Beyond the Sunset

Chapter V

He turned to me. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile, like he has discovered a profound kind of gladness. The silence between us was deafening. He took my hand and intertwined it with his.

"I am sorry that it took me some time to say it," he said as he gently touched my face. "I know that I always have been making it seem so obvious but nevertheless, I still want to tell you how much I love you. I don't want to spend another without letting you know how I truly feel."

Things have changed for the better. With his affirmations, I finally come to a conclusion that what we have is more than just lust, or maybe more than just a silly infatuation. While there lingers an undeniable attraction between us, any woman would want to be told how much she is loved. I always hoped for something more between us. What started out as something fun turned out into something worth keeping. Finally, I was told that I am loved.

Tears sprang to my eyes. "I love you too," Even with my voice cracking, I was able to put my feelings into words. "I don't think I have ever loved anyone this much."

My heart was racing. I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. Before I could even speak, he leaned in and closed the distance between us. He softly brushed his lips against mine.

"How much?" he asked.

"Very much," I responded as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He leaned his nose on mine. A mischievous smile played on his mouth. "Then, can I get a hard launch on your Instagram?"

We caught ourselves laughing because it always has been his request – for me to post a photo of him on my social media account.

Few days after he professed his love, I was sitting alone in my room when I realized that it won't hurt to have a photo of him on my feed. As I was browsing my phone, I saw a photo of the fridge where our printed pictures were posted. I found it cute and out of the ordinary. The photos have perfectly captured the bliss we shared when we were still filming in Germany. It stood as a reminder of all the little moments that made our hearts flutter. Without any hint of hesitation, I decided to upload it and a solo photo of me captured by him. I wish I could have captured the happiness in his face when he saw my post for the first time. He literally looked like a kid with a delicious ice cream on a cone on one, hot summer day. For that briefest instant, I felt that I was able to make him feel loved and excited at the same time.

"What's the game plan later? Shall I pick you up and we'll head together to the tvN Studio?" He was driving me back to my house after the little bargaining we had earlier as he was insisting that I no longer need to go home. But like I always do, I won the argument after explaining to him that I need to get my things for our content filming in the afternoon.

"I think we'll just see each other at the studio. Our company driver will be picking me up at home and then I'll go to my makeup shop,"

"How about after the tvN shoot, are we going to use separate vehicles?" His eyes, usually full of mischief, were waiting for my response.

"Of course. We can't arrive at the after-party venue together."

"Riding two vehicles is not-so environmentally correct, you know," he sulked like a child.

"I know, but we can't do anything about it. Unless we want to be all over the news..."

"If you insist," he bit his inner cheek, screaming with so much protest over my decisions.