Tessa, the last two in the group, waved at you, before linking arms and hurrying after the rest.

You glanced at Changbin questioningly, and he just smiled.

"Let's sit by the fire for a bit, yeah?" He kept his grip on your wrist, before standing up from the table and leading you over to the chairs around the fire, sitting down first before patting his lap for you.

You climbed on top of him, and wrapped your arms around his neck, smiling down at him. It felt so good to be like this again. And finally, the two of you were alone.

"I can't believe it's our last night here," you said for the hundredth time, breaking the silence as you gazed around the empty clearing. "The month went by so fast."

"So fast, and so slow," Changbin agreed, kissing your shoulder gently. "We've only been together a few weeks, and it feels like it's been months. We've learned so much about one another."

"No one knows me as well as you do, Bin," you said in quiet agreement. "I think that's another reason why I got scared. You kept seeing through all my bullshit, and instead of running, you stuck by me. I'm learning that's not a good reason to run from someone. I need to be grateful for it. And I am."

"I fucked up too, bad." He shook his head, as if to rid himself of the memories. "I apologized before, but I want you to know how truly sorry I am for what I said. I believe in you more than I believe in myself. I admire you so much, it's crazy. I know you can do anything you put your mind to, and more. And if you struggle, I'm there to pick you up."

You giggled. "Where did you get that genius line from?"

He shrugged proudly. "Felix. Well, I twisted his words a little. So can I say it was me?"

In response, you wrapped your arms tighter around him, and pulled him in for a kiss. You lowered your head to meet him halfway, melding your mouths together, alone for the first time since you'd made up. You could taste the relief, the contentedness, on his lips, like you could both truly relax into each other. You could both be the realest, most honest versions of yourselves, together. You just closed your eyes, and breathed in the scent of him, reveling in truly loving the man before you.

When you finally broke apart, you didn't jump off his lap and run after your friends. Instead, you just rested your head on his shoulder, and stared out at the fall scenery before you. The sun was setting over the golden-leafed trees, a glowing orange as it disappeared from view, turning your skin an alluring shade of honey. It was an absolutely gorgeous view, the sky an oil painting of inky purples, vivid ambers, and lemony yellows. And the longer you stared, the more emotions it stirred up, your throat clogging at its pure beauty.

It was a perfect autumn evening.

"You are so beautiful," Changbin suddenly whispered, his voice forever a welcome interruption. "Do you want to move in with me? Like, right when we get home?"

You tilted your head to face him, pursing your lips to hide an embarrassed smile. He was gazing at you the same way you were staring at the sunset, eyes filled with a reverence you'd never witnessed before.

"Let's take it slow, okay?" you murmured back, heart thudding at his sudden proposal. Were you ready for that?

But he didn't seem to mind. "I could sit here with you all night, just like this," he continued softly, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from your face.

You smiled down at him, leaning in and placing another tenderer kiss to his awaiting lips. Then, you leaned over next his ear and whispered, "then let's do it."

laska's note —
oh my goodness, that's the final chapter of autumn evening! all we have left is the epilogue. our babies have finally gotten together, permanently 🥹 and they truly deserve each other. they've forgiven one another, and expressed just how much they care about each other. it's really heartwarming to see, especially because i've become so attached to hua, and changhua as a couple! but if you're worried about more skz content from me, don't! as i've mentioned many times (no i will not shut up about it), there will be another book in this series coming after this one! so once this fic is over, there will still be more content from this universe 🤭 so, give changhua all the love in the comments, and let me know what you're looking forward to in the next book, which will take place in the winter! 😍

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊