𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒 | 𝐊- 𝐏𝐎𝐏

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾

Chapter 24: Stay Forever

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

He smiles, relieved as she turns to walk up the stairs to her apartment. She opens the door, bringing him into her world; a small furnished flat, with a dinning table spread out with books and documents from her recent studies. Clean and empty, but with a few items he can already tell are her personal belongings; a few reproduction art pieces, knicknacks, and several comfortable pillows tossed onto the floor on top of a dark plush rug. She steps up to the window, pulling the curtains closed and looking down to the street below and the girls surrounding his car. She turns to him concerned.

"You may be here a while," she says, turning on a small lamp near a single chair. "I'll make us some tea,"

"Do you have any wine?" he asks, boldly, deciding he wants to try to make this as much like a date as possible, if it's the last chance he has.

She nods and steps into the small kitchen space nearby and he stands awkwardly unsure what to do with himself, but thrilled to be in this space, her space, and still be with her. Moments earlier he was trying to think of any way to prolong the evening, up to and including confessing all. Now he smiles at the idea of being forced to stay here with her, to sit and have a glass of wine, alone, and to talk. She doesn't know him yet, maybe that's the problem. She needs to know him, to see why it's all worth it, all the trouble and difficulty and complications, are worth it. "I hope an Tuscan red is ok," she calls to him. He smiles.

"Yes, thank you." She pulls out two small tumbler glasses from her cupboard and carries in a tray, with the wine bottle, the glasses and a few crackers. She frowns as she sees her table covered with her papers and books from school. He recognizes her uncertainty. "Here," he sits down onto a cushion on the floor in the living space and pats the cushion next to him. "We can continue our picnic." She smiles and sets the tray down in the center of the area rug, sitting across from him on her knees as she lifts the bottle to pour into his glass. He watches her carefully, purposefully, as she pours, her eyes lifting to meet his. He smiles back at her.

"Two picnics in one night, you're spoiling me," she teases, but oh how he wishes he could. He takes a sip of the wine, just to be polite, but his mind is focused on other things.

"Hana, I know this is awkward. You just told me you didn't want to see me again and now here we are, but the stuff going on outside, the girls at the car, the cafe, the people leaving notes and gifts, it's just something you get use to." She takes a sip from her glass thinking about what he's saying.

"It's completely bizarre. I don't understand how it's normal to you," she admits, shaking her head.

"Years of living this way." He looks down realizing it isn't fair to expect her to accept something so quickly that he's lived for many years. "But, it isn't what I want. I want something real." She looks up at him curiously. "You are real," he says the words, looking directly into her eyes to be sure she understands what he's saying. She studies him for an excruciatingly long moment. She bites her lip, thinking.

"What brought you to my school?" she asks, and he knows she must have some idea of the answer.

"You did."

It's 'cards on the table' time. If he has any chance of being with her, he has to tell her everything. Well, almost everything, perhaps some of it should be left until later, until she knows him better. She doesn't look surprised at his admission and it's a slight relief. He was worried she would be shocked and maybe even scared, but then, he hasn't explained it all to her yet.

"What do you want?" she asks him point blank. There are so many ways to answer the question but they all mean the same thing. He sighs deeply, and smiles, taking the chance.

"I want to be with you. I don't mean tonight. I mean from this night on." He keeps his eyes on her, waiting to see any hint of her feelings. Her eyes ignite in a flash and he can almost feel the energy in the room as it changes.

She sets her glass down, and rises up on her knees. He might be holding his breath because all of the sound in the room seems to have disappeared as he watches her move closer to him, her eyes studying him, not blinking, her intense look growing deeper by the moment. He reaches out his hand to push the tray aside, making room for her body as it inches closer to his. He recognizes the look on her face, she's thinking about him, about kissing him. The wait is almost agony. Just as she draws close enough for him to feel her breath against his skin he slides his hand over her back, pulling her even closer and he strains his neck to get to her, crashing his lips against hers in a needy kiss, trying to devour every part of her all at once. His hands reach up to grip her face tightly, keeping her lips pressed against his, and he rises up on his knees to meet her.

He slides his hands down from her face, lightly over her arms under the silky top, and wraps them around her waist, pulling her against his body until she can feel how badly he wants her, his grip on her is so tight. She pulls back from him.

"Taehyung, I- I want to be sure about you," she whispers as he tries to pull her closer. "We don't know each other yet, and I -" her voice trails off as she allows his lips to drag across her cheek down to her neck and he peppers kisses behind her ear and down to her collarbone as his hands slide over the back of her skirt, still trying desperately to pull her into him. She pulls back from his kiss just enough to mouth in a breathy, needy voice,

"Do you want to stay the night?" he continues to kiss her, overwhelmed at the idea.

"I want to stay forever."

Notes:

The next chapter will be 18+, it can be skipped if you are under 18 and the next chapter will still make sense. It is not smut, but it's part of their story. I will post the follow up chapter at the same time. Thank you for staying with this one and for your comments and feedback.