New Beginnings

5 - Carnival

After I regained my composure and adjusted the strap that had come loose on my dress, I returned to the festivities. Kyun introduced me to his other teacher friends and Connor met several of his classmates. They went off to play in the bouncy house. I spotted Shownu, who was the swim coach at the school, and went to say hello.

I noticed Minhyuk by the drink table talking to a very pretty, if overly made up, older woman. She was clearly flirting with him, touching his arm, leaning in when he spoke, laughing at what he said, and touching her own neck to draw his eyes there. He looked uncomfortable. I rolled my eyes and decided he might need a rescue. Jealousy welled up in me from out of nowhere. I smashed it back down quickly. Off limits. I am just doing him a courtesy.

I approached and noticed his attention shifted to me. The woman tried to get it back, but he was looking at me and smiling. He introduced us and I learned she was the mother of one of his former students, who was now a middle schooler. I also noticed no ring on her left hand. Single mom, I assumed. Cougar, I also surmised.

"I am so sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to speak with Mr. Lee about my nephew. Do you mind if I borrow him for a bit?" I took his arm and he excused himself from the woman. She looked very annoyed.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice so she wouldn't hear. "She has been following me since she got here. Every time I turn around, there she is."

"I could see you were in distress and I couldn't let you suffer. But I really do need to talk to you about Connor."

"Would you like to go to my office? It is much quieter and cooler in there," he offered.

"That sounds lovely. Let me make sure Kyun can keep an eye on Connor." I pulled my phone out and texted my best friend. He replied that he was already watching him play. Minhyuk opened and held the door for me and then led me down the hallway to his office. He closed the door behind us.

We sat on the comfy couch. He turned to face me, pulling his leg up in front of his body. I crossed my legs and adjusted my skirt so that it covered as much as possible. I had never realized how high it rode when I sat down. When I looked up, his eyes were on my legs and I felt flushed. Off limits. Repeating that to myself was not helping at all. I cleared my throat and began to speak.

"As Connor's temporary guardian, I thought I should tell you a little about him. He is not a typical 6 year old."

"I have noticed he seems more mature than most," his eyes slowly traveled up to meet mine. My body was reacting to his gaze and I pulled my arms together and put my hands on my knees to hide my chest.

He stood and took a sweater off of a hook by the door and handed it to me. I smiled and wrapped it around my shoulders. "Exactly," I continued. "He is that and he is incredibly smart. He likes rules and order. He loves to study and read. He is artistic and loves to draw and paint. If you have art in your class, his talent will surprise you."

"Those are all good things to know, but why did you feel it necessary to tell me now?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"Because other students don't always take up with him easily. They make fun of him wearing ties or wanting to read instead of playing on the playground. At his last school, he was the only half-Asian kid in his class and they bullied him. I am kinda new to this and I...," my voice was full of emotion and tears filled my eyes. "I just don't want it to happen again."

"I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't," he reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek. His hand lingered against my face and I felt myself leaning into it.

I could not tear my eyes from his gaze. Off limits echoed in my head, but it seemed to be moving further away. He cupped my face and leaned in. I didn't pull away. His lips brushed mine and I felt butterflies lifting me up. Involuntarily, my lips parted, welcoming the contact. His scent filled my senses. He pressed his lips onto mine, very softly at first then increasing the pressure. I returned the kiss, and just as I was about to fully give in, the voice began screaming at me and I pulled back. He looked confused.