Laughing, I wrap my arms around Sunghoon's neck and allow him to carry me from his black Bentley, which Jungkook has parked on the driveway, to the front door, where he gently sets me down on the ground to unlock the door.
As soon as he does, he again wraps his arms under my knees and lifts me off the ground once more. He enters the house and kicks the door shut with his foot. "What's this going to be, anyway?", I want to know, looking at Sunghoon with raised eyebrows.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he aks with a big grin on his lips and carefully climbs the stairs with me on his arm. "I'm carrying my beautiful bride to our bedroom," my husband adds.
He pushes open the door to the bedroom and heads for the large double bed, where he slowly sets me down. I'm glad we're finally alone together. It is the first time we can enjoy our togetherness as husband and wife. I am overjoyed and exhausted in equal measure.
"I can't wait to get out of this dress," I confess to Sunghoon, because it's getting really uncomfortable in my wedding dress and I'm tired. "I can't wait either," he replies seductively, leaning over me. His lips meet my neck where he begins to spread soft, wet kisses that leave a fiery tingle on my skin. His fingers tamper with the zipper of my wedding dress as his lips meet mine.
Slowly, Sunghoon slips the dress off my body and lays it on the bed beside us. His fingers explore my body; they travel over my collarbone, down my chest to my stomach, which he tenderly caresses and places a soft kiss on before his hand continues to travel down. A soft moan escapes my lips as he touches me between my thighs.
In response, Sunghoon pulls his hand away and disengages from my lips. "When did you realize?" he asks suddenly. "What?", I ask, drawing my eyebrows together in confusion. "That you have feelings for me," Sunghoon explains to me, picking up on our conversation from earlier when we were dancing. He eyes me curiously, brushing away a strand of hair that has strayed into my face.
"Oh," I make thoughtful and draw my eyebrows together. It's hard for me to answer that question, because if I'm honest, there's something about Sunghoon that has captivated me from the beginning. But when I think about it more carefully, I know when I gradually became clear about my feelings for Sunghoon.
At that time Teresa, my mother and I were already living with him. I had a nightmare and went to the kitchen to have a drink. He joined me just a few minutes later as well. That night, Sunghoon and I kissed for the first time.
"It was the night I kissed you," I finally reply after neither of us said anything for a while, burying my fingers in his brown curls. His lips form into a smile. "Okay..." he merely whispers contentedly, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose.
"You know-," he continues in response, fixing his brown eyes back on my green ones. "When we were standing in the kitchen and I was holding your hand, I was thinking about kissing you." "Why didn't you?", I want to know.
Sunghoon shrugs his shoulders. "I thought you wouldn't want me to," he confesses. "How wrong you were," I retort, and instead of waiting for another answer from him, I wrap my arms around his neck again and pull his head down to me to press my lips to his.
Sunghoon sighs into the kiss and puts his hand to my cheek as I slip the black jacket off his shoulders. Hastily, I loosen the tie around his neck and tamper with the buttons of his shirt, stripping it off him as well before letting it fall to the floor behind him.
I run my fingers over his bare chest before catching the scarred area of his skin left over from the graze shot my father inflicted on Sunghoon. Memories from that night flash before my inner eye. I think of how I squeezed my eyes shut and the shot rang out. It would have hit me if Sunghoon hadn't gotten between my father and me.
"Lola," Sunghoon's voice snaps me out of the thoughts circling in my head. Only now do I realize I'm lying there transfixed. I return his worried look and press my lips tightly together. "I'm sorry, I was just- my mind wandered," I whisper, looking at the scarring.
He could have been dead if the bullet had penetrated him. All of this would never have existed, and it's all because my father is a selfish, aggressive monster.
Sunghoon sinks into the mattress beside me and wraps his arm around my body, pulling me against his warm chest. "Let's stay like this for a while, okay?" he murmurs, placing a kiss on my temple. He runs his fingers tenderly up and down my arm to soothe me. I nod in agreement and rest my head on his steadily rising and falling chest.
With my eyes closed, I listen to the heartbeat of the man I married today and will love for the rest of my life. "What were you thinking about just now?", Sunghoon wants to know, gently stroking my head.
I swallow hard, because the answer is probably about the most unromantic thing I could have thought of. "The day you got that scar," I confess to him anyway, again grabbing at the scarring on his skin from the graze. "I don't think I've ever felt as helpless and scared as I did that day. You shouldn't have gotten in the way, then this wouldn't have happened. I thought you were dying, Hoon..."
"Lola," he murmurs, wrapping his arm around me a little tighter so that I'm pressed closer to his chest. "It's all good... We survived that day. Your father is in prison; he no longer has the power to bully or hurt you or Teresa and your mother. I wouldn't let that happen." Sunghoon is right, as he often is. My father is in prison to pay for all that he did to us.
My mother has already filed for divorce and will take back her maiden name to remove any possible trace of my father from her life. I'm really proud of her.
"I love you, Lola," Sunghoon murmurs, kissing my lips. "Let's go to sleep, we have a long car ride tomorrow," Sunghoon murmurs as he disengages from me again. Tomorrow we're going to Santiago de Compostela where Sunghoon and I will spend our honeymoon in a chalet.
Then we both get ready for bed and when we are finally both back in bed not twenty minutes later, I snuggle back against his chest. I breathe in his pleasant, familiar scent and close my eyes with a smile on my lips as Sunghoon gently strokes my brown hair. Slowly, I drift off further and further until I eventually sink into a deep, restful sleep.
TimeSkip:
The following morning we are up early again. While Sunghoon heaves our last suitcases into the trunk, I have already sat down in the car and fastened my seat belt. "Are you excited?" he asks as he starts the engine and glances over his shoulder as we pull out of the garage, occasionally squinting at me.
Originally, Sunghoon and I didn't plan to go on our honeymoon, but Eun-Ji and Leela got together and booked us a chalet anyway. And although the long car ride will certainly be exhausting and we will have to take several breaks due to my pregnancy, I am still looking forward to it. After all, this is our first vacation together as a couple.
"Yes," I answer thus and nod affirmatively. "And you?" "I'm happy too," he replies with a satisfied smile on his lips. Since it's so early in the morning, there's not a lot of traffic, so we make good time and, after barely twenty minutes, we leave Madrid behind and find ourselves on the highway.
Every now and then, some sports cars overtake us, whereupon Sunghoon merely shakes his head, snorting softly. "Why are you driving so slowly?", I ask jokingly. The highway is absolutely empty and yet, even though I know full well that this car can go faster, Sunghoon maintains a leisurely pace.
"We're in no hurry," he replies with a shrug, not taking his eyes off the endless stretch of road ahead. "Besides, I want to get my wife and unborn child to our destination accident-free," Sunghoon adds.
"That was sweet," I confess, leaning my head back and fixing my green eyes straight ahead as well. After a nearly six-hour car ride with several breaks and minor traffic jams, we finally arrive at our destination.
"I can get the suitcases later," Sunghoon says, tired from the long car ride. "There's no hurry," I agree and wrap my arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe and stretching my neck to place my lips on his. Smiling, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him to return the kiss.
"Let's go inside for now," I finally add, breaking away from him again. The chalet looks exactly like in the pictures; she is in a very rural style. Both the floor and the walls are made of wood. There is large fireplace in the living room, but the sofa is facing out of the floor-to-ceiling windows that stretch across the entire back wall, offering a beautiful view of the city and the mountains.
"This is where I would love to live," I gush, standing in front of the window. I gaze in wonder at the view. The air is very different from Madrid and the view is simply breathtaking. Sure, they are not high mountains like in Switzerland, but they are still mountains.
Next week is Christmas. In Madrid, it will hardly snow until then. The last time I had snow at Christmas was ages ago. Still, I'd be happy to finally see some snow again. If not in Madrid, then maybe here.
"We should go shopping tomorrow morning," Sunghoon announces from the open kitchen adjoining the living room, glancing into the empty refrigerator. At least we have some sandwiches from the trip for tonight. That should be enough.
Sunghoon slips his shoes off his feet and puts his hand to the back of his neck, contorting his face in pain and circling his head a little. He then sits down on the sofa, interlacing his fingers behind his head and closing his tired eyes. A relieved sigh escapes his lips. "Long car rides are not for me," Sunghoon says more to himself than to me.
Anyway, he doesn't seem to expect an answer from me, because he changes the subject directly. "Let's have breakfast tomorrow morning in the town we passed through on the way here."
Also exhausted, I sit down next to Sunghoon and lean my head against his shoulder. Normally, I really don't mind long car rides, but since my pregnancy, it's been different. I would love to go for a walk for a few more laps, but at the same time I feel way too exhausted.
Hardly noticeably Sunghoon places his hand on my belly. Gently, he strokes my little baby ball while breathing a kiss on my cheek. "I felt him again earlier," I tell him, smiling and turning my face in his direction.
Sunghoon lifts his head and looks at me. His brown eyes sparkle and his lips form into a smile before he approaches my stomach. "And when does Appa get to feel you, you little midget?" asks Sunghoon of our unborn child.
Concentrating, he lets his flat hand wander over my belly, tapping it lightly here and there with his fingertips, but nothing happens. "He's probably tired for once," I suspect, and I'm about to rise again when I notice a kick that's a little stronger than usual. I immediately look at Sunghoon, who returns my gaze with widened eyes.
"Did you feel it?", I ask him excitedly. He nods hastily and spreads little kisses on my belly. "I love you, little dwarf," he says, addressing our unborn child, before sitting up and looking deep into my eyes. "And I love you," he adds, kissing my lips softly.
Smiling, I pull him closer to me so that his body touches mine. Since we're both pretty exhausted, though, not much else happens that night, and after Sunghoon gets a blanket from the bedroom, we snuggle close and pull the blanket over our bodies. It doesn't take long for both of us to fall asleep.