a nod. "Sure, it's okay... But..." She trailed off and her gaze fell on her knees. Unknowingly for her, it became the most interesting thing in the world.

"But?" Chris softly spoke as he slowly turned his head towards Miso's face. "But what?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Miso became extremely conscious of herself. She was probably filled with sweat. Okay, maybe not.

But her face certainly wasn't the best version of herself. She might even smell a small combination of sweat, perfume, grilled meat, and beer. She never really cared about her appearance but Chris was making her feel that way.

And the fact that he was so close to her in proximity made her heart run like it was in a marathon.

Could he probably hear her heart beating like crazy in that tiny distance between her chest and shoulders?

No, right?

She was just being overly dramatic, right?

No light invaded the whole space and Miso couldn't really even see his facial features right now. But she knew how he looked. How a smile would light up his whole face. How his eyes would shine with a sense of happiness.

Chris lifted his head and Miso witnessed his eyes stare at her with a look of worry.

"Is my head too heavy?" asked Chris. "I'm so sorry, I should have been careful."

"No, not at all," denied Miso in a flash. "It's not like that."

"Then, does my hair smell?" he asked in a tiny voice before looking at her straight in the eye. "That is weird, I always wash my hair every day. Is it because of the sweat?"

"No, no!" Miso shook his head in reply as a way to disagree with Chris's weird educated guess. "I didn't mean to express anything like that."

"Then..." he trailed off, averting eye contact with her while scratching the back of his neck. "Does that mean I'm making you uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable isn't really a word to describe it..." answered Miso vaguely.

That was right.

Miso was slightly uncomfortable, but not because she hated it. It was because she became nervous of his sudden proximity.

It was a little inappropriate to be leaning on someone she had no feelings for and that was why she became embarrassed. She wasn't sure how she should react.

It was illegal for him to invade her personal space

What was her intention of leaning his head into her shoulder anyway?

Was he trying to get closer to her as a person? Or as a friend, or what?

He already knew that she was a girl.

Or maybe, this Chris was just the type who liked to show his affection to everyone, regardless of gender.

"I'm so sorry," Chris whispered and broke the series of spiraling thoughts Miso had. "I should have been more considerate of how you felt."

But then, Miso didn't want him to misunderstand.

She never felt uncomfortable with his presence at all.

"No..." Miso's stare fell on the ground as she intertwined and fiddled all of her fingers, feeling the nervousness in her body. "You have always been considerate of me. And I never felt uncomfortable with you."

She could hear Chris's tiny and relaxed laugh just after a second she told him what she felt.

"Thank you for saying that," he said. Miso finally had the courage to stare at his face and she was entranced at how his dimples appeared on both sides of his mouth. "Here I thought that I was making you uncomfortable." The corners of his lips slowly turned up into a smile. "But I'm glad I didn't do anything wrong."

She noticed the light shining in his eyes. They were warm and bright. At that moment, she could feel herself being pulled in by his charm. His smile was infectious and made her feel happy.

He successfully made her heart shake without her permission and she was left disarmed.

A few moments passed by when Chris decided to break the silence, "It seems that the traffic is really bad." He glanced at the front, then towards Miso. "Can you lend your shoulders to me? In exchange, you can rest your head on mine as well."

The moment Miso pictured it out on her head, she couldn't help but blush. Those were just simple but heart-fluttering moments she had seen in dramas. She never expected it to happen in real life.

He playfully laughed and added, "I guess your silence meant that I made you slightly uncomfortable." Chris went to lean his head on Miso's shoulders and continued, "It would be better for me to shut up and just rest, I guess?"

And that was when Miso felt his head on her shoulders. It wasn't even extremely heavy, but just enough that she could feel his presence on her.

It was slightly an uncomfortable feeling, but she definitely didn't hate it.

She realized that he was his safe space.

Someone whom she could possibly fall in love with.

There was no denying it.

Miso didn't think of any reasons or any consequences that will happen with how she lets herself loose. What mattered the most for her was herself, that exact moment.

Her heart fell at peace.