He woke before she did and went to the same store he’d gotten the beer the night before and picked up a few groceries. He wanted to make her breakfast before she went down to get the shop and studio all set up. He knew some of her favorite foods so he got the stuff to make omurice, grilled fish and a few ready made sides. He also picked out some cleaning supplies and a few tools in case she needed them down stairs. He headed back and went upstairs, thank god Kaye had given everyone a key when they were unpacking the week before. It had been so hard for him to pretend he didn’t know she was coming but Kaye had threatened him with bodily harm.

He started the omurice and found a pan to cook the fish. After everything was ready he ran down to the cafe next door and got a couple of coffees. As he walked back around to head upstairs he spied something in the vintage store he knew he would have to come back for later after they opened. When he got upstairs he went to wake her, she had shifted after he got out of bed and was spread eagle on the bed. He sat down beside her and brushed her curls out of her face and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. Her eyes flutttered open and she smiled at him.

“Good morning, Lee Minwoo.” She rolled over and sat up and stretched. She felt well rested and something smelled good. “What’s that smell? It smells like some tasty food.” He grinned at her.

“I made breakfast, why don’t you go eat and then we can head down to work on the shop.” she hopped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. He heard an excited cry and he knew she had found the coffee. He went to look at her; he found her with the lid of the cup off and watched as she breathed in deep before she took a sip and immediately burned her tongue. He hurried to get her a glass of cold water out of the fridge and when he brought it over she gulped it gratefully.

“Damn that was good.” She set the water down and sipped the coffee more carefully this time. He pulled her chair out so she could sit down and eat. She attacked the omurice with apparent hunger and looked up at him. “Do I have ketchup?” He went to the fridge and pulled out the packets of ketchup that had come with their fries. He handed them to her and and watched as opened each one and spread it over the egg and rice on her plate. He used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish and fed it t her. He loved to watch her eat, it was like she made sure to enjoy every bite and flavor completely.

“Did you put onions in the rice?” She takes a drink of water and eats another piece of the fish. He nodded and she grinned.

“Next time…..use more.” She finished her omurice and sat back to drink her coffee and watch him eat.

“Shouldn’t you be more careful?” He tried to bring the subject up carefully. “Rice is a carb after all.”

She shrugged and grinned at him, “We are gonna burn it off getting the studio setup so I’m not too worried.” She reached out an picked up the last piece of fish and broke it in half and put half on his plate and popped the other in . He chuckled and finished his food.

“Wow you made quick work of that. Do you want a shower before we head downstairs?” She shook her head.

“Nope, just gonna get all sweaty anyways. I need to grab a scarf for my hair and we can head down and look to see where stuff will fit, then we come back up and start taking boxes downstairs. Thanks for staying to help me. I’ll be nice and buy you lunch if you do a good job.” She stood and went past him to go to the bathroom. He snagged her wrist and pulled her back and into his lap and hugged her tight. He smiled and kissed her cheek. “Have I told you how much I like you, Maggie?” She nodded her head and giggled. “I figured it had to be a lot since you asked me to move to Seoul on our first date.” She slipped free and ran to brush her teeth as he laughed and started to clear the table off and wash their dishes while she got ready. She put on deodorant and pulled a bright orange bandana out of a drawer and folded it, wrapped it around her head and tied a bow on top. She ran to her bedroom to grab socks and shoes. When she got back out he waited by the front door with the bags of cleaning supplies and some drinks he’d gotten this morning. With a grin at the bandana on her head he opened the door and together they headed downstairs to get started in the studio.

She unlocked the front doors and opened them to let the fresh morning air in; the space had been empty for awhile and the air smelled musty. The smell of coffee from next door drifted in and she stood at the door and smiled happily. She turned and smiled at him. “Okay, lets do this!”

They found a closet that had some cleaning tools in it and he got busy with the broom and swept the floor while she wiped all the tables down and washed the windows. They used a bucket to bring hot water from the studio bathroom and the floor soap he bought and she mopped the floor while he went out to sweep the sidewalk outside. It was early and there weren’t many people out yet. She ran over and got more coffee while they waited for the floor to dry and he stepped out back to smoke.

“Hi, I’m Maggie. I just moved in next door,” she smiled at the elderly lady behind the counter at the cafe.

“Oh that’s nice, I hope you like it and have success there. What kind of shop are you going to open.” The woman was curious about the curly headed woman that would be her new neighbor.

“I make and sell jewelry, I just moved here from California.” Maggie looked at the menu and decided to get two huge iced coffees and some cookies. She was already hungry again. The woman got her order and threw in a few extra cookies.

“Well, you have a great day. Let me know when you open and I’ll send some coffee and pastries over.” Maggie smiled at her and went back over. The floor was dry and she found Minwoo on a ladder as he changed some lights that were out along the brick wall. He smiled down at her as she walked in.

“You were gone for a while…introducing yourself to your new neighbor?” He came down and took a coffee from her. “What’s in the bag?” He tried to open it and she pulled it away from him.

“Mine! These cookies are mine and you can’t have any.” She pulled one out and took a bite as he looked at her and made a pouty face. She finished the cookie and pulled out another one and by putting it near his lips then pulling it away. She giggled at the sad look on his face.

“Now that’s enough”, he gripped her wrist lightly next time she put it by his mouth and took a bite and kissed her fingertips. A shiver went down her spine and she almost dropped the cookie. He bit his lip as he looked at her and reached up to take the cookie from her. “Sorry….I wasn’t thinking.” She exhaled and smiled at him, “Don’t worry about…..you’re so hard to resist.” She grinned and took the cookie back and got up and walked away as she ate it. He watched her and mentally kicked his own . He should have been more careful, she had clear boundaries and he needed to be careful not to overstep. She was probably vulnerable from telling him in the first place. He shrugged and grabbed another cookie and followed her.

“So when did you want to go get the wood for the shelves?” They stood in front of the brick wall together.

“I need to get some measurements and then I’ll have what I need delivered. I was also thinking about changing my plan anyway. I want to be able to move my supplies around easily so I’m going to look for some carts with shelves for that and just use the shelves on this wall to display my pieces.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “You don’t listen very well do you?” She tried to grab the cookie out of his hand but he shoved the rest into his mouth and grinned at her. As he chewed it he had an idea. “You could do some lighting on the shelves, to highlight your work.” She looked at him confused, she couldn’t picture it. He looked around and saw the notebook with her plans and checklists and went to grab it. He started to draw a quick sketch. It showed the wall with shelves attached along it. “You could buy some LED light strips and attach them to the bottom of each shelf so they shine on the shelf under it.” She got it and grinned at him. “Wow, you’re smart today….did you eat walnuts before breakfast?” He tried not to laugh and failed miserably. Once they calmed down she looked at her list. “Well it’s time to start bringing things down. Let's get this done so we can have lunch. I’m sure you have things to do besides this all day.” They headed upstairs and started to bring the boxes down. It went quickly with both of them and he watched as she walked around and tried to figure out the best place to set the cameras and lights up.

He told her he would be right back and ran next door to the vintage clothing store. He went in and asked about the item he’d seen in the window. The salesgirl went and got it so he could look at up close. He grinned and nodded. It was perfect and he knew she would love it. He picked out a few other things and had it all gift wrapped. He paid and walked back next door and found her on her phone. He snuck up behind her to see what was so interesting. She looked at furniture online and made notes about prices and styles. He set the gift wrapped box in her lap and grinned. She turned to look at him and opened the box, nestled in a bed of cotton was a trio of vintage brooches. The first was a butterfly or a moth, he wasn’t sure. The second was crescent shaped with plastic gems dangling off it and the third was an orange modern piece that had caught his attention in the first place with it’s bright color. She picked each one up and looked at it carefully and smiled.

“You saw my collection when you helped everyone unpack my stuff didn’t you?” She was touched that he had taken the time to pick out something she would really like. She turned and cupped his face gently. “Minwoo…..I love them….thank you.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and smiled again and let his face go. His heart pounded in his chest, never had a simple kiss meant so much to him before. He put his arms around her and pulled her close for a gentle hug before he pulled back. “I’m glad you like them. I wanted to get you something for your apartment but what girl doesn’t love bright, shiny things.” She grinned at him, “You saw my glitter…..oh wow, we should probably check those resin pieces, I’m sure they are more than done by now.” He nods and grins. “I can’t wait to see how that rose turned out. I can bring them by tonight. Now what’s left before we have lunch? I’ll have to go soon.” They grabbed a couple of rags and started to wipe down the walls while they talked bout what they should order for lunch.

They they ended up just going next door to grab a sandwich and took them back upstairs to eat. he watched her eyelids droop and he chuckled. “You’re like a baby……I feed you and you fall asleep on me.” She grumbled at him and went to lay on the couch. “You can let yourself out, make sure to lock it behind you.” He got up and came over and stood over and brushed a stray curl that escaped away from her cheek. “You take a nap and relax. I’ll call you later before I come over. Do you want me to bring dinner?” She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. Before his lips could touch her he felt her hand on his cheek as she guided his lips to hers. She kissed him softly and mumbled her thanks as her hand dropped to her chest and she rolled over and tucked her face into the cushion. He draped throw over her and gathered up their trash to take out with him. He glanced at her one last time as he closed the door behind himself and locked. He drove home and took a shower before he went to meet with the guys to talk about concert stuff.

(every time I thought this chapter was over, I found something else I wanted to add……hope you enjoy the super longness of it lol