This Friend | Yeonbin

49

Soobin P.O.V

I wake up and am hit with an intense feeling.

I might not be sure about much at the moment. But I know this.

I love Yeonjun.

I turn my head slowly so I don’t wake him. Dawn light streams in through the window that curves around the hotel room. It’s really pretty.

I glance down. Yeonjun is beside me, fast asleep. He’s curled and facing away from me, his lower half covered by a white sheet.

Yep.

I love him.

Yesterday was perfect. After we hooked up, we showered and then just spent the day being tourists. We checked out the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre, then took an Uber to Mulholland Drive.

We ended the day with room service, and then we hung out in the hotel hot tub until the security guard kicked us out.

It was perfect.

The sight of him, in bed next to me, makes me feel overwhelmed.

I love him. A Choi.

And I could lose him.

If I’m not honest with him, I will lose him. I need to trust him. He’s not going to betray me. There’s no way.

It’s settled.

When he wakes up, I’m going to tell him everything about me and my family.

I’m going to give him the power to destroy me.

I guess that’s what love is. That’s how it always seems in movies. If it’s not world-shattering, something is wrong.

He shifts. I think he might be awake, just dozing. I need to tell him. I need to do it right now, before I chicken out.

But then I bail.

What if I’m making a huge mistake?

He opens his eyes. He truly is so handsome. He grabs my arm, and pulls me across, so I’m spooning him.

Oh.

This is nice.

Maybe I don’t need to do anything so drastic just yet. I close my eyes, and let myself relax.

By the time I wake up, the sun is out, and he is no longer beside me. I sit up. He’s brushing his teeth. He’s gotten dressed, in a gray T-shirt and swimming trunks. His hair’s already perfectly done.

“Morning,” he says.

“Hey.”

He spits. “Sleep well?”

I stretch. “So well. You?”

“Same. Best in ages.”

I get that. Even though I know telling him about my family is a big decision, I am feeling very relaxed right now. More relaxed than I have in recent memory, actually. I think it might have something to do with finally getting out of the city.

“So,” I say. “What did you want to do today?”

“I was thinking we could go to the beach? As long as we get to the airport by five, we’ll be fine.”

“Cool.”

That’s where I’ll do it.

The beach.

He walks over to me and falls down onto the bed. He kisses me. He tastes like toothpaste.

I pull back.