For the Love of Joon

Chapter 7-Birthday Celebration

Namjoon POV

I sit up, finally giving up on being able to sleep. Getting up, I slip a shirt on and a pair of shoes. I go out into the hall and down two doors and knock.

"Namjoon?"

"I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, come in."

I walk in and take a seat at the table and Sejin takes a seat in the other chair.

"I need to talk to you about something." I start.

"Melanie?"

"How did you know?" I ask, shocked.

He just gives me a grin.

"I have seen the way you are around her. Let me guess, you want to ask her out?"

"Something like that."

"Well, I mean, there aren't any rules against it, but I would like to give you some free advice."

I nod for him to continue.

"Moms will go feral over their kid. She will protect her with every fiber of her being. She will move the earth to shield her from emotional and physical harm. But single moms are a different breed. I am a product of a single mother. She doesn't need anyone, and I mean ANYONE. She is used to doing it on her own and is content to continue. You will have to fight her tooth and nail for her to allow you to help her in any way. And forget about trying to pay for anything.

If you go down this road, you will have to be strong and set your foot down. You will have to force her to let you help her. She will say that she will allow it, but you will have to be insistent. Because the secret is that she needs it. She will never let you see how tired or afraid she is of failing. If she lets you in, you damn well better be ready to step up. You don't go into this lightly. They are a package deal. You don't get the idea of pawning Joon off on a nanny or having a lot of free time."

"I would never."

"I'm not saying that you would. I am just preparing you. I like Mel a lot, and I think that you two would do very well together. You just have to be 1000% sure. Also, remember what you do for a living. It means time away sometimes, security, being judged by your fans when it gets out because you know it will. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but you need to think about everything. You could be happy, but it is going to be work."

Mel POV

Of course, they all wanted to go. They all had to wear hats and masks, and we had to make sure that Joonbug knew she couldn't say their names. We first went to the zoo. We walked around and viewed all of the animals. She got to feed the giraffes. She and Joon spent extra time watching the koalas and introducing them to her ever-present Koya. Much to my protest, they all bought her a gift at the gift shop. Our next stop was the Navy Pier. We arrived around lunchtime, and she immediately wanted to eat. I had to talk her out of it until she went on some rides. After going on the big stuff, we stopped to grab a bite to eat. As we are throwing our trash away, I sense someone standing behind me.

"Hey, Mel?"

"Yeah?" I say, turning and seeing Joon behind me.

"Why don't you and I go ride the ferris wheel?"

I look at Eunji, who gives me a thumbs up and escorts Joonbug towards some of the smaller rides with the guys in tow.

"Sure."

He reaches out for my hand, and I take his. We walk hand in hand toward the ride. We silently stand in line, and when it is our turn, we are the only ones in our bucket. He sits beside me, and once we start moving, he lowers his mask. I lean back against the bucket seat, and he puts his arm behind me, resting it on the ledge.