LUNA'S POV
Bada and I were driving to the destination as we listened to soothing music. I was still kind of processing everything that happened a few minutes ago. I swear Bada makes me into a whole other person. I never imagined myself doing that to someone, but here I am.
Although I was still on the fence about having sex, I didn't mind doing things like that for Bada. Just because I'm still indecisive about it, it doesn't mean Bada has to be touch-deprived until I make up my mind. I enjoy making her feel good whether that be emotionally or physically.
Bada can see me lost in thought so she takes my left hand in her right as she drives down the highway. I truly loved Bada so much and sharing such an intimate moment with her like that brought our connection stronger together. Seeing her so delicate under me made me feel good knowing I was the one who made her feel like that.
It took a good thirty-five minutes to get to the restaurant so we were a tad bit late. Nothing too crazy though, just a little over five minutes late. Bada came around to open my door and we walked hand in hand to the door. When we got into the restaurant, my jaw dropped at the beautiful scenery. It was a very elegant Italian place and everyone was dressed up in gorgeous attire.
"We're here for the reservation under Lee," Bada tells the man at the entrance. He looks up and stares at us, his eyes staying on me for a beat too long, then nods while looking at the tablet in front of him. He then ushers us across the room. I thought we were sitting in the hall down here but to my surprise, there's another floor so we hop onto an elevator. When we get off, he leads us to a room in the far back that's away from most of the restaurant.
"Here you are," he says holding a door open for us to enter. Just when I thought I couldn't get any more wowed, I found Bada's brother and his family seated in a private room. It was beautiful. Before I could even step into the room, the kids ran up to Bada and I almost knocking us over.
"Kids, come sit down. Let them get settled in here," Dae Hyun says.
"It's alright," I say picking up He-min. We talked to the table with Ha-Joon tugging on my dress as he walked to his seat.
"Hi my babies," I exclaimed excited to see them.
"I wanna sit next to Luna," Ha-joon yelled and He-min protested the same.
"Kids, inside voices," Soo-min said.
"And this is exactly why we got a private room. Can't bring these rascals nowhere nice," Dae Hyun says sighing but He-min sticks her tongue out at him which makes me and Bada laugh. The kids were still being fussy so I decided they could sit next to me. I got a chair and brought it next to my seat and sat the kids in it.
"Don't you guys wanna see me," Bada says holding her arms out to pick up one of them but they both come and cuddle closer to me which makes some giggle.
"It's her motherly instinct," Soo-min says with a proud smile but Bada huffs out a sigh.
"I guess you all don't love me anymore," Bada fake cried wiping away her imaginary tears. He-min who was on my lap brought one of her hands out to hold onto Bada's hand but I was still holding most of her.
"Just face the facts Bada, you've been replaced," I say with a victory smile.
"Guess you guys don't want the gifts I got you since I'm not your favorite anymore," Bada said which got the kid's attention.
"Bribery doesn't work on my babies," I said but was proven very much wrong when Ha-joon got up from the table and went to Bada's lap. Wow, traitor. The switch-up was real quick.
"Luna, you look absolutely stunning tonight, doesn't she honey," Soo-min says looking me over.
"People will most definitely think you're an idol. We look like her entourage," Dae-Hyun says.
"No no no, you all look amazing tonight. It's so fun to dress up with you all. I feel like I'm at a movie premier after-party or something," I say giggling. They all looked ridiculously good tonight. Those Lee genes never disappoint, and since Soo-min's a Lee by association, she most definitely fits into that category.
"We brought you guys a few things. Doctor Lee, I just wanted to thank you for treating me while I was your patient. You're an amazing doctor and I felt very protected in your care. So thank you," I say getting up to bow as I gave him the gift I brought him. I decided to get him a few of these new doctor equipment that I've seen were very popular amongst doctors lately. I also got them customized so his initials were engraved in them.
"Oh my goodness, you didn't have to do all of this. It's my job to make sure my patients are taken care of,"
"I know, plus I wanted to get you something as Bada's brother. I know how much she appreciates you and how much you've helped her with my situation,"
"Well thank you, dear," he said bowing with gratitude.
"And I of course couldn't forget Soo-min. We were out shopping and I saw this and thought of you," I said giving her a bag full of things that I hope will help her relax during her pregnancy. There were some gift cards and a few spa packages she could go on as well as a few things that should help with pregnancy (I made sure to research these things for her).
"Oh honey, you didn't have to. Thank you so much," she exclaimed as she came over to hug me. Her baby bump was starting to show and I thought that was the cutest thing ever.
"Your glowing Soo-min. You look so gorgeous," I said taking a step back to admire her.
"Aww darling that's so sweet. The first trimester was really kicking my butt though. It's been so hard,"
"I know," I say without realizing it.
"I mean, I know it must be so hard. But it looks like you're handling it perfectly," I say hoping she wouldn't ask about me stupidly saying 'I know'. Ugh Luna. I mentally face-palm and slap myself. I gotta watch what I say. I go to sit back down in my seat and cuddle up with the kids. Bada understood what I meant when I subconsciously said 'I know' so she took my hand in hers under the table and rubbed soothing circles along my palm.
"Are you guys ready to order?" Dae Hyun asks and we all nod. The waiter comes in with some bread and olive oil mixture to place on the table then he takes our order.
"Would you guys care for any wine, I could bring you a list of our best bottles," the waiter says.
Soo-min and Dae-Hyun told him no and then ushered us to get some.
"I'm good thank you. How about you Bada," I ask. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean she has to quit.
"No thank you," she replies
"Are you sure, I can drive us back home," I whisper to her and he nods and reassuringly holds my hand.
"I'm good love,"
We talked for a while about different topics from Soo-min's health to Dae-hyun's job.
"Oh Luna," Dae Hyun said getting my attention.
"My mom wanted me to ask you if you would like to come to the cabin with us for Christmas. We always go there every year as a family and since you're a part of the family, we would all like to know if you'd want to go," he says.
"No no, I don't want to intrude on your family during the holidays," I say
"Nonsense, you are never an intrusion. If anything you'll be there to help me keep everyone in check. Especially Bada. We all know you cheat during Secret Santa," she says glaring at Bada and I laugh.
"I do not cheat, you all are just dumb. By the time Christmas Eve hits, everyone has either willingly told me who their secret Santa is or they slip up and say it. But they can never guess who mine is," she says with a happy smile.
"Is it alright if I go Bada?" I ask quietly hoping she wasn't put on the spot. Meeting your lover's parents is one thing, but meeting them for the first time while on a family vacation with them is another.
"Of course baby. I was gonna ask you about it soon but I didn't know if you'd want to go,"
"I would love to go," I say happily. Plus I love that cabin with my entire heart. Just imagine what it looks like lively and filled with Christmas spirit. How could I ever miss out on it.
"Oh and trust me, the Lee family does it big for Christmas. I remember my first official Christmas with them after I got married and it was epic. I used to spend the holidays with them growing up, but actually being a part of the family is magical. It's like a Disney World on crack with these people. Plus their mom is an amazing cook. She feeds you until you pop and their dad is super fun too. He's always got some kind of game or bet going amongst each other. You're gonna love it. I can't believe we have another addition to the family,"
"I wouldn't say I'm an addition just yet," I say sheepishly
"But Bada already told everyone you're her wifey-pooh," Soo-min says with a smirk and Bada chokes on her drink as her eyes widen so much. I couldn't help but blush and giggle.
"Don't get all shy on me now Bada. Claim your woman," Soo-min exclaims and I laugh at how serious she is.
"I do claim her, you're just mad you don't have matching rings like we do," Bada said sticking her tongue out as she grabbed my hand and showed them the rings we got.
Soo-min made a gagging sound as Bada kissed my hand. These two were the epitome of younger sibling energy yet Bada was the oldest one here.
"How do you put up with her Luna," Dae Hyun says to me as we watched our lovers bicker like they were five-year-olds.
"The same way you put up with yours. It's hard raising children nowadays," I said shaking my head as I watched them go at it. I thought they'd start getting physical because just as Soo-min was about to leap over the table at Bada, our food came.
I got this delicious gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozzarella and Bada got this fettucini alfredo pasta.
"Wow this looks amazing," I say as a group of waiters come in with all of our food. Just as I was about to dig in, I heard some whispers behind Soo-min.
"Isn't she the girl from that post? You know the one about that abusive guy?" one of the waiters says from behind Soo-min so I'm positive she heard.
"Yeah, I heard he beat her up pretty good and she landed in the hospital a few times. Isn't she a choreographer too?"
"Mmm-hmm. I don't know how she'd be in public right now. If I were her, I'd just stay at home and die from embarrassment," the other guy said. Before they could continue their gossip session, Soo-min got up and threw her glass of water at them.
"You thought we couldn't hear you over the music in here?" she exclaims pissed.
"Soo-min it's okay," I say standing up hoping the situation would die down but her and her hormones got the best of her.
"No, it's not okay. These two scumbags think it's okay to talk about my sister-in-law like that but it's not. Do you know who we are? We could get you fired like that," she says snapping her fingers to make her point.
"Soo-min calm down. It's not good for the baby alright?" I say and she finally calms down a bit.
"We're sorry," both waiters said as they bowed and exited the room quickly. After the commission dies down, I excuse myself to use the restroom.
When I get into the bathroom, I walk over to the mirror trying my best to hold it together. I lean into the sink with my hands but feel a stinging pain on both of my palms. I looked down to see I had shoved my nails so deep into them that there was some blood coming out. I sighed as I washed my hand under the sink hoping the bleeding would go away. Just as I was in the middle of washing them, the door opens and Bada walks in. She sees my hands and rushes over to me.
"Baby," she says sympathetically.
"Sorry about all of this. Is Soo-min doing alright? She shouldn't have gotten mad like that. Stress is not good for pregnant women," I say as I finish up washing my hands.
"She's fine baby. But talk to me, how are you," she asks me.
"I'll be honest, it sucks a little. I didn't think people were that bold enough to say something like that in my presence. Like if you're gonna gossip at least do it privately," I said with a faint laugh.
"I guess I gotta tell them what happened with me, right?" I asked. I knew very well that they would be wondering if what those waiters said was true but I'm sure Dae Hyun knows it's true. All those times in the ER, I could tell her knew I was lying when I told him those things back then.
"You don't have to tell them anything. You don't owe anyone an explanation Luna," Bada says sternly. She was very protective of me which I appreciated. I nod and then suck in a breath of air as I collect myself to get ready to head back into the room.
"Let's go back," I say walking towards the door but before I can touch the doorknob, Bada gently pulls my arm so I can face her.
"You wanna stay in here for a while? We can even leave if you want. They'll understand," Bada suggested.
"No it's okay. Plus we still got a bunch of food to eat. Can you share your plate with me," I asked sweetly.
"You can have the entire thing if you want,"
"No no no, I just want a little bit. It looked really good. And you can have some of mine too," I say.
"Alright my love," she says but before I could go, she takes my palms in her hands and examines them.
"You want me to see if Dae Hyun has some bandages in his car? He always keeps an emergency kit there,"
"No it's okay. It doesn't even hurt," I say opening and closing my hands to show that they don't hurt. They really didn't, there was just a slight sting is all.
"Come on," Bada says taking my hand and leading me out of the bathroom. Before we opened the door to the room, I took a deep breath hoping to mentally prepare myself for questions and stares. Me and Bada walk in but no one stares at us. We take our seats and Soo-min proceeds with a normal conversation as if nothing happened. I don't know whether to be grateful or concerned.
We all ate our food as we talked about different topics, none of which pertained to what happened earlier. When dinner was done, a server came in to give the check. Dae Hyun pulls out his wallet but I stop him before he could give his card to the man.
"No no, this is my treat, please," I say handing my card to the man.
"Thank you Luna," Soo-min says and I give her a warm smile.
After paying for the meal, we all headed out the restaurant.
"Can you guys come to our car for a moment," Bada says and we all follow to where Bada parked. I was holding He-min in one arm and holding Ha-joons hand with the other. Both kids were wide awake and were ecstatic to see what we got them.
"Ta da" Bada says opening her trunk to bags for both kids. I put He-min down so she could open her gift which was filled with a bunch of girly plushies and toys and everything pink and unicorn-themed whereas Ha-joons was filled with toy cars and some art supplies. Both kids were super happy and they hopped around and screamed in joy.
"Merry Christmas," Bada joked and both kids stopped what they were doing.
"This is not your Christmas gifts," I said to the kids hoping to take that sad look off of their faces.
"Don't lie to my babies like that. You almost made them cry," I said hugging both the kids but Bada just laughed.
"Say thank you kids," Dae Hyun said.
"Thank you," they yelled out happily. It made me feel very fulfilled to see them happy like this.
"We should all get going before it gets too late. I'll text you later Luna and we can plan a girls day. Gotta use up the spa gift card you got me," she said with a wink as she came up to hug me. She hugged me a little tighter tonight and longer than usual. I could tell it was her way of saying she was there for me if I needed her.
"You don't wanna ask about earlier?" I ask to her and she shakes her head.
"It's none of mine nor anyone else's business honey. Plus, I know you're safe now that you're with Bada and that's all that matters to me. Everything else is a part of the past. As long as you're safe and sound here with us is all the assurance I'll ever need," she says bringing me back into a hug. Hearing her say that made me tear up. It was so nice to hear such sweet words from her.
"Thank you Soo-min,"
"Of course darling," She says. We watch as Dae Hyun and Bada say their goodbyes and we switch off people. Now Bada and Soo-min were talking.
"I bet five dollars they'll start bickering before we leave," Dae Hyun says with a smirk.
"You're on," I say giving him a handshake. Yup and I just lost five dollars. Dumb and dumber over here couldn't even end the night on a peaceful note. Dae Hyun and I were talking about the cabin trip for Christmas and the next thing we know, Soo-min's got Bada by the collar and Bada grabbed ahold of a section of Soo-min's hair. We literally had to pry them off of each other. I thought me and Audrey had it bad but they definitely beat us. I made sure to slip Dae Hyun the five dollars before leaving.
Bada and I got into the car and we vibed to a great late-night car ride playlist. Since it was freezing outside, the heat was on and it felt so cozy. The car ride was long but relaxing. We were getting closer to home when Bada got an idea.
"Wanna go somewhere?" she asked and I nodded.
Bada took me to an amazing dessert spot in a small neighborhood. There weren't many people around which I liked. I didn't feel like having so many people around right now. I just wanted it to be me and Bada in our own little bubble enjoying the rest of our evening.
"Here you go baby," Bada said coming back to sit with me. We were sat in front of this lit fire as we warmed up and ate our delicious food.
"Thank you love. It's really pretty out here isn't it," I said
"You're prettier," she says poking my cheek softly.
"But you're prettier than me," I cooed at her pinching her cheeks playfully.
"And they said there's never been two pretty best friends. I beg to differ. We're right here," she says and we both laugh at our goofiness.
"Bada?"
"Yes love?"
"While you were getting the food, Detective Seo called and asked me to come in tomorrow about the case," I said as I ate the rest of my dessert.
"Tomorrow?" Bada asked and I nodded my head yes.
"Oh no baby, I completely forgot to tell you. A few days ago I was asked to go to a talk show with the girls tomorrow. I can ask if they'll reschedule and I can go with you instead," she said.
"Bada no. You go to the talk show and I can go on my own. I promise I'll be fine," I tell her.
I was not about to let her change the schedule for her and the girls. Plus, now I can go out after my appointment. I've been wanting to buy some stuff for Bada as an appreciation gift for everything she's done for me. Just a little something to show my gratitude. This is the perfect time to go because we're literally glued to the hip recently. You would think we were handcuffed to each other, I mean I'm not complaining though. I'd happily be handcuffed to Bada.
"Are you sure? I know the girls would understand if we rescheduled. Or better yet, they could go without me. I'll just say I caught the flu or something," she tells me.
"Absolutely not Bada Lee! There's no way you're doing any of that. I swear it's not a big deal if I go alone but your interview IS a big deal. I'm not gonna let you miss that okay? I'll text you updates so when you get your phone back after the talk show, you'll see I'll be doing just fine," I tell her. I'm so serious right now though. I don't want her to keep putting her life on hold for me because it's unfair to her and it makes me feel bad. She deserves all the great things happening to her and Bebe and I couldn't be any prouder of her.
"I just don't want you to be alone up there. We don't know why he called you in but it just makes me anxious to have you go alone," she tells me. I could tell ever since that incident in the bathroom, Bada had kept a tight hold on me. Not in an unbearable kind of way, but in a more protective way. She just wants to make sure I'm alright and am safe which I love about her. I understand why she's anxious because quite frankly, I am too. But I'll do anything to ease her mind.
"What if I ask Kirsten to come with me? That way I won't be alone and you won't have to be so worried," I said. She contemplated for a moment then let out a sigh and nodded.
"Alright, that makes me feel a lot better to know you won't be there alone. Ugh, I'm sorry for being so controlling baby," she sighs.
"Bada, you're never controlling, alright. If anything, it makes me really happy that you're concerned and care so much. I love it when you get in your momma bear phase," I say hugging her and smiling. She relaxed in my arms and I could tell her worries were slowly disappearing.
"I just want you to focus on that talk show okay? You're gonna be so amazing and the internet is gonna love you. You're a star, Bada Lee. My beautiful star. And the girls need you there as their leader. I can tell how much they look up to you and how much they appreciate you. They need you there tomorrow. All of you are gonna look so pretty and dazzling and give the audience the best talk show," I say as we cuddle up and get cozy with the fire. Bada sinks closer to me and we just lock in each other's embrace.
"Has anyone told you how amazing you are?" Bada asks smiling down at me.
"You're the amazing one Bada,"
"I can't wait for you to come to the cabin with us so I can show you off to everyone. The whole world deserves to see how wonderful you are. I'm so glad we're together Luna. I couldn't ask for a better partner and I couldn't be more grateful than for the girl in my life to be you. Thank you for being that girl baby," Bada said as she leaned down to kiss me.
It's moments like these that overshadow all the dark in my life. All the hurt I'm feeling or sad emotions disappear when I can be like this with Bada. She doesn't understand how grateful I am to her though. She saved me. She gave me a second chance at life and taught me what it feels and looks like to be genuinely loved. I can't wait for the both of us to start our lives together and become a family. One of these days, we're gonna finally have our happy ending.