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Chapter 9

Tee POV

My eyes slowly flutter open. Every part of my body is sore, but I savor the aches. They remind me I gave myself to Tae last night.

All my wet dreams couldn't come close to or compare to the reality of making love with him. The only question I have now is why didn't I take down the wall between us before now? I'm sure there had been signs of his interest or attraction to me. How did I miss them?

I kick myself for letting myself suffer for the last few years and going to sleep alone every night, when I could have been sleeping beside his warm, muscular body.

His heat still lingers on my body as images of last night dance in my head. A grin slides across my face as I roll over and bury my face in his pillow. Taking a deep breath, my nose and lungs fill with his masculine scent.

My hands glide across the sheets, yearning for his warmth, but my hand feels only coldness instead.

Wait. My head pops up, and I glance over my shoulder towards the bathroom. "Tae. Are you in there?"

My heartbeat quickens when I'm met with silence instead of his deep and sexy voice.

I push myself up as my chest tightens. "Tae. Are you here?"

My body aches along with my heart as I move. Maybe he is in the kitchen.

A glass of water and a small white bottle on the nightstand catch my eye. Ignoring the pain shooting through me, I lean towards it and spot a small note beside the bottle of painkillers.

The pressure in my chest eases as I read it. It is from Tae.

My smile returns, and I follow his request, swallowing down two pills.

Relief washes over me. He didn't run off. He had to work. Why didn't I remember?

I grab my phone off the nightstand. My smile widens as I scroll through my contacts and find Tae.

I stare down at his name as my finger hovers over it. I should send him a message. But what do I say?

I bite my lower lip as I look up at the ceiling, trying to figure out the perfect response.

My gaze drops back down to the phone as I type 'last night was amazing'.

Wait. It was amazing, but I want more than last night. I want night after night, hopefully for the rest of our lives.

I shake my head. He might think I'm good with only one night, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

I quickly delete it, and my bite my lower lip again.

My heartbeat quickens as I continue to stare at my phone. The thought of sexting him flashing through my mind, but I don't think we are to that point yet. I can't deny it, though. I would love to do that with him, but he's working right now and needs to concentrate on it instead of me. A part of me is hoping he is thinking about me as much as I am of him.

I blink a couple of times, hoping the words will magically appear in front of me, but unfortunately, they don't.

I take a deep breath and decide to go with something a little simpler.

'Are you going to be back for supper?'

My heart twists. There is no warmth with it. It sounds more like two friends talking rather than two lovers. Well, I hope we can classify ourselves as lovers now.

I kick my feet a little as a soft giggle slips from me.

My dreams will come true if he agrees to being lovers. With that thought running through my mind, I type 'I can't wait to see you tonight'. Before I can change my mind, I hit send.

My heartbeat quickens again. I did it. I hope he is excited to see it.

I flip my phone over and quickly sit it on my nightstand as if it is going to burn me if I hold it any longer. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. If this was about anything else, I would swear I'm going crazy. This almost feels like I'm back in high school and my long-time crush finally has noticed me.

I don't think there is anything that could make me feel any better than I do now. Well, maybe there is one thing, but he is off working right now.

Like a teenager, I squeal and kick my feet.

Pain instantly pulses through my body.

I look over at the bathroom and bite my lower lip. Even though I don't want to rinse off any trace of Tae, I'm sure I stink. Reluctantly, I tentatively toss the sheets back and toss my legs over the side of the bed. Once again, pain shoots through me, but I move slower to minimize it.

After an agonizing few minutes, I finally reach the bathroom and step into the shower. The warm water sprays down on and massages my muscles, easing my pain. Once again, images of last night replay in my mind, but this time it is when Tae and I were in the shower.

He started out as a beast, but by the time we ended up in the shower, he turned into a very caring and gentle man, which stole my heart even more.

When I finally get ready for the day and make my way to the kitchen, my heart melts even more. Tae had made me breakfast. It wasn't much, a bagel with cream cheese and some juice, but this is the first time anyone besides my mother has made me something for any meal.

If I hadn't fallen for him already, I would have with this.

I grab the plate and glass from the counter and head towards the dining room table. My eye sting and glisten as I carefully sit down in the chair.

I wonder if he will fix a full meal for me soon. My heart swells as I imagine Tae standing in the kitchen with an apron on, stirring stuff in the pots and pans on the stove. The smell of the food fills the room. If I'm lucky, he will have candles set on the table.

My stomach flutters as his handsome face appears in my head with his famous crooked smile.

No. I can't get ahead of myself. We haven't said anything about what this is between us. I don't want to be crushed if he doesn't feel the same way towards me. I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't.

For right now, I'm going to savor whatever this is. I will worry about all the potential issues later.

I smile as I look down at my bagel again. He even used my favorite cream cheese flavor, strawberry.

With a small grin, I set my phone beside my plate and skim through the various fan clubs and the posts about Tae, me, and our drama, while I eat. My grin widens at the crazy comments from our fans. Most are excited about the drama starting soon. Some still aren't sure it is going to happen, while a few angry fans huff about it never happening. If they only knew the truth, they wouldn't be doubting it.

Most of the day, I rest in bed, but as the evening approaches, I can't stop staring at my phone again and hoping Tae would either call or send me a message. My body is still sore, but it is bearable now.

My stomach lightly grumbles and signals for me it is time to fix something. I glance down at my phone one last time and whisper, "When are you coming home?"

Reluctantly, I get off the bed and drag my feet towards the kitchen, while I silently hope Tae will walk through the front door any second now.  

Published August 26, 2022