| Fan Fiction |
by Take_Flight
“Hey! Come back!” Changmin hollered after her as he kicked his legs and started swimming towards her. He heard Nadine let out an evil laugh but it wasn’t going to be an easy job getting away from him. Changmin dove underwater and swam faster towards her. His hand quickly shot out and grabbed onto one of Nadine’s legs causing her to scream.
“Damn you Changmin!” Nadine shouted pushing him away. She brushed back the hair that had plastered on her face with a furious look. “I told you to stop doing that!”
Changmin laughed as he splashed water at her. Nadine huffed angrily and started to swim away but Changmin grabbed on to her arm and pulled her to him. “Hey…don’t tell me you’re mad” he said.
“Of course I’m mad” Nadine snapped as she tried to wrench her arm away.
“You want to make me…feel you better?” Changmin asked in a low voice before stealing a kiss from her. Nadine tried to protest but he held on to her as he deepened the kiss.
“It’s..not..fair” Nadine was mumbling as she wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her fingers through his wet hair.
“What’s..not fair?” Changmin asked in between their kisses. “You…schemer” Nadine replied as she ended the kiss and licked her lips. “You’re always finding ways to make me the victim” she added, looking at him straight in the eyes.
Changmin chuckled. “But you enjoy the end product right?” he teased, nuzzling her nose. Nadine giggled as she leaned forward and gave a peck on his lips but he swiftly captured it and they started making out again, in the cool, calm sea. Changmin walked out of the water, carrying Nadine close to him. He laid her down gently on the sandy beach, never breaking the kiss. Nadine’s arms circled his neck as she pulled him closer. Changmin’s hands roamed her body, feeling her under him. He liked the feel of her soft skin as his hands ran up and down her thighs and then moving slickly under her wet shirt feeling her flat stomach. Nadine let out a soft moan when Changmin ran his tongue on her bottom lip and he got a jolt of surprise when Nadine parted her lips and he felt her hot tongue on his.
“God…Nadine…” Changmin said in a husky voice as she responded to his kisses. It was no doubt that both of them were feeling the heat as the tidal waves crashed their bodies. Changmin’s hand left her stomach and he suddenly felt the two soft lumps which causes Nadine’s body to react differently. Nadine broke off the kiss quickly as she placed her hand onto his chest and Changmin immediately saw the look of alarm in her eyes. Changmin hastily got off her, his heart thumping wildly. “N..Nadine..I don’t mean...” He stopped talking as he tried to compose himself just as Nadine sat up hurriedly, running her hands nervously through her wet tangled hair and drawing her knees closer to her chest, breathing deeply.
“Nadine I’m so sorry I don’t mean to scare you” Changmin blurted out as he faced her. Nadine pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m…fine..—
“No you’re not! I’m really sorry Nadine. I didn’t meant—
“Look Changmin, it’s fine okay? I..I’m just..” Nadine stopped talking and took a deep shaky breath as she stared out into the sea, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.
Changmin felt the heavy pit in his stomach and he mentally kicked himself for not being rational. God, what was he thinking?! He just gave Nadine a scare and now the girl’s too shock to even speak to him.
“Changmin, please don’t blame yourself” Nadine suddenly said in a small voice, but she was still facing the dark waters.
Changmin looked at Nadine who was now sitting cross-legged and was digging her fingers into the wet sand, creating swirly shapes and then being washed away by the waves. The slight breeze made her shivered a bit and his first instinct was to get closer and keep her warm but he knew better than to do that after what just happened.
“Mianhe” Changmin apologized again, but Nadine chuckled softly. “Are you going to keep apologizing the whole night?” she asked, looking at him.
“I feel horrible” Changmin admitted with a devastated look. “I…I don’t know what’s got into me. I shouldn’t have thrown you into the—
“It’s too late to be regretful now Changmin. And I already told you to stop blaming yourself” Nadine interrupted in a firm voice.
Changmin frowned slightly at the expression on her face. Even though it was dark, the moon was able to lit up the place with its faint light and he thought he saw a mixture of anger and sorrow on her pretty face. “Why should I stop blaming myself Nadine? What I did to you could be an immoral act and you’re telling me to let go?” he asked, a bit puzzled by what she was saying.
Nadine kept quiet for a while, staring at the grains of sand stuck onto her finger. “M..My ex-boyfriend..” she started to say and Changmin raised his head, staring at her with wide eyes. Almost immediately, the remorse feeling hit him like the tidal waves and he wished the earth will open up and swallow him. What he did must have triggered something the ex-boyfriend had done to her.
“He didn’t hurt me” Nadine was saying, shifting a little to face him. “It’s just…the way he touch, sometimes…it makes me…uncomfortable” she said and then taking a long deep breath.
Changmin swallowed the painful bile that was forming, feeling guilty. “You…never mention you had an ex” he told her.
“I didn’t think it was necessary” Nadine mumbled. Changmin scooted closer to her, but not too close. “I didn’t mean to not tell you about it, but that was in the past so I figure it’s not important at all” she added.
“It’s important to me” Changmin insisted, feeling slightly hurt that Nadine was hiding a few things from him. Not that he wasn’t being respectful to her privacy, but knowing that what he did just now had made her think about the negative prospects of her past relationship.
Nadine sighed and shook her head. “How come it matters? Whatever happens in the past has turned to dust. There’s no use thinking about it right? No matter how hurtful it is?”
Changmin felt the awkward vibe in the air, not sure what Nadine was getting to. “Nadine, is everything okay? You want to talk about it?” he asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. When he tipped her chin to look at him, he was shocked to see a tear streamed down her face. “Nadine…what’s wrong?” he asked again, cupping her face but Nadine shook her head and looked down instead, sobbing quietly.
Changmin gathered her in his arms feeling extremely worried and alarm as well. Nadine’s hands felt limply at her sides while she rested her head on his chest and cried softly.
“God…I feel like…an idiot now” Nadine managed to say in between her sobs. She lifted her head and cleared her throat.
Changmin’s hands stayed on her shoulder and he stared at her with a puzzled look. “Nadine, you’re scaring me” he told her. “Can you tell me what’s going on? Did something happen just now?” he asked, watching her pushed back her hair from the face and wiping the tears away.
Nadine shook her head. “Aniya. Nothing happened. If you must know, I actually give myself a scare as well” she admitted giving him a weak smile but Changmin appeared solemn and her smile faltered. “A..Are you mad?”
Changmin shrugged. “I’m at loss actually” he replied, removing a strand of hair from her face. “For once I thought you’re having a mental breakdown” he added.
“I was…having some sort of a breakdown. I actually didn’t expect myself to bawl my eyes out in front of you” Nadine confessed, studying her hands. “I’m sorry I scared you”
Changmin watched as Nadine took a few deep breaths, perhaps gathering her thoughts and regaining her composure. Even though there was minimal light, he noticed how…tired she looks. It wasn’t the same dead beat appearance he usually got when they meet up after work. Her face this time looks as if it had lost the vibrant shine that she used to have, the way her eyes lit up when they talked even when sometimes he made her annoyed with his teasing and jokes. She looked pale as well…but he couldn’t tell whether it was from the moonlight or the fact that she looked a bit fearful, from the way she was biting her lips and was back to making swirly shapes in the sand with her fingers. “You want…to end this?” Changmin suddenly asked and Nadine turned to look at him, her eyes wide.
“W..What?!” Nadine asked, her voice rising a little. “N..no. I don’t want to…I..I like being with you—
“So what’s with the gauche treatment? You have to tell me what’s in your head Nadine. I’m never good at reading people’s mind”
“And…I’m never good at telling people how…I feel about them” Nadine admitted, giving him a sheepish grin.
Changmin chuckled. “So this is what it’s all about?” he asked, taking her hands and dusting the sand away. “You were…contemplating about this matter the whole time?”
“Y…Yes. Frankly speaking, I..wasn’t ready to get involved again” Nadine said in a soft voice.
Changmin caressed her fingers caringly and then turning over to see her palm. He immediately spotted the faint white scar on her right palm and smiled to himself as he traced the scar, remembering the one moment where she had passed out in front of him and SY at the NAC. If he had known that Nadine had gotten the awful cut on the same day she was supposed to meet him, he would have postpone their trip to meet the dealer. Or else she wouldn’t have fainted and scared the crap out of him. Changmin had caught her in his arms, before she hit the ground. SY had insisted to call the ambulance but Changmin told her he’ll bring Nadine to the hospital himself. Her body was exceptionally light when he carried her to his car. As he drove to the hospital, he kept throwing nervous glances at her body slumped at the backseat, her face so pale and her body so fragile that he was afraid she will shatter into pieces anytime. Upon reaching the hospital, when she was placed onto a bed, he had heard her calling out a name. Gio. Changmin had heard her whimpering that name. He still remembered the dejected feeling he felt, like a painful punch to his gut, thinking that Gio was her boyfriend. But when he found out that Gio was actually her brother, he knew the coast was clear and wasted no time wooing her. Well, he didn’t actually have to make any effort to woo her. Everything just falls into place nicely. Changmin smiled to himself again, reminiscing the first sudden kiss they shared at his ‘oasis’.
“What are you grinning about?” Nadine suddenly asked, looking up at him with questioning eyes.
“Nothing. Just thinking about…how I’m falling for you day by day” Changmin told her. Nadine raised her eyebrows, looking a bit baffled with what he said. “D..Day by day?” she echoed and Changmin nodded, giving her a warm smile.
“You have NO idea how crazy I was about you, when we first met. I…I thought I was going to lose my mind and my sanity”
Nadine burst out laughing all of a sudden and Changmin felt his face getting warm, a bit embarrassed that he just said that to her. On the other hand, he was pleased to see Nadine smiling again. “You know…you’re actually..pretty bold to make such a move on me. I wasn’t expecting that from you” she told him.
“What move?” Changmin asked, pretending not to know. Deep down, he knew she was referring to their surprise kiss.
Nadine rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not going to say it” she told him, tugging at her wet shirt that was clinging to her body. Changmin tore his gaze away from seeing how the wet shirt was showing the curves of her body. It was no doubt that she had this ‘sexually-attractive’ aura going on around her, and it was one of the factors that had made Changmin fascinated by her.
“Nadine, I know you’re going to stop me from apologizing for what happened earlier on, but, really..I truly am. I didn’t meant to hurt you in any way” Changmin said, caressing her cheeks. “Maybe you’re right, what happen in the past has turn to dust, no point thinking about it. And I admire you for that….the strong will you have to move on in life. And I’m glad that you allow me to enter your life. You’re one of my life’s greatest mystery you know that?”
“I’m….a mystery to you? Omo Changmin…why do you keep saying the strangest things?” Nadine asked, chuckling at the same time.
“Because then, I can see you laugh and knowing that you’re happy by side is what matters to me” Changmin declared, tipping her chin so that their eyes leveled with each other. “But you are a mystery to me…there are some things I can’t put my finger on it, but you ended up surprising me whatever you have up your sleeve”
Nadine cocked her head to one side, studying him. “R..Really?” she whispered. “Am I really that…intriguing?” she asked, her eyes shimmering. “I never heard of people describing me that way”
Changmin gave her a crooked smile, leaned forward and kissed her lips tenderly. “Well…that’s always a first for everything, and since it’s coming from me, I really do mean it” he told her, leaning his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes, at the same time a breeze cut through the silent air, rustling the leaves and he picked out the familiar scent from Nadine. There was a slight tang of caramel and sea salt with it, but the original scent of sandalwood was overpowering as usual.
“Are we going to go back to the party?” Nadine asked, outlining a vein on his arms with her finger.
“Do you want to?” Changmin asked, opening his eyes lazily and kissing the tip of her nose.
Nadine shrugged. “I’m a bit hungry….but I’m too lazy to get up now” she replied, stretching out her legs and letting the waves to wash over her feet. “But I think Ri In and Junsu might be looking for us, don’t you think so?”
Changmin chuckled. “Junsu knows that I’ll be kidnapping you every night so he’s not bothered by it”
Nadine giggled as she wriggled her toes. “Ri In’s not pleased with it though” she told him.
“Then I guess we should head back and enjoy the party before Ri In nags at me for abducting you” Changmin said as he stood up and pulled Nadine to her feet.
“But can we go back and change into something dry? I have sands in my pockets, and I don’t want to look like Frankenstein’s bride with this hideous hair” Nadine said, running her fingers through her hair which was slightly damp and tangled up.
“Your hair’s not hideous” Changmin told her as they walked back to the lobby and then he did a double take when he saw his reflection on a reflective surface. His hair was sticking out in different directions and he heard Nadine tittering softly beside him. “You knew I was looking like this the whole time?”
Nadine nodded with a grin. “You look fine…it’s like having this edgy urban…summer look” she teased him.
“You want me to throw you back into the sea?” Changmin threatened her.
Nadine’s smile was quickly wiped out and Changmin laughed at her troubled expression. “Yah! That’s not funny anymore” she scolded him, stepping into the lift.
“Araso araso. I won’t do it again. Promise” Changmin assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder and pressing the lift button to their floor. “Hey, you didn’t tell me when the results of the Art competition going to be announce”
Nadine shrugged. “I’m not even sure if the class will make it, since we’re amateurs. But even if the school got listed, we might get to go on a convention in Japan for three days. They will showcase the students’ works as well and they get to have excellent exposure for their talents. Winners will be announced when school re-opens”
“So if you’re invited to the convention, there might be a high chance you can win the competition?” Changmin wanted to know as they stepped out the lift and walked down the corridor.
“Maybe…the students are really keen on getting the top prize. But just think! I’ll finally get to go to Japan!” Nadine said happily, clasping her hands together. “I don’t mind the language barrier, but I’ve always wanted to visit that place”
“Hey, I can teach you Japanese if you want” Changmin offered before talking a few sentences in that language.
Nadine narrowed her eyes and nudged her elbow. “Show off” she said, stopping in front of her room. Changmin gave her a smug smile as she opened the door. He was about to say something when she slammed the door in his face, leaving him dumbfounded. “I’ll see you in ten!” Nadine’s muffled voice said from the other side.
Changmin chuckled and shook his head and walked to his room. He was glad that their first summer vacation spent was a precious one. From the way he sees it, it was the start of a beautiful relationship with Nadine. He was feeling a bit amazed with his confessions earlier on, and he can’t help but blush thinking about what he said. But it was the truth. That was how Nadine was making him feel almost every day. And to think he almost let her slip by just by a mere policy. He was ever so glad he got that rebellious streak in him, cause there was absolutely no regrets to be in love with Nadine Celeste Arena.