Forget Me Not✔️

Back Again

The city scape behind you had long since disappeared from view and all that surrounded you now was the occasional tree. The longer you drove, however, the more things were beginning to look a bit familiar as you gazed out the window. Soon enough, you could see the water in the distance as the car turned down a road running horizontal to the ocean.

For a moment, your brows dipped in confusion. You had been too distracted with playing music that you had not been paying attention to where you were heading until now. But it only took a second to click once you spotted a worn sign that read 'Incheon Beach'. Your head whipped around to look at Namjoon with surprise and he glanced over at you with a wide grin.

"Know where we are now?" He asked. Of course you knew where you were. This was the place you had first met him, the encounter that had started it all. All at once, images of that day flooded your mind. You wondered if Namjoon was thinking of the same things. His thumb caressing the skin between your pointer finger and thumb gave you an affirming answer.

"Yes." You said, still trying to smother your smile. "You can be pretty sappy, you know that?" You laughed as you grinned over at the man beside you as he pulled into a lot close to the shoreline and tossed the car into park.

"Sappy? I don't know what you're talking about." He shut off the engine and smiled innocently over at you. Your heart flip-flopped the way it did every time he looked your way. He opened his door and climbed out before coming around to the other side and opening yours for you before you could do it yourself. And they say chivalry is dead. He held his hand out to you and you yelped as he yanked you out of the car, making your chest slam into his. Before you had a chance to react, his lips were claiming yours. His mouth was warm and soft and the tender yet forceful way he kissed you nearly took your breath away.

He moved your arms to wrap them around your neck and leaned into you, pressing your back against the frame of the open car door. You could feel him hook his fingers into the loops on your shorts to pull your hips closer, the sound of the roaring waves behind you fading away in the background. Too soon, he was pulling away. He rested his forehead on yours, allowing you both to regain control of your breath.

He ran his thumb along your lower lip and whispered, "Have I told you yet that I've missed you?" You bit down on the pad of his thumb and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I could kind of tell." His eyes darkened but returned back to their normal golden color as he closed and reopened them.

"Careful," he warned with a hint of a growl in his voice, "or this outing will be cut very short before it even begins." Your eyes widened a fraction and you could feel that delicious warmth pool in your stomach. You wouldn't mind that at all, but you still wanted to see why he had brought you here in the first place. You could behave - for now.

"So, what's the plan then?" You shifted your body's weight from the tips of your toes to the heel of your foot, rocking your frame in anticipation. Namjoon pulled you away from the car, shutting the door behind you.

"There isn't one." He said with a sweet smile. "Just like the day I met you, none of this is planned." He added, gripping more firmly onto your hand and engulfing it in his large palm.

"See? Sappy." You said, teasing him playfully as you squeezed his hand back. It was a beautiful day. The sky was perfectly blue and spotted here and there with cotton ball clouds and seagulls. This particular part of the beach was secluded and quiet, far from wandering eyes and screaming children. The soft breeze kept your hair out of your face and kissed your cheeks. You inhaled deep the smell of the ocean and closed your eyes, holding in the moment for as long as you were able.

You slipped off your sandals and let your toes squish in the cool sand. A thought came to you suddenly, and you beamed at Namjoon. "Let's go find some crabs!" You said, almost cheering as you tugged at his arm, ushering him along with you toward the beach.

You could see his face light up with delight at your suggestion. The love this man had for little crabs was one of the cutest things you had ever witnessed, and you knew you would do almost anything to keep that smile on his face.

The two of you rushed toward the rocky area you had deposited your little friend last time you were here and you let go of his hand. You playfully pushed him away to make him go look elsewhere as you placed your palms onto your knees and leaned over, looking over the white sand as you began your search. "The first one to find a crab gets a reward." You announced, looking up from your hunched position in his direction. You knew there was a much bigger chance that he would win, on account of this being one of his favorite pastimes.

"What is the reward?" He sounded farther away than you thought, and the distraction was evident in his tone. He was being diligent, you could already tell. You looked around and he was nowhere in sight. You had to climb a rock just to find him on his hands and knees, moving slowly so as not to crush anything beneath his body. Your mouth quirked up in the corner as you watched him. His long fingers roved over the sand, moving it aside carefully. He worked quickly despite his overly cautious motions, methodically scaling the shoreline in rows to cover his bases. Maybe he took this a little too seriously, and you loved it.

"If you win, you can pick the reward you want. If I win, I'll pick the reward." You crossed your arms over your chest, head tilting to the side as you watched him scoop up a pile of wet sand and rifle through it. He couldn't possibly have found one that soon, it had been less than ten minutes.

"Deal." He mumbled almost inaudible, too caught up in the task at hand. You jumped off the rock, landing very gracefully on your ass as your treacherous feet slipped out from under you. You took a different approach and decided to try your luck with the tiny streams between the large boulders several feet from Namjoon.

The two of you scoured the beach, eyes searching vigilantly in the blinding sand. You weren't seeing any kind of life and your brows dipped in concern at your impending failure. Your eyes felt dry and your knees ached from shuffling around for so long. You sighed and leaned back on the balls of your feet, rubbing your hands together to dust the sand from your fingers. You wiped the sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand. This was harder than you thought. Maybe you were only meant to find crabs by almost accidentally stepping on them?

It had been so long since you'd heard a peep from Namjoon, so you almost jumped out of your skin when you heard his triumphant cheer from a few feet behind you. How long had he been so close? You swung your body around to see him beaming down at his cupped palms. You stood and your bones cracked, making you wince as you brushed sand off of your knees and shins. It had sounded like someone stepping on bubble wrap - my god you were getting old.

"No way!" You frowned, "I already looked there!"

"In your defense, you had a very poor disadvantage. I am kind of an expert, after all." You wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face. From where you stood, it looked like he was just holding a large clump of mud. You rolled your eyes and walked over to him to prove his victory. As you neared, you gasped as you saw the clump move. You were directly in front of him now, and you could see tiny legs pulling a white and brown spotted shell from the sand.

You pouted. "Unfair. Why are you so good at this?" You expected him to boast and laugh at the fact that you had lost, so it surprised you when he replied, "I just know what to look for. Here, I'll show you."

He directed your attention down to where he had been crouched moments before. He pointed a slender finger to the small raised trail of sand going away from the hole he had dug. "Crabs like to burrow underground to stay cool and avoid predators." Your eyebrows raised in interest; tiny geniuses. He proceeded to lead you around the beach in search for another trail. You spotted one quickly and his eyes shone with pride. He bent with you and put his hands over yours, "Gently now." He used your hands to move the sand away, and sure enough, a tiny crab emerged. You scooped it into your hands carefully, moving slow so that you didn't hurt the tiny creature.

"Very good." He whispered, his lips close to your ear. His mouth brushed your shoulder and you nearly let your hands fall. He put his hands on your arms to steady you and you nudged him as he chuckled. Wicked man.