"Wow."
"That's it? Wow?"
"I'm just... in shock," Angie said, pouring maple syrup over her stack of pancakes. We were at our favorite after-finals breakfast place, in a back booth where no one would hear our conversation. "So you just bumped into him on the street. And now here you are. Wow."
I laughed. It astounded me too.
"So it's been like three months. That's pretty serious. Do his friends know? Or is it just a huge secret?"
"I think he's told a couple of them. They're celebrities too, used to having to keep their love lives under wraps." I managed to stuff a bite of waffle and strawberry in my mouth between her questions.
"Doesn't it bother you not having it out in the open and not being able to tell anyone?"
"Well I got to tell you didn't I? I understand, his career is important too, things are different over there. We both have lives, so I guess it's alright."
"Huh." Angie took a gulp of her coffee. "This is like the most relaxed I've ever seen you with a guy. Which is weird, because he's intimidating. Oh gosh, now I feel like we're in 'Twilight' or something."
I laughed. "Intimidating?" I asked, thinking of how easy it was to talk to him with his easygoing laugh. Then I remembered my sudden inability to speak when he came to collect his phone under the bridge... "Oh. Well..."
"Anyway, I approve," she cut in. "This is even better than Todd and I only met your new beau for two minutes."
"Oh god, Todd? Let's not talk about him..."
"I can't believe you dated that pretentious, beanie-wearing tortured-soul artist--"
"I have a thing for musicians, okay?"
"Obviously," she said, grinning and pointedly stabbing another piece of pancake. "Does he sing in the shower too?"
"Psh, I wouldn't know."
"No? You guys don't, you know..." She raised her eyebrows at me.
"Angie!" I blushed quite a bit, focusing on cutting my waffle into very precise bites.
"Oh Kate. So innocent." I mimed stabbing her with my fork, and she laughed.
That night, Siwon and I were miraculously both free for the whole afternoon and evening. I felt a bit bad for him; between our late night Chinese food and his early morning film schedule, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.
I got dolled up, donning my favorite black blouse, best-fitting jeans, new shoes, and dangly cross earrings my mom had given me, and we headed off to try a new restaurant he had heard about.
When we pulled up in his car, he let the valet take the keys before opening my door for me, offering his hand.
"What a gentleman," I said, thanking him.
"I have to keep up the image," he said with a wink.
The restaurant was swanky by my college-kid standards, with low lighting, a sleek, modern vibe, and lounge music playing in the background. It was a little on the loud side, and with my soft-spokenness, we had to lean in close just to hear each other clearly. As we ate and chatted, I felt myself being drawn in even deeper into our own little bubble. I could feel the heat radiating from him in our close quarters, and when we shared a dessert and I got chocolate sauce on my lip, he wiped it off with his thumb. Every touch--the graze of his hand against mine, the accidental nudge of his knee under the table--seemed suddenly very poignant after my conversation with Angie.
Siwon took my hand as we left. Usually we didn't show much affection in public just in case, but with the energy thick between us, it was hard not to.
After handing the keys to the valet, he pulled me to his chest, his arm tight around my waist as he left a firm, long kiss on my mouth. We only stepped when the car arrived.
The whole ride home, Angie's words bounced around in my head. She and Dave had been together forever, and she spared no detail in filling me in on her love life. But Siwon and I... Ugh why had she mentioned it? Now it was all I could think about.
We pulled up to my apartment, and he leaned in for another kiss. I figured he would just drop me off after dinner, but something made me ask, "Do you want to come up?"
I tried to act nonchalant as we walked up the stairs and down my hall, but I could feel my hands shaking a bit out of nervousness as I turned the key in my door. Once we were inside, I said, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," and scurried into the bathroom.
I quickly brushed my hair, took an extra swig of mouthwash, dabbed a dot of perfume behind my ears, and gave myself a little pep-talk. Then, when I realized my nerves were getting the better of me, I called Angie.
"Hello?"
"Angie. It's me. I'm with Siwon."
"...Then *why* are we talking?'
"I'm in the bathroom. He's outside, waiting. Dinner was really intense, with this pounding music and this leaning close and then the kissing and now I think..."
"Oh my goodness. Kate, go outside!"
"But... I... Angie?"
"Take a deep breath," she told me. I complied. "You are awesome, smart, sexy, etc., now get out there!"
Her words gave me a jolt of enthusiasm that I needed, and I threw the door open with gusto... to see no one in the living room.
"Siwon?"
Then I saw him sprawled out on the sofa sound asleep. I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath that all my worrying had been for nothing. He looked so sweet lying there that all I could do was take the extra blanket from my room and drape it over him.
As I washed up, I found myself looking out at the sleeping figure on my couch. He really was always working hard on whatever project he had going on. I wondered how much sleep he had been getting lately. I debated slipping into one of the flintier nightgowns I'd picked up at Victoria's Secret, then opted for a t-shirt from poetry club and Pink boxers.
I dragged my pillow and quilt out to the living room and camped out beside him. As I turned out the light, I snuck one last glance at him and kissed him softly on the forehead.
____________
Ugh, my back hurt. Since when was my bed so uncomfortable? It seemed way too early to be getting up on a weekend, so I rolled over and buried my head in the covers.
Then, I heard the sound of water running in my bathroom, and I shot up. Siwon was in my apartment. Siwon had spent the night.
I quickly grabbed my bag. I pulled out my comb and dragged it through my hair, dabbed on chapstick, and popped a mint. Siwon was still in the bathroom, so I hopped up and started fixing coffee in the kitchen. I never used to drink it before I met him, but now he had me as addicted as he was.
I heard the bathroom door open behind me, and I turned to see a grinning Siwon leaning against doorframe, shirtless, with my spare toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. I felt the bag of coffee grounds slip from my fingers, then managed to catch it.
"M..Morning," I managed, quite distracted by the gorgeous man standing in front of me. He ducked back into the bathroom and I heard the water run again, so I turned back to my coffee. I had just poured in the water when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and his chin rest on my shoulder.
"Good morning," he said, kissing my cheek. "How'd you sleep?"
"Quite well. You?"
"The same. Sorry for passing out on you like that. And then when I saw you on the floor this morning, I felt bad that I took the couch..."
"Hey, I don't know how you get any sleep on your schedule, so I was fine." I passed him his coffee, and we curled up together on the window seat, looking out at the rain. It was so peaceful there, from the warmth of the coffee, the comfort of Siwon's arms, and the pitter-patter sound of rain, that I almost drifted off to sleep again.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"Hm? For what?"
"For putting up with the secrecy and everything to be with me. I love what I do, but there is so little privacy sometimes... You're my escape from the world, the one person who understands..."
"I know just what you mean," I said, leaving a small kiss on his hand. "I feel the same way." And we spent that morning talking about all sorts of things that neither of us had confided in anyone before, laughing sometimes, serious other times, and just sharing everything with each other.
A few days later, after after slogging through a particularly difficult chem test, I headed out of the classroom and ran right into Angie.
"Hey Angie. What's up?"
"Kate... We've got a problem."
__________________
Hope you guys are still liking the story. Comments? Questions? :)
"That's it? Wow?"
"I'm just... in shock," Angie said, pouring maple syrup over her stack of pancakes. We were at our favorite after-finals breakfast place, in a back booth where no one would hear our conversation. "So you just bumped into him on the street. And now here you are. Wow."
I laughed. It astounded me too.
"So it's been like three months. That's pretty serious. Do his friends know? Or is it just a huge secret?"
"I think he's told a couple of them. They're celebrities too, used to having to keep their love lives under wraps." I managed to stuff a bite of waffle and strawberry in my mouth between her questions.
"Doesn't it bother you not having it out in the open and not being able to tell anyone?"
"Well I got to tell you didn't I? I understand, his career is important too, things are different over there. We both have lives, so I guess it's alright."
"Huh." Angie took a gulp of her coffee. "This is like the most relaxed I've ever seen you with a guy. Which is weird, because he's intimidating. Oh gosh, now I feel like we're in 'Twilight' or something."
I laughed. "Intimidating?" I asked, thinking of how easy it was to talk to him with his easygoing laugh. Then I remembered my sudden inability to speak when he came to collect his phone under the bridge... "Oh. Well..."
"Anyway, I approve," she cut in. "This is even better than Todd and I only met your new beau for two minutes."
"Oh god, Todd? Let's not talk about him..."
"I can't believe you dated that pretentious, beanie-wearing tortured-soul artist--"
"I have a thing for musicians, okay?"
"Obviously," she said, grinning and pointedly stabbing another piece of pancake. "Does he sing in the shower too?"
"Psh, I wouldn't know."
"No? You guys don't, you know..." She raised her eyebrows at me.
"Angie!" I blushed quite a bit, focusing on cutting my waffle into very precise bites.
"Oh Kate. So innocent." I mimed stabbing her with my fork, and she laughed.
That night, Siwon and I were miraculously both free for the whole afternoon and evening. I felt a bit bad for him; between our late night Chinese food and his early morning film schedule, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.
I got dolled up, donning my favorite black blouse, best-fitting jeans, new shoes, and dangly cross earrings my mom had given me, and we headed off to try a new restaurant he had heard about.
When we pulled up in his car, he let the valet take the keys before opening my door for me, offering his hand.
"What a gentleman," I said, thanking him.
"I have to keep up the image," he said with a wink.
The restaurant was swanky by my college-kid standards, with low lighting, a sleek, modern vibe, and lounge music playing in the background. It was a little on the loud side, and with my soft-spokenness, we had to lean in close just to hear each other clearly. As we ate and chatted, I felt myself being drawn in even deeper into our own little bubble. I could feel the heat radiating from him in our close quarters, and when we shared a dessert and I got chocolate sauce on my lip, he wiped it off with his thumb. Every touch--the graze of his hand against mine, the accidental nudge of his knee under the table--seemed suddenly very poignant after my conversation with Angie.
Siwon took my hand as we left. Usually we didn't show much affection in public just in case, but with the energy thick between us, it was hard not to.
After handing the keys to the valet, he pulled me to his chest, his arm tight around my waist as he left a firm, long kiss on my mouth. We only stepped when the car arrived.
The whole ride home, Angie's words bounced around in my head. She and Dave had been together forever, and she spared no detail in filling me in on her love life. But Siwon and I... Ugh why had she mentioned it? Now it was all I could think about.
We pulled up to my apartment, and he leaned in for another kiss. I figured he would just drop me off after dinner, but something made me ask, "Do you want to come up?"
I tried to act nonchalant as we walked up the stairs and down my hall, but I could feel my hands shaking a bit out of nervousness as I turned the key in my door. Once we were inside, I said, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," and scurried into the bathroom.
I quickly brushed my hair, took an extra swig of mouthwash, dabbed a dot of perfume behind my ears, and gave myself a little pep-talk. Then, when I realized my nerves were getting the better of me, I called Angie.
"Hello?"
"Angie. It's me. I'm with Siwon."
"...Then *why* are we talking?'
"I'm in the bathroom. He's outside, waiting. Dinner was really intense, with this pounding music and this leaning close and then the kissing and now I think..."
"Oh my goodness. Kate, go outside!"
"But... I... Angie?"
"Take a deep breath," she told me. I complied. "You are awesome, smart, sexy, etc., now get out there!"
Her words gave me a jolt of enthusiasm that I needed, and I threw the door open with gusto... to see no one in the living room.
"Siwon?"
Then I saw him sprawled out on the sofa sound asleep. I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath that all my worrying had been for nothing. He looked so sweet lying there that all I could do was take the extra blanket from my room and drape it over him.
As I washed up, I found myself looking out at the sleeping figure on my couch. He really was always working hard on whatever project he had going on. I wondered how much sleep he had been getting lately. I debated slipping into one of the flintier nightgowns I'd picked up at Victoria's Secret, then opted for a t-shirt from poetry club and Pink boxers.
I dragged my pillow and quilt out to the living room and camped out beside him. As I turned out the light, I snuck one last glance at him and kissed him softly on the forehead.
____________
Ugh, my back hurt. Since when was my bed so uncomfortable? It seemed way too early to be getting up on a weekend, so I rolled over and buried my head in the covers.
Then, I heard the sound of water running in my bathroom, and I shot up. Siwon was in my apartment. Siwon had spent the night.
I quickly grabbed my bag. I pulled out my comb and dragged it through my hair, dabbed on chapstick, and popped a mint. Siwon was still in the bathroom, so I hopped up and started fixing coffee in the kitchen. I never used to drink it before I met him, but now he had me as addicted as he was.
I heard the bathroom door open behind me, and I turned to see a grinning Siwon leaning against doorframe, shirtless, with my spare toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. I felt the bag of coffee grounds slip from my fingers, then managed to catch it.
"M..Morning," I managed, quite distracted by the gorgeous man standing in front of me. He ducked back into the bathroom and I heard the water run again, so I turned back to my coffee. I had just poured in the water when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and his chin rest on my shoulder.
"Good morning," he said, kissing my cheek. "How'd you sleep?"
"Quite well. You?"
"The same. Sorry for passing out on you like that. And then when I saw you on the floor this morning, I felt bad that I took the couch..."
"Hey, I don't know how you get any sleep on your schedule, so I was fine." I passed him his coffee, and we curled up together on the window seat, looking out at the rain. It was so peaceful there, from the warmth of the coffee, the comfort of Siwon's arms, and the pitter-patter sound of rain, that I almost drifted off to sleep again.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"Hm? For what?"
"For putting up with the secrecy and everything to be with me. I love what I do, but there is so little privacy sometimes... You're my escape from the world, the one person who understands..."
"I know just what you mean," I said, leaving a small kiss on his hand. "I feel the same way." And we spent that morning talking about all sorts of things that neither of us had confided in anyone before, laughing sometimes, serious other times, and just sharing everything with each other.
A few days later, after after slogging through a particularly difficult chem test, I headed out of the classroom and ran right into Angie.
"Hey Angie. What's up?"
"Kate... We've got a problem."
__________________
Hope you guys are still liking the story. Comments? Questions? :)
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