February 15, 2020
An hour and a half after checking out of the hotel, three idols and a teacup Pomeranian were dropping Bella off at her home.
“That’s the first time my driveway and garage actually had a car pull up into it.” Bella chuckled as she turned the key in the front door.
“You mean no one has ever dropped you home before, Princess?” Jake clarified, stepping into Bella’s house of purple and white. The three of them removed their shoes and placed them on the shoe rack.
“Save for taxi drivers and Grab car drivers, I swear to you, no one else knows where I live, my prince.” She replied. “And uh, I may not have indoor slippers for you guys.”
“That’s cool, puppy! I enjoy going barefoot.” Taehyung chirped, sitting on the purple sofa chair. The other two sat down as well as Bella turned on the A/C.
Her house had a minimalist feel to it. The living room furniture consisted of an L-shaped couch with three throw pillows and a rectangular-shaped center table with drawers. She had books arranged in the drawers and a scent diffuser in the middle of her table. Every single one of her windows were covered with dark purple blackout curtains. The house had big white tiles and there were two other doors on the opposite end of the ground floor. One led to the bathroom, the other to the kitchen.
“At least we know for sure that there aren’t any other visitors coming to make house calls.” Jimin teased.
Bella giggled. “Wasn’t it enough that I said so, Jimin-oppa?”
“The evidence corroborates the testimony.” He replied, changing his voice into a lower tone and touching his non-existent beard as if he were some kind of ancient all-knowing elder. He took another look around the living room. “I’ll tell Hobi-hyung I finally got to see where you and he do your practice sessions. It really is spacious enough to dance in.”
“Let’s take a picture to show him and the other hyungs!” Jake suggested and grabbed Bella. She was sitting on his lap and Yeontan was on Taehyung’s.
“Hold on, someone else may want to join us.” Bella quipped after they had taken a few pictures. She ran upstairs to her bedroom on the second floor and came down with Jeon Kookie.
“It’s our son!” Jake called out. To Taehyung and Jimin, he said, “It’s the one I requested from Line.”
Both of them nodded that they remembered.
“Did you know that he actually requested for a Korean passport for this stuffie?” Bella asked.
Taehyung punched Jake’s arm. “What? JK!”
“What?! I knew how much she disliked checked-in luggage so I booked a ticket for seat 6B.”
Jimin chuckled. “You’re a hopeless romantic, JK!”
Jake narrowed his eyes and looked at him. “I wonder where I get that from, Jimin-hyung.”
Jimin raised both his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m the one who hasn’t even attempted a love life here.”
“Because we’re waiting for that one special girl?” Jake threw at him.
“Alright, alright! Break it up you, guys!” Bella interrupted. “Jake, could you help me with something upstairs?” Taehyung and Jimin looked at each other. Jimin took the remote for the TV off its hanging plastic container beside the sofa. They started surfing the channels as Bella and Jake went upstairs, bringing Kookie with them.
“What’s up, Princess?” Jake asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
Bella hugged him as she sat on his lap, facing him. “I just wanted to have a moment with you. God knows when we’ll see each other again.”
Jake hugged her back. “I’ll find the time, Princess. I promise.”
She looked at him. “Jake, your priority right now is this passion of yours. Your schedule is so full that you barely have time to breathe. I mean, you just came back from New York a few days ago and here you are now. In a few hours, you’ll be back in Seoul. Don’t worry too much about me, okay? I’ll completely understand if you choose your free time to rest and sleep. We have forever to make memories but your time as an idol won’t last for the rest of your life.”
Jake grinned. “Is that your way of saying yes?”
Bella looked away. “Jake, I.. I want you to have plausible deniability. When you guys have interviews, I don’t want you to have to lie about having a girlfriend.” She took a deep breath. “But I want you to know that in my mind, I’m already committed to you and that I won’t entertain any other suitors from today.”
Jake’s doe eyes went wide. “Princess, does that mean…” He took her face into his hands.
She looked into his eyes. “No labels, Jake. Just…” She was interrupted by Jake’s lips on hers. It was soft, it was warm and it was sweet. He broke the kiss, looked at her and kissed her again. “Jake, I’m entrusting my heart to you. Please take good care of it as I will do my best to take care of yours. Let’s not do labels but I’m counting on our commitment to each other.”
Jake’s vision blurred as he hugged her. “Omo, I can’t believe this! I can’t believe this! Thank you, Princess! I mean, baby! Do I call you my baby now?”
Bella giggled at his reaction. “Princess, Baby, Bella.”
Jake stood up, carrying Bella. He ran to the stairs and shouted, “Hyungs!!!!!!!! She said yes!”
Bella’s eyes widened and she swat at his arm. “Jake!”
From downstairs, Taehyung and Jimin cheered. “The Yoongi Prophecy has been fulfilled.” Jimin said, using that ancient elder voice.
Jake went back into the bedroom and sat down. He kissed her on the forehead. “My baby, my beautiful princess…” Jake breathed.
“Jake, please don’t change, okay? Stay the same. I like exactly how you are. I mean, yes, keep improving your craft but the person you are today, the way you make time for me and take care of me even from a distance, stay this way please.” She placed her forehead against his and he kissed her. The kissing got increasingly more intense and Bella broke the kiss. “Not yet, Jake.” He nodded.
Slowly, he moved in again for the kiss and she accepted. There was a flame in both of them, a heat that only the other could spark or quench. They stayed like this for a while, stopping before they went any further and yet both recognizing that physical touch between them may be rare in the days, weeks, months to come.
