A contented smile spreads across my lips as I look up at the ceiling, one arm under my head and the other resting on my stomach. Elaine is still sleeping soundly next to me while memories of last night swirl around in my head. Well, actually that was just a few hours ago, as we ended up having our fun for two more rounds, which didn't leave us with much sleep. The tiring actions immediately put me into a deep sleep, however, it wasn't me who could sleep longer.
I was able to make her mine again against the shower wall after her punishment and in the end, she wanted to take control by riding me on the bed. I didn't want to go too far, wanted to test the water first and see how far she could go, so I still kept myself under control a bit, but I could see that she is just as freaky as I am. Maybe even more so.
She has stamina like a marathon runner when it comes to sex, but when I ask her if she wants to go to the gym with me, she says she's too lazy. This girl. But I'm not going to complain because 'cardio' is an important unit for a healthy heart after all. I smirk to myself because of my thoughts, she always leaves me with a stronger desire and I think all day about the nights we spend with our activities.
Angry sex was something I had wanted to try with her for a long time. I love the vanilla sex we've had lately and the love that has flowed between us in the intimate moments, but it was time again for some spice and excitement.
A slight stirring makes me turn my head to my right and into my view falls the woman I can never get out of my mind. She is everything I need and more. She makes me a better person and I have to be grateful for her presence and being there for me. I am so glad that fate brought her to me because I don't know what I would have done during the hard times I have been going through lately. She is my strength and the reason I smile every day.
I turn to her and look at her beautiful face. She is a true beauty even without all the makeup and sexy clothes. Her personality is already more than enough to make my heart race, but her beauty takes my breath away. Every time our eyes meet I want to stop time and drown in the pools of rich chocolate. When she laughs and her dimples appear, I feel weak and like I'm falling into a trance.
I watch her chest rise and fall with each soft breath she takes, the silk blanket covering her chest. Her arms are outstretched and hiding under the pillow while her curly hair is wildly spread out on it. A soft laugh escapes my lips as I grab a strand of hair and tickle her nose, causing her to scratch it with one hand and turn to me. I love to annoy her in her sleep, though she can be really scary when I disturb her sleep.
"Baby." I sing softly, bringing my lips to her face. "Wake up. It's almost noon."
"Mhmm." she hums, her eyes still closed and her lips smacking together.
"Earth to Elaine. Earth to Elaine." I say laughing as I start shaking her by her shoulders, propping myself up on my elbows.
She cracks open her eyes and yep, I said she's scary when she's awakened from her sleep. Two eyes with furrowed brows stare at me while I still shake her by her shoulders. The "are you trying to die" look makes me laugh even harder because her attempt to be angry at me only makes her cuter than she is. She's like a fluff ball whose cheeks I'd like to pinch.
"Thank God you're awake now. I thought you were going to sleep all day."
"For your information, I'm still tired." she scolds jokingly, trying to turn away from me but I hold her in my arms and prevent her from doing so. "Let me go."
She wrestles with me, her laughter not dying out, and we twirl around in the sheets until I have her arms pinned to either side of her head. We stare at each other, the warm feeling settling into every corner and nerve of our bodies. I hover over her, realizing every day anew how much I actually love her. There are no words or acts in the world that could describe this feeling of bursting butterflies in my heart.
She lifts her head from the pillow, and I feel the softness of her lips against my cheek. It's sweet and despite all the times I've already kissed her can't change the fact that I love the rosy pink on her cheeks when she gets shy. I don't know how she manages to still hide behind her shyness despite all the intimate moments and daring acts we've performed, but I think it shows how pure our love is.
I look down at her and the soft smile that makes her eyes crinkle and the dimples appear on her cheeks takes my breath away. I mirror her expression as my hands move from her wrists to her palm and we intertwine our fingers. I love waking up next to her every morning and I regret every day I decided to stay away from her because my past was haunting me.
She makes me complete, it's like her soul is the lost part of mine. The hole that sat deep in my heart she has now sealed and with her by my side I am sure I can do anything. We can get through anything together and I promise myself that I will protect her with everything I have.
"Have I told you how much I love you?" I ask, lost in the sparkling eyes that mirror her soul.
"Hmm. Let me think." she giggles, "I don't quite know. I think you need to refresh my memory."
I roll my eyes as I crack a smile. "You always have to give different answers, don't you?" I ask, and she grins innocently. "Alright. I love you so much."
"I love you so much," she repeats my words, the playfulness long gone from her voice.
"Good." I grin, pleased with her answer. "By the way. Purple suits you."
Confusion settles heavily into her features and she furrows her eyebrows. I try to suppress a laugh because she doesn't seem to know what I just meant. My gaze drops from her eyes down to her neck and onto her chest, the silk blanket hiding her cleavage, unfortunately, otherwise, I would certainly have been able to follow the purple path further south. Her eyes widen as she notices where I am looking and she is quick to push me off of her.
I lie on the bed, amused watching her try to walk to the mirror with the big blanket wrapped around her body. Her legs are still wobbly from last night's activities and I find it all the more amusing to watch her waddle her way there. Propping myself up on my left elbow, obviously ignoring that I'm naked right now because she took the blanket with her, and watching her gasp as she looks at her neck.
"Jungkook, you beast!" she scolds, running her hand over the purple spots. "What did you do?"
"I was decorating my early Christmas tree." I shrug, grinning as she gives me a death stare.
"That's not funny. How am I supposed to cover all this up." She whines. "I didn't bring a turtleneck."
I get up from the bed, grabbing a new pair of underwear to pull over my legs as I stumble my way to her. "Okay, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have left more of these in places where only you and I could see them."
She looks at me with wide eyes through the reflection in the mirror as I stand behind her. "You didn't!"
"Well..." I grin innocently.
Pulling the blanket down a bit, she spots the other hickeys I left behind. I wanted to mark her as mine, and I didn't hesitate to put them in places that would be hard for her to cover. I don't care what anyone will think. They are a good reminder of the memorable night I had with her. I grin as she finds more hickeys on her inner thighs leading up to her private area, but she still covers that with the blanket.
"You're unbelievable." she sighs, pinching her nose. I suppress a laugh, knowing that she secretly likes being marked like this by me. She always has, but maybe she's embarrassed now because my mom will most likely see it too.
"You didn't say that last night." I take a step closer, bringing my face next to hers. "Yes, Jungkook. Please don't stop. So good." I mimic her, purposely pitching my voice higher to annoy her even more.
Her cheeks take on a sweet shade of pink and she lowers her gaze, shyness reappearing. I find it adorable, which is why I wrap my arms around her waist from behind and rest my head on her shoulder, looking at both of us in the mirror.
"Don't be mad at me," I say, swinging our embracing bodies from side to side.
"I'm not mad at you. It's your mother I'm ashamed of." she reasons, showing her point, and of course, I can understand her. I like that she cares what my mother thinks about her.
"Don't worry about other people and let's enjoy what we like." I smile and place a small kiss on her cheek as she responds with the same smile. "Anyway. I have something I want to show you."
"What is it?" she asks curiously, unlocking my arms around her waist to turn to face me.
I spot my suit jacket that I hung on the jacket rack last night and move there to get what I want to show her. Meanwhile, Elaine throws one of my oversized shirts over her head and we meet halfway in the room as each of us takes a step toward the other. I grab the paper from behind my back and her eyes immediately find mine, her mouth falling open.
"Is that?" she asks cautiously and I nod proudly. "How did you get it? I thought you failed to find them."
"I failed at first. But while I was getting my suit fitted, I got an idea." I start and she spurs me on to continue. "I called Alex to help me."
"What, Alex?" she gasps in confusion, her eyebrows drawing together.
"Yes. I didn't tell you, but a few days after he showed up at your apartment, he contacted me to talk to me privately. Man to man. I didn't want to go, but he was desperate and insisted so I met with him." I tell thinking back to that day.
I remember the desperation reflected in his eyes and Elaine's words. I could see how sorry he was and he confessed that he was not alone on the day of the fire. Another man set the fire, but still, it doesn't justify his actions, I know that. I'm still mad and broken about it, but after countless apologies, I finally forgave him. However, I don't forget.
He started crying because he screwed up what he had with Nora. I had told him to deal with the consequences of his actions like a man, but I remembered my own words and behavior. I hurt Elaine just as much and maybe I never deserved her forgiveness and yet she gifted it to me.
I shouldn't be the one to judge, because I made similar mistakes too and it isn't my place to decide whether or not he deserves Nora's forgiveness. Sure, the trust was broken, but I didn't want to interfere and maybe take away his chance to rebuild it.
"He apologized, and I accepted it. And then it occurred to me that probably not many in the company knew about Alex's resignation. If I had walked in there, I'm sure my dad would have found out. So I had Alex drive here to get the papers for me while I was at the party."
"Oh my God, what happened then?" she asks, eyes wide and sparkling like the starry night as she looks up at me. I have to admit I found it at least as exciting as she just did and at the same time it was thrilling.
It was risky because I didn't know one hundred percent if I could trust Alex, but it was a good chance for him to prove his sincerity. I was afraid it was all an act and he was still secretly working for my dad, but he proved me wrong.
"Do you want me to bring you popcorn?" I laugh and she punches me in the arm, which is why I continue before she gets more violent. "Well, it wasn't that easy for him to get in. Remember when I said I had to make a phone call? I talked to Alex and gave him instructions. Then when he found the safe in the office, we had the little problem of me forgetting the last number of the code, but with a few tries we got it."
Her eyes are still wide as she processes everything I just told her. Her eyes fall on the papers I'm holding in my hand. The papers to my freedom. I'm still not sure what to do with them and honestly, I'm scared too, but I'll figure something out.
"I'm impressed. My boyfriend is a secret agent." she laughs and I smile at her proudly. "I feel like I'm in an action movie."
"Right? Now imagine the thrill I had all evening. I literally drenched myself in sweat before I danced with you." I laugh and my eyes fall back to the papers in my hand. My smile wipes off my face and I get serious before looking back up into her eyes. "Alex found another important document."
She waits patiently while I take a deep breath. Maybe this document is the first step to getting away from my past. I hold out the stamped paper with shaky hands in her direction so she can see for herself what I'm talking about. She takes it from my hand and at the exact moment she reads the heading, her tear-filled eyes shoot up to me.
"It's your birth certificate!" she remarks and I nod my head. "Jeon Jungkook. First of September 1997."
The next thing I feel are her arms pulling me tightly by the nape of my neck down to her. She hugs me tightly, her embrace warm and just what I needed.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispers lovingly in my ear, tightening her arms around my neck. "You can now celebrate your real birthday."
"Yes. I'll have a fresh start." I pull back from her embrace and the warm smile decorating her lips gives me the courage to ask her the question that has been floating around in my head for a while. "Elaine. There's something I wanted to ask you, but somehow wasn't sure."
"Of course. You can ask me anything." she encourages me and reaches for my hand, giving it a squeeze. I look into her deep brown eyes again and smile down at her.
"Do you want to move in with me?"
"What?" she giggles and my smile fades instantly. I become insecure, maybe I shouldn't have asked that. Maybe it's too soon to ask something like that or maybe she doesn't want to move in with me. All the insecurities are buzzing in my head and she seems to have noticed that because she soothingly cups my face with her delicate hand. "My love, we're almost living together already."
An instant feeling of relief comes over me and I puff out a breath, but the answer still doesn't satisfy me.
"I know. But that's because my workshop is no longer livable, not because we've made it official," I pout. "I want to make a completely new start with you. I want us to find a new place and furnish it up to our way. I don't want anything to do with the past anymore. I have something saved up and I could use it to get my workshop repaired, it would also be enough for new furniture and the apartment. But I would understand, of course, if you're not ready—"
Before I can even finish my sentence, her soft lips silence me. I melt into the kiss and the tension in all my limbs relaxes. Both of her hands cup my face as she intensifies the kiss, switching her focus from my upper lip to my lower lip. Desperation makes me moan into the kiss as she starts pulling the hair at the back of my head. Biting down on my bottom lip, she pulls back and stares deep into my eyes while licking her lips.
"Is this answer enough?" she asks, her cheeks a light pink again and I can't suppress a smile. Joy overwhelms me and I can't describe the feeling as I grab her by the waist and spin us both in circles. She squeals in my ear and I could swear it's one of the best days I've ever had.
I was never the one who thought about the future but rather enjoyed the present moment. I was always afraid of settling down with someone and starting a family someday. The thought I might have the same fate as my parents has always terrified me.
But since I met Elaine, I just can't help but think about a future together with her. I want her by my side forever, happy and content. I want us to spend beautiful days together, in a new house and with new memories. I don't want the past to haunt us any longer, I just want to let go.
The thought of becoming a father myself was foreign to me before I knew her. Simply because I was afraid of not being good enough as a father, of disappointing them and making them as sad as my father did with me. But now I can picture the two of us having children and it doesn't scare me anymore. Maybe not now, but definitely in a few years because now I know she wants to have kids too.
Family to me has always been a six-letter word and home has never existed. But now I want to start my own little family with her, step by step. I realized that home is not a place but people you love.
Elaine is my home.
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Already an hour's drive behind us, we still have a little more than half the way to go until we reach Elaine's apartment. We said goodbye to my mother with the promise that we will visit her again as soon as possible. Elaine was overjoyed that the hickeys couldn't be seen because she covered them with makeup like an expert.
I am relieved that the weekend still passed relatively peacefully. We've been able to avoid my father as best we can and that's a bonus, considering how much he drives me up the wall even if I only have to see his face for a second. What still makes me twitchy though is the thought of my mother.
As much as I want to protect Elaine and forget all my father's actions, I don't want to drag my mother into some unknown hole. She is the only person I care about in Busan and I know that anything I do against my father will also affect her life. I don't want to be selfish and ruin her life because I haven't thought about all the ways out.
Just because I have the documents I was looking for and for which I came all the way to Busan in the first place, it does not mean that I can just act rashly and recklessly, dragging others into this. Therefore, I should think about and weigh every step I take on this path.
I glance to the side, looking at Elaine's profile, and the fond feelings of a few hours ago when she accepted to move in with me come flooding back. As we parted, I whispered this news along with another message into my mother's ear and she took it in with tears in her eyes. She cupped my face and said she was proud of me.
Lucky we didn't see my father after the party. I'm sure that would have taken all the fun out of the drive back. I hum happily to myself to the music playing on the radio, tapping my fingers against the steering wheel. Elaine occasionally throws a contented smile in my direction and I place a kiss on the back of her hand.
The music on the radio changes and a song I recognize right away is played. "Oh, I love this song." I wiggle in my seat and turn the volume up so the song blasts through the speakers. Elaine shakes her head as I start singing along loudly, but the smile doesn't leave her cherry-like lips.
"When you close your eyes, tell me, what are you dreamin'. Everything, I wanna know it all." I scream at the top of my lungs and Elaine's laughter grows louder as she starts clapping her hands because she finds it hilarious. "I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more. Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours."
I want to go on a trip with her again, I want to travel the world with her. She is the only person with whom I can be as silly as I want, I can do any stupidity and she simply laughs. We have endless fun together and that was something I wanted all my life. My other half.
"Come on. Sing with me." I yell over the music.
"No. I can't sing nearly as good as you." She protests.
"You know that's a lie. I think you forgot about the karaoke night." I grin as I look from the road to her and she turns shy again as she remembers the night we met. "Maybe we should go back there sometime to refresh your memory. What do you think?"
"Hell, no." she shakes her head in panic. "No one can put me anywhere near that host and his evil machine."
I laugh out loud and memories come back to me of how nervous and panicked she was on stage. She still performed perfectly and I know how beautiful her voice is. She can't fool anyone here. I look in the rearview mirrors and make sure there is no one beside or behind us on the highway before slowly slaloming the car.
"Jungkook, what are you doing!" she grumbles, her hand reaching for the dashboard while she stares at me with scolding eyes.
"Come on!" I whine, moving my body along with the car. "The chorus is coming. Sing with me."
"Okay, okay. Drive like a human." She laughs and I can hear her cursing under her breath, which makes me laugh.
I'm not drunk, by the way.
She starts humming along quietly to the song lyrics and when I glare at her, she clears her throat and sings along with all her heart. I grin from ear to ear, proud that I got her to do it, and we harmonize to one of my favorite songs. Even though we're just goofing around, my deep voice matches her high one perfectly.
"If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life. I'm gonna love you." we both finish the song together, a big gleaming smile plastered on our lips and the sparkle twinkling in our eyes.
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A/N: three chapters left😭