Strip Tease °jhs au°

20.

Yuri's POV

I close the door behind me, locking it and smiling softly to myself. I'm officially off the market, and I'm over the moon about it. I'm not too sure if i should be this excited about something that seems so superficial. I'm also completely terrified, which balances out my frustration of being so elated. I didn't think it would happen as quickly as it did, but I'm relieved that it happened this way. Maybe it will alleviate some of the weird awkwardness I feel when he comes around, seeing as how we have that boyfriend-girlfriend title now. Is it really that big of a deal, though?

I turn to make my way toward where my room is and I'm slightly startled when I see my aunt. Putting a hand to my chest, I catch my breath. "You can't be doing that, Aunt Ji."

"Hello to you, too." She laughs. "I was just going into the kitchen, relax honey."

I sigh, that smile still on my face as my heartbeat remains at its elevated state, but my body relaxes. She begins speaking to me, but I am completely zoned out thinking about Hoseok. Is this what it's going to be like all the time? Will nothing else really matter, as long as he's the focus? Is that too clingy? What if he thinks I am? What if I feel too clingy and start pulling away but then so will he because I'm distancing myself? This is a fat mess.

"Yah, Yuri." My aunt snaps her fingers and I come to, shying away as I feel a blush creep onto my cheeks. "Who is it?"

"Huh?" I ask, slightly confused before sighing in realization. "I've heard you say this before."

She chuckles, walking toward where the kitchen is. I follow close behind like a lost puppy as I listen to her. "In the States, I had asked you the same question. If I know any better, I'd say someone has you wrapped around their finger."

"Let me make it more obvious." I groan, going into the fridge and taking out a can of Coke.

"Your mother was the same way." She laughs, doing the same as I smile. "She was so damn expressive. You could tell when something was on her mind, when she was upset, or when she just didn't want to be bothered. You picked that up from her."

I smile, enjoying the mention of my mother. It helps at easing my tense nerves. "Aunt Ji, how do you know when you're in love?"

She 'oh's' for a couple seconds before taking a sip of her drink. "Being in love is different for everyone. I know when I fell in love with my husband that it wasn't the whole 'textbook love' scene. I can't personally tell you what you are going to feel, but I can tell you that it will either feel really good or really bad."

"What do you mean?"

"Love is complicated." She answers as we sit in the living room. "You can be so in love with someone that it hurts. You're writing your own love story, so only you will be able to explain that feeling."

"That was so poetically cliché." I laugh, receiving a chuckle from her in return. "This is all so new to me."

"So, you're with someone?"

"Yeah." I smile, my face hurting from smiling so much today. "It kind of just happened."

Aunt Jihyo smiles, clapping lightly as she speaks. "Mr. Dancing shoes is one hell of a man, huh?"

"My goodness." I cover my face with my left hand in embarrassment. "You should be a psychic or something."

"He's the only one I've been hearing you talk about. I would've been surprised had you said someone different." She laughs.

"Am I thinking too much into this?" I ask, setting my drink to the side. "We've only had this 'couple' title for a max of two hours. I feel too clingy already. I just don't want to screw anything up with this being my first time."

She nods, taking in what I'm saying. "I definitely believe you need some girlfriends your age to confide in. There's only so much advice I can give you."

"I'll pass." I shrug.

"Just a suggestion." She matches my shrug. "But back to what you were asking, yeah. You are overthinking, but with him being your first, like, real significant other, you're bound to overthink everything. You don't want to mess this up, but you also don't want to be too overbearing. I know this is a lot to take in, but it isn't all bad and that I can promise.

"I suggest you keep communication as open as possible, but also to the point that you're not suffocating him. Men like space every once in a while, as do we. Respect each other's boundaries. Everything will be just fine, honey."

I sigh in relief, my heartbeat regulating at last. "Okay. Thank you. I really needed this talk."

"My pleasure." She replies. "I'm just happy that you've found someone that you want to share this special bond with."

"It's definitely an adjustment."

"And that's okay. Just communicate that. Communication is key."

"Communication." I repeat, making that a big mental key point. The last thing I wanna do is lose my new boyfriend. "Thank you."

Aunt Jihyo smiles at me as we sit in a comfortable silence. The topic ceases and it helps ease my mind from all the overthinking I've been doing. Everything will be fine. I'll be fine.

"Was my mom ever in love?" I ask randomly.

Aunt Jihyo gives me a puzzled look but quickly shakes it off. "She loved your biological father, but she wasn't in love with him. She never got the chance to."

I nod, not wanting to get into this specific topic any further. I never bring up my sperm donor because I don't even know who he is. All I know is that him and my mother broke up before she moved to the States, and that's where she found out she was pregnant with me. That asshat really said fuck his future daughter because I don't even know if the man is dead or alive. Nevertheless, I was raised in such an amazing household with my aunt, uncle, and two older cousins.

"Has Uncle called recently?" I ask my aunt, thinking about her husband.

"Yesterday." She replies. "I can't wait for him to come back. He's been training these new soldiers for a while now."

"I'll make sure to book a room somewhere when he gets home." I tease.

"Goodbye." Aunt Jihyo laughs as she stands from her seat, rolling her eyes playfully.

I laugh along with her, super grateful that I have such an amazing person in my life. As I watch her leave the room, I start relaxing my mind and body. I close my eyes, feeling myself sinking into the couch more and more with each breath I take. This is the first time in a few days that I've let my body truly relax; I feel amazing. My mind is finally at an idle state of peace, aiding my relaxed body as I ascend away from my reality and into a calming state of rest.

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I really wanna scream how sorry I am for the long ass waits between updates 😫 I truly love you so much & thank you for your patience. I'm trying to find my groove again! I hope this chapter was enough to feed you all 🥺🥺

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~S.xx