Min Ah had broken up with Joon and refused to take his calls any longer, which I believe he deserved. I had work to do... a lot of it. It wasn’t anything special. I was supposed to work and so, I couldn’t go meet him. The problem was that, with the new schedule, we couldn’t do overtime during some days of the week. And, on those days, I brought work home with me. I could see the disapproval on Taekwoon’s face whenever I had my laptop open after work hours but then he just nooded to himself and walked off.

“Babe, a friend of mine is getting married in three months. Should we go to the engagement party?” Taek asked me.

“Sure, let’s go. Who is it?”

“You remember my reporter friend, Kim Namjoon? He’s getting married to Jana Adham.”

“That’s great. I liked them both the last time we met,” I told him, truthfully.

“What about your work? Do you have something on the twenty seventh?”

“I’ll take the day off, no matter what,” I assured him.

-

I had agreed to go to another wedding this month. I had no idea why so many people had to get married now but it was getting on my nerves. I had recently learnt that there was something called “wedding season” and that usually most couples marry at this time. Of course, I had not taken into account that many of the people that we knew were at the age of getting married. Which meant that we would have to attend those weddings, that I definitely thought were too public and involved way too much interaction for someone like me.

I looked up at Taekwoon who seemed to be loving all of these parties. He was asking a lot of questions, interacting with people and being an overall extrovert, which I had never seen him do before. Of course, he had been cooler than I was at all times but it was strange that he was behaving this way.

When we finally got home, I watched him change and then I watched him get into bed and I realized that he still looked sickly and pale and the persona he had put on… was just that, a mask.

“Could you please stop staring at me? I mean, I don’t mind but it’s actually starting to get really creepy and I don’t appreciate it.”

“I’m sorry,” I said and got off the bed.

“Where are you going?” He asked me.

“To a place from where I can’t stare at you,” I told him.

“Come on, babe. You know I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said, following me.

“I don’t want to go to anymore weddings, either. I’m tired of them. I don’t even know the people whose weddings we go to. First name basis does not equal friend.”

“Fine, we won’t go,” he said, taking my hand. “Is that what you’re mad about?”

“No, I’m mad that you keep talking to people and leaving me alone at these weddings. You know how difficult it is for me to manage on my own.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding colder than ever before.

“Okay, seriously, what’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I don’t know. You tell me,” he muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you want to get married?” He asked me.

“I told you, I want us to be completely settled before we commit that way,” I told him, truthfully. “It’s difficult to build a life. And, there are a lot of expectations that come with it.”

“We don’t have to meet those expectations. We just have to meet our own. If you are okay with being married to me...”

“I want to be married to you, Taek. But, I want to do it when I’m comfortable with it. And, right now, I’m not. I know it’s difficult to accept that that’s the only reason but it’s the truth and you need to accept it.”

He looked down at me, with a small smile. “Okay.”

“What?”

“I’m just getting overwhelmed. Whenever I meet my parents, they ask me the same things...”

“I understand… my parents do the same thing. And, to be honest, I just tell them we aren’t ready. I don’t know why they expect half a day to change my mind.”

He ran his right hand through my hair and then came to the bottom and curled his fingers around it. His grip tightened and he bent my head back so I was looking up at him. “You look so beautiful,” he grinned. He bent down until his face was just hovering over mine. “Even from here,” he breathed.

I smiled back at him, and then he kissed me. His lips were pressed ever so firmly upon mine. Barely moving at first and then,