Letters to Hae

Chapter 14

 Rachel's POV

All she can remember is that he was in the pool with her and he said "hey". She remembers herself trying to loosen her right hand from him at one stage, but he held tight to her hand and she saw him watch her as she bit the corner of her lower lip. He then had taken her hand and curled his fingers between hers before he led her out of the pool and without any thought, she followed his lead.

After that, it all became a gentle blur. One minute, Rachel was in the shower soaking up the hot water, figuring out how the night unfolded for her to be standing in that spot. The next minute, she was sitting in the armchair by the window sipping on hot tea.

"This tea feels so good and it's hot, warming my insides. That shower was what I needed" she told herself. He was in the shower washing the chlorine off his body. He was calm, she sensed that. She was calm also, but also in a daze. She was in a hotel robe with her feet curled up underneath her on the little armchair. The robe covered her legs and feet. Yes, she was definitely colder than usual. She heard the shower stop and as she watched the city lights outside through the small gap in the curtains, she took another sip of her tea. She liked how he had the lights off in his room. Just the bedside lamps on. She wasn't tired but she also couldn't move. She didn't want to lose this moment just yet.

She didn't hear his footsteps but she heard the bathroom door open, and then a few seconds later, felt his hand on her shoulder as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "Why was this so comfortable?" She asked herself. He moved his right hand to her neck and caressed her collarbone gently with his thumb while asking her about her tea. "Is it any good? he asked. "Mmmm yes actually. Would you like some?" She offered him. He took the cup with his left hand and sipped the tea slowly. He let go of her neck for a minute, to grab a nearby chair and sat close to her. Eyes fixed on each other... he asked her "please... stay, if only for a few hours" she obediently nodded ever so gently to his request. He placed the tea cup back on its saucer and pulled forward to kiss her gently on her lips. "I'm ready for whatever he leads me to" she told herself.

He let the kiss go gently and then seemed to have moved her deeper into his chest and he cradled her in his arms. His hand remained on her neck as he caressed her collarbone with his thumb and she didn't know what to do with her hands so left them sitting her lap. She tried to fumble her way through her thoughts. "I...I... don't know what to say, I'm sorry" as she slightly shivered. He smiled and lifted her chin to kiss her lips gently again "it's ok, there's nothing to say" he moved his left hand to the side of her face and continued to caress her cheek with his thumb while staring into her eyes. She obediently nodded but he could tell she was not herself. He decided to kiss her again, to hopefully bring her thoughts back to reality. It worked. She loosened her legs from underneath her and her toes touched the floor, she moved in closer into his chest. He cuddled her tightly and her arms were now finding their way around his torso. They continued to kiss and caress. They felt no rush. Whenever they stopped to catch their breath, they found themselves lost in each other's eyes.

A few minutes had passed when reality kicked in. She asked him politely "do you mind if I just send a quick message to my friend to let her know I'm safe?" he was quick to give her a gently nod. "Absolutely... " he whispered. She hopped up and sent her message and was a little perplexed on what to do next. She pretended to go take another sip of her now cold tea but he caught her mid-sip and guided her with a whisper "c'mon let's go lay down a little". She couldn't quite understand this level of comfort she was feeling but she followed his lead and laid on the bed beside him. Not sure when he did it, but she noticed that the bed covers were already removed and the pillows were arranged for sleeping.

'I'm in my hotel robe, naked underneath the said robe, hair almost dry, no make-up and about to lay down in a bed beside someone I had been mailing letters to, revealing bits of my life through each letter. Yet I'm here in this moment staring at this same 'someone' who wasn't supposed to enter my life, at the very least nor step into my hardened heart. Wow just wow' she thought. Rachel then saw that Hae had left a spare folded t-shirt of his and some loose shorts on the edge of the bed. She only just realised that those items were for her. She excused herself and quickly got changed in the bathroom. Whilst in the bathroom, she decided to hang her sundress and swimmers up to dry.

As she made her way back in to the room, that 'special someone' was now in bed, with the covers on. She noticed that the robe was left behind on the chair but that motion didn't shake her nerves. Rachel wasn't sure when, but she noticed that he had a t-shirt on and loose boxers. He was careful not show anything too revealing while she was trying to gain composure whilst getting into bed. He moved himself onto his right side and moved his right arm up to support his head. She noticed that he was careful to leave space between himself and her until she felt comfortable.

She decided to lay on her side facing him, keeping to his rule of distance and smiled with her eyes. Rachel was in no hurry but she was also aware the time with him wouldn't be long and it would be very precious.