The Body is a miraculous item of study. Inside, we have these little chemical messengers that act on receptors to tell us: wake! At the same time, they tell us: sleep! Just what are these chemical messengers that run around us like tiny men in a sleep-wake factory?

First, when we are getting ready to sleep, Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland to send us a message telling us that it is time to sleep. Their levels increase as the level of darkness increases.

Once our body is asleep, a surge of multiple hormones play a role. You have growth hormone from the pituitary gland telling (a child in particular) to grow and repair tissue; you have antidiuretic hormone (ADH) increasing so we don’t have to get up and pee in the middle of the night; you have oxytocin that may peak at about five hours of sleep influencing the content of our dreams.

           Suzy waits nervously outside the bathroom door. They had both returned to her house and she had changed into a comfortable pair of sweats and a sleeveless top. Her hair was tied in a bun on her head; her scalp itching to remind her that it had been a while since she washed her hair.

           However, she had more pressing matters at hand. She had told Jaebum that he was allowed to use the shower first but after drinking one too many cups of water – was so dry – she now desperately needed to use the washroom.

           The water is still running and she can slightly feel the heat escaping the warm room through the small crack of the door. It was ajar and the smell of her shampoo wafted out to meet her hose. It made her wonder if her shampoo had always been so sweet and inviting.

           As she is the only resident of the house, there was never a need for multiple bathrooms and thus her only solution is to patiently wait outside until her guest is finished.  After what felt like five minutes but in actuality five seconds, she takes a small peek into the bathroom.

           The glass shower door has been fogged up and she can only see a very hazy silhouette of its current occupant. If she were to dash in and release everything in her bladder at a fast enough speed, perhaps Jaebum would never notice that she would be in there. Just as long as she moved fast enough.

           She wanted to weigh the pros and cons of this decision but her bladder would not let her mind concentrate. Before she could control her body, she rushed into the bathroom. Everything but the feeling of pleasure from the release of the buildup of pressure in her body is forgotten. She closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

           When she is finished, she deftly stands and flushes the toilet. She momentarily leans over the toilet, reveling in the new weightlessness of her body, when the realization of the scenario she is in hits her. She had just walked into a man showering in her house. Not only that, she had used the toilet while he was washing up () less than a feet away.

           If she really didn’t get out of the bathroom now, Jaebum would definitely see her in here.

           If she really didn’t get out of the bathroom now, Jaebum would think she is a peeping tom.

           If she really didn’t get out of the bathroom now –

           It was too late, however. She heard his voice from behind her,

           “Well, this is a surprise.”

           She turns as slowly as she can.

           Jaebum stands with the white towel around his waist. He does not look much different than when she had seen him drenched by the rain, but this time she is able to smell the masculine scent of body wash off of him. The first time she was unable to help herself and glanced at his defined abdominal muscles through his soaked shirt, but this time she chose not to peel her eyes away from the sight.

           The gulp she takes makes its way slowly down .

           “I needed to use the toilet really badly,” she somehow managed to squeak.

           He tucks the end of the towel into the side all the while looking at her with a teasing smirk.

           She does not need to look in the mirror behind her to know the shade her face has turned.

           “I’ll be going now,” she murmurs and turns to leave the room.

           “Without washing your hands?” he teases her.

           As if he now was not regarding her as a full out ert, he probably thought her as unclean as well. She can’t remember what she says in response to that as she shuffles to the sink. The water is warm when it runs out of the faucet.

           Her mind is unfocused on the task in front of her as she can only think of ways to escape or talk her way out of this situation.

           “How are you supposed to wash any the germs away if you scrub like that?” she feels his voice vibrate along her back.

           She immediately tenses up when his arms wrap from behind around her. His hands gently take her slimmer hands into his own and together they move through lathering actions. He pumps the hand soap and his lips become dangerously close to her cheek when he reaches in front.

           “Clean between each finger and the side of your palm. People often forget to wash the area around the thumb and most of their less dominant hand,” he continues to lecture her.

           “Be still, my heart,” the plea only being silently voiced out in desperation.

           There is no extra cloth to wipe her hands dry and so he uses the towel around his waist instead. Each action he did only made her become ever more anxious and self-conscious.

           When he seemed satisfied with her, he let her walk away. She willed her legs to maintain its strength as she took the steps needed to exit the small steamy room.

           She is stopped again when he says, “Are you always so innocent?”

           There is a part of her that wants to turn to look at him but another part warns her that if she does, a larger temptation will face her.

           He strolls to stand before her. His eyes slowly make their way from her toes to the top of her forehead; then his gaze holds her steadily in place.

           She swallows again under his scrutiny.

           Taking a step towards her, he slides a finger under the strap of her tank top. The simple action makes her shiver.

           “Tell me, how long have you been living alone?”

           Her mind tells her not to answer him. What is she doing anyways? Just an hour ago she was thinking about Baekhyun and now she is being consumed by Jaebum.

           “How long has it been since you’ve been… touched?” his question comes out barely above a whisper – that is how close he is to her now.

           “I shouldn’t – ” her words are suffocated by his kiss.

           His lips mold until they wrap around hers. Her eyes automatically close and she falls into him with such speed that it scares her. She feels dread in her stomach but also thrill at her actions.

           He tasted warm, that is the only thing her mind is capable of detecting. Other than that, her mind could not function and she felt herself shiver in his embrace. She wonders if he has his eyes closed as well or if he was looking at her. Perhaps if she opened her eyes she would have an answer to her question yet she felt afraid of doing so.

           He pulls her waist closer to him and the dew on his chest seeps through her thin top, causing her s to become erect. He can feel them straining through the top but rather than having his hand rise up to meet it, he slides his hand deeper into her pants.

           Her body tenses up at the invasion.

           “Relax,” the single word slurs as they are passed between her lips.

           The suggestion comes in the form of a command and her body strangely listens.

           With his hand, he forcefully grips the left cheek of her behind and roughly presses her lower body into his. The simultaneous sensation of pleasure and pain runs through her body. His other free hand brushes the nape of her neck.

           Her hands act of their own accord and she finds them running through his hair. They become brushed with water and she draws a wet finger down the middle of his back. It is his moan she hears time and the thrill rushes through her body again.

           For the next few moments, the two are captivated with exploring each other’s body. She thinks that he is about to lift her shirt off when instead his hand slips through the barrier created by her underwear. She freezes again.

           His lips leave hers and trace a pathway until he stands behind her this time all the while his hand makes a crawling rotation until they rest on her lower abdominal. She places a shaking hand on top of his. She doesn’t even notice that her fingers have become icy cold.

           “Trust me,” he whispers into her ear. His voice is so low that her mind barely registers what he has said.

           Her heart rises in speed in proportion to his hand that moves out from beneath hers and continually slides downward.

<< >>

           Suzy wakes with a beating heart. Her eyes are open but they are greeted with the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars she has placed on her ceiling.

           It was all a dream.

           Her breathing fights to become regular again but the more she thinks about what she had awoken from, the more it loses in its battle.

           She knows it is all a dream, but why was it then that she still feels the pressure on her lower abdominal?

           With a snap, her mind finally reels out of its stupor and a new burn in her stomach causes her to flush again.

           She was not a . She had given that away to Baekhyun the night she realized she was truly in love with him – the night he had proposed to her. But that had happened a long time ago and since his disappearance, she had never given herself to another man. The thought had never even passed through her.

           So why was it that she had these thoughts now? Towards a man that she had only just met? Also, how was it that he could make her do something like this?

           Her hands slides out from her underwear and the band’s near soundless snap practically hands her its embarrassing reality on a gold platter.

           She couldn’t even remember the last time she had touched herself. The concept was always too taboo and awkward for her to embrace. She was also not a person that became aroused by ual thoughts yet a simple dream had made her lose control of her body.

           She wiped her wet hands on the bedsheets and turn onto her side in bed so she would no longer feel the pressure of gravity on her already tense body.

           Im Jaebum. She only invited him at the spur of the moment. They had both returned home and wordlessly showered and got into bed. She had offered to make a simple meal but he had k