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May gazed down at Yoongi’s raven head bent over her notebook.  He was so beautiful.  Just the crown of his head.  She wanted to reach out and slide her fingers through that silky, midnight hair.  She thought of all the hours that she’d listened to his dark voice rapping in her ear.  All the time she’d spent watching videos of his sweet face.  She’d always sensed that underneath his gruffness dwelt a very sensitive soul.

After a few moments, he glanced up at her, catching her watching him.  He grinned.  

“What’s your name?”

“May,” was her simple response.

He lowered his head once more and wrote something at the top of the page.  A moment later, he handed her the pencil and closed the notebook before sliding it across the table to her.  She glanced up at him curiously, but he was no longer looking at her.  He’d sat all the way up and was staring out the window, sipping his coffee.

Curious, she opened her notebook.  Glancing down at the page, she read:

For May, my dimpled darling.

I glanced your way, saw you sitting there,

The dying light kissing your dark hair.

You smiled my way, revealing twins.

I felt forgiven of my many sins.

Kissing your cheeks – two darling dimples.

I found more grace than in the temples. 

Please come my way – Would you walk with me?

What do you say – Would you talk with me?

She smiled as she absorbed his adorable words.  When she finished reading and glanced up, she found his hungry eyes on her face.

“Well, what do you say?  May?”

She grinned at him, her white teeth shining in her darkly tanned face.  She nodded.  She picked up her cup and drank the last of her tea.  Then she put the notebook back in her bag and the pencil into her purse.  Yoongi grabbed her empty cup and tossed it into a nearby trash can.  She stood up and reached for her bag, but Yoongi beat her to it.  He wanted to carry it for her.  He put both her bag and his in his left hand and grabbed his coffee cup with his right.

“Shall we?” He smiled at her, allowing her to walk out of the little cafe ahead of him.  As they walked through the mall, he came alongside her.  They strolled in a companionable silence for a few moments.  Then, as they passed a trash can, Yoongi suddenly stopped and half-turned towards her, his eye surreptitiously glancing sideways as he sipped his coffee.

She bent towards him.  

“What is it?” she asked but had enough wisdom not to look in the direction he’d been peeking.

He tossed his coffee cup into the trash and unexpectedly reached out and slid his fingers around her own, taking her hand in his clasp.  Then tugging lightly on her arm, he turned, drawing her with him, towards the exit.  He was walking briskly now.  The instant they stepped onto the sidewalk, he breathed towards her, “Run!” 

Then he pulled her along with him down the crowded sidewalk.  He was weaving left, then right, then left again to avoid crashing into many passersby.  He paused briefly when they came upon a crosswalk before diving into the street and dragging May across many lanes of traffic.  When they had safely reached the other side, she was out of breath, but Yoongi drew her onward, her hand still safely held in his own.  They ran past an alleyway, then he backtracked and slipped into the alley, pulling her behind a dumpster.  As his back hit the brick wall of the tall building whose back door emptied out into the alley, Yoongi suddenly released her hand and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her against his lean body, his arms coming up around her.  

Then he whispered into her hair as his cheek came to rest there, “Shhhh!”

Instantly, she heard the pounding of several feet, which stopped abruptly at the entrance to the alleyway.

“Did you see which way they went?”

“No!  Did you?”

“No.  Did you get any good pictures?”

“No.  Did you?”

May couldn’t hear the other man’s response this time.

“But it was Yoongi, you think?”

“I’m pretty sure it was.”  Another pause.  “Let’s continue down the street.  They must be ahead of us.  Let’s go before he grabs a cab!”

Then May heard their feet on the pavement again.  She attempted to move, but Yoongi’s arms continued to press her against his chest.  That’s when she decided that she would enjoy the moment.  Her cheek was over his heart.  As she focused on him, she could hear the steady drumbeat of that heart in her ear.  It was soothing.  Coupling that with the warmth encircling her from his tight embrace, she felt oddly comforted.  She closed her eyes and breathed in Yoongi’s essence.

Yoongi felt the moment her body relaxed.  It distracted him from his ultra-diligence.  Reflexively, he began to rub her back.  He breathed in, and a wonderful scent floated into his sinuses, some fruity fragrance her hair was releasing.  He closed his eyes and savored the moment.  And a not unfamiliar sadness filled his soul.  It was times like this that he’d been giving up for a long time and would continue to sacrifice for a life lived as a K-pop idol.  Knowing this, he decided to hold on to this moment for as long as possible.  

He felt her stir, so he tightened his hold on her just enough to communicate his desire to linger here. Instantly, she relaxed against him again.  They stood, both with their eyes closed, for several minutes, embracing each other in a back alley in downtown Chicago.