Namjoon slid his palm across hers as they turned towards the walking path again. They strolled silently along, both enjoying the perfect day.
Breeze turned towards him. “Happy Birthday, Joonie!”
For some reason, he recalled the sad look in her eyes when she’d said that to him earlier this morning. He still wondered what she’d been thinking about then. But he didn’t want to bring it up now. This moment was so perfect that he didn’t want to spoil it by mentioning her private sorrow.
He squeezed her hand and smiled at her, increasing the length of the dimple lines in his cheeks.
Breeze started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” His smile widened into a grin, and the dimple lines transformed into two deep wells.
Breeze, embarrassed now, tried to brush it off. “Nothing.”
“No. It wasn’t nothing. Tell me.” His eyes were full of supplication.
“I was just composing a little poem in my head about you.”
Namjoon blinked at her. She returned the gesture.
“I’m waiting.”
“Really? You’re going to make me tell you? I’m not the poet in this couple!”
“I’ll give you lots of grace if that turns out to be true, but I rather suspect it won’t.” He smiled at her, his dimples bouncing up and down, now giving her the inspiration for a second verse. She laughed again.
His eyebrows flew up to hide under his golden bangs.
“Oh, all right, all right.” She cleared her throat before beginning to recite her poem.
“I gaze upon his dimples fair.
Down at me they both blithely stare
Until he smiles a sweet surprise,
Then they transform to dimple lines.
Those lines fill me with such great glee.
I think perhaps now I can see
What draws all eyes to his sweet face.
I’d rather be no other place.
I want to plant on them a kiss
Reminding him he’s brought me bliss.
Every time he laughs, they shine.
Up and down they bounce all the time.
Could any other thing make me
As happy as these dents I see
Puncturing his face with delight
Staring at him I feel just right.”
Namjoon’s eyes widened in surprise. He was truly impressed. “Breeze, that was brilliant!”
He was enjoying the blush that had just spread across her entire face. Now he was the one being tempted to kiss her again! Instead, he just grinned at her. As he turned his attention back to the path, he realized they had almost made it to their next destination. A few moments later, they entered the sculpture garden. Amazed, she gazed up at the handprints lining the walls.
“Did you know that my handprint is displayed in your homeland?” he asked her quietly.
She raised her eyebrows.
“In Los Angeles. They took a cast of my hand and put it up for people to see.” He shook his head. “Kind of blows my mind that anyone would want to see my handprint.” Then he looked at her. “But maybe I’m beginning to understand it now.”
She gazed up at him. “What do you mean, Joonie?”
Instead of answering her question, he lifted his chin decisively and pointed out, “You haven’t found your surprise here.”
She raised her eyebrows and then began to search. After a while, she found a handprint making kit. “Is this it?”
Namjoon nodded. Then he sobered. He reached for her hands. As his fingers closed around them, he cradled both her hands in his. She was still holding the little handprint kit. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Then he gazed down at her upraised, open hands and traced her palms with his forefinger, making her tingle. His finger slid around the outline of her palm before tracing all the little lines contained therein. Then his fingertip traveled all the way to the tip of each of her fingers and back down again before caressing her thumb. He gave her other hand the same treatment. He was sending shockwaves throughout her entire body. She closed her eyes and just savored the feelings for a few moments. Then she opened them to see such an aching tenderness in his face that she wanted to cry. He began to speak.
“I know that our time together is swiftly coming to a close. Then as much as I want to be near you, I won’t be. But I thought if you made me a cast of your hand, I could keep a small part of your beautiful self close to me. Even if it’s simply an imprint of you. You have a copy of my hand in your homeland. I want one of yours in mine.”
Ohhh. Why was her heart melting along with her knees?
He continued to caress her hands. Then the tip of his finger traced a heart in the center of her palm. He grinned crookedly at her as he met her eyes.
“You know, you hold my heart in your hands.”
And her heart had just completely melted in his hands. She gazed up at him and wasn’t the least bit surprised when his lips found her own. She smiled under the weight of his mouth, welcoming the joy she found in this intimacy with him. After a few moments, he raised his head and encouraged her, “Come. Let’s explore the rest of the sculpture park.”
He lifted his omnipresent burden, the picnic basket and blanket, while she picked her roses up from the path where she’d set them down in her search for the handprint kit. As they walked around, he steered her towards a bench.
“This reminds me of the other day when you found the earrings that I bought you.”
Taking that as a clue, she looked under the bench to find another box. It was long and skinny and about two inches tall. She sat down on the bench, setting the vase of roses on the ground at her feet before she leaned back and opened the little box. Four beautiful chocolate truffles were nestled into their tiny paper cups. Two were stunning, red roses, their petals intricately carved into the chocolate. The other two were shaped like hearts. They were packaged in an alternating pattern: a red rose, a dark heart, another crimson rose, a second chocolate heart.
She looked up at Namjoon, a smile in her eyes.
“I thought they were appropriate for the sculpture park. My heart is in your hands. You are my rose. Dare I hope that your heart rests in my hands?”
She sighed with delight. “Joonie, you’ve owned my heart for over three years. I just didn’t know how much until I met you last weekend. And you’re definitely my flower boy.” She smiled at him.
He laughed. “Two hearts and two roses, then.”
She stared down at the little, chocolate sculptures. “They’re so beautiful. I don’t know how I’ll ever eat them.”
He grinned, dimples dancing. “I can help you with that.” He reached for a chocolate heart.
“Joonie!” She slapped his hand away. “My true love gave me these chocolate sculptures! You will not eat them!”
“But I AM your true love. Don’t you want to feed me?”
She just laughed and put the lid back on the box.
“I forgot to explain this gift.”
“You did? You said it was us, hearts and roses. What did I miss?”
“They reminded me of you. They’re like your personality. So sweet to the taste that I want to keep coming back for more.”
“You just want to make me feel guilty for not sharing them with you!” she cried out as her heart sang because of his precious words. She beamed up at him. “You’ve the soul of a poet, Joonie. You’re beautiful.”
“You can keep the chocolates. I’ll feed off your words.” He wanted to kiss her again, but he resisted and stood up straight. “We should be heading back. Eomma is making me a special birthday lunch.”
“Come, Joonie! We don’t want to be late for that!”
They set off down the path towards home.
Unexpectedly, Namjoon turned around. Jungkook saw it happening…