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“Breeze.”  She loved the way he said her name.  “I’ve been wondering something.”

She raised her eyebrows, inviting him to continue.

“Have you ever been kissed?”  His eyes inadvertently fell to her pink lips stretched into a half-smile now.

Her eyes grew round, two deep blue pools in her fair face.

“Well, Joonie,” she answered teasingly, “I’m not sure we know each other well enough for me to answer that question yet.”

He dimpled at her as he goaded her provocatively, “Then answer this one: if I were to kiss you now, would it change your answer?” 

He was grinning at her, but his eyes were glued to her lips.  Self-consciously, she licked them.  This did not help Namjoon’s self-control.

“Joonie!” She was a little nervous now.  And her rebellious heart was performing a drum solo.  She backed away from him, forgetting that their hands were still linked.  He came with her, his attention still focused on her mouth.

Her lips were so pretty.  All of her was pretty.  But he really wanted to taste those lips.  Good God!  What was wrong with him?  This girl had apparently suffered so much from jerks at school.  He could not behave like one of them.  He kept forgetting he’d met her for the first time only this morning.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, looking down at the ground.

“What?” She was confused again.  “Why?”

“Because I really want to kiss you, but I don’t want you to feel like I’m interested in you for only one thing.”

Her heart melted as she gazed up at him.  She wanted to throw her arms around him and give him the kiss he so earnestly desired.

“Namjoon, you could never make me feel the way those high school boys did.  You’re not them.  And they most certainly were not you.”

She spoke so earnestly; she warmed his heart.  He had to act.  So he drew their linked hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand.  She was staring up at him in the most fascinating manner.  This was not helping.  The urge to draw her closer was increasing.  He continued to hold her hand to his lips.  He smiled into her hand.  Then his mouth moved against her skin as he whispered, “Would you read me more of your book?”

“Now?”  They were just standing on a walking path.  

“No.  Actually, I just remembered where we were headed!  Come on, I want to show you some place special to me!”  He tugged her along down the trail about half a mile.  They walked in a happy silence the whole way as Breeze wondered where he was taking her.  Her heart was still singing, knowing he’d wanted to kiss her.  Perhaps some time this weekend she would answer his question.

Suddenly before them, she saw a giant swing set up for one person to occupy.  She smiled in wonder up at Namjoon.  He turned to gaze at her.  

“Care to swing?  I’ll push you.”

What a generous offer!

Instantly, the years fell away, and she was sitting in a swing, her blond braids flying behind her head as she squealed, “Higher, Daddy!  Higher!”  

Then she flew higher still as his strong hands came in contact with her back, pushing her toward the limits of the swing’s circumference.  The cool breeze created by the flying swing washed over her face as she bent it skyward to receive the sunlight’s fervent kiss.

It was one of her favorite memories.  How had Joonie known?  There was such freedom in swinging.  She always felt like she could touch the sky.  And if she could touch the sky, then anything would be possible.  

Maybe even kissing Joonie.  Her eyes found his lips now.  She studied the pale red Cupid’s bow created by his full upper lip.  It was enticing her to lean towards him.  It met his fuller bottom lip, which was also beckoning her.  Why did his lips seem eminently kissable?

Namjoon wondered what on earth Breeze was thinking.  She hadn’t answered his question.  She was just staring at him in the strangest way.  But she wasn’t meeting his eyes.  Her gaze was falling short of his eyes.  Was she looking at his mouth?  That was an intriguing possibility.  He leaned towards her to test her, his lips now a scant six inches from her own.  Her eyes widened, and then they flew to meet his.  He smiled as he saw a sweet panic in them.  Had she been thinking about kissing him?

“Do we know each other well enough now for you to answer my question from earlier?” 

He was teasing her again, a smile dancing about his lips as his dimples kept playing hide-and-seek with her.  She didn’t say anything, but he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.  She didn’t act like a practiced kisser.  He was fairly confident he was looking at virgin lips right now.  That thought made him want to kiss her all the more.  He didn’t want anyone beating him to that pleasant pasture.

She pulled away from him and ran to the swing.  She seated herself squarely in the middle and grasped the ropes with each of her hands.  

“Push me, Joonie?”  

She sounded like a small child.  He could hear the joy in her voice.  He smiled as he strode towards her and reached out to grab the wooden slat she was sitting on.  He pulled it towards him as he backed up several steps, drawing her up high off the ground.  Then he suddenly let go, shoving the swing forward.  She slid through the air like she had in all her yesterdays when her father would take his little girl to the park.  He had loved to watch her blond ponytails frolicking in the air as Breeze flew skyward and then fell to return towards the earth.

Now Namjoon was the one enjoying the dance of her golden waves.  They streamed like a glorious waterfall cascading through space as she flew forward, her head bent all the way back.  She was savoring this moment.  He could see pure bliss written all over her face.  Her eyes were closed, her lips stretched in a wide smile.  Oh, that he could reach out and claim them as his own! 

For several minutes, Namjoon stood there, reaching out to push Breeze as her back came flying towards him every so often.  

“Having fun?” he asked after a while; though, the answer was already obvious.

She nodded her head vigorously.  “Joonie, I love to swing!  I haven’t done this in so long!”

She gazed out over the river, wondering how much more joy her heart could contain.  How on earth was she here in Ilsan with the boy she’d been weaving dreams around for nearly four years?  He was pushing her on a swing as she watched the flow of the sparkling river before them.  It was a perfect autumn day, the air crisp, the sun smiling down on them both with just enough warmth to chase away any chill that might seek to dampen their delight in the day.

“I love you, Joonie!” 

The words slipped unbidden from her lips, cascading out of her heart and into his with an unspeakable jubilation.  She was vibrating with pure joy, and so was he now.  She had shouted her feelings with all of her heart.  They had simply bubbled up out of her core to pour forth, slipping over her lips as easily as the breaths her body drew all day long every day.  The echoes of her devotion were still reverberating around Namjoon’s heart.

Breeze drew a deep breath.  What had she done?  She’d been overcome by some kind of rapturous exultation.  She hadn’t meant to confess her love for him.  But, having released it, she certainly couldn’t call it back now.  So she continued to swing as though she’d said nothing.  

Namjoon stood staring at her back.  His heart was doing all sorts of strange things in his chest now.  And there were tears in his eyes again.  What was it about this girl that made him leak like an old water faucet?  

He didn’t know what to do.  He wasn’t sure what to say.  Anyway, she was still swinging as though she hadn’t spoken a word, let alone confessed her undying love for him.  And he certainly didn’t want to answer her back.  If he…when he spoke those words, he wanted to look into her eyes.