Addicted To You

45 - Tropical Night

~~~A Few Weeks Later~~~

I don't know how he managed it, but Minhyuk found paradise. I had always thought Fiji or the Maldives would be heaven on earth, but nope. It was just off the coast of South Korea.

He didn't take me to Jeju. There were too many people and too many tourists. No, he took me to a small private island where the only inhabitants were the staff and the uber-rich or famous who wished for an exclusive and secluded holiday. It was just a short flight to Yeosu Airport and then a ferry ride from there.

There were no paparazzi and no CCTV except in the few public areas for everyone's protection. There were a few restaurants and some shopping, but we stayed mostly in our cottage or on the beach. We had a quarter of a mile of private sand and surf at our front door.

He reserved it for two weeks and then he wanted to take me home to Atlanta for a few days. He had arranged for us both to have a month off. He took care of everything, including me. This was the hiatus he had been talking about. I bet him that he couldn't stay away from work for a month and he accepted the challenge. He said this was "us time".

We walked up and down the shore several times a day and up onto a giant rock that was like a small cliff. We would sit and look out over the ocean and sometimes talk about our hopes and dreams. Sometimes we just sat quietly and listened to the rhythmic lull of the waves and the calls of the seagulls.

As we walked along the shore, I took my shoes off and moved into the water. I let the lazy waves crawl up over my feet and legs as we looked out over the sparkling turquoise expanse. The wet sand tickled as it washed away from under my feet when the water receded. He stood behind me with his arms around me.

"MinMin, this place is incredible. How did you find it?"

"I know people." I heard the laughter in his voice.

"Thank you for bringing me here. It is perfect."

"I wanted you to have time. Things have been too busy and crazy. You need to heal not just physically. You need emotional healing too. I don't think you could fully do that in the apartment."

"Just being near the ocean makes me happy. The waves, the salt air, the sand... This is perfection." I kissed his cheek and snuggled him closer. "MinMin? What happens when we go back?" It was a conversation we had not had yet. We had talked about how we wanted to be together, but it wasn't really a plan. It was just dreaming out loud. I didn't know what to expect with fans and his career.

I turned to face him and he pulled me against his body. I felt the familiar stirrings.

"We live. We don't worry about the fans. We just worry about us." He kissed me softly. Tenderly.

"I want that so badly. I need you like I've never needed anyone. These last few months have been hell. Is it safe to date openly? I mean, will they accept me? Us together?"

"Rileigh-ya, I love you and I want to be with you. The threat is gone and the fans are supporting us. Mostly. There will always be the ones who can't accept that one of their idols has a life outside of them. That is the fault of the industry... the companies. They have set the level of expectation to where fans feel like they can have a relationship with us. I hate the way things are, but I have to accept it."

"Maybe it is time we stop worrying about that."

"You are right."

"I usually am. You should get used to it." I wrinkled my nose and booped his nose. He laughed.

He put his arm around me and we walked a little more then turned back before we got too far out. We didn't want to intrude on anyone else's private beach.