Rosé POV
I woke up to the soft sound of a murmuring voice. It sounded like Asa's voice speaking quietly in the room next door. Looking the time on my bedside table, it was 1:46AM. I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed, following the light in the hallway to the door that was left slightly open. I smiled upon walking into the room and approached Asa quietly, sitting down in front of him.
"See, baby? We woke up mommy now," Asa said and turned to look at me. "Sorry. I tried to be as quiet as possible."
I held his head and kissed his cheek, "It's okay." I sat closer and gave our little baby a kiss on the head. "Did you just get home from work?" I asked him while cooing at our child. "Hi, my little love~"
"Mhm." Asa tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I leaned down to play with the baby's hands. He chuckled softly as he stared at me, making me smile back at him.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Nothing," he replied and held my face with one of his hands. He brushed his thumb across my cheek and kissed my lips softly. "I love you, Rosie."
I gazed into his hazel eyes, "I..."
Suddenly, there was knocking on the door.
"... Rosie! Auntie Rosie! Auntie, auntie, wake up!"
"Huh?" I mumbled and opened my eyes. I checked my phone for the time and it read 10AM. I groaned and laid back down on the bed, hitting my face with a pillow as I thought of Asa. It was just a dream...
My room door squeaked and I moved the pillow to see Asa holding the door open for Areum to come running in. "Get her, cutie! Get her, get her!" Asa said and lifted Areum onto my bed so she could lay on top of me.
She giggled against my stomach and I hugged her, "Thank you for the morning call, cutie. I'm wide awake now. When did you get here?"
"I came with mummy and uncle Asa at 9 o'clock and mummy wanted me to wake you up and-and uncle Asa told me to let you sleep, so then I played with mummy until she told me to wake you up again be-because auntie Lisa was busy, and now I'm here to wake you up, auntie," she explained. She seemed a little out of breath from speaking so much.
"Seems like you've had a busy morning," I said and pinched her fluffy cheeks.
"Can you wake up now so we can play?"
"Okay, okay. I'll wake up so we can play."
Areum squealed in excitement and Asa picked her up in his arms, "Let's wait for auntie Rosie outside while she gets ready, okay, cutie?"
"Okay. But put me down first!"
Asa set her down on the floor and she ran for the door, exiting the room then closing the door afterwards. "This little trickster..." he said to the door and I held back a smile.
I was inadvertently, yet happily, checking him out. He looked so handsome with his styled curly hair. My eyes couldn't help but travel down his body, and suddenly I couldn't stop imagining the time I was in the shower with him inside my head. Gah, why can't I stop thinking about it now?! It literally happened so long ago but I'm imagining everything so vividly as if it was yesterday! As soon as he turned to me again, I moved my eyes back up to meet his. "I'll see you outside."
"Wait," I said and he waited. I waved my hand, "Come closer."
He was confused but followed my orders anyway. As soon as he was close enough, I pulled his jacket so he would come even closer. I looked up at him and he smiled awkwardly.
I took a deep breath and enjoyed the view of his beautiful hazel eyes looking down at me. "Asa... Do you still have feelings for me?"
He laughed gently through his nose and held my face with both his hands, "Are you still dreaming, Rosé?" He pet my hair before sitting down on the bed side me.
"You didn't answer my question."
He sighed at the ground and bit his bottom lip gently. For the time he didn't answer, my heart was beating in anticipation. I was so nervous to hear what he had to say... Thinking about the dream I just had, I needed to know if it was still possible or not. I needed to for sure if Asa had feelings for me.
"Actually..."
"Rosie, are you gonna get up or not?" Jennie yelled and opened the door. Areum was hugging her side and after seeing Asa sitting on the bed with me, Jennie grabbed her daughter and ran.
Ugh, he was gonna say no, wasn't he? Geez, I was so stupid for even asking him. My dream was obviously far fetched. I probably only saw him at the restaurant the other night because he was out with some other girl. And Asa would never have a job, pft. What was I even thinking?
Asa chuckled and got up, "I'll see you outside, okay?"
I nodded, a little embarrassed from the regret of asking him if he liked me. He couldn't even reply to me. I must've embarrassed him too... When he left the room, I took my pillow and hit my face again. I felt my cheeks heat up from blushing and I groaned into my pillow. How was I going to face him outside?
After doing my morning routine, I put on a cute outfit and left my room quietly. I walked down the hall and in the kitchen was Lisa and Areum doing some drawing while Jennie and Asa watched TV in the living room. He had his arm around her shoulder and when those two noticed my presence, I avoided them by going into the kitchen.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked and sat down next to Areum, opposite of Lisa.
"Auntie Lisa told me to draw her," Areum said and showed off her adorable portrait of Lisa. It looked a little abstract but I wasn't going to be picky about it.
"It's beautiful, cutie! You've got more talent than your mummy," I said.
"You'd better watch that mouth of yours, Rosie," Jennie threatened from the other room as Lisa and I silently giggled with Areum.
"Auntie Jisoo isn't good at drawing either," Areum whispered and Lisa put a finger to her lips.
"We know," Lisa replied quietly. "Luckily, auntie Rosie likes to draw too. Rosie, go show her some of your drawings."
"Really, auntie? Can I see? Please, please?" Areum pleaded with big eyes and a pouty lip.
I pet her hair, "Maybe next time, cutie. Finish your portrait of auntie Lisa and we can play." Areum listened and I looked to Lisa, "What's the plan for today? Why'd I get a morning call?"
"Ah, well, Asa needed to chat about the nightclub and Jennie just wanted to visit. We were planning to take Areum to the movie theatres for the first time today. She's been begging me to take her to see a movie so we decided on today."
"Ooh~ sounds exciting. What are we watching?"
"Everyone's favourite, Frozen~" she smiled and bounced her eyebrows in excitement.
"They still play then in theatres? Didn't it come out years ago?"
"Yeah but Asa found a place that played Disney movies on repeat and one of the showings today included Frozen so..."
I nodded, "I see. Well, when's the show?"
"After lunch," she replied then bothered Areum. "Since auntie Rosie's awake, wanna play hide and seek?"
"Okay, auntie! You count first! Let's hide auntie Rosie," she said and hopped off her chair.
"Baby, don't run so fast, okay~?" Jennie warned in a loving tone.
"Okay, mummy," she said as her little footsteps stomped down the hallway. But when I got up from my seat, there was a loud thump and a silence that followed, then, "Mummy..."
All four of us panicked and rushed down the hallway to find Areum sitting at the base of Lisa's room door holding her forehead with both her hands. A frown was very prominent on her face as silent tears ran down her face.
"Mummy..." Areum cried and Jennie knelt on the ground.
"Oh no, did you hit your head? Let mummy see." Jennie took her hands away and there was a red mark on her head that would definitely form a bump. "My poor baby~ Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"I'm okay, mummy," she replied with a sniffle while tears continued to flow out of her eyes. My heart ached for her but melted from the cuteness at the same time. Areum was trying to be strong for Jennie but the tears were a major giveaway.
"Ugh, let me call Jisoo. I need to get Areum checked to be sure." Jennie searched around for her phone and groaned when she couldn't find it. "Asa, can you get my phone?"
"Here, use mine," I said and handed my phone to her. I switched places with Jennie and crouched down next to Areum. "Areum, are you feeling dizzy?"
"No, auntie."
"Areum, are you sure? You don't have to pretend," Lisa said, joining our little huddle. She looked at the bump and clicked her tongue, "Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"
Lisa put out two fingers and Areum replied correctly.
"Ugh, she's not picking up!" Jennie groaned in frustration and tried to call again.
"She's probably busy right now. She works in a hospital. Let's just take Areum there and talk to Jisoo too if she's available," Asa suggested.
"But I need to call her to ask about any early signs or-"
"Jennie. Jennie, look at me. Take a deep breath. Areum will be fine," he consoled and held shoulders, looking into her eyes. "She'll be fine. Let's just bring her to the hospital first... Okay?"
Jennie was breathing heavily but Asa managed to calm her down. "Okay," she swallowed. "Let's go."
"Areum can you try to stand up?" Lisa asked, "Let's try. Rosie hold her other hand. Rosie. Bro." Lisa slapped my arm to get my attention and I finally snapped out of it. I must've been too focused on Jennie and Asa. He seemed to calm her down so easily. Was I about to overthink again?
"Sorry," I said and we helped Areum to her feet. "Can you walk, cutie?"
"Auntie Rosie, I feel dizzy now," she mumbled.
"Let me carry you," Asa said, "Will that be okay, cutie?"
"Yes, please," Areum said and held her arms out for him. He picked her up carefully and she hugged him tightly.
"My tummy doesn't feel well," Areum mumbled again.
"Rosie and I will take our own car and meet you there. Jisoo's hospital, right?" Lisa asked and grabbed her keys.
"Yup, we'll see you there," Jennie said as we all let the apartment.
Driving to the hospital as fast as possible, Lisa and I arrived just after Jennie and Asa did with Areum. We rushed into the hospital together and looked for a nurse. Luckily we ran into Jisoo on the way and it turned out she had just finished supervising a surgery. She took Areum into her hands right away and we all sat anxiously in Jisoo's office.
"Look a little less intense, guys. It's kind of pressuring," Jisoo teased as we were all sitting on the edge of our seats, watching Dr. Kim Jisoo in action.
"Says the one of the best brain surgeons of Seoul," Lisa said, making everyone smile very slightly.
After finishing the check up, Jisoo told us it was nothing major as of right now but she'll get Areum scanned just to be sure. The dizziness and nausea was completely normal but we'll have to keep monitoring Areum's symptoms for the next few weeks. Thank god Jisoo lived with Jennie and Areum, then Jisoo would be able to tell right away if something's wrong.
When Jennie was done asking all her questions, Jisoo turned to Areum. "Areum, do you have any questions for me?"
"Mm, auntie, is there a bump on my head?"
"Yes, but it will go away in the coming days."
"Is it red?"
Jisoo nodded, "But if you ask mommy for more kisses, it will go away much much quicker." Jennie smiled at that then went over to hug Areum from behind, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.
"But... what if it doesn't go away, auntie? I don't want mummy to worry."
"Awh, baby, it's okay. It's just a little bump right? There's nothing wrong with that. Mummy's okay now that auntie Jisoo is here." Jennie moved to the side and held Areum's little hand.
"But mummy you were so worried."
"I know, but it'll be okay now."
"Hey, cutie, look at my little scratch over here," Asa said and pointed to the scrape on his cheekbone. "Uncle Asa got hurt too but your mommy doesn't seem to care about me that much."
Jennie pulled on Asa's ear as he chuckled, which made Areum begin to smile too.
"It's okay to get hurt, Areum, and it's okay to be brave for your mommy," Jisoo said. "Everyone gets hurt here and there but the important thing is, being brave doesn't mean you have to pretend to be okay. Being brave means you do everything you can to get better, so if something hurts or you feel uncomfortable, you have to tell me okay?"
Being brave doesn't mean you have to pretend to be okay. Somehow, those words were resonating with me.
"Okay, auntie. I promise."
"Good girl," Jisoo smiled. She pet Areum's hair and kissed her head before standing up from her chair. "I'll get the machine ready for a scan then I'll come get her."
I let go of my hug around Jennie as she stood up to hold Jisoo's hand. "Thank you so much, Jisoo. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said.
"It's nothing, Jennie. You did the right thing by coming in. Let me know if she still feels sick."
"Okay, I will."
As noon passed, nobody had an appetite for lunch. We were all worried sick for Areum who was getting scanned right now, and we sat patiently in the waiting room. Jennie and Lisa went to get some water and I took the opportunity to check on Asa. I knew how much he cared about Areum.
"You okay?" I asked, sitting down on the seat beside him.
"Yeah... just worried about Areum," he replied with a saddened tone. He stared at the ground absentmindedly with zero emotion on his face.
I decided to distract him and so I stood up and held out my hand for him. He stared at it then at my eyes.
"Let's get some fresh air on the roof," I said and he contemplated while staring at my hand again. He hesitated but took my hand nonetheless, and I brought him up to the roof with me.
On the roof, we stood by the railing and watched the cars drive by from below. The slight breeze was a little cold but nothing I couldn't handle. Still, I felt Asa drape his jacket over my shoulders.
"Oh, it's okay, Asa. I'm not cold," I said.
"I know you will be if we stay for any longer," he said and I ended up accepting the jacket. Minutes later, he was right. It was getting cold up here. "What's on your mind?" he asked after taking a deep breath of air through his nose. The fact that he didn't even have to ask to know told me I was very obvious about my emotions. But like Jisoo told Areum, I shouldn't have to hide my feelings.
"I have a lot actually," I admitted.
"Mm... Like what?"
Looking at the view, I sighed.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I turned to him but he continued to look outwards. "I've got a lot of my mind too lately. Now, Areum included."
I stepped closer, pulled his arm to turn his body and hugged his chest. He didn't hug me back immediately but when he did, I felt safe and sound in his arms. The warmth of his body helped me relax and I quickly got used to the light heartbeat in his chest.
"Rosé, I hope you're not doing this to confuse the both of us again," he said, "Because I can't be falling for you if you won't let me."
I lifted my head off of his chest and looked up at him. "I'm not confused anymore, Asa. I really like you and I want to be with you. I'm sure this time."
We gazed at each other for a long moment, then he held my check with his hand and finally broke the comforting—yet anticipating—silence. "For me, if it's not you... it's not anyone." I found myself smiling softly from his words. This was the first time where being wrong about something felt so good. "I'd wait forever if it meant I'd get to marry you one day, Rosé."
I took a deep breathe in, feeling as if it became easier to breathe. "So... you still have a crush on me, don't you?" I teased.
He smiled too now and chuckled to the side before nodding gently, "Yes. I have the biggest crush on you, Rosé. It's absolutely unbearable." His beautiful hazel eyes were loving and gentle, and his smile made me feel a million times happier. The butterflies in my stomach continued to flutter, even as time passed while we stood there gazing into each other's eyes.
"And you said you weren't good with words," I teased, making him chuckle.
"You are the most beautiful woman I'll ever know. And I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you know it too."
I hummed a laugh and reached up with both my hands to hold the back of his neck. "As long as I'm with you, that's how I'll feel."
As long as I was with Asa, I'll always feel beautiful. I'll always feel like a brand new woman, and I was loving the sound of it. Just like my dream, maybe Asa could really be apart of it.
"Does this mean you'll finally be my girlfriend?" he asked and I let go of our hug.
"Maybe," I said in an innocent shrug and began to head back downstairs.
"Maybe? Just a maybe?" he asked as he followed me with a smile. Reaching the stairway, he got ahead of me and stood on the step below, trapping me in his arms so I couldn't run away. "I'm gonna marry you one day, Rosé. You'll see."
He looked up at me with happy eyes and I forced myself not to smile, even though I still did. I held his face with both my hands and kissed his lips. "Okay," I replied.
But when will that day come?
You Were My
Everything