Love Next Door

the you will always be my day one chapter

A loud moan pierces the air as she falls off the precipice. And as he chases his own release, she's startled to find herself in tears. She purses her lips together, trying not to make a sound, as he desperately tries to catch his breath over her shoulder. She loves him so much. How can she ever recover when this ends?

"Seri?" he prompts with concern and alarm lacing his tone. She tries to hide her face but inevitably fails with him caging her in his arms. "Baby, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"We're not going to be like them, are we?" she asks in a small voice that breaks his heart. After a little gentle prodding, she explains herself. "The people I met on this trip are so miserable in their relationships. So many inappropriate innuendoes, so many stories of cheating left and right. Being around them for too long made me lose faith and it made me desperate to come home to you. I just love you so much and the thought of you finding love elsewhere -."

"Hey, hey, come back to me," he interrupts, pressing a kiss on her lips. "No, we're not going to be like them. Why do you think I kept those joggers? Because I know how you would react. The same way you kept me on edge when you chose to wear those death trap heels on your business trip."

"Those are Louboutins, Jeong Hyeok," she sniffs. "No one, not even you, can make me get rid of them." He makes a face at her, and it eases some of the tightness she feels inside her chest. "Do you know what I hear? I keep you on your toes and it excites you. What if the day comes when I no longer do? What if you find someone else who wears heels that worry you?"

He looks at her seriously for a couple of seconds before he pulls them up into a sitting position and takes her hands in his. "Close your eyes," he tells her and glares when she starts to protest. She obeys with a sigh. "Good, now tell me. What do you hear right now? What do you feel?"

The whole apartment has turned quiet, only the sounds of traffic echoing in the far distance. She feels warm and safe, especially with the way his thumbs are rubbing the backs of her hands. She tells him all that and she hears the smile in his voice when he repeats her words, "It's quiet and it's safe. I don't know about you, but one can even say that it's quite boring, isn't it?"

She realizes then where the conversation was heading and opens her eyes to give him a dirty look only to find that he has his eyes closed as well. So, she takes that moment to look at him, the way he tries to keep his smile from growing too wide, the way he holds her hands, the way he goes a bit extra when he tries to comfort her. And it dawns on her right there and then that they won't end up the same way as those miserable couples.

Because no one loves Yoon Seri like Ri Jeong Hyeok does.

Comforted by that fact, she pushes herself up to kiss him squarely on his lips, giggling when he jumps at the sudden contact. He opens his eyes, looking at her with a devastatingly fond gaze that reminds her that she really has nothing to worry about, and murmurs in a gentle tone, "I didn't think that nonsense was going to work, but I'm very glad that it did."

She crawls up to him and plants herself on his lap. "I think," she whispers, tilting her head and brushing her hair off of her shoulder to give him access. "I need you to make love to me now."

They take their time, now that the urgency from before has tapered off and they have all evening to reacquaint themselves with one another. She sighs in pleasure as he kisses every inch of her skin and whispers his praises. She feels loved, cherished, with butterflies in her stomach that turns into heavy want when he makes her lie down and begins to purposely make the journey down between her legs.

It still feels surreal, being in love with one's best friend, when you know everything and anything there is to know about each other that you understand one another without the need for words. Afterwards, as they try to catch their breath, they look at each other and know that this is how they want their forever to look like.