Passion and Power

Chapter 78

"What if we...what if we eloped?" Hanni said, looking hopefully up at Minji before adding, "Tonight."

"Oh, fuck." Minji said with surprise, her eyes going wide.

"Um...I'll take that as a 'no'."

"No, I just...you surprised me, that's all! I didn't mean 'no'. I just meant, well, are you sure that's really what you want to do? Or is this something about the trial or just...all we've been dealing with for months now?"

"I don't know, I guess that's part of it, but that doesn't mean it's not what I want. It's just...it just seems like we've put our life on hold for so long. And it feels like we have so far to go. I know I'm the one that's put this wedding and marriage hurdle up for us. And I did it for the right reasons - I'm glad I asked that we wait. But now..."

"Are you worried about me? I know I've been acting strange and even distant. But I promise, it's nothing to do with us..."

"I know! I know that, Minji. And I don't have doubts about you, about us, or any of it. The trial has nothing to do with us. With what we have..."

"Hanni, I know it's not realistic to say the trial and my brother...well, that all of it, doesn't impact us."

"It doesn't! At least it doesn't impact us when it comes to what really matters. The idea of eloping - I know it sounds crazy. But it's not just about escaping all the madness. It's about putting us first and moving to our next step, which we've been dreaming of for a while now. It would help us put our minds on what is good, what we value. And I know the wedding thing was never something you wanted anyway. If we have a simple ceremony that fulfills what I was hoping for, in terms of honoring my family."

"I thought you were looking forward to it. For a chance to celebrate with all your family and friends?"

"That's true. But talking to Sana about the details, I guess I never realized what it takes, the time, the money..."

"You know you don't have to worry about the money, Hanni."

"I know. I guess it's more the time. The waiting. And I don't want you to doubt anything about our relationship. I know it's been rough lately with the case, but I want you to be sure it has nothing to do with us. I just thought, well, maybe this is something good we can focus on, that will help us move on. Move forward. Together. We can always have a wedding reception to celebrate later!"

"I admit I get worried thinking about how much you've had to go through because of Kims, but it doesn't make me doubt you." Minji squeezed her hand tighter. "Your commitment to us. I want you to know that I'm happy to wait. As long as I need to."

"And that means everything to me. I guess what I'm saying is...well...We don't need to wait any longer." Hanni smiled and looked a bit sheepishly down at their hands. "And maybe there is one more thing that's affecting my thinking on this..."

Hanni's voice stopped and the two women just looked at each other. Eventually Minji spoke up.

"Hanni, just tell me. Please." Minji said anxiously. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

"I...well. It's just that...um, I can tell I'm at the edge of going into heat." Hanni admitted finally. "I can feel it on the back of my throat. I probably have about 24 hours before it really kicks in and..."

"You, what? Oh, well..." Minji said, gasping in a surprised breath. Her pulse rate shot up. "I didn't think about...I guess that is, the timing...well...I mean if you..."

"Minji, you're rambling. That's supposed to be my thing." Hanni said, laughing and taking Minji's hand between both of her own. "It's going to be OK. We can get through it, either way. But part of me just thought... Why wait? After all you've gone through with the trial. All the waiting to be together. And we can still honor the tradition of getting officially married - we don't have to have a big ceremony."