Lifetime

Gravity

Even with dinner being rescheduled and a couple of days where I had ample opportunity to make a decision, I still found myself staring in the mirror debating the third outfit I tried on. My cheeks were pink from the heat of constantly taking off and putting on items, switching between feeling under and overdressed.

Faye would have scolded me if I didn't put as much thought into my shoe selection as I'd done every other piece of clothing, regardless of the small moment that Seokjin would see them on before being discarded by the door.

He met me by the entryway into the house after hearing the rolling of the garage door, clad in dark jeans and a lightweight cable-knit sweater. I'd just closed the trunk when he swooped in to take the clear container of soup tucked in the crook of my arm and duffel bag hanging on my shoulder all while leaning down to greet me with a kiss.

"Stay right here." He moved to the living room, placing my bag on a wide single chair before returning to the kitchen and setting the soup on a shelf while acknowledging, "I'm overdoing it as always."

It didn't surprise me that he seemed a little nervous. His extreme disappointment while he was sick was evidence enough that tonight felt important to him.

"Okay, now let me look at you." He took over removing my coat, hanging it on a small rack next to the door before standing in front of me again with his hands reaching out for mine. He was taking his time, making small observations as his eyes trailed down my full body. "You cut your hair." His finger reached up to twirl around a lock, tugging at the slight curl.

"Just a few inches yesterday when I was at the salon." I replied with a nod.

With one hand still in mine he pulled me to him again, his lips against my cheek. "Look at you." He breathed as if there wasn't a descriptor to fit his compliments.

He led us to the stairs, my eyebrows raising at the empty kitchen and smell of food that grew stronger with every ascending step. Even more than downstairs, this part of the house seemed untouched, doors closed and walls bare.

"I forget you haven't been around the house yet." He noted when I slowed, my head turning back and forth to take in every inch of the space. I suddenly wanted to see everything, behind every door and into every drawer. I imagined they were mostly empty, but wondered which parts of the house held pieces of him. "Let me check on the sides and I'll show you around." He added to reclaim my attention, pulling us farther toward the back of the house.

The side dishes went ignored by me as we entered a small opening that was a half kitchen, double doors propped so my eyes were instantly drawn to the view from the balcony. The floor warmed against my bare feet, Seokjin hunched over the countertop while my nose nearly pressed to the glass that led outside. I took in the sunset, fading into the lake so that burnt orange and yellow distributed across miles of water, reflected onto every surface my eyes met.

I'd been so consumed by the view that I didn't hear the pop of a cork or glug of wine being poured. It felt as if Seokjin materialized beside me, handing over one of the stemless glasses before pressing onto the door handle to allow us outside.

There were two small heaters that warmed the balcony even as I stood right at the railing, leaning onto the wood so that part of me was met with cool air. I sipped at the smooth, fragrant blend and turned to let him fall into my sight with the lakeview cast in my peripheral.

We'd long forgotten the notion of personal space, mere inches away from each other as he pressed his glass lightly against mine with a barely audible ting. "I'm going to kiss you a lot tonight." He warned, the edges of my mouth curving up in the millisecond that existed before his lips were on mine, tasting of that first sip of wine.