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Chapter 8: You Make Me Melt – August 17 – 21, 2019

Jin was watching Yunseong out of the corner of his eye.  She was staring forlornly after Tae.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” he asked her soberly a moment later.

She glanced up at the nice guy who had agreed to a blind date with her.  “I’m sorry, Jin.  I’m trying to get over him.”

He smiled at her.  “Then you picked the right guy to date.  Perhaps I can make you laugh and take your mind off of him.”  He pushed his own forlorn thoughts of a certain beloved girl from his past far away from him.

The corners of her mouth quirked upward.  “I think if anyone can, it’s you.”

Tenderness crept into his gaze at her words.  “Well, the first prescription Dr. Jin would recommend is a double sundae.  You must take two scoops and call me in the morning.”  He grinned.

She laughed.  “With what toppings?”

“Hmmm…what do you like?”

“Turtle sundaes.  Hot fudge, caramel, pecans, whipped cream, cherry.”

“Ah, yes!  The works!”  He nodded emphatically.  “That is just what the doctor ordered.  And this doctor will treat you to one.  Can I order for you?” he asked softly.  

She furrowed her brow.  “Are you sure?  I just told you I’m in love with another guy.”

He bent his head to bring his face near hers.  “That doesn’t mean you always will be.  Perhaps I can remind you that there are other fish in the sea.”

His breath slipped across her skin, but she felt…nothing.  

“As long as you promise not to break your heart over me.”

He laughed.

She blushed.  “I didn’t mean to sound so egotistical.”

“You didn’t.  You just have a healthy self-respect.  I’m glad.  That boy is just plain stupid if he can’t see how wonderful you are.”

Her heart melted at his kind words.  “Jin, you might just tie with Jungkook for the world’s sweetest guy.”

“A tie, huh?  Hmm…I’m going to have to up my game then.”  He glanced at Yunyeong then.  “What did Jungkook do to woo you?”

She blinked.  “He built me a walled rose garden.”

Jin’s eyebrows flew sky high.  “What?!!!  How on earth am I ever to compete with that?”  His eyes met Yunseong’s again.

She shrugged.  “I like video games.”

“Ah!  So I just need to create an entire video game for you, then you can fall in love with me.”

She giggled under her breath.  “That might just do it.”

He sighed.  “Well, in the meantime, can I bribe you with a double turtle sundae?”

She nodded her head.  “And you can tell me some more dad jokes too!”

He bobbed his head as his eyes lit up.  “Did you hear what the ice cream cone wrote on his Valentine’s Day card?”

She shook her head as the line moved forward.

Jin bent and whispered in her ear, “You make me melt.”

His breath tickled her skin, and she felt just a fraction of a tremor accompany those words.  She smiled up at him.  If only Tae would say those words to her.  Maybe she would melt.

––

“Yuni, I want to take you back to our secret garden.  Would you like to go with me?”

Jungkook had a surprise for her.  

“I thought you could bring your sketchpad, and we could sit out under the shade of the apple tree.”  He paused momentarily before plunging onward, “I actually was wondering if you’d be willing to stay at my grandparents’ house overnight.  We could enjoy the garden in the cool of the evening and in the early morning too.  We could head out this afternoon and enjoy dinner with them before visiting our garden.”

He was nervous.  He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“But only if you want to,” he finished.

Yunyeong glanced at him, and her heart melted.  “I would love to.  I’ve been missing our garden.  Let me just call my parents and let them know.”

He sighed with relief.  Then he went to visit her sister.

—

Several hours later, Kookie led Yuni out to their garden.  

“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered in her ear as they rounded the side of the garden.  “Close your eyes.”

He grasped her hand and led her forward.  A few more feet, and she heard the squawk of the gate, then another dozen feet, and Kookie was breathing in her ear again.

“Open your eyes.”

Her eyes fluttered open.  They were standing under their tree.  Yunyeong stared at the lovely hammock resting in the shade of the apple tree.  Then she glanced up at Kookie.

“I wanted you to have somewhere comfortable to sketch under our apple tree.”

Her eyes flooded with tears.

“I love you, Kookie!  I love you with all my heart!” she suddenly exclaimed, throwing herself at him.  

Her slender arms wrapped around his neck as he drew her up against him.  She pillowed her cheek over his heart.  She clung to him.  His heart swelled with affection for her.  And joy that she had just confessed her love for him.  For the very first time.  Their garden felt like the appropriate place for such a momentous event.  He bent and kissed her head.

“I love you, Yuni.  With all my heart too.  Forever.”

She drew away from him.  Then she lifted her face towards his.  He lowered his head, and his lips brushed hers softly.  She smiled into his kiss.  

“I feel so safe with you, Kookie,” she murmured against his lips.  “Thank you for always making me feel so treasured.  You really are my knight in shining armor.”

He smiled against her lips too.  “How would you feel about staying the week here with me?  I had your sister pack you an extra bag, and I talked to your appa.  He’s okay with it if you’re comfortable staying.  You brought your sketchpad and paints, right?”

She nodded.

“I thought you could spend your days lounging with me and sketching and painting.  Maybe you’ll get inspiration here.”

“I’m already inspired, Kookie.  Just being around you inspires me.  I’d love to stay.   I’d live in this garden with you if I could.”

She brushed her lips across his in a sweet kiss that made his heart light.  Then she tugged on his hand.  

“Let’s try out our hammock!”

A few moments later, they were lying side by side in his new gift to her.  She leaned her head against his shoulder as his arm pulled her close.   Her own arm rested against his chest.  Over his heart.  He felt her whole body relaxing.  She was right where she belonged.

“I mean it. I really love you, Kookie.”  

Then Yunyeong closed her eyes and enjoyed the song that he began to breathe over her.

—

Great.  Yuni was going to be out of town all week with Jungkook.  And Seokie was away at basketball camp.  School didn’t start for two more weeks.  Yunseong was going to be stuck at home.  Alone.  

Jin was busy working every day.  She knew what she wanted.  She wanted to call Tae and invite him over.  But would it be too awkward?  They hadn’t talked in a week.  And the last time had been when he’d called her a baby.

She suffered through Tuesday alone.  But Wednesday dawned hot and bright.  And she sank into a depression.  Which was an oddity for her.  She was rarely sad.  She hated being in love.  It was a deplorable state when it was unrequited. 

She considered dragging herself from bed.  She picked up her phone instead.  She began to text Tae.

“I am hating today.  My sister is out of town all week.  My brother is too.  My parents are working.  So are all my friends.  Except for you.  But I’m not even sure we’re still friends anymore.  Are we?”  

She clicked the sad eyes emoji.  Then she sent the message.  Immediately, she regretted it.  She groaned, set her phone down, and rolled over.  She was going back to sleep.  Maybe she could sleep this day away.

A while later, a pounding on the front door woke her.  She felt instant unease.  She didn’t like to answer the door when she was home alone.  She picked up her phone to check the time.  She had four messages from Tae.  The last one was at the top of her phone notifications.  Its banner screamed at her.

“OPEN YOUR FRONT DOOR!”

She sat bolt upright in bed.  It was Tae at the door.  She jumped out of bed and ran for the front of her house.  It was only as she was swinging the front door open that she realized she was wearing only a long T-shirt that fell to mid-thigh.  Her eyes grew wide as his gaze took in the length of her.  Suddenly, he grinned. 

“To what do I owe this glorious display of leg?” he asked, smirking.

Only Tae.  

Only Tae could embarrass her like this.  

She turned around and ran for her bedroom.  She slammed the door shut and locked it.  Then she crossed her room and picked up her shorts and slipped into them.  

“Come on, Yun!” Tae spoke through the door.  “Let me in.  It’s not like I’ve never seen your legs before.  Just not quite that much of them.”

Tae was reflecting on how much he had enjoyed looking at those pretty legs.  And her hair had been spilling down her back in a glorious waterfall of dark gold.  He’d wanted to slide his hand down it.  He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her until he was standing in front of her.

Suddenly, her door swung open.  

Good.  Her hair’s still down.

His eyes swept over it.  His fingers itched to touch it.

“Tae, what are you doing here?”

“Did I wake you up?” he asked, ignoring her question.

She nodded.  

He leaned against her doorframe.  All five feet, ten glorious inches of him.  His dark locks were falling rakishly over one eye.  His chiseled mouth opened, and words fell out.

“So…what?  You texted me and rolled over to go back to sleep?”

“Exactly.  I figured you’d ignore me.”

“Me?  You were the one who ignored my text last Monday.”

She frowned.  “What text?  I never got a text.”

He squinted at her.  “Where’s your phone?”

“What?” She was getting angry again.  “You don’t believe me?”

“No, I —”

He sighed.  “I sent you a text.  I just wanted to see if it didn’t go through.  I thought you were mad at me.  So I stopped bugging you,” he added in a sullen undertone.

“I was mad at you.  I still am.  I’m not a baby, Tae.  Plenty of other guys see me as a beautiful woman.  Why is it that when you look at me, all you see is a toddler?”  She pouted.

He nearly laughed at her expression.  Which seemed to be proving his point more than it supported hers.  But then he remembered the reaction he’d had to her when she’d answered the door wearing nothing but a long shirt.

She had surprised him.  But more than that, his own response had shocked him.  He had wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms and kiss her pretty lips.  He hadn’t even had a chance to quench the flame of his desire.  She’d turned tail and run away.

“I don’t see you as a toddler, Yun.”

She scoffed.  “Yeah, right.” She turned away from him.  “Whatever.  What did you want?  Why are you here?”

“Yun.”

Since when did Tae call her that?

She froze halfway across the room.  There was an odd quality to his voice.  It was almost…beckoning her.

“Yun.  Come here.”  Now that soft, deep voice was giving her chills.  “Please.”

She heard the appeal in his last word.  She turned around and headed for him.  She stopped two feet in front of him.

“What?”

“You sounded lonely.  In your text.”

“I am lonely,” she whispered, her emerald eyes piercing his chocolate ones.

So am I.

“Come here,” he commanded roughly.

She just looked at him.  She was done playing with Tae.  

“Look, Tae, my heart can’t take anymo—”

Suddenly, she was cut off as he swept forward, and his arm snaked around her, dragging her up against his chest.  His head bent, and his lips found hers in a hungry kiss that caused her stomach to flip upside down.  Her arms slid around his neck as she gave herself completely to that kiss.  It was quite different from their first kiss.  And their second.

“I’ve been thinking about doing that all week,” he murmured against her lips a few moments later.

He had lied to Jungkook.  And Jungkook had called him on it.  He’d been right.  Tae was in love with Yunseong.  And he had been absolutely petrified that she would tire of him and leave.  But before she could do that, he had pushed her away.  And she had left anyway.  And been just as miserable without him as he had been without her.

“I love you, Yun,” he whispered roughly against her cheek.  Just to the side of her mouth.  The feel of his lips against her skin and the words flowing from his heart were both undoing her simultaneously.

She was melting.  Correction: she had already melted.  Into a big puddle at his feet.  She closed her eyes and hid from him.  Her heart was exploding in her chest.  Beating so fast that she thought she would faint.

“Do you really love me, Tae?” she murmured on a sigh.

He nodded his head against her cheek.  Then he bent his head to whisper against her ear.  “I was miserable without you for the past week and a half.  Ten days felt like an eternity without you.  I couldn’t outrun you.  Even when I went out to drown my sorrows in a turtle sundae, you appeared before me like some avenging angel.  Bent on reminding me of your beautiful existence.  And all the reasons I will never be able to let you go.  I just…I want you to be as comfortable in my presence as you are in theirs.”

“Whose?” she asked, confused.

“Jungkook and Jin.”

“That will never happen,” she whispered roughly before clearing her throat.

“What do you mean?”

“They don’t give me butterflies.”

Tae stared at her for a long moment before a smile spread slowly across his face.  “I give you butterflies?”

“No, Tae.  You give me butterflies.  And you give my butterflies butterflies.”  Her lips curved into a sweet smile. “I love you, Tae.  I have for a long time.  Maybe since the moment your lips first brushed mine.  Or maybe it was the haunted look in your eyes that grabbed my heart the first time your gaze met mine.”

He bent his head and brushed his lips across hers again.  “So…does that mean I can stay today?”

She considered him.  “You want to keep me company?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know,” she frowned.  “Are you ready for me to decimate you at MIRᴙOR?”