Lifetime

Hometown

To say things got busy would be an understatement. Seokjin had booked a travel agent by the next afternoon so that we spent the coming weeks in a constant frenzy of multitasking. One or both of us were frequently on the phone, leaving it set to speaker to answer questions about destinations, excursions and bookings between packing up the last of the apartment and tending to my dad. We were still on a high, often muting ourselves to makeout and finding excuses to hang up when we couldn't keep our hands off each other anymore.

He chided me for my continuous reminders that once he finished hammering out details of getaways he needed to work with Dr. Ahn on a treatment schedule. I accepted kisses as a temporary tactic at stifling my concern but didn't let up completely until he handed over an itinerary that covered both our fun and his care.

"At least put on pants before the movers get here." I tossed the worn pair of jeans he'd been wearing to where he lay on my bare mattress. It sat on the floor without a frame, unable to be donated and set to be discarded once we were gone.

His hair was just as rumpled as the sheet that bunched so it barely covered him. He leaned back on his elbows, head tilted back lazily to summon me closer.

I had to kneel to reach him, grinning into the apple of his neck when my lips brushed against it. He was nearly purring, soft vibrations against my mouth at the mere thought of having me again. "We don't have time." I chuckled when his voice trembled with a long groan, followed by the chime of the doorbell.

Withstanding his previous desire he dressed swiftly, relieving me of dealing with the movers to provide the initial guidance they'd need to work.

Mrs. Davis from upstairs accompanied us on our last elevator ride from the apartment building. She insisted that she watched us fall in love from the rocking chair that sat by her window, hugging me in the doorway until the movers needed to get through the space.

We watched until my dad's belongings were set for the drive to our hometown, packed tightly in a small moving van that would arrive the day after our flight.

My dad and Seokjin spent a last day fishing on the lake before he'd return home, laughing harder every time one of them thought they felt a pull on their line only to be left with empty hooks. We ordered my dad's favorite takeout in the evening, stretching out in the theater with a movie he'd seen a hundred times but still loved playing until he fell asleep.

Our flight was early and we looked the part, groggy and comfortable among others who took first class flights dressed in business attire and vacation wear. I could hear my dad, always friendly as he rallied the nervous kid beside him. His parents appeared just as anxious across the aisle, fretting over their son who insisted on having the window seat away from them and comforted by my dad's kind words.

"Excuse me ma'am, sir." My eyes fluttered at the unfamiliar voice at the same time that Seokjin sprung awake, as if he'd been startled by the flight attendant. "We're close to landing." She notified us with a polite smile at the same time that a male flight attendant took his place to announce our descent.

Seokjin stretched his neck beside me, reaching to take over and securing my seatbelt before his as we were instructed. It took us both a few minutes to fully wake but by the time he gathered all our loose items to be placed in the storage compartment by our seats I could see the excitement in his eyes.

"It's just my little hometown." I giggled at the way he leaned over me to see out the window, squinting as if he could glim my hometown from its distance to the airport.

He slipped a hand into mine to soothe me during our slightly rocky landing, ignoring my comment to bask in the eagerness of getting to know the first place I called home.