Chapter Forty-Seven
I throw on my clothes so fast that I'm surprised that I don't do all the buttons up wrong. Jennie is doing the same thing as I dart out of my room and down the stairs.
My heart is beating so wildly in my chest that I can barely breathe.
What the hell is my grandfather doing home so early?
I skid into the hall and stare at the door.
It's closed.
It's not open.
I check the kitchen. Nothing. No one.
"Grandfather?" I call out tentatively.
Nothing.
I move into the sitting room and find the shutter fluttering open. A gust of wind catches it and it flies again. Straight into the wall.
I put my hand on my chest and breathe out.
Thank. God. Just a shutter.
Jennie clatters down the stairs and I hear her come in while I'm latching the shutter.
"Damn window," I say under my breath. It's about the most swearing I ever do.
"That scared the living hell out of me," she says.
I can tell. Her top is on inside out. I laugh and point it out. Grumbling she takes it off, making me bite my lip, and then puts it back on the right way.
I'm laughing at her and her insane levels of cuteness when we both jump again.
The phone is ringing. The phone never rings. I put my finger to my lips, silencing her, and then dash across the hall to my grandfather's office.
"Hello, Kim residence, how may I help you?" I say politely into the receiver.
"Jisoo." It's my grandfather.
"Grandfather."
"Jack has passed."
There's a moment of silence, and I feel a pang of sadness.
"Oh, Grandfather, I'm so sorry."
"Yes. Probably for the best," he continues. "The funeral will be on Sunday."
"Should I organise to come up?"
"No, that won't be necessary."
"I... I would like to," I admit. I liked Jack. "I'd like to say goodbye."
"Jisoo, I said no!" Whoa, vehement Grandfather!
"Sorry, Grandfather. Of course," I reply weakly. Jennie is standing in the doorway looking at me quizzically. I wave her down. "I'll see you on Sunday, then."
"Same time," he confirms.
I hang up.
"Everything okay?"
I nod. "Jack died."
"Oh, Chu, I'm sorry." She comes into the room and wraps her arms around me. I turn into her arms and hug back.
"It's okay. He was old and sick, but... I liked him."
She kisses my forehead. "It's okay to be upset when people die, babe."
"Yeah." I gently rest against her. "But, honestly, I saw him once a year and I'm sad, but I'll be okay."
She kisses me again. "Well, I'll just have to stay here all night and tomorrow and distract you."
"Distract me, huh?"
She tips my head up and kisses me gently. "Mmm, distract you..."
She does a credible job. It's vaguely late on Friday so we go to bed and cuddle. Basically tired from our afternoon of more vigorous activity, it's nice to just fall asleep in her arms. She does make my world a better place.
Saturday we try to find something to do that isn't sex.
Not that we don't have sex. We do. But you can't spend all day doing it.
Well, you can, but we don't.
Not that there's a lot to do in my house. No television, nothing. We go for a walk, taking a long stroll through the fields.
Then we go back home and make love again. Long, soft, beautiful, warm, passionate love that leaves me gasping for air and praying for more. I take my time to worship her perfect body and quiver as she does the same with mine.
We're savouring the time that we have with each other. We don't get a lot of it lately, and it's special. It's not the same being at school with other people.
There's obviously something so much more intimate about being alone, the two of us. But it's more than that. I can look into her eyes here, and see myself reflected, and I like it.
It's everything.
So when Sunday creeps around, I'm sad. I know that she has to go before my grandfather gets home. He's due on the four-thirty train, so Jennie is leaving at four. That gives me at least forty-five minutes to check that the house is all in order and prepare a cup of tea for him.
At three, we're both dressed and downstairs in the kitchen, just talking. She's telling me some story about growing up with her father and I'm laughing at her. She's so animated and it makes my heart burst with happiness.
I can't help myself.
I step forward and press my lips to hers.
"Am I boring you?" she laughs when I pull back a little.
I shake my head. "No, but you're so beautiful that I can't help myself."
She grins and dips her head forward.
Her lips stroke languidly across mine and then it deepens. Our tongues brush each other slightly and I get the roar in my ears of drowning in her. My body gets ready for the other things she might do to me, although I know we don't have time.
When we pull back, I smile, feeling her moisture still on my lips.
She grins at me.
I turn my head.
And stare straight at my grandfather.
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