Dani and Jae's Ballistic Adventure

Chapter 10

It had been days since the incident, and the rest of Team USA and I had just landed in Spain for a joint training camp with Spain, Azerbaijan, and South Korea. Yep. I do have a chaotic life indeed. One moment I'm getting nearly assassinated, and the next, I'm flying to Spain.

My whole team was in complete shock at the fact that I was almost murdered by Jae's stalker at 11 PM. But they were also amazed by the fact that I Taekwondo-ed and Krav Maga-ed the shit out of her. And that I knew Krav Maga at all. Little do they know I learned Krav Maga from YouTube.

We entered the hotel and rested, freshening up for tomorrow's training.

As I walked down the hall to the soft-serve machine (Spain's fancy), I saw someone else on the way there.

Jae. Jae in the flesh.

His presence stole the breath from my lungs. He stood there, casually leaning against the wall, his roundish, beautifully shaped eyes glimmering in the soft hotel lights. His long eyelashes framed those deep, expressive eyes, and his messy hair fell effortlessly over his forehead, giving him an air of rugged charm. He wore a simple sweatshirt that clung to his athletic build, but it was that smile—oh, that smile—that I had missed the most. It lit up his face, making everything else fade into the background.

"Dani," Jae suddenly said, his voice a warm embrace.

Before I could process my thoughts, my heart surged with overwhelming joy and relief. I launched myself into his arms, feeling the comfort and safety I had desperately craved since the chaos of the last few days. We held each other tightly, speechless, just absorbing the moment.

After a few seconds, Jae pulled back slightly, his expression turning serious. "You idiot, why'd you block me? Do you know what state I was in this whole week?"

I could feel my cheeks flush with guilt as I cried, "I'm sorry, Jae."

He pulled me into his chest again, holding me protectively. "Do you not trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," I replied, my voice muffled against him.

"Then why didn't you believe me?" he asked, his tone soft but laced with concern.

My heart ached at the question. "I'm really sorry. I missed you so much. I just... I've been duped and humiliated so many times by people I cared about. Ex-friends, guys I liked, people I trusted—it never worked out. So I put a wall up around myself." My voice cracked as I spoke, the weight of my past experiences flooding back.

Jae tightened his grip, pulling me in even closer. "I would never ever do that to you. You're such an idiot for blocking me."

I nodded against his hard, comforting chest, tears falling down my face. "I am an idiot."

"Whatever. My stalker didn't hurt you, right?"

"Nah. She had a gun, though. And she hurt my house. But I messed her up pretty good."

Jae's lips twitched into a smile. "And you say that casually, huh? Even I don't know gun self-defense. You should be my bodyguard."

"As if," I replied, playfully shoving him. But he pulled me back into his arms, making my heart flutter. And just like that, we were back—Kamala and Shang-Chi.

My heart skipped a beat as Jae leaned down and pressed his soft lips against my forehead. Before I could think, the words slipped out. "Is this a bad time to tell you I love you?"

Jae's eyes widened, surprise flickering across his face. "Y-you love me?"

Shoot. Should I not have said that? We weren't even officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Just two people stuck in this messy, complicated situationship.