My smart girl 3. Rewriting our stars

Fortunately, the sharp pain in my chest didn’t return, and I managed to get dressed without my husband’s help. Still, I was breathing with difficulty, which of course didn’t escape his notice. When we went down to the first floor, he scooped me up in his arms despite my weak protests and carried me to the car waiting in the parking lot. The fresh, frosty night air stung my lungs, but I greedily breathed it in with full breaths. After the medicine-scented hospital room, this smell felt like... the aroma of true freedom. Suddenly, I realized… I never wanted to go back to the clinic that had become my prison. Jay opened the door, helped me settle into the seat, then got in himself, started the engine, and smoothly pulled out of the parking lot. Looking at him, I caught myself thinking how wonderful it would be if he… just kept driving, never stopping, wherever his eyes led him, and took me far, far away from here — to a place where no one would ever find us… Even though I already felt that my heart would soon stop forever… dying in the arms of my beloved… wasn’t scary at all. *** We drove through the night city. I let my gaze glide over the scenery flying past the window, thinking about how many things I had once taken for granted and seen as ordinary were actually precious. Just as precious to me was the falling snow sparkling in the lantern light, the night stars shining high above, and the guy behind the wheel who spent the entire drive warming my icy fingers in his hot palm and tenderly stroking my knuckles, as if trying to pass on all his strength, warmth, and calm — everything I so desperately needed. *** Even though I had assured Jay that I had slept enough for a lifetime, I still dozed off for a while to the steady hum of the engine. The next thing I felt were my beloved’s warm lips on my temple and his quiet voice whispering: “Wake up, kitten. We’re here.” *** Namsan Mountain greeted us with silence and peace. Usually it was crowded even late at night, but today the stars seemed to have aligned to shine only for the two of us. Jay led me to the railing covered in love locks and pulled me close, whispering with a mysterious smile: “Remember when I once told you we needed to hang our lock here too?” I smiled sadly and stroked his cheek. “Of course I remember. It feels… like another lifetime, even though only three months have passed.” Jay grew serious and quietly exhaled: “You’re right, darling… I never thought it would happen under such circumstances… but… I still really want to do it. So…” He flashed a playful boyish smile. The next moment, he pulled a small pink lock from his jacket pocket and held it out to me on his open palm. I couldn’t hold back my tears. On our lock was a cute little devil holding a rose and our initials. “Jay…” I whispered almost soundlessly, biting my lip so I wouldn’t start crying for real. He pulled me into his arms and breathed into my hair: “Come on, sunshine… Don’t cry. I know the artist in me is so-so, but I really tried hard, and the little rose turned out pretty good, don’t you think?” I laughed through my tears and shook my head, burrowing even deeper into his warm embrace. “I’m not crying because of that, silly. It’s just that you…” I exhaled shakily, unable to finish, and hugged him even tighter. He purred something soothing into my hair, stroked the back of my head, and whispered: “You don’t need to cry at all, my love. It’s such a beautiful night… let’s not darken it with tears, okay?” I sniffled, trying to smile, pulled back a little, and whispered: “Will you choose a spot for our lock?” “Better you do it, kitten,” Jay smiled softly and stroked my cheek, wiping away my tears. Then he kissed my nose, making me snort and finally chasing away my sad thoughts. I chose the top row so that the symbol of our love could also look up at the starry sky (as pompous as that sounded). Jay attached it to the railing, then looked up at me. His gaze overflowed with boundless tenderness as he said quietly: “See, Bambi? Everything turned out exactly as I wanted, even though you didn’t believe it would happen.” I rolled my eyes and grumbled with a smile: “Now I know that everything always happens exactly the way you want, so I never stood a chance from the very moment you dropped me on the floor in our kitchen.” He smirked, pulling me closer and rubbing his nose against my frozen one. “I *caught* you, I didn’t drop you, bunny, so you can’t have any complaints. And I think… it’s your destiny to keep falling into my arms. So fall.” With those words, he pulled me toward a bench and sat me on his lap, hugging me tightly and covering me with his open jacket. Even though it really was warmer this way, I still grumbled, nuzzling into his neck: “You’ll freeze and get sick, silly… then who will treat me? Or we’ll end up lying in neighboring beds and appoint Tae as the attending physician? He’ll be so thrilled…” But he just smiled carelessly, hugging me even tighter and pulling me against his hot chest. He whispered into my hair: “Don’t grumble, fawn… and don’t worry about me. You know I’m a hot guy.” I sighed, understanding it was pointless to argue with this hot-headed stubborn man, and slipped my hands under his jacket, settling more comfortably on his lap. “Not cold, baby?” he asked caringly, touching his lips to my temple. “No… You’re so warm…” I breathed against his neck, smiling at how he shivered from my cold nose. *Well, hot guy, don’t complain now.* “I told you, Bambi. And you always worry too much about things you shouldn’t,” he said, stroking my back and kissing my temple. We sat in silence for a while, but then I finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering me the whole way. “Jay?” “What is it, darling?” “Why did you… agree to bring me here? You were so afraid to take me out of the clinic…” “I just…” He started and fell silent, as if searching for words — a sure sign he was hiding something from me again. But this time it wasn’t a secret to me. I smiled sadly, pulling back a little to look into my husband’s gentle eyes. “I… don’t have much time left, do I? So you decided… to fulfill my last wish?” A whole ocean of pain stirred in Jay’s warm eyes, but he quickly hid it behind his thick lashes and whispered hoarsely, pulling me even closer as if trying to protect me from this cruel reality: “Don’t think about that, baby.” “So that’s how it is. My heart is already failing, and soon I…” I took a shuddering breath, unable to finish. Jay pulled me tightly against him and exhaled in a cracked voice broken by overwhelming emotions: “Shh, my love… Don’t say that. And don’t even think it, do you understand me? I forbid it. I will save you, do you hear? I will save you at any cost. My heart will beat for both of us… just don’t leave me. Don’t run away from me, you stubborn fawn… I searched for you for so long…” Burning tears welled up in my eyes again. I hugged him as tightly as I could and whispered with trembling lips: “If only you knew how much I want to stay with you… to live this whole life… together with you… My love… Your heart is so big, so warm and loving…” “And it’s yours… Just hold on to me, and I will never let you fall…” His quiet whisper stirred my hair as his gentle fingers wandered through it, soothing me and making me forget all my fears and worries, taking me back to that night when he had first said those words to me. “…I will never let you fall…” Jay had promised me on that distant summer night when we were watching “chick flicks” and he pretended to be a cat, shamelessly sprawling on my lap and demanding pets. That time now seemed like a distant, half-forgotten dream, but since then he had never once broken his promise. He caught me every time I was about to fall, and his arms — which were now stroking my hair so tenderly — never let me forget how much strength they held. How tightly they could hold on. And they held me. Tightly, securely, in a trap of love and care, never releasing me from the warm embrace that had become home so quickly, as if my place had always been there. Even though I had resisted for so long, once I fell into them, there was no escaping. Jay had chained me to himself with the strongest chains — love — and held me close to his heart, not letting me fall, not letting me give up or plunge into the abyss, even when I really wanted to and had almost no strength left to fight. He fought for me. And his hot heart had long been beating for both of us. Feeling him gently stroke my shoulders and the back of my head, I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with his scent, nuzzled into his warm neck, and whispered: “Remember that evening when you promised me this and spent half an hour trying to convince me to become your girlfriend?” Jay pulled back slightly and raised an eyebrow, smiling as he looked at me from under his lashes and the dark lock that had fallen over his gentle eyes. He waited silently for another “confession of the century.” I sighed and continued: “You also arrogantly declared back then that I was already yours from our very first meeting…” The arch of his dark eyebrow became sharper, and his smile brighter, as if he already knew what I was about to say but wanted to hear it from me and had no intention of making it easier. So I had to continue since I had started this conversation. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but… you were right even then, even though I refused to admit it until the very end…” I looked away, unable to withstand the intensity of his piercing gaze, and bit my lip, not understanding why I was so nervous. We had been intimate, we were married, and Jay knew more about me than anyone else, but confessing my feelings to him was still terrifyingly embarrassing. But then his warm lips softly touched my forehead. He pulled me closer and whispered quietly and unbearably tenderly: “What a silly girl you are… Silly Bambi. I already felt it back then. I saw it in your eyes. I knew you liked me and that sooner or later you would give in — though it could have happened much earlier if you weren’t so stubborn.” I quietly snorted and poked his chest with my index finger, grumbling: “You’re not the only one with character, you know? And you’re not the only stubborn one — stubborn as a ram.” At the comparison to a ram, Jay chuckled cheerfully into the top of my head, ruffling my hair with his warm breath and laughing softly. But I still had more to say, so I continued, mumbling into his collarbones: “And I already told you… Someone had to knock some of that arrogance out of you, because everything came too easily to you just because of your pretty face. You yourself admitted that girls always fell into your bed with just a snap of your fingers… So you’re still a shameless, cheeky, and terribly self-confident guy. And the fact that I agreed to marry you doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten that, got it? So don’t you dare relax, Dr. McFell.” Hearing this, he laughed louder and gathered me into a suffocatingly tight embrace. When I squeaked in quiet protest, pushing against his shoulders, he whispered with a smile: “Alright, alright, Bambi, shh, or you’ll grumble me to death… I got it, I got it, really. I was unbearable, arrogant, and clingy. I charged forward like a tank, not giving you peace in your own home… and kept knocking you off your feet, which made you fall and get even angrier with me… I’m sorry, little one… I know my behavior back then could hardly be called ideal or even acceptable, but I just wanted you so much… I was obsessed with you… and didn’t want to notice that I was only scaring and pushing you away…” I pressed my palm to his soft lips, shook my head, and whispered with a smile: “I was never afraid of you. I got angry, irritated, but never afraid, no… What scared me more were my own feelings that you awakened in me. I didn’t trust you, but I fell more and more under your charm and charisma and got angry at myself for not being able to handle it. You’re… a real devil, darling… But such a charming one… And as a tank, you were very gentle — I can’t argue with that. And our first kiss…” I bit my lip again, seeing that he was staring straight at them, undoubtedly remembering what I was talking about. “I… really liked kissing you… Even though I slapped you and ran away, but… I was just very scared that all these unfamiliar feelings would drag me to the bottom and I wouldn’t be able to get out if I gave in too easily. I was insanely afraid of that, but… I wanted it just as much. I wanted… you.” My husband’s eyes flashed as if he had finally heard what he had wanted for a very long time. He leaned toward me, gently gripping my chin with warm fingers, and whispered right against my lips, burning me with dark fire from under his thick lashes: “I knew that a long time ago too, baby… The body never lies… And yours that night told me everything I wanted to hear…” He touched my lips with a soft kiss, never breaking eye contact, then sighed quietly and pressed his forehead to mine, whispering: “I understood that you just needed time to acknowledge these feelings and accept them, but I never knew how to wait when I wanted something. And I wanted you more than I had ever wanted anyone in my life.” My heart fluttered and clenched from the sincerity of his quiet words. I cradled his handsome face in my palms and whispered almost soundlessly: “Really..?” Jay closed his eyes and smiled, covering my hand with his and pressing it to his cheek while still holding me tightly around the waist with his other arm. “Really, my love. I had never loved anyone before you. After everything we’ve been through… do you still doubt it?” I took a shuddering breath, letting his quiet confession sink into my heart and stay there forever, then shook my head. Jay kissed my palm without taking his dark, gentle eyes off my face. “My good girl…” he whispered tenderly, kissing the pulsing vein on my wrist. Then he looked up at me, flashing a boyish smile, and purred seductively: “But since tonight is the night of confessions, maybe there’s something else I should know about you that you simply forgot to tell me, hm?” I bit my lip, understanding that I had already told him everything I thought I would never confess, even under threat of death. So, to lighten the mood a little, I hid a teasing smile in the corners of my lips and said: “I already confessed that you caught my eye at first sight, but you were so self-confident and arrogant that on the very first day I nicknamed you ‘cheeky brunette.’” Jay snorted and buried his face in my temple, chuckling quietly: “Just ‘cheeky’? I thought you had much more… colorful epithets for me.” “Such as?” I asked innocently (to my own detriment), biting my lip so I wouldn’t laugh. His smile turned completely hooligan-like. He leaned in and whispered several words in my ear that instantly set my cold cheeks on fire. The most decent of them was “horndog” — which, to be honest, had often crossed my mind about him — but everything else was so vulgar and obscene that I indignantly smacked his shoulder. Then, with a quiet embarrassed squeak, I covered my face with my hands, shaking with silent laughter. *God… Jay being Jay.* He really was still the same cheeky hooligan who hadn’t given me a moment’s peace that summer and never abandoned his hooligan nature, even in such sweet moments. A big bad tiger. A very… very bad one. I couldn’t calm down, burying my face in his shoulder and continuing to giggle quietly. The culprit of my burning cheeks was also trying to hide his laughter in my hair, possessively pulling me — who had slid a bit off his lap during our squirming — closer to his warm, broad chest. “Well, Bambi, did I guess right?” he asked once I had finally calmed down a little, stroking my back with slow, hypnotic movements. I shook my head, looking at my smiling husband through my fingers, still not daring to remove them from my burning face, and grumbled, biting my lip so I wouldn’t laugh again: “I didn’t even know such words back then! And even if I had, I was too well-mannered to say them out loud — unlike you, you hooligan! How did you even have the nerve to say something like that?” Jay chuckled quietly, kissed the tip of my nose, and shrugged with a carefree smile. “I’m just honest, sweetheart, you know that. I always call things what they are. And something tells me I wasn’t far from the truth. Go on, admit it… didn’t you ever call me what I said?” “Well…” I bit my lip again, wondering how my beloved husband always managed to talk me into confessing all my secrets like at a confessional. It happened again now, and I sighed and admitted: “Maybe… just once. In the dark. Under the blanket. No one heard it except Jaedi, I swear.” Jay’s eyes flashed with dark, scorching fire. He moved closer, never taking his darkened gaze off my lips, and purred hoarsely almost against them: “And what exactly were you doing in the dark… under the blanket, thinking about me and calling me that… unacceptable-for-a-good-girl word?” His voice dropped to a languid, tempting purr of a big predatory cat, somehow becoming even lower and more velvety. I fleetingly thought that such a tone was only for whispering sweet nothings and dirty things in dark boudoirs, not for talking to good girls. But Jay had truly and thoroughly corrupted me, which was why I was here now — with a wedding ring on my finger, sitting on the lap of the cheekiest of all cheeky brunettes this world had ever seen. He stared at me without looking away and smiled like a true devil, once again confirming his reputation as a bad boy — a reputation he had never abandoned. I, as if enchanted, stared back at him. I looked and couldn’t get enough, once again amazed at how beautiful he was. And I couldn’t look away either, helplessly drowning in the dark, bottomless pool of his beloved eyes. But after what felt like another eternity of us simply staring at each other, forgetting the rest of the world, I finally managed to escape the captivity of his gaze. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog that had filled it, and declared arrogantly to this demon-tempter: “Oh no, I’m definitely never telling you that, don’t even hope!” Oops. Apparently… too arrogantly. The word “never” from my lips automatically became a challenge for Jay that he couldn’t resist. He immediately gathered me into his arms, buried his face in my neck, and breathed hotly against it: “Never? Are you sure? And what if I do this? Will you become more talkative, hm?” His lips playfully nipped at the delicate skin of my neck right under my ear. I involuntarily gasped and clutched his shoulders, tilting my head back into his waiting palm and surrendering to this desired captivity. Surrendering without a fight, as always. “So, baby? Are you going to talk, or should I use more effective methods of extracting information?” Jay purred hoarsely, sliding his slightly parted velvety lips along my neck, barely pulling away as he caressed me with kisses and warm, uneven breath. Suddenly it became incredibly difficult to speak — or even think. He gently fisted my hair at the back of my head, turning my face the way he wanted, and burned my neck with another wet kiss. My eyes suddenly refused to open. “Jay… St… op…” I heard my own breathless voice as if from the side and didn’t even recognize it. But of course he had no intention of stopping, playing with me, teasing me, and driving me completely crazy. “You want me to stop? Then talk, sweet girl… You know I won’t let up… I’ll kiss you until you’re trembling and won’t stop until you confess…” His hot whisper in my ear sent a treacherous shiver down my spine. I exhaled raggedly, clutching his shirt with fingers that were now trembling for an entirely different reason than the cold: “You’re… just shameless… You know that? And… it seems… you’re getting worse and worse… with every passing day…” His velvety lips were already passionately exploring my neck and collarbones. Although I was sure that after our first night together there wasn’t a single spot on my body he hadn’t studied and caressed. My bad tiger gently bit the most sensitive spot where my pulse went wild under his lips and whispered hoarsely: “Well… I’m afraid… there’s nothing to be done about that, Bambi… But for you… I can be anything… as long as you’re happy…” “I… am already happy… my dearest…” I whispered on an exhale, feeling another soft kiss in the curve of my shoulder. I took a shuddering breath and obediently offered my neck to his insatiable, greedy lips. I fleetingly thought it was good that it was already so late and there was no one else on the observation deck besides us. No one could see us, because what Jay was whispering to me and what we were doing right now was meant only for the walls of his bedroom, not for strangers’ ears and eyes. Rising with slow, tender kisses up my neck, he gently gripped my chin and left a long, gentle kiss on my parted lips. Then he whispered hoarsely: “My beloved… my tender girl… I won’t give you to anyone. Not even the Angel of Death. You’re mine, do you hear? Mine. Forever.” My throat tightened from the tsunami of feelings that washed over me. With a quiet sob, I buried my face in his warm neck and breathed out almost soundlessly: “Will you… remember our story?” Jay froze, exhaled raggedly, then pulled back, tilting my face up. Looking straight into my soul with a gaze that made me tremble, he said firmly: “Our story isn’t over yet, Bambi. And I won’t let it end like this, barely having begun… I promised you, remember? Our love won’t become a tragedy… Just believe in me, baby… Believe in us, please… Never let go of my hand… and together we will be able to rewrite our stars…” “But… how? There’s almost no hope left… You don’t tell me anything, but… I… feel that… My time is almost up, and you still haven’t found a donor, right?” There wasn’t a hint of reproach in my voice, only boundless exhaustion. But Jay’s face twisted as if from unbearable pain. He pulled me to him impulsively, sheltering me in his warm, strong embrace. Pressing my head to his shoulder, he whispered hoarsely: “There is always hope, my love… Your heart is still beating, which means… we still have time… I will find a donor, I swear to you. Don’t worry about anything. I. Will. Save. You.” I didn’t answer, only hugged him tighter, silently showing that I believed him unconditionally. For some time we sat in silence. His gentle hands slowly wandered through my loose hair, soothing and lulling me, wordlessly convincing me that everything would still be alright. But after a few minutes he pulled back slightly and frowned. He stroked my cheek, wiping away a hot, salty trail I hadn’t even noticed, and whispered softly: “Don’t cry, little one.” “I’m sorry…” I bit my trembling lips. He pulled me close again, softly kissing my forehead with a quiet: “Don’t apologize, silly…” But when he pulled back, still cradling my face in his warm palms, the corners of his soft lips twitched into a smile. He tilted his head and said quietly: “By the way… how about another deal, Bambi?” Hearing this, I couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh and shook my head, looking at him reproachfully: “You said our previous deal was the last one!” But he just smiled carelessly and shrugged: “What can I do? Circumstances have changed a bit.” I rolled my eyes. “You cunning rascal! You always find a way to wriggle out and turn everything to your advantage… Fine, tell me the terms of *this* ‘last’ deal,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes, although the smile stubbornly refused to leave my lips. Jay closed his eyes for a moment as if gathering strength, then cradled my face in his large, warm palms. Looking into my eyes with a gaze full of hidden longing and tenderness, he whispered: “The terms are extremely simple, baby. You will simply live… for a very, very long time… and I… will love you… for my whole life… What do you say?” I bit my lip, feeling hot tears flow down my cold cheeks again, dripping onto his hands. Burning… with their bitterness. It was unbearable to look at him when he looked at me *like that* — as if I were his whole world and he noticed nothing else around him. “If only I could, my dearest…” I whispered almost soundlessly, biting my trembling, tear-soaked lips. “If only I could… I would give absolutely everything I have just to… live this life together with you…” Jay took a shuddering breath and pressed his forehead to mine, gently stroking my cheeks and wiping away my tears. “I know, little one… Believe me, I know… but taking care of you is my job, so don’t worry about anything anymore. I will save you, my love… I promise. I. Will. Save. You. So… don’t cry anymore… please… don’t cry…” His warm lips tenderly touched mine. His careful hands wiped away the last of my tears, and he whispered with a gentle smile: “Better look at the stars… After all, that’s why we came here in such cold weather, but we completely forgot about them…” I finally lifted my eyes to the sky and realized that the stars tonight were truly incredible. They sparkled like diamonds on the dark blue velvet of the night sky, and even the bright lights of the never-sleeping metropolis couldn’t overshadow their glow. But brighter than even the December stars were Jay’s eyes, which looked only at me. I felt his gaze full of love and adoration on me like a scorching caress sliding like velvet over my skin. I melted from his warmth and tenderness, even despite the winter cold. Warm. Always so warm. My... personal sun. “God… it’s so beautiful… Isn’t it?” I breathed out in awe, barely audibly sighing, and laid my head on his shoulder, admiring the myriads of silver grains lost in the endless depths of distant space. “It is, Bambi,” Jay whispered with a smile, hugging me even tighter — though he still looked only at me. “You’re not even looking,” I grumbled with a sigh and turned my gaze back to his handsome, focused face. But he only smiled softly and shrugged, stroking my cheek. “I only want to look at you, baby. You are the only star I want to admire for the rest of my life.” I bit my lip so I wouldn’t start crying again from his quiet, sincere words and the tender look in his eyes. I stroked his cheek and whispered: “You always know what to say to touch my heart… Thank you, my dearest. You have no idea how grateful I am… for everything you do for me every day…” He pressed his cheek to my palm and covered it with his own, stroking my knuckles while looking at me from under his lashes with a gentle, piercing gaze. “How could I do otherwise, Rosé? You are… the most precious thing in my life…” “I don’t deserve you,” I repeated and smiled weakly, feeling his warm lips brush feather-light across the center of my palm, leaving an invisible burning trace and a tender kiss along with a quiet grumble: “Silly girl… Love doesn’t need to be deserved… It just exists. And in my heart there is so much of it that it’s enough for both of us… I love you… so much… more than life.” There he went again. For what was probably the thousandth time, he confessed his love to me, and I still couldn’t find the courage to say those three words he had waited so long to hear from me. I took a deep breath, firmly deciding to finally fix this, but suddenly my chest tightened as if in a vise. I squeezed my eyes shut from a new wave of sharp, burning pain, held my breath, and buried my face in his neck, trembling all over and desperately hoping he would blame it on the cold. And this time it seemed he did. Jay didn’t pay much attention to it. He only pulled me closer, stroked my back, and asked with concern in his voice: “Are you cold, kitten? I’m such an idiot… I should have brought a blanket from the car. Wait a bit? I’ll go get it.” But I shook my head negatively, slipping my frozen hands under his open jacket and hugging him as tightly as I could, making it clear I wasn’t letting him go anywhere for any blanket. “Everything’s fine, my love… you don’t need to go anywhere. You… are warmer than any blanket. It’s just… the wind got stronger,” I whispered, laying my head on his shoulder. I still didn’t dare open my eyes and tried to steady my breathing, which had been disrupted by the pain. He exhaled loudly, clearly not fully convinced by my words, but didn’t argue. He brushed his warm lips across my cheek and said with a smile in his voice: “Open your eyes, my love, or you’ll miss everything… What if a star falls while you’re not looking? You wanted to make a wish so badly…” My heart clenched again, but this time not from pain — from memories of us, of which there were so many and yet so few at the same time. I exhaled and wrapped my arms around his neck: “You are my only wish… You are what I have always wanted, even though I didn’t realize it until you burst into my life like a spring wind… playful, warm… and incredibly clingy.” Jay smirked at that. I smiled weakly, pulled back a little, and added while stroking his warm cheek and gazing enchanted into his beloved gentle eyes that sparkled brighter than the distant stars I had wanted to see so much: “And just as incredibly tender… Though I realized that much later.” He raised a challenging eyebrow, biting his lip to hide an even more challenging half-smirk, and asked seductively, pulling me closer again: “And when exactly did this obvious fact finally dawn on you — the one I told you about more than once, by the way?” I smiled, lowered my lashes for a moment, then looked at him with a sly smile. “Remember that evening when I had a terrible migraine?” My husband’s gaze warmed. He tenderly tucked a stray strand behind my ear, stroked my cheek, and whispered: “Of course I remember, little one. That evening really was… unforgettable.” I chuckled cheerfully and rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes, unforgettable is the word. But… you helped me that time. For the first time. Without your vulgar jokes and provocations and… you seemed so adult, serious, and caring to me. I have to admit… I appreciated it. Even though I wasn’t going to tell you about it.” Jay’s eyes flashed and dangerously darkened. He pulled me closer with a predatory smile and whispered right against my lips: “You little schemer… You tormented me for so long, but it turns out you were charmed by me a long time ago… I suspected it, of course, but back then you were still stubborn and didn’t want to accept my selfless help. So who’s the really shameless one here, hm?” I snorted mockingly and lightly pushed Mr. Self-Confidence away from me: “Well, about the ‘selfless’ part I would definitely argue, darling. You never do anything without a reason, and I’m more than sure your actions had very specific goals.” He raised an eyebrow, biting his lip hard so as not to laugh. “And what goals were those? Care to enlighten me?” *As if you don’t know yourself…* “To tame me and lull my vigilance so you could later drag me to your lair and do all sorts of indecent things with me,” I declared categorically. He smirked smugly, not even trying to deny it. “You’re right about that, baby. But in my deep conviction, the end always justifies the means. Besides, all those ‘indecent things’ I did with you in my lair ended up being very much to your taste, didn’t they?” “Oh, come on!” I snorted and laughed, feeling myself blush again even though I should have long gotten used to such conversations. Jay smirked, pulling me close again and trapping me in his strong embrace. I sighed, sinking back into memories, and whispered with a smile: “Tae seemed to be in shock for the first time when he found us in the living room, sitting in an embrace instead of arguing until we were hoarse. I think he even thought he had the wrong house. Or the wrong sister…”