The boys talked to you a little more, you got to know them and they got to know you. The feeling of being spoken to as an equal made you happy - more than just happy in fact. You felt like you fit in for the first time in two years.
You were avoiding Jae's intense gaze the whole time, you only looked when he spoke to you or asked a question. Otherwise your gaze stuck to the others or the TV screen (which wasn't even on).
Brian - who you'd learned wanted to be known as Young K but he accidentally introduced himself with his English name once and everyone refused to call him anything else - sighed heavily.
"I hate to break this up, but today is shopping day - if I don't go now the shelves will be near empty by time I do."
You looked up, you hated to admit it but your heart fell ever so slightly. A small part of you didn't want to be alone with Jae right now. You knew that a serious conversation was on the horizon - something you weren't prepared for right now.
Brian looked over at the other members meaningfully. You didn't miss the look like they apparently thought you would. Dowoon coughed gently, nudging Wonpil's leg. They all stood up - stretching gently.
"What time do you have work today (Y/N)?" Jae asked quietly, his head was leaning on your knee.
"Not until 4 today."
"So you've got pretty much the whole day off?"
"Yeah, its Friday so I don't have any lectures and the coffee shop is closed for decorating."
"You can chill with me for a little longer then." He said it as a statement rather than a question. You were starting to regret your earlier decision of kissing Jae - even if it was only a small peck at the corner of his lips.
"Yeah, sure."
The boys excused themselves - you heard them pottering around the flat, getting ready to leave. Half an hour of silence (not awkward, it was simply companionable) later and the other members were marching out the door in heavy coats, facemasks and glasses.
"We'll see you later. Have fun." Wonpil waved at you both and then they were gone.
There was no noise except a clock ticking somewhere in the flat. Jae shifted, he turned to face you on his knees. One of his eyebrows was raised but he was looking at you with a playful expression.
"So..."
You looked back at him, your face heating up.
"Yes?"
"You gonna kiss me again or are we gonna dance around that tension in the kitchen this morning?"
"You-" it took a moment to process, but when you did the heat came running back. "You want me to kiss you?"
"I mean who wouldn't want you to kiss them?" He smiled at you. Your heart leapt. You sat on the pouffe - unsure of what to say or do. Seconds passed and turned into minutes, Jae's smile was growing decidedly wider each moment that went by.
"I have stage fright." You blurted it out without fully thinking the sentence through properly. Jae cackled loudly, throwing his head back. A few moments went by, his laugh grew silent and tears slid down his cheeks. Blood rushes to your cheeks as you felt the embarrassment.
Eventually, Jae came back to his senses. He grinned broadly at you, his soft lips stretched over those beautiful pearly whites. "I'm sorry, that was a little funny."
He reached out and put his hand on your heated cheek. The smile on his face slowly washed away. The feeling from this morning in the kitchen returned.
Jae pushed himself higher on his knees so that he came face to face with you. One of his hands remained on your face, the other on your knee. You were unsure of the intensity in his eyes, and you weren't certain why your heart was beating so quickly for someone you still had so much to learn about. In the single month that you had known this man you had gotten to learn that he was kind, funny and honest - all admirable qualities. The one quality that made your heart race however was the way he treated you - as an equal.
Not only that, but he was so attractive. Just the sight of his face made the dormant butterflies in your stomach come to life.
Jae cocked his head to the left slightly, instinctively you went to the right. The gap between you gradually closed. Your eyes slipped shut and suddenly you weren't making the decisions in your body - the butterflies were. You could feel his breath wash across your face, in response your own breathing hitched gently.
At first, his lips simply brushed across your own gently. A cute, quick peck. Then his lips came back, still soft but determined to earn more from yours. Jae caught your plump bottom lip between both of his, pulling ever-so-slightly. Even at the minimalistic contact you found your breathing uneven and heart rate fast.
The hand that he had resting on your cheek moved to the back of your neck, making the next kiss more firm and so he was in control. Part of you wanted to pull away in that moment - to say 'wait! Isn't this moving too fast? You haven't taken me on a date or communicated your feelings!' - but it wasn't going to happen. Jae was more than just a friend from the start.
His lips came back down onto yours, the kiss becoming a little wetter and smoother. The spot on your knee where his hand rested burned pleasantly, as soon as you thought this it migrated. Trails of nice, tingly flames rushed along with his fingers. Up the expanse of your thigh, over your hip and onto your waist. There he grabbed you tightly.
A tiny sigh escaped your lips as they parted, Jae rested his forehead on yours - both of you breathing unevenly. The kiss wasn't overly passionate nor overly breathtaking - but it had feeling. Feeling that made you want to stay here forever.
"That's better." He whispered.
You let out a soft laugh. "Definitely."
"You wanna cuddle on the sofa?" Jae looked at you with that soft puppy dog smile. You wanted to say yes, but the more logical part of you halted all the soppy feelings that boiled to the surface.
"Wait a second," he sat back a little, looking a little surprised.
"Yes?"
"What...what is this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Me and you. We've known each other for a month or so, but never really talked about our feelings. I find myself kissing you this morning and you're kissing me again not long after."
He looked at you, understanding in his eyes. He waited patiently for you to continue however.
"I hate not knowing where I stand with someone. I just...I like you a lot, and I-" your throat closed up and your anxiety brought a shake to your hands. It took a few moments to ground yourself but when you did, the words flowed from your mouth. "I want to go somewhere with you on a date, and I want to be able to come here without any other reason than because I want to see you and vice versus. I want to cook you British food and tell you all about my home, I want to take you home and introduce you to my parents. I just... I want you."
His eyes widened. Jae wasn't running or fumbling for an excuse like every other boy or man you had told your honest feelings to. He looked at you - dead in the eye - and grinned once again.
"(Y/N), I feel the same way. Why do you look so serious and worried?"
"Everyone who I've been honest with before has simply pushed me away, or accepted me and left. It's hard for me to be honest about how I feel these days."
"I understand and I'm not running, I promise. I care about you a lot."
You simply stared at one another for the longest time. Jae stood up and grabbed your hand, pulling you with him. "You wanna go on a date with me?"
You smiled but caught yourself and bit your lip. "I'd love that."
