?> Foreword 1 Beginning at the End 2 The First Call 3 Little Worries 4 He Finally Meets Her 5 She Finally Meets Him 6 An Unusual Rehearsal 7 A Bromantic Barbecue 8 These Tears 9 His Dilemma 10 A Friend For Clarity 11 The Kiss 12 The Aftermath 13 A Friendly Visit? 14 Apology Gone Bad 15 The Outsiders 16 The Problem with Sleep 17 What now? 18 A Secret Spot 19 The Gift 20 Twas The Night Before Ch 21 Something Flutters 22 Not an update :) 23 Reality Bites. 24 Night Out 25 I've Never... 26 Another Step 27 Third Wheel 28 Meeting The Family 29 Of Dresses and Confessio 30 The First Hitch 31 Pretty Man 32 Tale of the Two Oppas 33 A Toast Between Men 34 This Love 35 Breakfast Banter 36 Bygones 37 The Rival? 38 A Surprise 39 A Harmless Bet 40 Secrets 41 One Cold Night
Min Ho blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the room. He was lying on his stomach, his face turned to the windows. Being a huge sleeper, he liked his room to still be dark even during the day, so he made sure that his curtains were thick enough to block out all sunlight. But that morning, he liked that the brightness roused him awake. He wouldn’t mind waking up to that feeling every day.
He smiled unconsciously, remembering where he was. He turned to face the other way, where Shin Hye would be sleeping. Except she wasn’t there. It was enough to jolt him awake; he pushed himself up and looked around her room. When he heard faint frying noises from outside, he calmed down and collapsed on the bed again. She’s here. He closed his eyes, the remnants of last night still stuck his head.
She smelled sweet. She tasted even better. Her body felt so soft and smooth against his skin, he kissed every part of her, unable to control himself. She whimpered and sighed at his every move, which only provoked him to do more. Her fingers were like magic – every inch of him that she touched felt electrified. And her lips. He can’t even begin to explain her lips. She had made her way on top of him and claimed his mouth, biting his lower lip. When she started nibbling on his neck while strands of her hair fell on his face, he thought he was going to explode. His trembling hands glided over her arms and her back, as if trying to memorize every curve and contour. He always made sure he was gentle when it comes to her, but that night, he moved with all the hunger and desire he had been keeping in, he was almost scared he would break her. As they fell asleep, he held her tightly in his arms and buried his face in her hair. He didn’t want to let her go. If possible, ever.
Min Ho was grinning from ear to ear as he recalled every detail. He pulled a pillow from Shin Hye’s side of the bed and covered his face with it, suddenly feeling the urge to scream. He couldn’t explain how he felt – ‘great’ would be understating it. He sat up and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He needed to control himself. And a cold shower. He got out of the bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor. As he put it on, he looked around.
‘Where’s my shirt?’ Ah, couch. He slowly walked to the door and opened it. The smell of food and coffee immediately welcomed him. He bit his lip, an image of Shin Hye making breakfast wearing nothing assailed his mind. He shook off the thought. Ya, pyuntae. Not helping. He strode to the couch to grab his shirt, but it wasn’t there.
He walked to the kitchen instead, where he knew Shin Hye would be. The sight that greeted him was even better than he had imagined earlier. There she was – her back to him, wearing a blue T-shirt a few sizes too big for her. He recognized it instantly. Min Ho chuckled silently before clearing his throat.
‘Is that my shirt?’
Shin Hye was slow to turn around. When she did, she was looking down, her bare feet on top of each other. She bit her lower lip and smiled awkwardly, still avoiding his eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I’ll change.’ She turned around to turn off the stove before hurriedly walking to the direction of her room. Min Ho caught her waist before she could take a step further.
Shin Hye let out a gasp as Min Ho pulled her in and trapped her in his arms. She balled her fists and pounded them lightly on his chest – her hair covering most of her face. ‘Ya, what are you doing?’ She squirmed and wriggled, but she was securely locked in his embrace. Shin Hye blew some of the hair strands that covered her eyes and looked up at Min Ho. He flashed her a cheeky smile.
‘Why are you wearing my shirt?’
Shin Hye’s cheeks reddened. ‘Uhhhh. I don’t know,’ she replied shyly.
‘Aigooooo, stop being cute. Come on, tell me why. I’m sure you have hundreds of other shirts in your closet.’
Shin Hye looked down once more, still unable to hold Min Ho’s gaze. ‘Promise you won’t laugh?’
‘I promise.’
‘You know, uhm, how in the movies and TV shows, girls wear their boyfriend’s clothes and stuff? I’ve always wanted to try it out, but I never had a boyfriend ‘til now. So the situation presented itself and I just took it…’
Min Ho stifled a laugh.
Shin Hye glared at him. ‘YA! I SAID NO LAUGHING!’ She hit his chest and tried to wiggle her way out again, failing miserably still. She sighed in defeat. ‘I know, I know. It’s lame, laugh all you want.’
‘I’m not laughing because it’s lame. I’m laughing because it’s cute.’ He kissed Shin Hye’s cheek lightly, making her blush. ‘And sweet.’ He proceeded to kiss the other cheek. ‘Oh, and good morning.’ He gave her a soft peck on the lips.
Shin Hye pushed herself off him, pouting. This time, he let her go. Holding her close like that made him subconsciously recall scenes from last night and he wasn’t sure if he had enough restraint not to do anything. He saw Shin Hye look down again; he initially thought she was still shying away from him, but strangely, he noticed that she studied him from the waist up. Her gaze stopped on his face, and a mischievous smirk played on her lips. ‘Uhh, I’ll change now.’ She raked her hand through her hair and walked away hurriedly.