𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒 | 𝐊- 𝐏𝐎𝐏

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗏𝖾

Chapter 26: Good Morning

He wakes in the early morning light, still holding her tightly; her body nestled in his, bare skin, warm and smooth, pressed close to him. He moves his head closer, kissing the back of her neck and drinks in the scent of her hair; apple blossoms and bergamot. His hands slide over her body, pulling her closer as she stirs. He smiles deeply, feeling so connected to her, and complete. For a moment, he remembers what Mrs. Choi said about him, and he smiles to himself thinking of her body curled within his, making him feel whole. He lifts his head up and kisses her cheek softly, making her whimper as she flutters her eyes open, turning her head to look back at him. He plants a kiss on her shoulder, tasting the residue of the sweat from their night spent together.

"Good morning Hana," he says softly, watching her, as he leaves another kiss on her shoulder. She smiles back at him, closing her eyes.

"Good morning. I don't remember falling asleep," she muses, making him laugh.

"You were exhausted." She turns her body over to face him and he watches her position the covers over herself for modesty. He chuckles. "It's a little late to be hiding from me now." He leans in close and kisses her, pulling the sheet away from her body and moving closer to her as he holds her locked in a kiss. One hand slides up from her back and rests on her cheek, his fingers pushing away strands of her blonde hair. She cuddles closer to him, resting her head against his chest. He continues to twist strands of her hair in his fingers, studying the color and holding it up to the light streaming through the small window.

"Do you have plans for the day?" he asks eagerly. She thinks for a moment and then shakes her head 'no'.

"I need to do a little studying, but I don't have class again until Monday."

"Can I stay? I can help," he offers. She looks at him intrigued.

"I think you'd be quite a distraction." She laughs and traces her finger across his bare chest playfully. She looks up at him, as he smiles softly.

"I can get us some breakfast, make some tea, and help, whatever you need. I just want to stay with you." He looks down at her, hoping she understands that he's serious. "I meant what I said last night, I want us to be together." She stares back into his eyes, trying to decide what to say to him. Each moment that passes makes him more fearful of what she might say.

"I don't want to give you the wrong idea Taehyung. I'm not expecting promises." He sits up farther on her bed and looks at her with a new, worried expression. She rises up to sit beside him. "We don't even know each other, and your life..."

"My life is amazing! I have almost everything I could ever want, but I want to share it." He reaches for her, brushing his hand across her cheek to pull her eyes to meet his.

"I don't know if it's a life I can lead. I love teaching, I love my children. They helped me feel love again. After my Grandfather died, I had no one. I felt so lonely and they just took up that place in my heart and healed me."

"You don't have to give that up." He shakes his head. "I am not asking you to stop being you, I just want you to be mine." She looks down, still unsure.

"I think it's too soon for you to say that. We haven't spent enough time together."

"How much time did your Grandfather spend with the girl he fell in love with?" She looks at him surprised. "He fell in love, and wanted to marry her. How much time did they have together?" She thinks about the stories she's heard.

"That was different. He was 18. She was 16. They fell in love but it didn't work out. In the end, they both married other people and had perfectly normal lives. It was just puppy love," she argues.

"I don't think you believe that was all it was, or you wouldn't have moved to Korea to bring him back." She looks away, knowing that he is right. He can tell by her expression that those words made an impact. "Just spend this weekend with me. I want you to get to know me, to understand me better. Real love is a risk worth taking. Don't you want to take the chance?" He waits for her to respond. She takes far too long, wrestling with the thoughts in her head telling her this is too sudden and that she can't be part of this life.

She only knows a small potion of what his life is like but she definitely thinks it's not the future she envisioned for herself. Then again, she doesn't have a plan beyond saying the final goodbye to her Grandfather, and finishing her degree at the end of the term. She assumed she would just go home. But, Seattle doesn't feel like her home anymore, now that he's gone. She has nothing to keep her in the States; no family, no job, no person. Her Grandfather was always the one to take risks, to go out too far in the small boat, to fall in love with a girl half a world away. He was the brave one. She envied that in him. She always wished she had been a little braver, and a little more willing to take the risks. She looks back at Taehyung who is sitting against the pillow, his brow furrowed, a wounded look on his face, still waiting for her to respond. He's so beautiful it's almost heartbreaking. The pout of his full lip makes her want to kiss it, and take all his fears and worries away. She would do anything to see that smile again, lighting up the darkness. She swallows hard, and bites her lip, trying to raise her courage as she looks into his deep brown eyes.

"I do." She nods slowly, finally answering his question. She feels the blood rush from her head as she says the words, her heart racing with the adrenaline of the fear of being so vulnerable. The smile begins to spread from the corner of his mouth until he can't hold it back. When he's happy, he smiles with his entire face and it instantly comforts her. He reaches out to pull her body close, squeezing her tightly against him until she can hear is heart beating loudly in his chest. His arms wrap around her, pulling her in deeper to his embrace, and she allows herself to feel safe, and loved, again.