He Liked Her Shoes

Chapter 4: Confession

"Can you do that? I mean, will you get recognized?" Melody was concerned about San-hoon being noticed, with her, if he were to take her for a tour around the city.

"No one would expect to see me with an American girl." He assured her teasingly, "You'd be surprised how much a hat and glasses help hide your appearance.

He called down to the garage to have his car valeted to the front. He would take her on a driving tour, including his favorite spot. She warned him she may fall asleep, cars had a way of lulling her without warning. True to her word, she was asleep ten minutes into the drive. He could hear her gentle breathing.

There was no point in showing her the sites when her eyes were closed, so he drove directly to his main destination. Once parked, he examined her face once more. He did like her, but he was confused about why. No, that wasn't quite right. But as he contemplated his dilemma, she began to stir, so he gently nudged her awake.

"Sorry," she slowly adjusted her slumped body, straightening her posture.

"You warned me," his reply said there was no need to apologize. "Ready for a walk?" He exited the car.

She too step out into the fresh air. The wind blew her hair from her face as she inhaled the cool air. It seemed to refresh her instantly. "Lead the way," she instructed as she walked around the front of the car so she was now standing next to him.

A green field filled with tall stalked flowers of mostly yellow gently swayed in the breeze. It almost looked like a painting. In the winter it would be covered in a pure white blanket of snow. But now it was fragrant and peaceful. He allowed her to walk first, watching as she waded easily through the high plants that reached up to her slim waist. Reaching the clearing, she first sat then laid in the cool grass to view the blue spring sky above. She didn't seem concerned that her dress may get dirty or weeds in her hair. Following her lead, he reclined next to her, a proper distance, brushing her hand by accident. An exciting chill ran through his body.

They laid quietly for some time not speaking a word. He thought maybe she had fallen asleep again. But she suddenly spoke, boldly, maybe because she didn't have to look at him directly.

"Do you like me?" Her voice was timid, as if she would be afraid of the answer.

He pondered her question for a few moments before he answered. "I do. I think I like, like you. I more than like you, and it's confusing." He was bold in his answer. Might as well get this figured out now.

She was taken aback. "Why is it confusing?"

"Because I've never felt this way before. Because I just met you a couple of days ago. How could I possible be in love with you?"

"In love with me?" She repeated it quietly to herself. She started to mumble, words he definitely couldn't make out, she was discussing the issue alone.

He was watching a cloud slowly glide across the blue sky when she propped herself on one elbow, rolling onto her side to face him. He turned his head so he could look her in the eyes. They were beautiful but they were worried. She had something serious to say and was brave enough to look him in the eye to do so. But was it what he wanted to hear?

"Remember on the plane, when you said I was talking in my sleep? I said your name." He nodded that yes, he remembered. "I was dreaming about you, sort of." She had remembered that dream, but assumed it was a reaction to her proximity to the boy band.

She continued. "I assumed my mind was mirroring my excitement from meeting you and the others. I tried to shake the feeling, because it didn't make too much sense. But apparently I have dreamed it again because, when Mrs Choi woke me one day, she thought I was crying and then she asked me who San-hoon was."

"What happens in your dream?" He was curious.

"I'm at a KPK concert. I'm end up on stage. You take hold of my hand leading me down a flight of stairs. We are suddenly in a field, similar to this one. Seeing the rest of the group in the distance, makes me feel like I shouldn't be there, like it's wrong for me to be holding your hand. When I force you to release your grip, I disappear. It's suddenly dark but I hear Joon-suk call my name. When I answer, it's you standing before me with your hand stretch out." She paused.

"You would think a fangirl dream would be, well, more seductive," he thought.

"Does anything else happen?" It was an interesting dream, though he had no idea if it really meant anything.

"I hesitate, but notice you're holding a ring in your open hand. I laugh, say your name, and you smile. That's all I remember."

Quietly, they continued to lay on the ground, watching the sky, wondering what everything meant. She sat up, swung around to fully face him, bending her legs so one knee rested on the other. He watched wondering what was next.

Melody played the last couple of days through her mind. Was she in love with San-hoon the idol singer, or the man? She had initially believed it was simply the fangirl in her. But even as she watched him sleeping on the plane something told her there was more. But how could she be in love with a man she really didn't know? How could she be sure which version of San-hoon she was having feelings for? But she began to realize on the plane, though it seemed impossible, that it was the man slumbering next to her that she wanted to be with, not the idol.

She was suddenly hopeful. Her heart was hoping he truly felt the same.

"Do you love me?" It was a request for a definitive answer.

He stares into her face, examining her skin, the way her sun-kissed hair lightly swayed in the breeze. Her lips that he had thought about kissing more than he should have, her eyes shimmering.

"Yes." simple answer.

A beautiful smile lights up her face.

"I love you," she confidently confessed. "I knew that it was more than fangirl love as I watched you sleeping on the plane. I can't explain how. I noticed the way you looked at me sometimes, so I was hopeful about your feelings."

As the sky darkened they drove back in silence, holding hands. Again her impatience ruled. "So what do we do now? Do we date? Do we just ignore things? I'm suppose to be returning to Miami in about two weeks."

He hadn't thought of that. Honestly, he was thrilled that she loved him. He hadn't realized he wanted her to love him. But now, yes, she was suppose to return home, and he and the guys would begin working on their next album. What were they to do?

He brought her back to the studio. The other three members wouldn't return until tomorrow evening. He'd have one full day to spend alone with her and he wasn't going to waste it on propriety. There was an extra room for guests at the studio. She would sleep there if necessary. He wasn't going to spend a single second apart from her.

They rode the elevator to the fifth floor. As they exited, he stopped her in the hall. "I want to kiss you," he announced.

"So kiss me." She barely finished the sentence when his warm, lovely lips where pressed against hers. That kiss confirmed everything. As they looked into each others eyes they both knew it was love, no matter how impossible it seemed.