Playing with Fire: A BLACKPINK Story

Chapter 31: Time to Ourselves

I woke up to the sun streaming through the window, accompanied by a soft breeze. It felt surreal. I never expected to be in this situation again, and yet here I was. I wasn't alone. I rolled onto my side to catch a glimpse of the woman who was lying next to me in bed. My eyes lingered on her face—this was real.

Even barefaced and in sleep, Jisoo was still as beautiful as ever. I was used to waking up before she did—I tended to get up early naturally thanks to years of training. Not to mention the fact that I had been on bed rest for quite some time, while she had been touring Europe. She needed her sleep.

I didn't mind. I was perfectly content to lay there and watch her, my eyes roaming over every detail of her face.

She shifted in her sleep, then turned to face me, and her eyes slowly opened. She blinked sleepily and her mouth curved into a gentle smile.

<You're still here,> she said.

<Of course I am,> I answered. <Where would I have gone?> It was only our second day at the beach, and our first night at the hotel. I wasn't sure what she meant.

Her smile grew a little bigger, but there was a trace of sadness to it. <I'm just not used to this yet.>

<Neither am I,> I said, reaching up and taking her face in my hands. <But we can get used to it together.> I kissed her then, slowly and softly, feeling her melt into my arms. It was a feeling I had dreamed about for a long time. Being able to experience now, whenever I wanted... it was unbelievable.

Well, not whenever I wanted. There were still other things to take into consideration, like the fact that we had to keep our relationship hidden from the public. But both of us had plenty of practice with things like that. It was inconvenient, not impossible.

<You want to get up?> she asked.

<It's not too early for you?> I was surprised. I knew how much she liked her sleep, especially on her days off.

< I want to enjoy our time!> she said excitedly, trying to get out of bed quickly and failing, her legs wrapped up in the sheets. She giggled and tried to extricate herself, but instead of helping her, I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close to me.

<Hey!> she cried out. <This isn't helping!>

<I know,> I said, snuggling myself into her. <That was the point.>

<You've betrayed me!> she said, laughing. <It's time for breakfast!>

<Not yet,> I said, holding her tightly. <Just a few more minutes.>

The truth was that I wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as I could. I wasn't used to it yet. I didn't know if I would ever be used to it. I didn't know if I wanted to be used to it. I wanted to appreciate every moment I had with her. No one knew better than I did how fleeting such things could be.

When we finally did get out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom to prepare for the day while I pretended to hang out in the bedroom reading. It was a trick, though. I didn't want her to see me heading for the kitchen to attempt to prepare breakfast for her.

Truthfully, I wasn't much of a cook. I never had been. I knew how to make a few basic things, but that was about it. It wasn't a skill that I had needed to master to be good at my craft, so I had never bothered. That being said, I could still make a decent breakfast. Sort of. Well, it was the thought that counted, at least. I was sure she would be happy about that.

Fortunately, she spent enough time showering and getting ready that I had just enough time to get everything taken care of by the time she was emerging.