Eternity [ryeji]

Chapter 12

Yeji shakes her head. “It’s better if I go home. I’m gonna use your bathroom first before I go, okay?” She gets up and disappears inside the guest bathroom.

Ryujin sighs and pushes herself up, stretching one more time before going to the kitchen to get something to drink. She sees the bag of jelly she’s left on the counter earlier and grabs it.

She has just finished chewing a jelly worm when Yeji returns, looking fresher.

“You sure you don’t want to just stay over?” asks Ryujin, taking a bite from the next piece of jelly. “You can sleep in Yuna’s room if you don’t trust me. We have an extra mattress.”

Yeji grins. “It’s not your perverted mind I’m afraid of, it’s not making it to work on time tomorrow. Now are you going to walk me out or not?”

Ryujin puts the rest of the jelly back in the bag, ties it up and takes a tissue to wipe her fingers before following Yeji to the door. She walks her out to the car, holding her hand.

They stop near the driver’s side door and look at each other, smiling.

“Thank you for a very long and nice second official date,” says Yeji.

“You’re welcome. I had a very long and nice time too,” replies Ryujin. “So you’re gonna be busy all week, huh?”

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I can squeeze you in for a quick cup of coffee or something.”

“I’d like that.”

Ryujin leans forward and kisses Yeji goodnight, pulling her close with her free hand.

Unlike their first kiss the day before, this one is bolder and less restrained since both have now grown considerably more comfortable around each other.

Yeji licks her bottom lip after Ryujin lets go and grins. “You ate a sour jelly, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” replies Ryujin with a smirk before she steals another quick kiss, knowing that she probably won’t be able to do so for the next seven days.

“I like this,” says Yeji when Ryujin has pulled back.

“What ‘this’?”

“This. Us not being careful around each other anymore.”

“Give it time. Before you know it, I’d be so comfortable around you that you’d beg me to have some consideration.”

“Hm… this sounds like experience talking.”

Ryujin laughs and withdraws her arm. “Go on. You should get proper rest.”

Yeji squeezes Ryujin’s hand and kisses her on the cheek. “I’ll see you,” she says before she lets go and opens her car door.

Ryujin holds the door open for Yeji then closes it carefully. “Good night. Text me when you get home,” she tells the woman through the open car window.

“I will. Bye.” Yeji waves and drives away into the night with Ryujin watching her until she disappears around the corner.

———————

Ryujin puts the brush down and exhales, taking a step back to observe her work.

Thanks to a whole week without seeing Yeji except for coffee on Wednesday afternoon, she has grown bored and decided to finish her painting of the woman to occupy herself and because she plans to give it to Yeji for her birthday next month.