Just A Few Numbers Away

Chapter 137

Exactly What We Need

The villa felt entirely different tonight.

​It was no longer just the backdrop for their honeymoon; it had transformed into a sanctuary, quiet and heavy with the weight of the little one that was now growing between them.

​The ocean breeze drifted through the open terrace of the villa, carrying the scent of salt and tropical blooms, but Yoongi barely noticed the view.

His entire world had narrowed down to the small, cushioned lounge area where Aen was resting.

​He had been hovering since they left the clinic, a silent, watchful shadow.

​He had already cleared the coffee table of anything that wasn't essential, replacing it with a carafe of water, sliced fruit, and the folder the doctor had given them.

He moved with a deliberate, gentle purpose, his usual restless energy replaced by a calm, focused devotion.

​He walked over to where Aen sat, his expression softened by a kind of awe that hadn't left his eyes since the doctor spoke.

He carefully knelt in front of her, his hand reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair behind her ear before his palm settled, light as a feather, against her stomach.

​"You're okay, Yeobo?" he asked, his voice low, testing the words as if they were a prayer.

"You don't need anything? Water? Something light to eat?"

​Aen looked down at him, her heart swelling until it felt like it might burst.

The man who usually carried the weight of the world on his shoulders was currently only concerned with the weight of the life they were just beginning to understand.

​"I'm okay, Yeobo," she whispered, covering his hand with hers.

"I'm just... I'm still trying to process that this is real. I thought this trip would just be about us celebrating our marriage, not... not this unexpected surprise."

​"It's our honeymoon," he murmured, his gaze dropping to their hands, then back up to meet hers with a fierce, quiet intensity.

"Indeed we came here to celebrate abd relax but this... this is the real beginning of everything. I think I like this view much better than any ocean."

Aen traced the line of his jaw with her thumb, her smile trembling slightly.

"I honestly thought my body was just failing because I couldn't keep up with everything," she murmured.

"I feel a bit silly for not knowing sooner and made you worry a lot. I should have known. I already have Carly."

Yoongi stood up, but he didn't pull away.

He sat down on the edge of the cushions beside her, drawing her into his side so she was resting against his chest.

He pulled the throw blanket higher, tucking it carefully around her legs as if the cool evening air were a threat to their newfound secret.

​"Don't," he said firmly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"You weren't failing at anything. You were doing something much more important without both of us knowing."

He paused, his hand moving back to her stomach, tracing slow, rhythmic circles against the fabric of her dress.

​"And as for Carly, I'm no expert but I think every pregnancy is different, Yeobo," he continued, his voice dropping into that contemplative tone he used when he was really listening to her.

"So I believe, it's not 'silly' that you didn't immediately jump to this conclusion."

Aen felt the steady, calming thump of his heart against her back.

The guilt that had been gnawing at her since the clinic began to dissipate, replaced by the warmth of his steady reassurance.

"To be honest, I feel like I should have known, Yeobo. I should have been able to tell."

​Aen shakes her head.

"How could you have known, either, Yoon?"

"I mean, you sipping the ice coffee yesterday, the tangerines last night, the way you've been so tired and always wake up late, and the way you were craving those avocado and banana dessert you insisted I make this morning... those we're signs. They we're unusual but I just disregard it."

Aen chuckles.

"Indeed they are unusual and now I'm craving for that avocado and banana dessert you made for me this morning, again."

Yoongi let out a soft, surprised laugh, the sound vibrating against Aen's back.

He pulled her slightly tighter, his hand still resting possessively over the curve of her stomach.

​"Of course you are," he murmured, his voice laced with a newfound, gentle amusement.

"I should have known that as soon as the shock wore off, the cravings would come back with a vengeance. Lucky for you, I'm an expert at making that dessert now."

​He leaned his head back against the cushions, looking up at the ceiling, his expression shifting from amusement to a deep, quiet wonder.

"You know, before today, I was just looking forward to the rest of the week here. Just us, the ocean, and the silence. But now?"

He looked down at her, his eyes dark and sincere.

"I don't think I'll ever look at a quiet room the same way again. It feels like we're waiting for something incredible to happen."

​Aen turned in his arms, shifting so she could press her forehead against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart-the same heart that had just anchored her through the biggest surprise of her life.

​"Do you think we'll be good at this?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"A new addition our world? I mean... I know I've done this before, but it feels so different this time."

​Yoongi's hand moved to cup the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair with a tenderness that made her breath hitch.

He tilted her face up so he could look directly into her eyes, his expression serious and warm.

"Because you have me now. To be honest, I don't think we have to be perfect," he said softly.

"We just have to be us. Just like how you have taken care of Carly all those years and how you let me in her life... I've seen how you love, Aen. You have that strength already. I think we'll be exactly what this baby needs."

​He kissed her forehead, then pressed his lips to her temple.

"But for tonight, no more worrying about the future. No more feeling guilty about what you 'should' have known. Tonight is just about us. And maybe," he added with a playful glint in his eye, "getting you that dessert."

​Aen smiled, feeling a sense of peace that had eluded her for weeks.

The villa, the ocean, the honeymoon-everything had changed, but as she drifted closer to him, she realized it hadn't changed into something she feared. It had changed into something even better.

​"Tomorrow morning," she reminded him, her voice sleepy and content.

"We will see the little one."

​"Tomorrow," Yoongi promised, pulling the blanket up to cover them both completely, shielding their little world from the rest of the night.

"Everything starts tomorrow."