Dive Into You

chapter three

but you make me feel some type of way

this is what falling in love feels like, jvke 

note: yes, I prefer the heeseung version, so sue me

Ari's POV

     What had I gotten myself into? I couldn't believe what I had just done. My first kiss, and I'd thrown it away so rashly. Why had I wanted to kiss a boy I barely knew? Not only that, but I had also run away without a word. I was truly setting myself a record today with regrets, not that I was sure that I regretted kissing Heeseung. I wasn't angry with myself for kissing a handsome man; I was angry with myself for kissing a handsome stranger. I closed my eyes, trying to calm down. A replay of the kiss greeted me as my eyelids shuttered closed. There truly wasn't any escape from that captivating angel. I'd always dreamed of my first kiss being a slow, romantic moment. My imagination had fashioned a fantasy of a few heartbeats worth of complete trust, with someone I knew as intimately as the back of my hand. I had wished it to be a big leap in an already starry romance with someone who would whisper honeyed words to me even in the dead of night, when nobody else could hear and with nothing to prove.

        My first kiss really went much differently. It was both too fast and too slow, the raw feeling of the kiss chasing me as I kissed Heeseung. It was wild, hungry, and anything but tranquil. I was perplexed at the intensity of the kiss, never hearing from my friends of anything to this scale, of anything so devastatingly substantial. I knew I wasn't alone in my confusion as I had looked into Heeseung's eyes, as what I saw there assured me that he had never experienced a kiss quite like ours either.

        Just then, I heard my phone ping. My mother had messaged me.

mama bear ♡

just took your car home. have a good time on your trip honey!

        I sighed in relief. At least one thing was going to plan today. My mother was the only person besides me who had keys to my car, and as I had driven it to the dock, someone needed to take care of it. Mom assured me she would take it and she had just done so. Now, I had to go find my older brother. Jungwon was a few doors away, in room 400. He was a marine biologist, so his main reason for joining me on this trip was to do research at each stop. He really loved his job, so this was practically a holiday for him. I grabbed my handbag, went out the door, and walked to room 400.

        I knocked on the door, and immediately someone answered. It was a guy I didn't know. His most distinguished feature was his sharp jawline.

I, confused, rushed to say goodbye and leave, "Sorry, wrong-", wondering if my brother had somehow mistyped his room number in his message to me. 

        The guy saw me and recognition instantly flashed in his eyes along with another emotion that I interpreted as...anxiety? 

Interrupting me, he said, "Wait! Are you Won's sister?" 

        Won? These two must be close. I should know of a friend of Jungwon's that dear to him... He used to yell at me when I kept calling him that in middle school, carried over from our childhood. It was still a sore subject. That I didn't know a friend he allowed to do so was odd to say the least.

"Yes," I said slowly, "And you are..." "Park Jongseong," he said quickly, "Jay for short."

        Just then, Jungwon appeared behind him. 

"Ari?! This is my- f-friend Jay." He said, stumbling over his words. 

        The tips of his ears were tinted pink. Understanding struck me as quick as lightning. I was about to ask if by friend he meant boyfriend when I decided to not embarrass him too much.