part 1 :)
dokyeom has had the ring in his pocket everywhere you guys went for the past 3 weeks. but even without bulky case poking into his thigh all the time, he has thought about marrying you everyday for the last 4 years. there's been many occasions where he's almost dropped everything to get down on one knee, and ask you to make him the happiest man on the planet. he's usually too nervous, quietly slipping the ring back into his pocket without you noticing. he's not weary about how you'll react, because he knows you'll say yes. he's nervous about when the perfect time is. he wants it to be memorable, to be something you'll never see coming but also be perfectly ready at the same time.
today his family is having a little summer get-together, with some of the family members being ones he doesn't get to see too often. in turn, this means that you have never met most of them. of course they told him immediately that they would love for him to bring you along, as they want to meet the girl he talks so highly about. you happily accepted, loving spending time with him any chance you can get. dokyeom knows you're nervous, but he also knows that theres no chance in hell that they won't fall in love with you right away. he keeps his hands on the wheel, nodding along to the song playing. you're about 20 minutes out now, seemingly making you even more nervous.
"hey" you say. he turns his head to you briefly to show his attention, before looking back towards the highway. "do you need both hands on the wheel right now or?" you say as you trail off the end of the sentence.
he chuckles at you, knowing exactly what you mean by the question. he releases his right hand from the wheel and places it in your leg, holding his hand up as you slide yours into his. he gains a small smile from you in response, but he sees your other leg bouncing up and down.
"you hanging in there baby?" he asks, running his thumb over your hand gently.
"i think i'm gonna throw up" you answer honestly, feeling that distinct feeling in your stomach that you always feel during a social anxiety flare up.
dokyeom has the patience of a saint when it comes to your anxiety, never being annoyed or frustrated with it. he lets you tell him how you're feeling and what he can do to make it better. after all these years he's learned to understand it more, and can oftentimes be ahead of it and know when you are going to experience it badly. he wishes you didn't have to live this way, but he decided a long time ago that if he can't take it away then he will do everything in his power to make things more comfortable for you.
"i'm sorry sweet girl. i promise you're gonna have a lot of fun once we are there" he says, hoping that any ounce of his words can make you calm down a bit, but he knows it isn't usually that easy. you just nod back, holding his hand tighter. he exits off the highway, stopping at a red-light once you are in the town. you know you are getting really close now. he lets go of your hand for a second, making you instinctually frown.
he smiles at you sweetly, saying "just one second baby". while he's waiting for the light to turn green he picks up his phone which is playing the music, and messes around for a second before putting it back down and holding your hand again. he starts driving again as the current song ends and the next one starts up. you notice now that he queued your favorite song.
he knows how much you love it, always playing it every time you get in the car with him, and you sing loudly every time. he loves watching your little mini performance and how you light up when your favorite part comes on. however, this time your mind is elsewhere, and you don't really feel like singing along.
"come on, sing it, i know you want to" he says happily, shaking your hand a little and urging you to let loose. when you just giggle in response, nodding your head no, he sings it for you. now of course, he is a professional singer, so he sings it better than you ever do, and you prefer this version better anyways.
