I was beside him with my legs over his and my head on his shoulder. His arm was around me and his chin was resting on my head. I was absently fingering his necklace as we were talking about what we would do when we got home. The company had given them until the end of the year in the current living quarters and then they would have to move out.
They had been together for so long, that they really didn't know how to live apart. Living just upstairs had made Minhyuk's transition a little easier, but now that would be changing. The idea of buying a large house together had been discussed, and then shot down quickly. Mostly because of me and our future child. Minhyuk said privacy was better for everyone.
The first thing they had to do was find a space for the company, then they would find places to live nearby. It would need to be large enough for practice rooms, recording studios, offices, and all the things that came with running an idol factory. They had put some feelers out looking for a space, but they were also trying to keep it quiet until the tour finished. The rumors had not quelled so they were probably going to have to deal with it sooner than they had planned.
He asked me if I wanted another apartment or a house. I told him that I loved the apartment but having a yard for the kid and dog would be great. I had grown up in a modest neighborhood with a yard that I could play in. My imagination took me on many adventures in that yard. I wanted the same for our son or daughter. I also told him I would love to have a pool.
He hugged me a little tighter and he laughed softly. "I just pictured a tiny, blonde you, playing princess with her stuffed animals."
"How did you know?" I leaned my head back to grin at him.
Tori danced over and told us Bobby was leaving to spend the night with his friend. Bobby introduced the guys to Alex, who was not quite sure how to react. Bobby acted like it was normal to have a world-famous group in your backyard. Alex wanted to fanboy, but I think he was embarrassed to do it in front of Bobby since he was acting so calm. They said goodbye and left. Alex kept looking over his shoulder as they walked to the door. For Bobby, it was not a big deal anymore. Alex did not know how much of a fanboy Bobby was when he first me them, especially over the rapline. But now, Monsta X was family.
SeoYeon called Tori and told her how proud she was and apologized she had not been there. She had 2 employees out, one on vacation and the other was sick. She had to work a very busy night with only one barista. Tori said she understood and told her she could watch the video later.
Tori stayed at Celeste's house very often, and they had planned for her to stay that night. This meant no kids in the house for the night. Tori went to grab her things and Celeste winked at Nikki, who promptly blushed bright red. I wasn't used to seeing her blush. Nikki is one of those people who is very direct and real. She doesn't get flustered easily. That is my job. I am the one who blushes at the least little thing. Seeing her get like this was a rare sight... one that I enjoyed very much.
A couple of moments later, I saw her talking to Kyun. She was twisting her auburn hair around her finger and twisting her body slightly at the waist. A classic flirty maneuver. He smiled and put his hand on her lower back. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear. She giggled and playfully slapped him on the arm. I forced myself to look away, but I wanted to watch them. I had not seen Nikki this happy and relaxed in years. I wanted to see more. I was also dying to know how she answered his question from earlier.
Tori came to give me a hug and say goodnight, overnight bag in hand. As they were leaving, Celeste stopped dead in her tracks at the gate. I heard her say, "what the hell are you doing here?" which, of course, got everyone's attention.
I felt like the wind got knocked out of me when suddenly Jackass appeared in front of me. My hands felt clammy, and my heart started pounding. Minhyuk knew who it was, even though they had never met. He stood up between us in a protective gesture. Celeste and Alfred ushered Tori through the gate and on to their house. She protested, but they pushed her on. Rupert growled and barked at him. Alfred picked him up and they closed the gate behind them.
"I... I came to see Sunny," Jackass said hesitantly. The scene before him was quite intimidating.
"I think I can safely say that she doesn't want to see you," Minhyuk replied as he stepped forward, blocking Jackass.
"Look," he fumbled for a name, "Monsta... person... I am not here to start anything. I just want to talk to Sunny for a moment." Looking past Minhyuk at me, he added, "please." I couldn't remember hearing him say that in a really long time. I stood and walked up beside Minhyuk. Nikki came to stand beside me, hands fisted at her sides. She looked like she was ready to punch him in the face.
"Minhyuk is right, Jack, I have nothing to say to you. How did you even know I was here?" I asked, trying to remain calm. I had quickly regained my composure. I think the panic was more of a habitual reaction than anything. I was more upset by how he just suddenly appeared unannounced, than his actually being there. It was at that moment I realized I had already put that part of my life to rest. I had moved on and I had healed from the pain. I felt strong, no longer weak.
"I am sorry, Sunny. I know I shouldn't have just shown up like this, but I didn't know how else to reach you. I saw that there was a Monsta X concert in town, and I figured you would come here to see Nikki and the kids. I just wasn't sure if I would catch you or not."
He turned to Minhyuk who was getting angry but trying to hold back and assess the situation. The other members had come to stand together with him. "You must be the new husband. I am the old husband, Jack." He held out his hand in greeting.
"I know who you are," Minhyuk replied curtly, crossing his arms.
Jack nodded, "fair enough. I suppose I deserve this reception." He dropped his head a bit.
"What do you want, Jack?" I stood beside Minhyuk and my knights gathered around me in beast mode.
"Can we go somewhere private? I just want to talk. I promise. I want to... I want to apologize." I was shocked to hear those words. Apologies were not his strong suit.
"Apologize? You?" I snorted. "If I recall, the last time I saw you, you tried to hit me. If Jisung hadn't been there..." my voice trailed off, leaving the uncertainty lingering in the air like thick fog.
"That is exactly why I am here, Sunny." He dropped his head, looking like a lost little boy.
"This is my family. I have nothing to hide from them. If you want to talk to me, you can do it where you are standing." I was not even considering leaving the safety and comfort of my seven knights. Minhyuk held on to my hand to give me strength. Nikki took a step forward, arms now crossed and fire in her eyes. Jack sighed as he realized he was up against a wall. He raised his head, took a deep breath, and looked directly at me.
"Sunny, I quit drinking and I joined a 12-step group. I have been sober for 6 months now." He paused to give me a moment to process what he had just said. "Part of working the program is making amends to those I have wronged. I know that I can never make up for everything, but I can at least let you know that I am sorry. I know what a treasure I had now, and I am so sorry for how I treated you."
"Wow. That was completely unexpected." I was taken aback and not sure how to respond. "I am really glad that you are getting help, Jack. You were getting pretty bad."
"Sunny, I am just trying to move on from the past. I don't want that life anymore. I want to have a life again and I am trying to build it. And I want you to do the same."
"I am happy now, truly happy and I have moved on. I have a new life, a new husband, and a whole new world around me." I paused and thought about what I felt earlier, "I think everyone here knows me well enough to know I am not a vindictive person. I want you to be able to move on too. What happened made me stronger and made me appreciate what I have now more than I ever could have before. Jack, I forgive you. I never want to see you again, but I forgive you."
"I can accept that. I have earned that and much worse." He nodded to Minhyuk and said, "she is an amazing woman, and you are a very lucky man. I am sorry that I was too blind to see what was right in front of me. I know you will treasure her. I can see it in your eyes."
"Sunny-ah is beyond amazing, yet you threw her away. I don't understand how you could do that. But if she is willing to forgive you, then I will accept that. But I am not going to forgive you for what you did to her. Not ever." He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it, then held it to his chest. "You are absolutely right that I will cherish her always. I will make sure she knows how much I love her every day. She is my princess and I intend to treat her as such."
Jack nodded and looked at me with an expression I could not quite recognize. Regret? Shame? Jealousy? Maybe all those things. "Take care of her. Don't screw it up like I did." He looked back to Minhyuk then disappeared through the gate.
Minhyuk put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Are you ok, Jagiya?"
"Yeah, I am fine. Just a little shocked is all." I looked into his eyes and I really was fine. I always found strength in those eyes. I was calm and all the anxiety I had felt earlier had disappeared. "I promise, I am okay." He looked hard into my eyes for a moment and then relaxed when he was satisfied that I was telling the truth. He held both of my hands to his lips.
"I meant everything I said. I will treasure you always, my princess." I smiled and said I would do the same. Nikki came and patted my arm.
"You sure you are good?" she asked, concerned.
"I am. I really am. I didn't fully realize it until now, but I really am." I looked at each of my knights and smiled. "Thank you, guys. I appreciate your strength."
Joohoney spoke for the group, "we were ready to take him out, Noona." He made little boxer air punches and I giggled.
"I know you were. I love you guys so much."
We kept the party going for a bit longer. It helped to work off the tension of the unexpected visitor. But then it was time to get the Monstas back to their hotel. They were tired and ready to take a short break. I hugged Nikki and grabbed my suitcase, then we loaded into the van. Everyone except Changkyun, that is.
We got checked in at the hotel, unpacked a few essentials, and changed into our swimsuits. I had told Min I wanted to go to the pool before it got too late and get some exercise in. He volunteered to help me get some exercise. I told him we had the rest of the night for that... after the pool closed.
Happily, there were not many people at the pool. We played a little, just like that first time at Halmeoni's pool, and then I exercised while he watched me from the edge with his legs dangling in the water. He got enough exercise with dancing every day. The others had even gotten him to the gym a few times lately and his abs were beginning to show again. Even with that, he was still modest and wore a t-shirt to the pool.
I teased him by swimming over to where he was and coming up from the water in between his legs. He grabbed me each time and kissed me, making it harder to leave with each one. I needed my laps though, so I pushed on. When I was finished, I laid back and floated for my meditation. I felt his hands, one on my back and the other tracing a line from the cleft of my collarbone down to my belly button. I opened my eyes, and his dark, intense gaze was enough to pull me out of the water, without a word. We wrapped ourselves in fresh, fluffy robes and headed back to our room.
Before the door had closed all the way, his hands were inside my robe and his lips were on mine. His kiss was deep and frenzied, like he had been starved for me. Robes dropped to the floor and his t-shirt went with them. Hands and mouths moved with urgency and we stumbled to the bed. When we got to the edge, I turned us suddenly so that he was the one who fell backwards. I stood over him and slowly pulled my wet suit off and tossed it to the tile. My nipples were hard from the sudden chill and from his gaze. I saw his reaction under the wet fabric of his trunks as he reached up and cupped them in his warm hands. I leaned down and untied the drawstring of his trunks then grasped the waistband and pulled them off, tossing them to the tile as well. He stood at attention as I straddled his knees and took him in my hands. I smiled as he arched and closed his eyes. I stroked him, then slid backwards a bit so I could kiss his tip. My lips brushed the sensitive flesh and I flicked my tongue across it. I swirled my tongue all around it, going a little lower each time until I took him fully into my mouth. His breath caught and he groaned. I was watching him and his head was moving from side to side on the bed. His lips were parted, and his eyes were closed. He looked so damn sexy. He opened his eyes and looked at me. The desire I saw was enough to make me dizzy.
I continued my ministrations until he reached for me and pulled me up. He kissed me and said huskily, "enough, I need you now." I obliged by lowering myself onto him. He held me in place for a moment and then his hips began their dance. He grasped my hips and lifted me, then pulled me down hard. He knew I liked it when he did that and he seemed to enjoy it as well.
He flipped me over so that he was on top. He lifted my legs and rested them on his shoulders. He reached between my legs and rubbed my clit with his thumb as he pounded my wanton core. It wasn't long before he sent me over the edge, but it wasn't enough. It never was enough. I dropped my legs after my body stopped quivering. I turned over and got on my knees so he could enter me from behind. He slid in slowly, guiding me backwards. His hands were on my waist and he was in control. He moved slowly, torturing me. I begged him to go hard, but he shushed me and told me to be patient.
He reached around and teased my clit again as he slid in and out at an agonizingly slow pace. I tried pushing backward to get him to speed up. I begged him for more. He did not relent. He moved slowly, purposefully. He kept teasing my sensitive bud. He whispered his love talk. I cried out his name as I shuddered around him. "That's it, come for me baby. Come for me. Ah, you feel so tight, so good!"
He started speeding up now that he had proved his point. I was weak already, weak from the waves of pleasure that still wracked my body. When he sped up, I had no choice but to come again. I screamed this time. I buried my face in the pillow to hush the sound. I felt him pulsing inside me and heard him cry out my name. We collapsed in a tangled, wet heap. We laid together for several minutes, not speaking, only breathing. Finally, I looked at him and smiled as I stroked his cheek.
"How is it so amazing every time? How is it possible that you make me feel this way? That you make my body do things I never knew it could do?"
"I can't explain it. I have never felt this before either." He kissed my forehead, "I love you Sunny-ah. My world was dark without you for these past weeks. I don't want to do that again. I need to be near you."
"I love you too, Minmin. I don't know how I made it through without you. I am so thankful to have you in my life."
He held my hand against his chest, and we fell asleep. I had the cherry blossom dream again. I hadn't had it since the wedding... when it had come true. This time there was more revealed. You know how dreams feel? How you just know things? Well, this time there was a little one at our feet. And it felt like he or she had been there the whole time I had been having the dream.
I awoke from the dream and I was happy. I was also cold. We had messed up the covers enough earlier enough that I was able to pull them up over us without disturbing him. I turned my back to his body and scooted up against him. He turned toward me and nuzzled my neck, wrapping me with his arm and his leg, pulling me into the safety of his embrace. I held his hand and drifted back off to sleep with a smile on my face, knowing we really would be adopting that little one very soon.