I hadn't intended on this happening tonight when I brought Chae-rin dinner. Honestly. I was thinking about her and I figured she was tired so that's why I brought her dinner. When she opened the door, immediately I saw her outfit and I had to focus on so many other things to get mind to stop thinking about her. I waited a good hour and a half before I let my carnal desires take over. She just looked so...hot in those pajamas. It wasn't necessarily lace, but it's the way it draped over her body so perfectly that made me go wild. And then, she had to go and let out those soft whimpers when I was massaging her. It was too much for me.
I finish my shower and walk into her room where she is already under the covers. I open the dresser where my extra clothes are at and pull out a pair of sweatpants. It's not like I have a designated dresser at her place. I just know that she tends to put miscellaneous things into the drawer and so that's where most of my things go. I turn around and she's scrolling through her phone, her eyes big and curious. What is she looking at that has caught her attention like that?
"What?" she says when she catches me staring.
"Nothing," I shrug. "I think I'm going to stay over." I walk over and crawl in beside her. "Is that okay?"
"Of course," she tells me.
"Chae-rin," I say, slowly. "There's an event tomorrow and uh, can you come with me?" I don't know how to ask her without sounding like I'm using her.
"What is it?" And then she sits up in bed, observing my face. "Ae-ra is going to be there, isn't she?"
I nod. "Yeah... It's this brunch that Jin hyung invited me to..."
"Joon, you don't have to feel weird asking me to go with you," she says. "We have a deal. I'll go with you. What time do we have to be there?"
"Eleven," I reply.
She nods and slides back down in her bed. "Okay. Sounds good." She lets out a yawn and places her phone on her bedside table. "Good night, Joon."
"Good night," I mumble beside her. "Chae-rin," I clear my throat. "I, uh, well, after I have sex, I like to cuddle."
She glances over her shoulder and arches a brow. "And you want to cuddle? Right now?"
I nod and she presses her lips into a thin line. She's not a person who likes to cuddle much nor does she like to do hugs very often, so I know it's asking a lot. I just...well, I like feeling the person. It's why I always hug a pillow when we used to have sleep overs. I figured now that we're having sex, maybe we can also cuddle when we sleep? That's not too much, right?
"Fine," she sighs.
I smile and pull her into my chest. She lets out a yelp, probably from the sudden movement of me yanking her into my arms. "Yes!" I snuggle into her, my legs interweaving between hers, my arms around her waist.
Her hand moves to hold my hand that is resting on her stomach. "Good night," she says one last time.
I think I fall asleep first. I'm usually pretty good at falling asleep quickly and given that I've been exhausted from work, it's not a wonder how I fall asleep within five minutes of cuddling. I am a light sleeper, though, and even the slightest movements and noises can wake me up. That's why I'm being woken up for the third time tonight when Chae-rin rolls around in my arms. Why does she move so much?! Has she always? I tighten my arms around her, hoping it'll stop her but it doesn't. She manages to turn in my arms until her face is showing to me.
It's dark in here and the only light in here is from the moon coming through her sheer curtains. She has a small frown on her lips, her eyebrows furrowed. What could she be dreaming about that she has this face? I smile, moving my hand to flatten her pinched brows. It's so weird seeing her this close. I mean, yeah, I've known her for ten years but I've never been this close to her. It's different... I yawn and shut my eyes, pulling her into my chest as I try to go back to sleep. Her hand wraps around my waist and she burrows her face into my chest. She lets out a small sigh as her nose brushes my chest.
When the sun is spilling into her room, her alarm goes off and it wakes me up instantly. I wait for her to turn it off, but as I peek through my lashes, I can see her passed out. She is a heavy sleeper... I sigh and roll over, hovering above her to turn off her alarm. It's nine in the morning and I know she's going to want to get up to get ready for the brunch. I lightly tap her shoulder but she doesn't even feel that.
"Chae-rin," I whisper, tapping her more. "Wake up." I keep tapping her shoulder and then I move to tap her nose and poke her cheek.
Eventually, I see her eyes fluttering and she groans. "Namjoon, no," she whines. "I'm tired." She rolls so that her face is hidden in the pillow. "Thirty more minutes."
"Well, that just means you won't have time to get ready then," I muse. "It's already nine. We need to leave by 10:30."
Her head pops up and she looks at her phone. "Fine. I'm up," she yawns, stretching her arms. "Are you going home to get ready?"
"I am," I tell her. "I'll be back by 10:30 to pick you up. Don't be late." I give her a serious look because Chae-rin is always running late. No matter how much time you give her, she is somehow always late.
"Hey! I'll be ready by then," she replies.
---
"Chae-rin! Will you hurry up?!" I groan, rolling my eyes as I wait for her by the bedroom door. "You said you would be ready!"
"I'm changing!" she says from behind the door. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Joon!"
"We are going to be late!" I absolutely hate being tardy. It's just...it's rude. "What if by the time we get there the server has already taken the orders and we can't order because you made us-"
"Done!" She swings the door open, glaring at me. "God, calm down. Let's go."
I eye her up and down. She's wearing a light blue pant suit with a white, crop top. Her hair is in soft curls, her make-up just enough to give her some color but nothing drastic. She opts to wear white heels with her outfit. "You look pretty."
"Thanks," she smiles, grabbing her purse. "Ready?"
"Ready," I tell her.
She sits in my car and smiles at me. "I haven't seen you put your hair up in a while like this." Her hand moves to my hair and pushes away a few stray hairs. "You look handsome."
"Thanks," I chuckle.
We sit in the car pretty quietly. She's scrolling through her phone and I'm just listening to the music playing in the background. One of the best things about mine and Chae-rin's friendship is that we can do things like this. We can just be with each other, not talking, and it's not awkward at all. We truly enjoy each other's company but we don't have to say any words at all.
"So, what's our plan? We get there and what?" She says when we're about ten minutes away from the venue.
"We get there and we're a couple," I shrug. "We just need to make everyone believe it."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"Hold hands, hug, kiss," I answer her. "Flirt with each other, laugh, and be happy?"
"And how are you feeling about seeing Ae-ra? I mean, I know you saw her at the club but this time it's different. This time, you are knowingly going to see her."
I glance at Chae-rin and her big eyes are staring right back at me. It's those curious eyes, the ones that always end up getting her exactly what she wants. I let out a small laugh and say, "I don't know. I'm nervous... But Chae-rin, I genuinely want us to have a good time at the brunch too. I don't want to fake everything. Let's just have a good time, okay?"
"Okay," she says, smiling at me. "Let's have a good time."
When we arrive to the venue, I'm surprised that we are not the last ones to arrive! Also, the brunch is not as formal as I thought it was going to be. Everything is already spread out on a vast table towards the back and people are just chatting amongst each other. I spot Jin, Hoseok, Taehyung and Jungkook already in a group by the white canopy. I grab Chae-rin's hand and we make our way over there.
"Hey! There you guys are," Taehyung waves at us. "Chae-rin took too long to get ready, huh?" He has a glass filled with mimosa in his hand, smirking at us.
Chae-rin shoots him a glare. "We're on time!" She takes his glass from his hand and takes a sip.
"You look beautiful," Taehyung grins. "So, it's okay that you guys are late. Hyung, you look nice too."
"Thanks," I tell him.
We talk in a circle and my eyes scan the entire venue until I spot her. She looks gorgeous. She's wearing a champagne dress that stops right below her knees, hugging her curves so perfectly. Her hair is curled and she has a metal headband with small flowers and diamonds adorning it. As always, her soft and beautiful features are accentuated with some make-up, her lips so perfectly pink. My heart aches in my chest, wishing I could go to her.
"...and we're going in August, so you should come too! Namjoon, you're going to bring Chae-rin, right?" Jin's voice brings me back to our group conversation, but I'm unsure as to what we are talking about.
"Sorry, what was that?" I don't even try to pretend like I was listening.
"The cruise," Jungkook says. "Jin hyung was saying you should bring Chae-rin."
"Yeah, of course she's coming with me. Unless," I turn to her, "you don't want to go?"
All eyes focus on her and she shifts in her spot. "Uh, I mean... okay? I'll come."
"Perfect," Jin says, smiling. "Chae-rin, I've known you for four years but you don't really hang out with us. It's going to be fun."
She laughs and says, "It's not that I don't want to, I've just been so busy... But I graduate from med-school soon and then I'll be done with school forever!" There's a huge smile of excitement on her face. "I cannot wait."
"Congratulations," Jin tells her. "Excuse me for a bit. I have to go find my fiancée."
"What do you want for a graduation gift?" Jungkook says.
"I can choose anything?" She raises her brow. "Wait, does that mean I have to get you one too?"
"Anything," he laughs. "And no, you don't."
Just then, I see Ae-ra glancing around the venue. I wrap my arms around Chae-rin's waist, pulling her into me. She jumps from my fingers around her waist and her head turns to stare at me, confused. Instead of answering her, I lean in and kiss her lips softly. She freezes in place, her muscles tensing. When I pull away, she still has the look of confusion on her face, but now there's also some shock there too.
"W-what was that for?" she says, catching her breath.
"Just because," I grin. My eyes move to our friends and they all look weirded out. I laugh at their faces because they look like they saw a two headed dragon or something. "Relax, guys. She's my girlfriend. I just like to randomly kiss her at times."
"It's so weird," Taehyung is the first to break their silence. "I don't know if I like the fact that you guys are dating or not. It's weird seeing my two friends make out in front of me."
"We didn't make out! It was just a kiss," I say.
She turns her body into mine and wraps her arms around my neck. She pulls me in closer and I'm a little stunned at her boldness, especially in front of the rest of our friends. "Did you do that because Ae-ra is staring?" There's a hint of contempt in her voice.
This time, I freeze in my place. "U-uh, yes?"
She pulls away and nods slowly. "Next time, will you give me a heads up?"
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
She smiles and then focuses back on our friends who are still staring at us with disgust. "You guys don't have to look like that," she laughs. "You're just going to have to get used to it." She intertwines our hands together. "We're a couple and that's that."
I bring her hand up to my lips and place a small kiss there. "Yup." My eyes sneakily dart to Ae-ra and I see her watching us. Her face...her eyes, they look sad. I knew it. She loves me still. She has to.
Just then, I hear a grumbling coming from Chae-rin's stomach. I turn to her and she looks up at me and laughs. "We didn't eat," she tells me.
"Let's go get some food then," I laugh, wrapping my hand around hers.
"Ae-ra has been watching you," she mumbles low enough for only me. "I take this as a sign that she is still interested in you?"
"I don't know, I think so? But she could just be weirded out like everyone else," I reply. "I haven't talked to her."
"Then why don't you?"
"Because I'm here with you?" I hand her a porcelain plate. "I don't want to make a scene, you know? Plus, it doesn't seem like the right time."
She glances up at me, raising her brow. "When is it ever a right time to ask your ex-girlfriend if she's still in love with you?" She picks up some waffles that are being freshly made by the chefs behind the table. She moves down the line and decorates her plate with fresh strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. She grabs some bacon and sausage along with some sunny-side eggs and makes her way to a table.
"Are you going to eat all of that?" It's not that Chae-rin doesn't have a hearty appetite, she does and I appreciate that she can eat, but this is a lot.
"It's for us, you dodo," she replies casually, cutting into the waffles. "You think I don't know you're going to pick off my plate? You always do."
She knows me too well. I smile and join her. "What if I don't want to eat with you?" I know I'm going to, but I just want to know her answer.
"Let's not pretend like you don't want to," is her answer, taking a bite of her food.
"But what if I don't?" I press.
She rolls her eyes and swallows her bite. "Then I guess I would either toss it or have Taehyung eat it," she replies. "Should I have Taehyung come join me instead?" When I don't answer her, she sighs. "Tae-!"
I cover her mouth and she glares at me. "I'll eat with you," I grin. I remove my hand from her lips and take the piece that is already on her fork. "Delicious."
"My lipstick!" She slaps my arm. "Is it ruined?"
"It's fine," I tell her.
She doesn't believe me. She pulls out a compact mirror, one that I didn't know she carried, and checks herself. "Wow. This is good lipstick," she muses, putting the mirror away. "Also! That's my waffle!"
I'm a fast eater, so, while she was complaining about her lipstick, checking herself in the mirror, I had taken a few big bites of her food. "I saved you some, though. See?" I push her the plate. "I know you're not going to eat much anyway." I poke the waffle with her fork and bring it to her lips, "Say ah." She moves her head back a few inches and presses her lips into a thin line. "Chae-rin, say ah."
"Why are you feeding me for?"
"Because I want to?" I laugh. "Hurry up."
Hesitantly, she opens her mouth and takes the waffle into her mouth. "Weirdo," she mumbles with her mouth full. "Did you do that because that's what couples do?"
"Do couples do that?" I take a bite of toast with eggs.
"Some," she tells me.
"No, I didn't do that because of that then. I really just did it because I wanted to tease you, that's all." I shrug, taking another bite.