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Chapter 13

[Key]

When I woke up next to Mabel, I felt at peace. It wasn't often that I got to see her like this, so I admired her sleeping face for a moment, brushing her hair out of her eyes, before getting up to make breakfast.

I wanted her to experience some more Korean food, so I'd gone shopping before she arrived for ingredients so I could cook for her.

She woke up midway through my cooking, coming over to me sleepily.

"Smells nice."

"It'll be ready soon. Slept well?"

"Yeah." I could tell she was still jetlagged.

"You can go sit down, I'll bring it over when I'm done."

"But I like to see you cook. It's sexy."

I felt my cheeks heat up as she said this and she giggled, giving me a hug from behind.

"I'll go freshen up."

We shared breakfast on the terrace. May was looking out at the river and all the cars passing by in silence.

"What do you have planned for today?" she asked eventually.

"I think we should just relax. I was thinking about maybe taking you for a walk around the neighbourhood."

"I'd like that."

After freshening up too, I prepared Comme Des and Garçons. Mabel wanted to try walking them so I let her, staying close by just in case.

"This seems like a nice area," she commented as we walked. "Do lots of people recognise you here?"

"Well they know me locally, but I've never had any problems with that."

May nodded and kept following the dogs, laughing at their excitement. It seemed my eyes couldn't get enough of seeing her as I admired her every movement, just wanting to stretch out every moment of her stay.
I had so much to show her, but a couple of worries too, as I didn't know how she'd react to my hectic daily life. I just hoped this could bring us closer together rather than further apart.

We reached a bench and had a seat. Mabel seemed to be taking it all in, so I smiled at her and nudged her with my shoulder.

"What do you think so far?"

"It's been five minutes!" She laughed. "Everything looks so colourful and vibrant. I like this neighbourhood, it's quiet and cute. I like it all so far."

"You know, this is my chance to pay you back for London, when you showed me around."

"That was ages ago! Besides, I only showed you the way to a museum."

"It meant a lot to me."

I smiled and she leaned her head on my shoulder, then promptly sat up again.

"What?"

"Is this okay? To be outside in the open like this?"

I frowned. "Yes."

"It's just that you told me about the idol life and your fans so I don't want to cause trouble for you."

I sighed and looked down. "Look, I'm not gonna lie, there will be times when we'll have to be discreet. It's not like when I'm at yours. But I can still have a life, I go out and do stuff all the time without anyone recognising me."

I grabbed her hand and she smiled. "Anyway, I do want to be seen with you."

"You always know what to say, don't you?" She smirked.

"I guess so." I returned it. "Wanna keep walking?"

"I think your dogs want to, they've been pulling at the leash for a while now."

We got up and strolled together hand in hand through the neighbourhood. I knew no one would bother me here, and I wanted to prove to Mabel that she was important to me, because she is. I couldn't wait to show her everything I had planned and have her meet my friends. The idea that she'd finally get to know my entourage made things feel deeper somehow, more serious.

Bringing her hand up to my lips, I kissed it. "Love you."

"Love you too."

And with that, we spent the rest of the day cuddling and catching up.