Chapter 23: A Peerless Lily Trips the Light Fantastic and Finds a Little Sweetness – September 19 – December 19, 2015
Yoongi stepped from his vehicle and approached Nari’s mansion. That is to say, her appa’s mansion. Had he been honest, Yoongi would have admitted that it still intimidated him a bit. But he had been dating Nari with Mr. Beom’s approval for over a month now. And his feelings hadn’t changed. If anything, they’d just grown stronger. And so had his determination.
She would be his. Forever.
He was pursuing his dream of becoming a performer. He’d enrolled in a full semester of classes as a piano major. After he and his appa had hashed things out. Finally, Mr. Min had accepted his son’s choice. Especially after he’d seen what a brilliant mind Nari had for finance. And her business acumen had stunned him.
She had come alongside Mr. Min and helped him with several proposals. But she had her hands really full now. She was taking two college classes in addition to helping two companies. But she seemed so happy.
Yoongi wasn’t entirely. He felt like he barely saw her. He wanted to marry her already. But first things first.
So he knocked on the gigantic, white door. It was opened by the butler. To whom Yoongi had become accustomed. He greeted the man by name before turning towards the spiraling staircase.
A vision in burgundy, Nari descended those noble steps. Her dark red skirt fell in a multitude of folds almost down to her knee. The dress was sleeveless, so Yoongi got a good look at her elegant arms. The fitted bodice of the dress showed off her average waist. But Yoongi thought she looked anything but average. She looked every inch the aristocrat. Until her smile broke loose.
“Yoongi!” she hollered, ecstatic to see him.
Her midnight waves bounced against her face as she plunged recklessly down the last few steps. He saw the accident coming and went running. She caught her shoe on the second-to-last step and went flying forward. Straight into Yoongi’s waiting arms.
As he hauled her to safety – up against him – she gasped, “Yoongi, you’re always saving me!”
“From your shoes,” he agreed. “What on earth possessed you to wear heels? I thought you hated them.”
“Well, tennis shoes don’t go very well with this dress.”
His eyes raked her from head to toe and back up until he met her gaze again.
“I must admit you look absolutely ravishing. But a living Nari in sensible tennis shoes is better than a flattened one with designer shoes. Have a care with your precious self!”
She twinkled up at him. “You approve of this outfit then? I picked it out special. We haven’t been out in so long. We’re going to have a good time tonight, aren’t we?”
“Mmhmm,” he responded.
She laughed and bussed him quickly on his lips. “Let’s go! I can’t wait! Where are you taking me tonight?”
“It’s a secret,” he murmured. “Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly.”
“So…will you wear a blindfold?”
“A blindfold?” Her eyes flew open. “Whatever for?”
“So you don’t guess what the surprise is before we get there.”
She smiled. “All right, Yoongi. Bring on the blindfold.”
He pulled a white bandana from his pocket. He folded it over on the diagonal several times until it was the perfect shape for a blindfold with all its loose edges tucked in. He slipped behind her and pulled it over her eyes. He drew the ends behind her head and knotted them. Then he bent his head and kissed her neck as he slipped his arms around her waist from behind.
“Yoongi!” she groaned. “Are you trying to take advantage of a blind girl!?”
“No, no! Just adoring your precious self. Come on!” He reached down and grabbed her hand and tugged her out towards his car.
“Well, I guess this is an improvement. You’re tugging my hand instead of my wrist. Still, you feel like a bit of a caveman dragging me about.”
“As long as you don’t characterize me as a Neanderthal, we’re doing good.”
She giggled. Then he opened her door and helped guide her into her seat. He buckled her seatbelt for her.
Her breath flowed over his face as he backed up to pull himself out of the car.
“I could get used to this,” she murmured as his mouth came level with hers. “You’re like my personal assistant. I don’t even have to buckle my own seatbelt. You did it for me. Now I can just be lazy.” She leaned back and smiled.
Yoongi stopped resisting his impulse and leaned towards her to brush his lips over hers.
“I miss kissing you,” he whispered against her lips. “Tell me again why we didn’t choose the rendition of our lives where you’re a waitress and I play piano at a bar? We’d see more of each other.”
“It’s only for a season, Yoongi. School doesn’t last forever.”
He sighed. “I sincerely hope not. I miss you so much!”
“I miss you too.” She reached up and felt for his cheek, caressing it with all her fingers before he finally drew away from her and closed her door.
A few moments later, he jumped into his seat.
“Do we have an audience tonight?” she asked, referring to his bodyguards.
“Yep,” he breathed.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it.”
“I’m still not used to it. I’ve ditched these guys more times than they can count. Haven’t I, my friends?” Yoongi grinned at his silent witnesses. “Don’t worry, Nari, soon enough, I’ll have you alone…”
––
They rode in silence to the restaurant. Yoongi opened her door and led her safely out of the car. Then he clasped her hand with his own and tugged her, gently, into the restaurant. A little smile played about her lips.
Nari had decided she liked having Yoongi tug on her hand. It always meant he was leading her somewhere fascinating. Quite often to be alone with him. He truly seemed to like her company as much as she liked his. She certainly enjoyed her moments alone with him. However few and far between they were these days.
They waited a few moments, then a waiter escorted them to their table. Yoongi pulled out her chair and helped her get settled on the seat before he untied the blindfold.
Then he bent to whisper in her ear, “Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.”
His breath was slipping over her skin, teasing her. She smiled at the familiar sensation that never got old. She’d missed such moments with Yoongi. The last couple weeks had been crazy busy. Weekends were the only time they were managing to get together.
A moment later, she heard his chair scraping the floor. Then he settled himself in it. Finally, she heard the smile in his voice as he murmured, “Okay. You can open your eyes now.”
She unlocked her lids and gazed in surprise at the table separating them. Off to the right of center was a beautiful bouquet of white lilies, but that wasn’t what caught her eye at first. In front of Yoongi was a cup of black coffee. But in front of her sat a trinity of desserts: a lemon tart, a chocolate mousse torte, and an apple dumpling. Her eyes lifted to meet Yoongi’s.
“I want to pick up where we left off. We never got to finish dessert. And I know how much you love dessert. I figured you must have mourned the loss of them. And of that moment.”
Her eyes softened. “It was the loss of you that I was mourning, Yoongi. It’s why I couldn’t even touch the desserts after I carried them home.” She glanced down at his cup. “I see you got yourself some black coffee.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, “but it’s not anything like yours.” He grimaced. “Apparently, Nari, you’re the only one who knows how to make a decent cup of coffee.”
“Is that why you’re dating me?” she asked with an amused grin.
“Mmm,” Yoongi answered noncommittally.
“Yoongi, I hate to break it to you, but…”
Surprised, he glanced up at her.
“I’ve never made a cup of coffee. I have absolutely no idea how to make the perfect cup. Or any cup, for that matter.”
A deep valley formed between his eyebrows. “But…”
“My boss at the diner always made the coffee.”
Yoongi just stared at her. “Well, I guess I could always go back to wine. You just open the bottle and pour it into a glass.” His lips quirked.
She flared her nostrils as she gazed at him. Then she glanced at the flowers. “What are the lilies for?”
He smiled. “Because you’re my peerless lily, of course.” His smile widened into a deep grin, revealing his pink gums. “I haven’t forgotten, you know.”
“Forgotten?”
He cleared his throat before reciting.
“Beautiful Nari,
My lovely lily.
The skies are starry.
You drive me silly.
“Found in a cafe,
Nearly half past one,
Don’t know what to say,
Would you be my sun?”
She laughed. “Yoongi, you do realize that last line makes absolutely no sense, right? I can’t be your son. I’m a girl. And I’ll never be your child. I cannot figure out why you would wish me to be so. You were definitely drunk when you made up that little ditty.”
“I was not drunk,” he insisted. “It made perfect sense.“ Yoongi furrowed his brow. Then as enlightenment dawned, he laughed. “You just lacked for imagination, that’s all. Not my s-o-n. My s-u-n. You know, sunshine. The light of my life.”
“Ohhhh.” She giggled. “Now I just feel stupid.”
“Don’t feel stupid. Just be silent for a moment. I’m not done.”
As a huge grin split his face, he continued in a similar vein.
“Beautiful Nari,
You’ve stolen my heart.
And I’m not sorry.
Let us never part.
“This isn’t a line.
You still smell like thyme.
Would you please be mine?
For all of sweet time?”
He was beaming at her. Nari chuckled. “Yoongi…”
But then he shocked her. He stood up and came to stand next to her. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Was he going to blindfold her again?
No.
He dropped to his knee. And the mysterious something materialized in his hand. It was a tiny, velvet box. Burgundy. Like her dress.
Suddenly, the lid popped open, and she sat staring down at a beautiful, diamond ring. And Yoongi’s gentle purr was rumbling in her ear again.
“Nari, would you make me happy? Would you be my wife?” He paused as he gazed into her eyes. His mahogany depths seemed to be on fire tonight. “Will you marry me?”
He was suddenly so serious as those magnificent eyes flashed fire at her. As always, she felt the need to return some humor to his soul.
“What? No poem now?” she giggled.
Then she responded, “Yes, Yoongi, yes! Of course, I’ll marry you!”
She threw herself at him then, knocking him over on the floor at the back of that crowded restaurant. She found and claimed his lips as her own. But Yoongi was distracted. She’d just knocked the box out of his hand.
He chuckled at her enthusiasm, but he was slightly embarrassed to be lying on the floor of the restaurant under her. “Nari, where’d the ring go?”
––
She leapt back and glanced sharply down at him. “What do you mean?”
“You knocked the box out of my hand.”
She looked under the table. Her face split into a wide grin as she reached out and picked up that lovely, little box. Her thumb stroked the velvet. She knelt and gazed down at the ring displayed in that beautiful, burgundy box. A circular diamond nested inside the folds of a pure white lily, its petals charmingly carved from mother-of-pearl. It floated above a golden band. The ring was absolutely stunning.
“It’s a lily, Nari,” Yoongi whispered.
She glanced up at him momentarily as a smile played about her lips before gazing down at the ring once more.
“A lily? Yes. I can see it.” She smiled as her eyes pierced his once again. “Yoongi, you’re absolutely adorable.” Her eyes fell to trace the petals of the lily.
“I had it specially made for you. It’s one of a kind, Nari. Just like you.”
She glanced up at him. “Yoongi. It’s so beautiful!”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Again, just like you, my peerless lily.”
He reached out to draw it from the box. As he slid it on her finger, he noticed she’d removed her shoes.
“I see you took those ridiculous heels off. After dessert, I’m taking you to a store. We’re going to buy you some sensible shoes.”
The corners of her mouth quirked. “Are you going to find me burgundy tennis shoes to wear with this dress?”
“If I have to search the coast, yes. We can’t have you damaging those precious feet, you know. They’re running both your appa’s company and mine. A lot of people are depending upon them for their job security.”
She just laughed. Sometimes, Yoongi said the most ridiculous things.
“At least they don’t hurt quite as much as they used to,” she murmured.
A look of concern flashed across his face. “Your feet hurt?”
He stood up and reached out to take her hand and draw her up off the floor. Then he directed her to sit down. He grabbed his chair and pulled it up close to hers. Then he reached down and slid his long, elegant fingers – the ones that were so good at coaxing melodies from the keys of a piano – down her leg until he’d found her ankle, then he tugged her foot up into his lap. And those nimble fingers began to work the knots of tension out of her foot.
A moan of pure relief escaped her lips. She clapped her hand over her mouth as Yoongi chuckled. Her eyes slid to the left. Had anyone noticed the sound that had just erupted from her mouth?
But no one was looking at them now. Perhaps they were no longer interesting since they weren’t lying on the floor anymore.
“Yoongi, you do take amazing care of my feet.”
“Well, that’s because you’ve been the sole of kindness to me. Ever since Aera dumped me for that other guy.”
“The soul of kindness?”
His lips quirked. “S-o-l-e, not s-o-u-l.”
A puff of air escaped her nose as he surprised a snort out of her. Then, she just shook her head. “I think you’ve been hanging out with your friend, Jin, too much.”
“It is entirely possible,” he murmured wistfully. “He’s still really broken up over his girlfriend dumping him.”
She knit her eyebrows together. “How long were they together?”
“Ten years.”
Alarmed, she gasped. “That’s a long time! Well…maybe they’ll get back together.”
Yoongi shook his head. “It doesn’t look like it. She’s pregnant. And she’s marrying the baby’s father.”
Nari frowned. “Poor Jin. He seems like a really good guy.”
“He is. The stuff Yura’s dreams were made of. I don’t understand why she got together with the other guy. But Jin has been referring to him as his archenemy for years. Maybe Jin sensed something even he didn’t understand.”
Just then, Yoongi hit a sensitive spot in the arch of her foot, and she jumped a mile. He twisted his lips and murmured a quiet apology. Her eyes slid along the contours of his beloved face.
Then she remembered her dessert. “Which one should we start with?”
Yoongi glanced up at her. “What?”
“The desserts. Should we begin with the apple dumpling? We never even sampled that one before. Or perhaps the rich chocolate torte? Or the lemon tart?”
“The lemon tart,” Yoongi replied. “Definitely, the lemon tart.”
“Why?” She quirked an eyebrow at him in question.
“Because it’s sassy. Just like you.”
“Oh?! I’m sassy, now, am I?”
He nodded his head as his thumb dug into the ball of her foot. “Definitely.”
She picked up her knife and cut the lemon tart into neat, little wedges. She liberated one with her fingers and commanded, “Open up!” as she held it out to Yoongi’s lips. Her mouth watered as she slipped it between his lips. His tongue grazed her fingertip as she withdrew her hand.
He smiled. “Hmm. Your finger was salty. That’s a good combination with the tartness of the lemon and the sweetness of the sugar.”
“It’s sweet like sugar, huh? Kinda like you?”
“No one has ever called me ‘sugar’ before. Certainly not, sweet. Not until I met you anyway.” A smile curved his lips.
“Oh, Yoongi, you are definitely sweet. So sweet. In fact,” she bent near him, “I’m craving you right now. I need a little taste of sweetness.”
“I can help you with that. Close your eyes.”
She did, and a moment later she felt something brushing her lips lightly. As she opened her mouth slightly, the richness of chocolate mousse flooded her senses. She gasped as a piece of chocolate torte slipped over her lips. She received the rich bite before chuckling.
“Yoongi! I thought you were going to kiss me!”
He snickered. “I know. But it’s too early in the evening to kill the anticipation. Wouldn’t you agree?” His eyes strayed to the apple dumpling. “Shall we try the third one?”
She nodded. She wanted to try all the good things life had to offer her and Yoongi. Especially, the sweet ones.
—
Three Months Later
Nari opened her eyes to welcome the light streaming through the window. It glinted off the gold band around her husband’s ring finger. She smiled as she reached out to thread her fingers through Yoongi’s. Life was good.
She had changed her mind. Dessert was a necessity. Because life was meant to be sweet. And full of beautiful music. Yoongi’s.
