ships passing in the night

Chapter 10: The Soft Light of the Morning

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back."

– Plato

//

Morning seeped through the curtains, slowly illuminating the whites and greys of the room. Jinny stirred from her slumber, feeling the light creeping through her eyelids. But she chose not to open them, still comfortably cocooned in the layers of heavy blankets. She was in the softest cotton-candy cloud, and all she wanted to do was remain swathed in it.

She heard the quiet rustling of sheets and felt someone press against her neck. Groggily, she stretched an arm behind and patted about, feeling the contours of his face. She turned her head, back still pressed against his chest, grazing her face against his.

"Good morning," she mumbled sleepily.

Kellan reciprocated with a nuzzle and a gentle peck. She giggled softly, eyes slowly opening to the adorably sleepy smile stretched on his handsome face, bathed in the buttery morning light. The blush rose to her cheeks as he caressed her face, looking at her adoringly. She wondered if she would get used to it – waking up warm, comfortable, safe, and in the protective arms of a man who gazed at her like the sun rose on her.

He inched his face towards hers and she quietly followed, shifting to kiss his lips. Their mouths moved with quiet, slow-burn affection, slowly savoring the taste of each other's tongues. Jinny had always lost herself in Kellan's kisses, but at that moment she relented all-too-willingly, fingers snaking over his nape and tangling in his hair, urging him to deepen the kiss. It only seemed to arouse him further, as he pressed her closer to him, feeling the warmth of her soft skin on his.

"You're incorrigible," she whispered against his lips.

He chuckled. "Only with you," he replied, before resuming their deep, passionate kiss.

He decided that he loved it – waking up to her bare, warm body furled against him. For once, she had lowered her guard, even if just a little. They had slept together several times, but this was different. This was her unguarded, defenseless, and opening herself completely to him, trusting that he would accept her in her most vulnerable form. And he would. He had every intention to savor and cherish every inch of her.

//

Kellan reached over and pushed the wet strands of hair away from her neck. His gaze trailed over her sweaty body, her heaving chest, and her hazy eyes.

"I don't know what to do with you," he muttered, stroking her cheek, voice earnest and almost distressed. "You drive me crazy, Baek Jinny."

She could feel her heart quiver in her chest. There was a raw sincerity in the way he said his words, the way he said her name. It was more than the lust-filled words of a stranger who just wanted to bed her. It was almost like the confession of a man, deeply consumed and maybe even in–

No. Jinny didn't dare to let her thoughts wander any further. "I kinda like you, Jinny" – his words from the night before were still drifting about her mind, provoking her already fluttering heart. But she didn't know what to make of it – or whether to even make anything of it. We've just had sex. He's just in the moment.

He was a man, and men could say anything in the whirr of post-sex contentment.

She cupped his face, wearing a small, hesitant smile. "You're be dramatic," she attempted to chuckle, trying her best to dismiss the tense air between them.