Lifetime

Dreams

My dad seemed to resettle into our home instantly, always where he was meant to be. The restaurant remained busy, people trickling in throughout the week after hearing of his return. He ignored my every recommendation that he ease back into work, spending most days between the kitchen and my mom's gravesite.

That left Seokjin and I with the free time to explore every part of town. He soaked up memories of my favorite place for burgers, fries and milkshakes and made love to me in the bed I spent the bulk of my life in at every spare moment.

It took everything in me to leave my dad behind at the end of our stay. I forced repeated promises that he'd be okay and would call if that changed before boarding our flight back to Rochester.

"We should have come back a day earlier, given you more time to rest before your first treatment." I fretted on the ride home from the airport. "Remind me tomorrow to check on our flight times before each treatment. I want to make sure there's enough time between traveling and starting the treatments for you to rest well."

"Seline." My name on his lips and touch of my thigh brought my attention to him. He turned his eyes from the road for just a second, making sure he had my focus. "Remember how we talked about doing everything we could to make this time fun?"

While the reminder initially had me pouting I quickly tucked it to the side. He'd been and done absolutely everything for me. I could be fun for him.

"I'm fun." I smirked, making a point of flipping the agenda I'd been reviewing over in my lap before leaning across the console to kiss his smooth cheek. "See, fun."

He chuckled at the enunciation of his request, testing me further when he rolled down my window. "I bet you won't get rid of it completely." He teased, mouth pulled into a smug grin as he pressed a button so that the window shut next to me.

I tucked my seatbelt under my arm to make more room to reach him, crossing the barrier between us easier to reseal my lips to the corner of his mouth. "I won't." I moved to his jaw, feeling the way it flexed under my mouth as he grinned. His neck was next, just by the curve of his Adam's apple so that I could feel it bob against my lips. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, the slight shift he made in his seat the fuel for my own triumphant chuckle. "See, I'm fun."

When we were home I made a point to disguise everything I needed to ensure he was well taken care of as tasks we could still enjoy, starting with a shower to wash away the grime of the airport.

We cooked together, with him handling the bulk of prep while I followed his every instruction. It was an easy meal that he chose to take upstairs, to the same balcony we ate on during the first dinner we shared.

It was dark enough that we needed to use the lights, tiny, white sparkles that shone over Seokjin like stars. When our plates were emptied of ajujjim he reached for my flute of champagne and the bottle next to it.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I raised a brow, unashamed as I pressed the returned glass to my lips, tonight's pairing so light that I was gulping it down too quickly.

"I wanted to make a toast, but if you insist." He mused, leaning in closer with his salute, our glasses touching and mouths only a breath apart. "To everything we dream of."

Instead of sipping from our chalices we held the thin stems in place, sealing our lips over each other to certify the start of the life we'd been envisioning for months.

He smiled over the edge of his champagne flute, the slightest tint of pink left behind from the stain that transferred during our kiss. Fluttering and chirping from bugs sounded the night and Seokjin got comfortable, sitting back in his seat so that his jogger clad legs were spread.