Miracles on Miracles

Chapter 3

"So, guys, what you are looking at is the site of the pre-Columbian Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site," Carmen said. She had done her homework about each country they were visiting because she wanted the guys to really learn about the cultures of Latin America. "You can see that we are in a valley surrounded by two sharp mountain peaks. In fact, 'Machu Picchu' means 'Old Peak'," she explained. "Several skeletons were found at this site. It was originally thought that all the remains were of females and that it was the sanctuary of the Virgins of the Sun, an elite Incan group, but it was later determined that the remains were from both males and females. The current belief is that it was a royal retreat," Carmen said.

After her short discourse on the ancient ruins, the guys set off on their own to explore the site. Yunho, however, unsurprisingly, stayed behind with Carmen. "This place is breathtaking," Carmen whispered.

"Yeah --- breathtaking," Yunho repeated as he looked at Carmen instead of the stone structures around him.

"It's kind of miraculous, don't you think? I mean, they had so much more knowledge than we realize," Carmen marveled.

"Yeah --- miraculous," Yunho repeated absentmindedly.

"Are you even listening to me?" Carmen asked, slapping Yunho on the arm.

Yunho perked up immediately. "Sure, I was listening. Everything's a miracle, and all that," he said, hoping his brief summation of Carmen's comments would be enough to save him from further scrutiny. The truth was, he had heard very little of what she said because he had been studying her instead of the stone buildings that surrounded them.

"You're right!" Carmen exclaimed. "Everything is a miracle!" she affirmed. "Einstein once said, 'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle'," she mused.

"Well, I can agree that you're a miracle," Yunho said boldly. "I mean, I am mesmerized just watching the sun reflecting off your copper skin," he waxed poetic.

"You really are a charmer, aren't you?" Carmen said in a way that made it sound like it might not be a compliment after all. Carmen stopped walking for a moment and Yunho stopped with her. "I have to be honest that all this attention is very flattering," she admitted. "But I'm not sure what your intentions are," she added.

"My intentions? What is this? 1953?" he teased. "But I get what you mean. I think you are asking if I'm serious about you, or if I'm just playing around," he discerned.

"Exactly," Carmen confirmed. "I've noticed that Hongjoong doesn't seem too pleased with you giving me all this attention," she observed.

"Look, Hongjoong is a nice guy. He's my friend. He thinks he's in charge of this group, but honestly, I don't have to live my life for Hongjoong. If I do something that pisses him off, so be it," Yunho replied.

"But what if he says something to KQ?" Carmen fretted.

"What can he say?" Yunho asked. "We haven't done anything," he reminded her. "But speaking of which, in the words of Bonnie Raitt, 'Let's give 'em something to talk about'," he said as he pulled her into the small space between two of the stone structures.

Yunho pushed Carmen's back against one of the surprisingly cool walls. With his arms on either side of her head, her focus was on his mouth that hovered only inches from hers. She could feel his breath on her lips. Before she realized it, she was arching her back upward to span the distance between them. As soon as their lips touched a spark of electricity shot through Carmen's body. She grabbed the back of Yunho's neck and pulled him in tighter. He pulled her legs off the ground and wrapped them around his waist. Her back pressed against the cool wall again.

Yunho held her legs up with his arms and his hands were clasped under her bottom. He kissed her hungrily like a man who lacked human contact or touch. As her skin heated up, the scent of her mango body butter began to waft through the air between them. Yunho marveled at how her scent could make him both hungry and horny at the same time.

Just then, they heard footsteps. Yunho gently placed Carmen's feet back on the ground, but his body was still very close to hers. "Did you hear something?" he asked, looking about apprehensively.

"I thought I did," Carmen agreed. They waited a few moments but when they heard nothing further, their attention went back each to the other. Yunho pulled out a small box of Sprite-flavored Tic Tacs and popped one in his mouth.

"Do you want one?" he asked her as he shook the candies, making them clack against the sides of the box.

"Sure," Carmen said, fully expecting him to pull a candy from the box and hand it to her. Instead, he bent down and kissed her, passing the lemon/lime candy to her through the kiss.

"I meant I wanted a new one!" Carmen protested. "I didn't want your old used candy," she complained.

"In that case, give it back then," Yunho insisted as he took her mouth with his again. His tongue swept through her mouth, finding the candy and claiming it again as his own. Carmen passed her tongue over his lips and tasted the sweet and sour goodness of the candy.

Suddenly, Carmen flipped their positions, leaving Yunho pressed against the stone wall. She kissed him with all the ferocity and tenderness with which he had kissed her. Her left knee raised up between his legs. She rubbed her leg against him until he was in a frenzy. She could hear him panting against her neck.

"Can I come to your room tonight?" Yunho asked desperately.

"Don't you think that might be a little premature?" Carmen replied with a nervous giggle.

"I can assure you, there would be nothing premature about it," he teased, alluding to his endurance.

"What's this?" Hongjoong questioned as his head suddenly poke out from behind one of the walls of the buildings. Yunho and Carmen split apart as quickly as they could, but the damage was already done. He had seen them. His concern about their relationship was no longer conjecture. "Carmen, could you leave us a moment?" he asked, motioning her to step out of the small space between the buildings.

Yunho held her back. "You don't have to listen to him," he said. "He's not the boss of you," he clarified.

"But he is the leader," Carmen reminded him. "I'll just step aside for a moment and let you two talk," she said as she slid out of Yunho's grip. He watched her leave before he looked back at Hongjoong. "Dude, what's up with you?" he complained to his hyung.

"I told you already that I don't think you two should get into a relationship. Look, all of us are lonely just like you, but I think it will be bad for morale if you try to call dibs on Carmen," Hongjoong argued.

"You know what I think is going on here?" Yunho asked rhetorically. "I think you have a crush on her, and you just can't stand it that she chose me," he conjectured.

"That's not it, man. I am saying this for the unity of the band. This isn't about me," he clarified. "It's about the fact that if you are living with starving people, you shouldn't eat chocolate cake in front of them," Hongjoong reasoned.

"So, she's a chocolate cake now?" Yunho countered. "She's a person --- a person I happen to like a lot. I can't help it that I caught feelings for her. If anyone in the band has a problem with that, they can just look away. If you don't like it, don't look at it," he concluded.

"Well, sometimes it's not as easy as just looking away from things that bother us," Hongjoong cautioned. "Listen, I can't make you follow my suggestions, but I'm warning you that there's going to be trouble if you don't put out this fire in your pants," he said before throwing his hands up in frustration and walking away.