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Chapter 9: No Echoing Laughter – July 1, 2019

She stood in the circle of his arms and concentrated on stilling her heart.  If she told him the truth, he could use it against her.  She calmed herself.  And pulled herself from his arms.  She pasted a smile on her face.

His heart sank.  He had felt them connecting.  Then she’d disappeared again.  She didn’t trust him.

“Where did you go?” he murmured.

She drew her eyebrows together.  “Nowhere, silly.  I’m right here.”  She sniffed.  “We should head back.”

Whatever was eating away at her would clearly remain a mystery today.  She didn’t yet trust him enough to tell him.  But he would get her there.  So he went back to another question.  One that didn’t bite as deep.

“Why haven’t you told anyone you’re an artist?”

She glanced at him in surprise.  “I’m not an artist.  I just doodle.”

“You forget.  I’ve seen your ‘doodles.’  You are an artist.  You are, in fact, a master.”  He narrowed his eyes at her.  “But you’ve never even taken a single art class, have you?”

She shook her head.

“My God!” he exclaimed.  “What an astounding gift you have!  The eye on you!  It’s truly amazing!”

Was he trying to woo her by talking about her sketch?

“You’ve only ever seen one drawing of mine.  That’s hardly enough to judge me a master.”

“No!  That’s not true!  I’ve seen t—”

She glanced up at him.

He backtracked then finished lamely, “…a truly gifted artist when I look at you.”

She frowned.  That sentence hadn’t made any sense.  

“But I don’t understand why you’re keeping it a secret,” he pressed her.

She sighed.  “It’s mine.  Only mine.  I do it because…”

…it’s an outlet for my pain.

Suddenly, he nodded.  “I get it.  Still, it’s such a shame that no one gets to see it.  Would you…” He glanced into her eyes sheepishly.  “Would you let me see your drawings?” 

Something fragile communicated itself through the timbre of his voice.  Her eyes met his.  Still, she didn’t speak.

Then, as he saw her hesitate, he added, “I would be truly honored if you’d trust them to my eyes.  And I swear I won’t tell another soul.”

She took a deep breath and began jogging.  He followed her as she breathed out.  Then she gave a curt nod of her head.

“All right,” but it came out as a sigh.

Still, he grinned.  And the light of his smile wrapped around her heart.  Instinctively, he knew she wanted to jog in silence, so he sealed his lips for the remainder of their journey.

When she opened the door to her bedroom a little while later, she felt its safe walls embrace her.  Did she really want to allow a boy into her inner sanctum?  She had never allowed any man into her bedroom.  Except Appa and Yunseok.  But they didn’t count.  They were family.

Kookie was a veritable stranger.  But Tae and Yun were just across the hall.  Yunyeong would be safe enough this morning.  Kookie wouldn’t dare to force her with two other people so near.

Ahhh!  

She shook her head to dispel the evil thoughts.  Even if they were alone, Kookie would never take advantage of her.  Or pressure her in any way.  She felt so sure.

So why was she still battling these doubts?

She stepped into the small room and headed for her desk.  She bent and retrieved a sketchpad from the drawer.  Now she was glad the sketch of Kookie wasn’t inside it.  She would have had a hard time hiding it from him.

She turned around and handed the book to him with an apprehensive look on her face.  He smiled reassuringly at her.  His fingers brushed hers as he accepted the gift of her trust.  

“Thank you,” he whispered, “for allowing me to see it.”  

His eyes danced with excitement.  And something deeper.  Something that released a whole colony of butterflies to flutter around in her stomach.  His face split into a wide grin before he broke their eye contact to glance down at the book in his hand.

She watched as he tenderly brushed his thumb across the cover.  Reverently.  Like he’d found a rare treasure.  Now her heart was joining in the dance of her stomach.  She hadn’t misjudged him.  No man could act so convincingly, could he?

But then an echo surfaced…

“I got you a gift,” Eunho murmured one night as they sat under the stars on his back patio.

He pulled a box from his pocket.  Her heart flipped upside down, and her stomach released a nervous bevy of butterflies.  Her eyes crashed into his.  She was still trying to understand this odd current that ran between them.  

His fingertip slid down the outside of her arm, lending her chills.  Making her crave…things she had no words for.  She relished the excitement he released under her skin every time he touched her.  His fingers seemed to promise her unknown delights, but he hadn’t led her anywhere she didn’t want to go.

A smile danced in his eyes.  “Open it,” he urged as he handed her the box.

She flicked the lid open after accepting the box.  And she gasped.  Inside a glowing orange amber pendant blinked up at her.  Its elegant teardrop was hanging from a bronze chain.

“Oh, Eunho, it’s beautiful!” she breathed.

“Let me help you,” he whispered the words across the nape of her neck as he bent forward to pull the chain from the box.  

He drew it around her neck and fastened it behind her head before letting it drop down between her breasts.  His hand followed and stroked the amber teardrop.  And also slid along her chest.  

She gasped.  He hadn’t been this bold before.   She was a little uncomfortable with that intimate touch.  But she was locked in his arms right now.  So she couldn’t easily free herself.  Perhaps sitting on his lap hadn’t been the wisest idea.  But he was being so sweet to her.  

He’d given her this gorgeous gift after all.  And taken her out for a very expensive dinner.  He was always whispering sweet words to her about how beautiful she was.  How desirable…

Yunyeong shook her head to dislodge the memory.  

Lies!  They’d all been lies.  His tender touches.  The glorious, glowing pendant.  The expensive meals.  All of it.  Nothing but lies.

She hated that necklace now.  It represented all the tears she could never cry over him.  All the sobs she’d locked up in her heart.  But today was different.  

She glanced at Jungkook who was still gazing down in awe at her first sketch.  Today, this special boy had unleashed all those tears.  He had pierced the amber veil around her heart and freed her sobs.  He had given her a strong chest to pour her grief into.  Suddenly, she loved him for that.  And for the way he was adoring her art.

She watched as he turned the page delicately.  His eyes widened as he studied the self-portrait she’d made.  A grin split his countenance as he glanced at her.

“You finished it!  I’m so glad!  I felt so bad for startling you that day!”  He gazed down at it.  “It’s so beautiful.  It looks just like you.  Except…”

His gazed studied her eyes in the drawing.  They were so sad.

She frowned.  “Except…?”

“I hope you change the eyes.  I want to see them alight with laughter.”  

His eyes pierced her own.  He had always had a gift for making his friends laugh.  Why was it that when it mattered the most to him, he couldn’t tease a smile into those gorgeous, green eyes of hers?  Or coax a giggle from her glorious, pink lips at will?