"Oh my god."
Hailey and Delilah stare through the mirror at Harper.
Harper stands there nervously, tapping her fingers against her thighs.
"Is that a good or a bad 'oh my god'?" She asks, getting ready to panic. "Does it look bad?"
"What? No." Delilah calms her before she deals out.
"No, no, no." Hailey says. "It looks great. You look beautiful, Harper. You always look beautiful but this is just different than what I've seen before. I mostly see you at work and you hair is in a bun or it's out and curly. I love this. The streaks of color are beautifully done."
Harper looks at her hair in the mirror, taking in the sight. She's got a shoulder length, middle part wig installed. It's jet black with waves in it. Two pieces of the front have been stripped of color and dyed a dark honey blonde, almost brown.
She hasn't seen herself look like this since before she had Onyx. Long before she had Onyx.
She hasn't seen herself look like this since a couple months after meeting Jahlil.
Harper used to always have her hair done in different styles. She used to always do her makeup. Not because she felt like she needed it, but because she liked doing it.
Makeup is an art form. Anyone can learn to do makeup. It takes time to learn but it's another form of expression. Some people enjoy it as a hobby and turn it into a craft. Some people make a career out of it.
It's all about preference.
Harper always preferred to do glam looks. She loved going out, she loved doing her makeup to match the occasion, to match her outfits. She was in love with herself.
Not narcissistic. Just very confident.
As she looks at herself in the mirror, she gets a glimpse of what she once was. Harper feels a sliver of what she once always felt.
Beautiful, strong, confident.
If only she always felt the way that she currently looks. She misses that piece of herself the most.
"Do you like it?" The hair stylist asks as Harper stares at herself.
"Yes." She smiles at the woman. "I love it. How much do I owe you?" She grabs her purse, digging around in it for her wallet.
"Oh, don't worry about it, honey. Your mother-in-law already paid for it."
"My-?" Harper closes her mouth and looks outside to her car.
In the passenger seat, Mrs. Min is playing bingo on her phone. She'd have stayed inside the building but she didn't want to take up any seats that could be used by paying customers.
She went down to the cafe at the corner and sat down for cup of coffee. She even FaceTimed her husband to check in and see how things were going. He and Onyx were humming, or attempting to him, the tune of the alphabet song.
The Min parents had also gotten him another stuffie, a green one this time. It's an elephant and he absolutely adores it. He hasn't put it down since he got it, not even to crawl to get to Jewel.
A shocker, that one was. They were told that he wasn't doing it yet. As far as Harper and Yoongi know, he isn't full out crawling yet.
But the Min parents watched with their own two eyes, Onyx crawl for a couple feet. It's still a jumbled crawl but it's more than they've been told that he's doing.
Mr. and Mrs. Min agreed to just not say anything to Yoongi or Harper. They'll wait until they see it for themselves and act surprised.
Harper is in a bit of shock that Mrs. Min paid for her service already. She was fully prepared to pay whatever the cost was. She pulled cash just for the outing today.
As she and the girls walk out of the salon, Delilah asks where they want to go to eat.
"I don't really know too many places around here." Harper admits.
"If we're eating at the dinner, then maybe we should eat like a light lunch." Hailey says.
"I don't know if I'm gonna feel comfortable in front of all those people." Harper says. "And all eyes are going to be on our table because of Yoongi."
"Oooh, yeah." Delilah remembers. "And you're gonna be sitting right next to your man? And you look good as hell? Yeah, they're going to be staring at you at all night."
"She's also the only woman Yoongi will have ever been seen with here since, I don't know, like ever." Hailey adds. "You know those people are nosy as hell."
"Oh my god. Yeah. Girl, you better stake your claim. Actually, you know what? Don't even worry about it. Because he gonna do it for you." Delilah waves causing Hailey and Harper to laugh.
"Okay, okay. Where are we going to eat? It's freezing out here." Harper crosses her arms to conserve her warmth as she steps side to side.
"Oh yeah. Duh." Hailey says to herself. "The steakhouse closer to downtown. We can get something to mostly fill us up because I don't like eating in front of all those people either. If I feel like I'm being watched, I'm not even hungry anymore."
"Tuh. Says you. I'm gonna eat." Delilah points to herself. "But I need to cut down a little bit so I can actually fit into this wedding dress next month."
Harper gasps. "You're getting married next month?"
"Yep." Delilah grins proudly. "I'm so happy for the ceremony that I could burst." She says giddily.
"Oohh, that's so cute. Oh my god."
"Oh! That reminds me. What the hell?" She digs into her purse and pulls out two invitations.
"These are for you and Yoongi. Yours looks different because these have been made for a few months but I didn't want you to be just Yoongi's plus one so I had to get another one made special for you."
"Oh, wow." Harper looks at the wedding invitation envelopes with a smile. "I've never been to a wedding before."
"Really?" Hailey and Delilah both asks.
Harper shakes her head with a bittersweet smile.
"No. Nobody that I knew had ever been married."
Harper hates that so much. It's everyone's personal choice, whether they want to get married or not. But the idea of it not even being an option because of how little the men cared for the women is heartbreaking for her to think about.
"Well, you'll come to my wedding ceremony and have a ball, then."
"Okay, I love y'all. But my fingers gonna fall off any minute now." Hailey says, feeling the wind blow by them.
"Alright, let's go. Luca's then the nail salon." Delilah says, starting the walk to the car.
Harper walks to the driver's seat of her car and gets inside with a dramatic shudder. Mrs. Min double takes and her entire face brightens.
"Oh my goooddd. You look so beautiful."
"Thank you. And how much do I owe you for my hair? She told me that you paid for it."
"Oh, nothing." Mrs. Min waves her hand. "Consider it a gift. From my husband and I to you."
"Gift?" Harper says quietly as she starts her car up. "But I haven't done anything."
"You don't think so?" Mrs. Min asks, looking at her as if the answer should change.
Harper shakes her head slowly, trying to figure out what she could mean.
"When is the last time that you did something nice for yourself, huh? You make a baby from scratch, use your body and your life to grow and support Onyx's. You do all of the work to give birth to him and support all of his needs. All while having nobody but you to depend on your own needs. Physical, mental, emotional...."
Harper looks at the steering wheel as she listens to Mrs. Min's words.
"You are a very strong woman, Harper. But even the strongest of women need to take days off. Even the strongest of women need their self care days. You do all of this for Onyx and who does these things for you, huh? You have to take care of you, too. But today, it's on me, sweetheart."
Harper chews her lip as she looks over at her. Sincerity pours from Mrs. Min's aura. Her body language is relaxed, her gaze is soft. Her phone is out of her hand and in her lap.
"So don't worry about anything today. You take a day off for once. A full day off. You deserve a day for you."
"Okay." Harper agrees.
The two women smile at each other before heading to the steakhouse. Delilah leads the way and Hailey follows behind Harper.
They arrive at the steakhouse to find that there's quite a bit of a line there. Harper and Mrs. Min become a bit worried with the timing of everything.
But Delilah walks right into the building and up to the host's podium. People twist their faces up at her, telling her that there's 'clearly a line'.
The host double takes at Delilah and smiles immediately.
"Delilah, good afternoon. How are you this morning?" The man's French accent is thick but understandable.
"I'm well, Ramone. How are you?"
"Eh. People are rude but what else is new?"
The people in front of him gasp, surprised that he said that and spoke so openly.
"Have you told Luca? You know he won't stand for people disrespecting you in his place of business."
"Yes, I know. But I do not want wish to get him involved. He is hot headed, you know his Italian blood boils at the mention of disrespect."
"And it should." Delilah speaks bluntly.
"Anyway, let's get you seated. Table for four, yes?"
"Yes."
"This way." He grabs four menus and Delilah gestures for her friends to follow her.
Everybody in line is in disbelief and expresses their great distaste at what they've just witnessed.
'Luca's Palagio' is a highly esteemed steakhouse. Where they can cook the meat and food right in front of you if you choose. Or where you're waited on like a traditional dinner service.
And Luca is the third and last born of immigrant Italian parents. His father is olive skinned with dark hair and beautiful hazel eyes that he's passed down to his son. His mother is brown skinned with dark brown eyes and curly thick hair.
Luca's maternal side is of African descent but, for generations, have been born and raised in Italy. His father's side is Italian through and through.
"Wow, this place is really nice." Harper says as she looks around.
"Isn't it? Tell me how much you love ceiling paintings. Aren't they just beautiful?" Delilah looks up at them and Hailey smiles at them.
"You only say that because you picked them out."
"I did." Delilah smiles.
"You know the owner?" Harper asks curiously.
"Meeting him at the alter next month, actually." Delilah grins.
Harper and Mrs. Min both gasp quietly before breaking out into smiles.
"Oh my god. No way."
"They've been together since they were like 19." Hailey tells them.
"Yes." Delilah says as they take their seats at the tables that Ramone has shown them to. "He was back and forth a lot because of his visa and citizenship issues. And we were going through our own things because of that. It was very difficult but he wanted to get his citizenship on own. My parents felt like he was using me for citizenship. They were very wary of him for the longest time."
"So when did he get his citizenship?"
"A few years ago. Five now. Luca and I actually already tied the legal knot. I didn't care what my parents said. We were young and in love and everybody probably would have called us crazy but that's why we didn't tell them anything. We just let my parents believe that he got his citizenship on his own. We just went to the courthouse and our only witness was his grandmother, bless her soul."
"So the two of you got married but waited to have the big ceremony?" Mrs. Min asks.
"Yes. He wanted to give me my dream wedding and he promised that he would. He wanted to set up our entire future together and he did. There were times that were hard and I wanted to give up but..." Delilah looks around. "Everything pulled together the way that it needed to for us. Now he owns one of the best restaurants in the city. It's critically acclaimed, been featured in Gordon Ramsay's top fifteen, actually. Which is absolutely insane. Oh my god."
"I didn't think that old pessimist liked anybody." Mrs. Min says. "Well, except for the kids. He loves the kids on that show of his. But the adults, to hell with them." She flicks her wrist.
"Quite literally." Hailey says.
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you've been married for... how long again?" Harper tilts her head.
"Five years now."
"Five years and you still get to have this big extravaganza of a wedding. That's so crazy to think about. I've never heard anything like it. That's new... It makes a lot of sense, I think actually."
"I think so too. You only get married once but you can celebrate it at many times as you want. I mean, can you imagine spending thousands of dollars on a wedding for a marriage that could last what? Two years? That's so crazy to me. All the money spent on that wedding and the divorce will cost more? That's so vile." Delilah puts a hand on her chest and the women laugh.
"I think that, financially, that was a very smart thing to do. I mean, you did it because you had to hide it but still." Harper says and Delilah laughs.
"Everything worked out perfectly for you two. I'm so happy for you." Harper smiles at her new friend.
"Your time will come." Delilah assures. "Trust me. If there's one thing I've picked up about Mr. Hermit, that man commits."
Mrs. Min laughs at the nickname given to her son. Fitting, she thinks.
"He and Taehyung made plans to go golfing with Luca last summer, but Yoongi had worked an ED shift the night before." Delilah recalls the events. "Got an emergency surgery for a gunshot victim. Nine hour surgery and he still showed up to the golf course the next morning. He'd gotten maybe two hours of sleep? Oh, Luca wanted to throttle him. They came to the house instead and Yoongi slept the whole day. I woke him for a meal in the middle of the day. He ate and went right back to sleep. He was exhausted, poor thing."
"Oh, I remember that. I didn't know that was your husband he was talking about. He told my husband about what happened because he didn't want to worry me. But we still have those house phones set up so I can just pick up the phone and listen in. I don't usually but Yoongi was being particularly sneaky that day." Mrs. Min says.
The women at the table start laughing together.
"You know, actually, Mrs. Min, it's so good to finally meet you." Delilah says. "Yoongi talks little about his personal life at work but when he does, it's about you and his father, always. He loves you guys so much and I think that's so endearing."
"We miss him often so it's good to know that he's thinks of us as much as we think of him. Truth be told, we're thinking about moving out here. I miss him too much to be away. And now he has his own little family and you know, Onyx couldn't even crawl the last time I saw him and now he's trying to move about like he's the fastest little thing."
"Onyx thinks he's a teenager already. You should see his little frowns when I tell him no." Harper says. "He looks so confused and you know what he does? He starts whining and goes to Yoongi. Every time."
"Ooohhh." The other women groan.
"That's like babies saying 'dada' first. That's so criminal." Hailey says. "I can't believe that. Their mothers go through hell for nine months and then..."
"The sheer audacity they have is incredible." Mrs. Min rolls her eyes. "I remember the first time that Yoongi said it. I pretended that I didn't even hear him."
Harper laughs and covers her mouth.
"Because he wasn't talking to me." Mrs. Min points to herself. "I was getting him a snack and he was in his little high chair and he starts going 'dada, dada' and I stopped moving and he stopped saying it. I start moving again and he's saying it again. I was in such disbelief and of course, his father had a ball about that when he got home from work."
"I'd have to spend the next several days teaching my child how to say 'mama' after that. A crime. Such a crime." Delilah shakes her head.
Ramone comes back to the table with a bottle of pink sparkling water and four wine glasses with ice in them.
"I don't think I've ever had this before." Harper looks at the bottle.
"Oh, it's so good." Hailey assures her.
The bottle is popped open and Ramone pours their glasses for them.
"I thought you were hosting tonight?" Delilah asks.
"Stephanie is taking over for me. I am afraid I will lose my head over there."
"Understandable. We just need another minute to figure out what we want. We were too busy talking."
"It's okay. This entire building will wait for you if needed. You know that."
Hailey sighs dramatically. "Alright, Taehyung. Doctoring days are over. Open a business so I can be a princess now."
"Thank you, Ramone."
"Of course. I'll be back shortly."
The women take the time to look through their menus, taking a bit of time to decide on what they want. They all change their minds at least twice but eventually, settle on something.
As Harper looks around, she notices that half of the restaurant is closed off by two large double doors, regal in design.
"What's back there?" She wonders out loud.
"Oh, that's actually where the dinner is going to be tonight." Delilah informs. "It's a private dining hall, very spacious. It's usually rented out for wedding receptions, graduation events. Rich, rich people usually use that space. But Yoongi is a dear friend and Luca has not seen him in a while I told Hyde and Dr. Mitchell that the event could be hosted here."
"That was kind of you." Mrs. Min tells her. "I might as well eat my heart out now. Then I'll tell Yoongi to bring his father back a plate from tonight as well."
"You can eat whatever you'd like, Mrs. Min." Delilah tells her. "Dinner on me. Well, my husband. Dinner on my husband." They giggle together and continue their conversations.
At the end of their meal, Harper brushes her teeth in the bathroom with a disposable toothbrush and gives one to the other girls as well.
They all think the same thing but nobody says it out loud.
She and Yoongi are just the same.
They go to the nail salon for their manicures and pedicures. By the time those are finished, it's almost time for them to go their separate ways. But first, they stop at a boutique that Hailey loves.
Harper tries on a couple different dresses and ultimately decides on a 'little black dress' look. All of the women approve and can't wait to see her in it all dolled up.
They part ways and get home; Mrs. Min and Harper go into her apartment while Mr. Min and Yoongi are in his with Onyx and Jewel.
After her shower, Harper sits on a chair in the bedroom while Mrs. Min plucks her eyebrows for her. She hasn't had them done in so long and she was nervous to let anyone in the nail salon touch them.
This is her face she's talking about. That's a very touchy area that's seen by literally any and everyone she passes by.
The process of plucking isn't painless but it's worth it. Mrs. Min does her own eyebrows and has been for many years. She went to one shop that did them too thin and decided to teach herself.
"How do you like them?"
"I love them. This is better than what I would have showed up with or done myself."
"Oh, don't do that. You have all your makeup laid out. You definitely know what you're doing. I'm going to go over and check on Yoongi to see how he's doing, too."
"Okay. Thank you."
"It was no problem. I'll see you in a minute."
Mrs. Min exits the apartment and Harper finishes her makeup.
It's the first time in a long time that she's gotten dolled up for anything. It's the first time in a long time that she's been able to just take the time and pamper herself like this.
Time is a luxury in the world of mothers. Working or stay-at-home, it's still a luxury. The time is always there, of course. But it's never really theirs. It's always somebody else's. Work, or their child's, maybe even their husband or significant others'. It always feels like they're bargaining for time that they never truly get to have anyway.
It can be frustrating. It can be stressful.
But even still, they have to push through and prevail. Because if not them, then who?
Harper finishes her makeup, grabs her clutch and puts her heels on, completing her look for the night.
As she looks in the mirror, she sees a completely different woman. She's still herself. This is still Harper. But it's another piece that she hasn't been in so long.
A retrieved part of the woman she's missed so much.
She inhales deeply before slowly releasing the breath through her mouth. She grabs her jacket from the hanger in her closet and her keys from the dresser. She walks out of her apartment, locking the door before stepping in front of Yoongi's.
As Harper stands in front of Yoongi's door, she hears his groaning voice and his parents' happy laughter.
"Okay, okay, just one more." He hears his father's voice.
"Daaddd. I gotta go. I gotta get Harper so we can go. I can't be late to my own event. That's bad etiquette."
"Oh, go get her. So I can pictures of the both of you together."
"Baaaaa!"
Harper hears her son yell excitedly. She puts her fist up and knocks on the door. It gets quiet for a split second before she hears Mrs. Min's voice.
"Oh, that must be her. Open the door, open the door."
"I am. I've been trying to open the door. You guys wouldn't let me." Yoongi opens the door and his breathing stops.
He and Harper stare at each other before they start taking in the other's attire.
Yoongi is wearing black straight leg slacks with a cream colored shirt tucked into it. His suit jacket is a more relaxed look, as opposed to a more formal button up. He wants to be professional yet comfortable at the dinner party.
Harper's dress is all black with a square neckline. There's a smooth cut into the neckline, giving a subtle curved dip into her chest. Her legs are shaven smooth, moisturized with cocoa butter and protected under nude sheer tights. Her freshly done toes and pedicured feet are slipped into a pair of black pumps, adding two inches to her height.
She's exactly the same height as Yoongi in them.
"Wow..."
"You look...."
They attempt to speak at the same time and stop talking.
"Sorry, you go first." Harper says.
"I was just going to tell you that you look beautiful."
"Oh.." She knew what he was going to say, or something along those lines. But she still blushes hearing them out of his mouth.
"Thank you. You look very handsome tonight."
"Thank you. My dad wants to take pictures. He likes to document every big moment of life... and also every small moment. He just really likes taking pictures."
"That's okay." Harper giggles as he steps into the apartment. "I just want to my stinky man first."
Onyx squeals and reaches up for his mother. She walks toward him and he crawls about two feet for the rest of the way.
"Oh my god, Onyx." Harper picks him up and smiles at him. "You crawled! Oh my god." She kisses his cheeks and he laughs, scrunching up as he's attacked.
"I'm so proud of you, my baby. I love you so, so much." Harper hugs him, pressing her cheek against his. "You're such a big boy."
Her eyes are teary and she fans her face as she blinks them away.
"Whew. Oh my. I'm sorry." She sniffles. "I just got so excited."
"It's okay. It's an exciting moment to see. He's such a busy boy. He'll really get the hang of it in no time." Mr. Min tells her. "Now let's get these pictures so you guys can get there on time. Wouldn't want to make you late."
Yoongi deadpans and his mother laughs at his reaction.
Did I not just say that?
######
The night is calm as a light blanket of snow falls around the city. The air is chilled as the wind blows, creating an almost brittle atmosphere outside of Luca's Palagio.
Valet servicemen are in thick coats and thick-soled loafers as they take the keys of the guests and walk back from their parking spaces.
As Yoongi pulls into the valet line, a man approaches the vehicle. He opens the door for Harper first, who is surprised by the gesture. She looks at Yoongi and he nods in the man's direction. Harper grabs hold of the man's hand and steps out of the vehicle.
"Good evening, madam."
"Good evening." Harper replies quietly.
The man walks around as Yoongi is getting out of the car. The valet hands him a ticket matching the one that will be attached to his keys and he puts it into his pocket.
Yoongi puts his hand on the small of Harper's back as he guides her to the entrance of the restaurant. They're greeted at the door and relieved of their coats. Harper rubs her arms, feeling the air of the restaurant without the comfort of her coat.
"Are you alright? Do you need my suit jacket?"
"No, I'm alright." She assures. "I'll warm up soon."
"Good to see you again." Ramone greets Harper as he approaches.
She smiles at a familiar face. "It's good to see you, too. How was the rest of your shift?"
"It was well. Good evening, sir." He greets Yoongi with a kind smile.
"Good evening." Yoongi greets back.
"Follow me this way to the dinner party." He gestures and the couple follows his lead.
"Mr. Parisi showed up 30 minutes after you and the girls left. He was not pleased with the batch of customers we were having that day. Several of them were turned away for their poor treatment of employees."
"I don't know why think that it's okay to act that way." Harper expresses.
"I think it is because we offer them a service. They feel some sort of power over us. It could also be the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's prestigious in design and quality so people of money come here often. They expect us to wait on them hand and foot and while we are hosts, hostesses and servers, we are nobody's maids. The customer is not always right. Not at Luca's. They need humanity when they come into this place or they can take their business elsewhere."
Ramone leads them down the side of the restaurant, past the main dining room. They approach the large double doors and two doormen dressed in black suits and red dress shirts open the doors for them.
Harper and Yoongi thank them as they stand in the doorway.
"This is as far as I go for now. I have more people to escort. Enjoy your night, the two of you."
"Thank you. We will." Yoongi says with a smile.
He slides his hand into Harper's as he looks at her.
"Ready?"
"Mhm." She nods.
They walk into the dinner party together and of course, attention starts being attracted to them. He is the man of the hour, after all. The man that people were waiting to arrive.
With a date. They didn't see that one coming.
Yoongi smiles politely and waves to those who actually speak and congratulate him on his promotion.
Outside of that, his eyes dart around for familiar faces. About four or five to be exact.
"Do you see Hailey and Taehyung anywhere?" Yoongi asks. "Or Hyde?"
"Oh, there's Delilah!" Harper says as she points.
Yoongi looks over to where she's pointing and sees Delilah and Luca. They're smiling and talking to two people that Yoongi's never seen before. He assumes that they must be donors or people who fund the hospital.
"Harper!"
Harper and Yoongi both turn at the sound of Hailey's voice. She and Taehyung are walking over together.
Hailey is in a wine colored dress, strapless with a sweetheart neckline. Taehyung is in a creme colored suit. The handkerchief in his jacket pocket matches the color of Hailey's dress. As does the stud earrings in his ear and the jewel pendant around his neck.
"Well, don't you clean up nice?" Yoongi teases as he daps Taehyung up.
"I'm surprised you came out your hole. I thought you'd miss your own party."
"You look so pretty." Harper compliments Hailey. "Look at your dress. It's beautiful."
"Please tell me that you got pictures in this dress before you left the house. You look so good." Hailey compliments back.
"Mr. Min did get pictures of us before we left."
"We'll have to take more while we're here. The aesthetic of this place is so nice and it fits so well. Like black woman luxury and it's so pretty."
"Well, Delilah did say that she helped with the decor of the building."
"Helped?" Hailey echoes. "He put her in charge of it."
"Oh... well, then that proves my point even more."
"Have you seen Hyde?" Yoongi asks both go them.
"I think that he was talking to possible funders the last time that I saw him. I don't really know who they were but they looked pretty important."
"All of the people in here look important." Hailey tells him.
"That is very true."
"Is that the new director of our trauma floor I see?"
"Oh, there he is." Hailey says before she even turns to look at him.
All four of them turn to look at Dr. Hyde as he walks over. He holds his arms out to hug Yoongi and smiles as he claps him on the back.
"Congratulations to you sir, on your promotion. Hello Hailey, Taehyung. Miss Harper." Dr. Hyde holds his hand out for hers. Harper puts her hand in his. "Pleasure to meet you."
Yoongi side eyes Hyde, who side eyes him back.
"Thought sooo." Hyde says as he smiles, letting her hadn't go. "It's good to have you here. Pleasure to have you on the team."
"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Harper says politely with a smile.
"Have you guys found your table yet?" Hyde asks. "I assume you're all sitting together. There's a table that's been left empty for you guys in the front. There are drinks at the bar and appetizers being served around the room. Dinner service will be after your honorary induction. Help yourselves to literally anything. I mean it." He points to Yoongi.
"Thanks, Hyde."
"Of course. I'll see you in a bit."
"I saw mini cupcakes on that table over there." Taehyung nods in the direction with his head.
"Do they have more of that sparkling water from earlier?" Harper asks. "I really liked that."
"Do want to go check the bar?" Yoongi fixes the strap of her dress, straightening it against her shoulder.
"Yes."
"You guys check for more sparkling water. Tae and I are going to go raid the pigs in a blanket table." Hailey says as she pulls her boyfriend along.
Harper smiles as she watches them walk away. Yoongi slips his hand back into hers as they walk to the bar.
"What kind of sparkling water was it? Do you remember?"
"Uuhm, I know what the bottle looked like. I'll know it when I see it. The drink itself is pink. Not a dark pink or a too translucent pink, though."
"Just the perfect amount of pink?"
"Yeah."
"Good evening." A bartender greets them. "Can I interest you in a cool shot of whiskey? Or vodka on the rocks?"
"Not tonight. Something non-alcoholic would be best." Yoongi tell him.
"I was here earlier with my friends and we got this pink sparkling water..."Harper says in a questioning tone.
"Which one? I have several." He slides open a mirror and Harper looks at all of them.
"Oh, boy. Uhhh..."
"The strawberry fusion." Delilah says as she walks over accompanied by her husband.
Harper smiles and gasps when she sees her.
"This look? I like." Harper nods and Delilah smiles as she hugs her.
"Thank you. You look absolutely beautiful. I couldn't wait to get back here to see you. Oh my god. I was talking about it the entire time that I was getting ready."
"Thank you. I was kind of nervous putting this one on at home realizing that I actually had to wear it out. But I really like it."
"You should. It suits you perfectly."
"Good to see you, Yoongi." Luca shakes the man's hand. "Congratulations on your promotion. If anyone deserves it, it's definitely you as hard as you work."
"Thank you. I'm really excited about this one. It feels good."
"I bet it does. I heard people talking when Delilah and I arrived. Curious of your entrance, of course."
"Oh! So rude." Yoongi outs his hand on Harper's waist, gaining her attention.
She looks from Delilah to him.
"Baby, this is a friend of mine and Delilah's husband, Luca. Luca, this is my girlfriend, Harper."
Luca holds his hand out and Harper puts her hand out as well. They shake and Harper smiles.
"Nice to meet you." She's just as polite as she's been through every greeting.
"A pleasure of mine. You showed my wife a wonderful time today. I am in your graces." He bows his head subtly.
Delilah grins at her husband as she links her arm with his. She loves when he gets all friendly and polite.
"Your drinks." The bartender sets four glasses of the strawberry fusion sparkling water on the bar.
They each grab one and Yoongi smells his before sipping it. It's flavorful yet light. He enjoys it. He looks at the bottle in the cabinet, getting a look at the brand of it to memorize.
"What time is it?" Delilah asks. "What time does the event officially start?"
Luca and Yoongi both check their watches.
"Any minute now." Yoongi answers her.
"We should take our seats then." Luca suggests. "You're speaking right, Yoongi?"
"Yes, I will be. I think that a board member will be first then Hyde and Mitchell will have their piece before introducing me."
They four of them walk to the table in the front to the right. Taehyung and Hailey are already seated but they don't look particularly thrilled. As soon as Yoongi and Delilah see the table, they realize why.
Luca sighs in annoyance and Delilah looks up at him.
"You don't even know her to be upset about it."
"But you don't particularly enjoy her presence. That's enough for me to have some sort of distaste."
"You're such a follower."
"For you? Anywhere?"
Delilah can't even be mad at him. All she can do is try to hide her smile as they walk to the table. Luca squeezes her arm against hers and she smiles at him. Their love is expressed in their eyes and it's so clear to anyone around them.
Yoongi looks at the seating positions of the table and becomes annoyed. Kyra is sitting one seat from Taehying, leaving just that chair and three other available. Yoongi grabs the chair next to Hailey, pulling it out for Harper. She thanks him quietly as she sits down.
Taehyung perks up as he sees Delilah.
"My favorite OB. Hey, Luca. Up for an indoor game next weekend?"
"Of course. I'm always ready to kick your ass."
Taehyung's deep laugh makes Luca laugh as well. It's all just friendly banter. Both men, and Yoongi, are great golf players. They're often neck and neck with scores. So much so, that they rarely keep score for winning but rather just because it's a part of the game.
"Oh, Delilah, come sit. I have something to show you." Tae pats the chair in between him and Kyra.
"What is it?" The woman asks as she walks over.
"I found a candle company on Amazon and their reviews are great. But get this, they make candles with scents spanning from luxury colognes all the way to like powder. Like, perfectly scented."
"Oh my god. Show me right now." Delilah speedwalks over and sits in the chair.
Luca sighs as he sits two chairs over from Harper.
"With you two together with Amazon, I may actually see the bottom of my pockets someday."
Yoongi laughs heartily at Luca's tease. Taehyung and Delilah have discovered more things that they don't need on amazon than people who use retail shopping as an actual form of therapy.
"Congrats on the promotion, Yoongi." Kyra says from her seat across the round table.
"Thank you." He responds through his laughter.
She looks from him to Harper, whose smiling just hearing his laugh. Her eyebrows furrow at her presence, confused as to why she's here.
"I didn't know that you were a nurse as well, Harper." Kyra says out loud.
Harper looks from Yoongi's face to Kyra's. Her features drop to surprise at hearing her name being called.
"Oh, I'm not." She shakes her head.
Kyra bites the inside of her lip with a slow tilt of her head. She looks as if she's waiting for further explanation.
"I came with Yoongi." Harper clears things up for her.
"Hm." Kyra says, picking up her glass. "I thought that these events were mostly medical staff and funders. I didn't think they let anybody in."
"Garrett is at every single event that the hospital has." Tahyung points out. "How could you have thought that?"
"Garrett's family also is one of the funders for the hospital. Is yours too?" She addresses Harper.
Harper opens her mouth, not sure where the energy of this conversation is going. She doesn't really feel comfortable in it but she doesn't know where any of it coming from either.
"Harper is my plus one." Yoongi states as he looks at Kyra. "That's why she's here."
Kyra shifts her gaze from Harper to Yoongi. She tightens her jaw as she looks at him. Yoongi's hand finds Harper's and stays in her lap. He intertwines their fingers and rubs the back of his hand with her hand.
She forgot about Kyra to be honest.
But here's that tension again. That palpable, thick tension between them that's impossible to ignore. It's the type of tension that's enough to make everyone around them feel it. The uncomfortable shift, Harper feels in her chest.
She looks over at Yoongi as he stares Kyra down. His jaw is locked and his eyes are hard-set in their gaze. Harper swallows thickly as she looks down at the table cloth. She licks her lips before biting down on the bottom one.
"Didn't know that we could bring those." Kyra replies.
"The celebration isn't for you so why would you be told that?" Yoongi asks as his eyebrows furrow and his head tilts.
Hailey smirks as she picks her glass up. She looks at Taehyung from the corner of her eye. He's surprised but impressed by Yoongi's immediate and blunt dismissal of any negativity that Kyra could attempt to throw in Harper's direction.
Harper is starting to catch onto the energy at the table. It's clear that Kyra has some sort of problem with her. But it seems to stem from Yoongi. It has to.
Harper has had no actual conversations to this woman. They know nothing about each other. So the problem can't be personal with her.
Deciding to just enjoy the rest of the celebration, Harper pushes all of that energy to the side and stays present for the rest of the event. Taehyung records the speech from the board member as well as Dr. Hyde and Dr. Mitchell. He also records Yoongi's acceptance of position speech and his segment expressing his gratitude for the opportunity.
In the end, he takes pictures with the board members, Dr. Hyde, Dr. Mitchell and some other big people that will be published on the hospital's website.
"Okay, now you guys need pictures taken together, too." Delilah says to Harper and Yoongi as they walk outside. "I know that you're ready to get home to that beautiful baby boy of yours. I'd be ready to dip too, but let me get a few. Just a couple. You've taken pictures separately but you need some together at the event, too."
"Just a couple? Or a few?" Yoongi asks as he chuckles. "Those are not the same quantities."
"Oh, whatever. Get your butt over here." She waves him over.
Yoongi puts his hand out and Harper walks over to him. He rests his hand on her lower back as she smiles.
"Congratulations, baby." She tells him quietly.
"Thank you, baby." He pecks her lips in between the smile of his own.
They all wait for valet to bring their cars as Delilah takes pictures of the moment.
"You two should come with us to the jazz bar." Luca extends the invitation to Harper and Yoongi.
They look at each other and Harper looks a little hesitant.
"We don't have to go." Yoongi assures her. "But it is already almost ten o'clock so either way, it'll be late when we go back to get Onyx. My parents said that they'd keep him for the night, if you're okay with that."
Harper thinks about it as she stands there. It's almost ten o'clock and the three of them are likely to be asleep already. Jewel is probably sleeping as well. It would be rude to wake the Mins up at this hour.
And she would be shooting herself in the foot by going to get Onyx and taking him out of a comfortable sleeping space and risk him waking up.
"Oh, what the hell." She says. "Who knows when we'll get a chance to get out again."
Their friends whoop and cheer as their cars are brought around. It makes Yoongi and Harper both laugh. Though Yoongi was already smiling for another reason as well.
It's the first time that she's referenced anything to do with Onyx and said 'we'.
It's the first time that she's recognized Yoongi as being a caretaker of Onyx. Whether it be subconsciously or intentionally, some part of her still recognizes it. And that's a step in the right direction for him. He knows that it won't come overnight.
Harper was mentally and emotionally by herself for her entire pregnancy. Up to Onyx's third month of life, she was alone with him. For an entire year, she was by herself with a baby she did not make by herself.
Because being alone was the better alternative to raising a baby in an abusive home.
It makes sense that she'd be used to being independent with her son.
Yoongi holds the passenger door to his car open for Harper and she gets inside. He jogs around to the driver's side and gets in. He turns the heat on and checks his mirrors before clicking his seatbelt in. He waits for Harper to click hers in before putting the car in drive.
From across the parking lot, in her own vehicle, she watches as Yoongi and Harper leave the party in his vehicle together.
She scoffs to herself as she stares in disbelief.
######
After a fun night out with their friends, a couple hours later, Harper and Yoongi retreat back to her apartment.
They shower and get into the bed, ready to have their time alone together after being with other people all day.
Onyx is with Yoongi's parents in his apartment next door. He's fast asleep along with Jewel and the Mins. They had a play-filled night and the infant fell asleep on the floor with a rattle and a stuffie in his hand.
He was worn out from the fun and crashed right next to Mrs. Min. She was playing with Jewel on the floor and he squeezed in between them to fall asleep.
They were all asleep well before Yoongi and Harper got back home.
"Did you have fun tonight?" Yoongi asks as they lie down facing each other.
"I did." Harper replies. "Delilah and Luca are such good people. I had the best time with the girls this morning. Dinner was beautiful. You did so good with your speech."
She pushes Yoongi's hair back. "I'm so proud of you. And your hair looked so good the way that you had it done. It was just the right amount of forehead. Perfect."
"Me? I know that you saw how hard I was staring. I couldn't look away when I saw you. Every time I looked at you or in your direction, it was like a magnet."
"You were pretty glued to me all night."
"I'm glued to you now, too." Yoongi looks at nonexistent distance between all of them.
Harper smirks as she tilts her head up. Yoongi lips brush hers as his hand feels up her thigh.
"It's funny. I didn't take you for much of a PDA kinda guy." Harper's arm slide around his neck.
"I like my life private. Not a secret." Yoongi puts his head in her neck and she giggles, feeling his lips on her skin.
He places a soft kiss on her throat and she puts her head back as she smiles. Yoongi guides her back to keep her comfortable, pressing his body against hers.
He places kisses on the softest spots of Harper's neck and feels her melt at the contact.
Yoongi kisses down to her collarbone, moving to hover over Harper's body. He kisses the tops of her breasts and licks his lips as he picks his head up.
"Can I?" He asks, gently placing his fingers under the thin strap of her camisole top.
"Yes."
Yoongi slowly pulls the straps of her top down. The fabric is pulled back from her breasts and down to her waist.
As the air hits Harper's bare chest, she feels the draft.
"You're perfect." Yoongi whispers against her skin.
He holds her her left breast in his hand, massaging against it as he kisses her right. As a tease, he kisses next to her chocolate pigmented peaks.
He uses the tip of his tongue to lick around the hardening bud. Harper gasps quietly at the contrasting feeling. Her fingertips press into his skin as he takes her nipple into his skin.
Yoongi closes his eyes as he feels the tension leave her body.
Harper looks down, watching as his pink lips pucker around her nipple. Such a simple thing brings such immense pleasure. It's amazing to her.
She squirms under him, feeling her panties begin to dampen. She thinks that it's shamefully fast but Yoongi disagrees. His body does as well. He's just as aroused.
He pushes his hips into the bed for stimulation as he kisses down her torso. The coolness of the compass pendant drags against her skin. The muscles in her abdomen quiver under its touch and the intensity of Yoongi's soft kiss.
The anticipation in Harper builds as he kisses the mound of her throbbing sex. His arms snake under her legs, cupping the top part of her thighs. He's so excited to feel her on his tongue, that his heart is racing.
His hair gets in the way of his vision as he kisses the hood of her clitoris. Harper's eyebrows pull together and she looks down at him. His tongue slides through her folds as his pucker, creating a subtle suction for a bit of pressure.
Yoongi's thick locks of hair brush against her skin, tickling the already sensitive area. Harper reaches down and pushes his hair back. She threads her fingers through the soft tresses, holding them away from his face for him.
Yoongi looks up at her as the palm of his hands push against the underside of her thighs, spreading her open and locking her legs into position.
He licks his lips, tasting her as he gets a good look at the beauty in front of him. Her mocha brown folds are becoming slick with the clear evidence of her arousal.
He's at a loss for words. Truly, he doesn't know what to say. It's such a beautiful sight.
So instead, he eats.
Trapped in a desert for so long, he finally knows what it means to quench his thirst. He understands the literal truth behind 'aiming to please'. It's all that he wants to do.
Please her so she can provide the necessary sustenance to quench his thirst.
The dip in Harper's lower back arches as she moans. Her head goes back, eyelids fluttering as she basks in the heat of the eroticism.
The attention of Yoongi's tongue is focused solely on her throbbing clit. He pushes his nose against her, shaking his head side to side to further stimulate her.
The digits of Harper's right hand grip at his hair. She's pulling his thick strands as her left hand squeezes her breast, having limited things to grab and ground her.
Her eyebrows pinch together, forming a wrinkle in between. Her mewling, pitched cries of pleasure remind him of a piano. The sound that it makes when the last three keys are pressed in any variation. Music, she's making. And he, the enthused producer.
Harper's abdomen caves and trembles as she cums. She's breathless, winded from the notes of her special song. A lullaby. A whistle made just for the ears of her adoring lover.
The lewd sound of her clear cum being spread by his tongue is beautiful. It's a teaser, a snippet of what's to come.
Producing the rare vocals for each verse, piece by piece, he'll help to create the perfect melody.
Yoongi licks his lips, getting a feel of the product on his tongue. He loves it, though it doesn't quite satisfy him. He doesn't think that it's enough. It could use something else. There's more to be added to complete this tune.
Yoongi kisses Harper, indulging in the feel of her tongue against his. Her soft hands brush the skin of his back. The vivid art of ink under her fingertips stretches with his skin as she grips at it, pulling him closer.
Her legs cage him in and he smiles as he hovers above her. Her eagerness excites him, making the swelling ache in his groin more prominent.
As he kisses his girlfriend,Yoongi reaches onto the nightstand, grabbing one of the metallic gold wrappers.
Harper's fingers trail down his sides, sending lustful shivers through him body. Her fingertips slide into the waistband of his boxers by his hips and she looks him in the eyes. He licks his lips, smirking as she stares up at him.
"It's okay. You can take them off for me."
His voice is gravelly, full of depth she's only heard right when he wakes up in the morning. So pronounced yet so soft.
Harper slides his boxers down his thighs as he puts the condom wrapper in between his teeth. He tears it open, blowing the wrapper out of mouth and out of his sight.
He stands up from the bed and Harper gets full sight of him. Yoongi is seven and a half, close to eight inches of heavy weight from base to tip.
Harper's heart skips at the sight.
He's a pink creamy color, while his tip leaks with a milky white substance. Sticky to the touch, a light salt taste. A healthy man in every regard.
Yoongi kicks his boxers to the side as he rolls the condom onto his thick shaft. Harper watches in anticipation.
Yoongi's soft lips are parted as he makes to complete the task properly the first time. The condom fits him perfectly; snug and comfortable.
He'd be lying is he said that he wasn't a bit nervous.
He's confident in what he's been capable of. But this is new. Harper isn't anyone that he's met before. She isn't like anyone that he's been involved with before.
Considering the length of time that it's been for the both of them, this is all feels so new. He and Harper have both been on journeys of their own. They're not the same people that they were the last time that they were sexually intimate.
They value themselves more. They value this more. Being intimate this way isn't something that they could do for the hell of it.
Yoongi licks his lips as he gets back into the bed with Harper. Her hands slide up his arms to his shoulders as he hovers over her.
She can smell the scent of his shampoo as his hair falls into his eyes again. She pushes it back and his eyes soften as he looks at her.
Harper's eyes bounce from his lips to his eyes as her thumb traces the round of his cheekbone. He's so sexy that she's in a constant state of awe with him.
"You're beautiful." She whispers to him.
His cheeks warm and to hide his bashfulness, he kisses her. Harper slips into it and hums at the taste of his lips. Yoongi's hips lower onto her and she feels the weight of his erection against her.
He grabs himself in his hand, gently pumping as his tip is placed at her entrance.
The cool feeling of the lubricant surprises her and she startles a little. Yoongi smiles about that as he kisses her.
His breathing deepens, adjusting itself as he pushes into her. They both gasp, brows furrowed with their eyes on one another at the first sensation.
The initial stretch as the tip penetrates, that first feel of nerves being stimulated right at the beginning is intense.
Harper gulps, moistening her dry throat. Yoongi licks his parched lips as he strokes the rest of his way in. Backing out and sliding in with a roll of his hips, Harper moans when she feels full with all of him.
There is no 'bottoming out' for this. He strokes his way into her, allowing her body to naturally lubricate the rest of his path for him. He doesn't need to 'make room' for himself.
Yoongi lets her body do what it does and accommodate for his length and girth. He feels it when her body relaxes, fitting warm and snug around him. But not too tight. A good sign, a great one.
Even with his level of discipline, Harper is still able to see his resolve wither away.
Yoongi knows what he's capable but Harper knows what she's got on her. It's moments like these that she's reminded of the power that pussy truly holds.
Even the strongest of men, the most patient, resolute of men, bow to it at some point. Worship it, even.
'This is a man's world', they always say. But these men fall to the power of lust every day.
Yoongi squeezes her thigh as he spreads her legs again. He exhales as he watches he rocks into her. He's hypnotized by the rhythm of their sex.
Harper moans as she watches herself get filled. With each stroking motion, her body is flooded with pleasure.
"Fuck... Yoongi..." Harper throws her head back as he strokes deeper into her.
The acute curve of his dick hits just the right place, allowing pleasure to overwhelm her eyes. Yoongi smirks watching her eyes close and her face screw up.
He tries to distract himself from how good fucking her feels. He wants to watch her cum first. He wants to know what it feels like to have her cum on his dick.
Yoongi wants to have the honor of making Harper cover him in all the cum that she can.
"You feel so good for me, baby." He says lowly.
Harper's response is incoherent as her fingers tug at the sheets. Her breasts bounce freely with each thrust.
Yoongi notices the way that the fabric of the sheets thins as she pulls on them. Though it would be flattering to know that she ripped them because of the pleasure he was giving her, he'd rather she not rip a perfectly god set of sheets.
Taking her hands into his, he puts them above her head. This leaves her no room to ruin the sheets with her nails or to lessen the impact of Yoongi's physical love.
She wants more of this raw passion. Harper wants more of this indescribable feeling. She's never felt anything like this. And it shows.
There is no way that she was being properly taken care of the way that she's coating him. Back to back in cum as if she's making up for all of the pent-up orgasms she didn't really get to before.
Yes, sex should feel good. But at some point during the course of intimacy, she should hit a climax. Otherwise, it's a steady plateau of tension.
And Yoongi has gotten her to snap. Harper squeezes against his fingers as her body curls. Her legs lick against his waist and he rolls his hips steadily, fucking her through her orgasmic high.
"Look at you, baby." He coos deeply. "My beautiful girl. Look at what you've done."
Harper gasps as he Yoongi puts a hand on her hip, gripping the thick of it in his hand. Her jaw clenches as her eyes cross. They roll back as he fucks her harder.
The final notes and rhythms are added to his mental symphony.
Harper's lewd mewls reach a pitch she didn't know was possible as she whines. Yoongi is in awe of her, eyes rolling back as his damp hair falls into his face.
But he's so close mastering the perfect mix that he doesn't even care.
The heat that he hasn't felt in so long is upon him. His own low moans offset those of Harper's. She watches as his eyelids droop closed, lazily trying to stay open.
They're so lost in the art of lovemaking, that it's no surprise when their song reaches the best part of the bridge.
The final climax.
Mapped out by the composer, perfectly executed by the artist.
It's a joint project and they're an unmatched partnership. Guaranteed to create a hit every single time.
As the song fades to a calming quiet, Yoongi kisses the skin of his lover's chest. He trails his soft lips up to her mouth as she kisses him back.
He pulls out of her, standing up to carefully remove the condom. As he walks to the bathroom, Harper's rush of endorphins aren't enough to keep her from the reality of it all.
She had sex with Yoongi.
They had sex and she enjoyed herself. They had sex and it was great. It was beautiful.
And no, she doesn't feel used at all.
As Yoongi comes back to bed after disposing of the condom, her eyes begin to close. The bed dips behind her and she feels Yoongi pull the blankets up on them.
He puts his arm around her and kisses her shoulder. Harper turns to face him, cuddling into his chest. He kisses her forehead and she smiles as she drifts off.
For the first in a long time, Harper feels wanted beyond the physical.
A|N
#10k words🥹 Proud of myself
#Also, I just want to explain in case people are like... confused or wondering why Harper feels the way that she does. (Like 'girl, he been showing you'. Yeah but men will put on entire facades and lie through anything for sex. Be fr.) Obviously, sex is a physical act but the reassurance and emotional check-in after the act also matters
#Here's Harper and Yoongi's looks for the dinner 🫶🏾