If This Isn't Love

58: JANUARY 2023 - All These Years

The relentless ringing of the phone jolted Luisa from her fog. She glanced to her side, where Seokjin lay sleeping, a soft smile gracing his plump lips. She wanted to keep looking at him, but the phone started ringing again.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she silenced the phone and noticed ten unread messages, most of them from Charlie. A wave of frustration washed over her. How was she going to explain this to him?

As she scrolled through the messages, her heart sank. They were mostly inquiries about her readiness. It hit her—she'd been away from him for over 45 minutes since leaving him downstairs. The most recent message warned that he was coming up to find her... and it had been sent ten minutes ago!

"Jin," she shook him. "Jin, wake up!"

His eyes opened slowly, and he grinned. "Again? Woman, you are insatiable. But I love it." He reached his arms out and pulled her onto his chest. "Touch me, Lu," he whispered against her lips. "I want to feel your soft hands on me." His hands glided up to her breasts.

Despite the way her skin tingled at his touch, Luisa pushed away from him and sat up, urgency etched on her face. "I have to go now."

Seokjin blinked a few times, his smile fading. "You're leaving? Why? Where are you going?" He sat up, a hint of panic in his voice. "Lu, don't go."

She glanced around the dim room, searching for her clothes. "I-I was supposed to meet Sel and Meg for lunch." Throwing off the sheets, she scrambled to her feet, hastily picking up articles of clothing. "I'm... incredibly late."

He couldn't help but smirk as he watched her rush to get dressed, admiring her figure. "Uh, sorry about your panties. I'll buy you new ones—however many you want."

She shot him a glare as she darted into the living room, determined to find her skirt. "Never mind," she called over her shoulder. "I really need to go." With any luck, Charlie wasn't already in their room, wondering where she had disappeared to. The thought of a confrontation between Charlie and Jin made her stomach twist. She wasn't ready for any of this.

As she climbed into her leather skirt, the absence of silky underwear made it a struggle to pull it over her hips. After a moment of effort, she finally managed to fasten the zipper, only to look up and find Jin leaning against the door frame, completely naked. She gulped and quickly turned her gaze away, her body stirring in response to his presence.

"I wouldn't worry too much about Sel and Meg," he said slowly, a playful grin forming on his lips. He chuckled as she tossed him his boxers, which he slipped on just as she threw his pants his way. "By now, I'm sure Yoongi has filled Sel in on what happened. Your friends are probably just waiting for the full story from you."

Luisa sank onto the sofa, clutching her socks and boots. "What do you mean? What did Yoongi tell her?"

Jin zipped up his loose pants and settled beside her, bare-chested and relaxed. "Just don't get angry, okay? I found out where you were from Yoongi."

"Wait, so Sel told him?" Luisa gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"No, not intentionally," he clarified. "Sel just mentioned that she and Megan were meeting you for lunch at Sassetta. Yoongi didn't know where that was, so he asked if I could find a place nearby for drinks while he waited for Sel. That's how I figured you were at this hotel."

"And you thought you could just run into me and whisk me up to your room," she interjected pointedly.

His expression turned serious. "I genuinely had no idea I would find you here. Fortunately, the girl at the front desk let me check the guest list, and that's when I spotted Charlie's name. I didn't see yours, so I assumed you might be here together. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

Luisa shook her head in disbelief. "You're in no position to judge me."

"I know that, and I'm not," he replied calmly. "We can talk about it later. In any case, I asked her to book me on the same floor. She thought I was charming and was more than happy to oblige. I might have even promised her a drink or something."

"Uh-huh," Luisa said, leveling a piercing gaze at him. "And what was that 'something else'? If you're already cheating, what's one more woman in your bed, huh?"

"Whoa, whoa," he said, raising a hand in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

She finished putting on her boots and sprang to her feet. "You're unbelievable," she spat, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'd like to think so," he said with a broad grin, clearly unfazed.

She scoffed in response. "That wasn't a compliment. I can't believe you! Have you already forgotten about your wife? You're despicable! Do you even care?"

He stood up, meeting her gaze. "Did you care? Did you ask about my wife before you let me bang you against the door?"

Fuming, Luisa stepped closer and slapped him across the face. "How dare you speak to me like that? I can't believe I let this happen!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "You didn't mind so much when you were on top of me, did you? Our attraction was always mutual. The truth is you didn't let anything happen; it was meant to be. You might be angry about it now, but our chemistry is undeniable." He kissed her roughly before pulling back and holding up his left hand in front of her face.

She scowled, taken aback. "Are you going to hit me? Is that what you're into now?"

His expression softened as he released her arm. "No! I would never." He pointed to his ring finger. "Can't you see what's missing here?"

It dawned on Luisa that he wasn't wearing a wedding ring. She inhaled sharply but quickly turned away. "You mean the ring you probably just took off?" Her mind was reeling. She had not seen the tell-tale white line around his finger where a ring would've prevented tanning.

He grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "No. I mean the wedding ring I've never worn." He searched her eyes for understanding. "I've never been married." He held her steady as she bristled at his revelation. "Lu, I never gave up on you—not after graduation and not now. All these years, all I've wanted is to find you and tell you how much I love you."