There's not a night that passes by where Seulgi would neglect to throw open the French doors to her small, cozy villa, opening her living room to greet the starry sky hanging from above with the silver moon (tonight a beautiful, rich waxing gibbous) illuminating the navy world. It is her absolute favorite moment of the day, a little after eight o'clock, when she would be just about done with washing the dishes after a warm, hearty meal but before she would retreat inside to draw a bath to end the day. Feeling the soft breeze kiss her cheeks as it wafts into her home, Seulgi can't help but concede to the magnetic attraction tugging on her soul and luring her outside. She quickly races over to her closet, grabbing the blanket tucked away at the bottom, used only for special occasions like this, and scurries towards the open doors, stopping at the threshold. She peers out into the night, ingesting the absolute serenity and tranquility of the summer evening. Slowly, like dipping her foot into a pool to test the waters, she steps down, feeling the lush grass prick the bottom of her bare feet.

The comfort of her home begins to withdraw its hold of her and the brusque reality causes her to shiver. The confrontation of the unknown easily intimidates her and she could retreat back to safety, but there's a warm streak of light flickering in the distance that erases all of her apprehension and anxiety, calming her down.

Shifting through the meadows, the tickling of the tough grass creeps from the crevices of her toes and feet up to her exposed knees. The clean-cut lawn encircling her home had slowly evolved into a wall of feral wild bushes, dividing the land between the beach and private residences. Breaking through the barrier, Seulgi makes it down to the shoreline with the blanket wrapped around her. The draft near the water is nippier than back near her house, so she wraps the blanket tighter, snuggling deeper into the fuzzy throw.

He's standing there, about ankle-deep in the waters, with hands tucked in his pockets and head tilted all the way back as he admires a billion specks of white adorning the sky. Too entranced with the celestial dust, he fails to detect her presence as she tiptoes over to him. It isn't until he's engulfed in the blanket with her, feeling her warmth seeping into his skin and igniting his chilled body into a subtle flame, that he wakes from his mesmerizing trance and peers back.

"Oh," his voice croaks, the air choking a little from being silent for too long. "You're here." Still enchanted by the night, his movements are sluggish at first when he breaks his arms free from her hold and tugs her forward to get her in front; her small body finds refuge in the cave he builds around her. He absentmindedly tucks his chin in the crook of her neck—something he was so used to doing that it required little thought—and she feels his warm breath fusing in with her own as he rests his head there.

"It's been so long since it's been this quiet," Jimin whispers as he gently begins nuzzling against her.

"And just the two of us too," she adds with a soft chuckle at the end, causing the young man to lift his head so he now had his plump lips pressed against her cheek. With the slightest of movements, he would be showering her with endless, butterfly kisses.

Under his embrace, Seulgi could feel the warmth radiating from his body heat slowly sink into her sink and trickle its way until it reaches her heart, baking it until the organ reaches its boiling point. Then it would start to vibrate, beating and fluttering inside the confinements of her chest, as the excess heat of their boiling love searches for a way to escape her body. She wouldn't need the blanket anymore, since she was warm enough now, however, Jimin kept it tightly wrapped around them in order to retain the exchanged heat.

Together they breathe a unified sigh as they admire the art surrounding them. The saltiness of the crashing waves embalms the whimsical summer air, inviting them to immerse themselves into the natural world. From their lookout point, there is nothing but the water, moon, and stars staring back at them—something they're unused to since there were always at least a dozen pair of eyes on them during the daytime.

They stand there for what seems like eternity, breathing in each other's scent, listening to the nightfall's orchestrations, and becoming enchanted by the mysticism of love. It isn't until Seulgi promptly lifts her feet out of the waters and experiences the uncomfortable pruning of her toes when she starts to emerge from under Jimin's hold.

"I don't want to go yet," Jimin says, trying to pull her back and Seulgi lets out a gentle laugh allowing herself to be reeled back in. "Let's stay here a little while longer."

"Jimin," she beckons, "our feet are pruning up,"

"So what?" He counters, burying his face into her windblown hair. It smelled sweet from her signature fragrance, but also a little salty from the sea. "I don't want to leave," he confesses, "Not yet, it's too soon. Time flew by way too fast."

"Jimin-ah, if I don't stop you, you're never going to let me go," Seulgi teases.

"And that's because I don't ever want to let you go. You're mine and I'm yours forever. I love you too too much to let you go." Jimin says, craning his neck forward so his lips meets her cheek again, and begins peppering her with innocent kisses.

Squirming, she tries to break free, avoiding the kisses because they were tickling her.

"Ah, stop it, Jimin—it tickles!" She shrieks, kicking her feet around and causing the water to splash  upwards, hitting them. This only encourages Jimin, as he traces a trail down her neck until he reaches her collarbone, conceding only when Seulgi refers to her last resort and pinches him.

He freezes, allowing her to swiftly spin in his arms and trade the oceanic view with the sight of his moonlit gleam of affection. Within a heartbeat, her lips come crashing into his before he could say anything. Startled by her bold movement, it takes Jimin a moment to process what was happening before he finally returns the kiss, following her movements and shaping into his half of the mold.

Only when their lungs are set afire and their bodies have to physically wedge them apart—crying out for air—do they separate. Breaking away, they mirror themselves, observing each other's swollen lips with lust-filled gazes while catching their breaths.

"I love you, Jimin," Seulgi announces, after calming down. She reaches up to cup his cheeks and places another quick peck on his lips, spreading a smile across Jimin's face as she parts.

"And I love you," he recites.

"Yes, which is why even though we don't like it, tomorrow is going to okay. These next few months are going to be okay."

"I know," Jimin says, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into a tight embrace. He her hair as he murmurs, "but I still hate the fact that I have to be away from you for so long. One of the downsides of touring."

She chuckles, "I remember you used to love touring. You used to love leaving and traveling overseas."

"Yeah, but that was long before I had you to come home to." He shyly admits, placing a soft kiss against her temple. "Come on, let's head back in now. I believe a warm bath awaits for you."

Hand-in-hand, he leads her out of the waters and the two of them creep back to the house, trudging up the sandy beach, passing through the grassy meadows and returning to the open set of French doors. The leaking vanilla glow from the entryway signals the sense of sanctuary and soon enough, as they enter their home, their apprehensive thoughts dissipate. Time stills for a moment and allows them to soak in the enchantment of being in love with one another. Surrounding them, propped all around the house, are mementos of their unchanging longing for one another. From mounted photographs to displayed gifts, their home harbors so many artifacts showcasing their unconditional yearning for each other and it makes Seulgi realize the severity of Jimin's dilemma.

Instead of parting ways and heading towards the bathroom to draw herself a bath, Seulgi unravels them from the throw, tossing it haphazardly onto the couch, and, with both hands, tugs Jimin into the bedroom. Although slightly puzzled, he follows her lead and collapses onto the bed together, with Seulgi clinging onto him like a koala bear.

"I don't want you to go either," she whispers her confession after a couple minutes of silence. He's her hair while staring at the ceiling. "My heart feels so heavy and it hurts if I let you go. It's always hard to let you leave."

"Jagi—"

"—and I know you'll come back. You always do, safe and sound, but still, it doesn't hide the fact that it hurts really bad every time you leave." The last trail of her thoughts are muffled as she turns and buries her face into Jimin's chest, completely drowning herself in scent and being. "I love you too, too much to let you go."

Jimin doesn't say anything for the while Seulgi spends engulfed in the fabric of his shirt. She is slowly suffocating as she buries herself in him, yet she refuses to resurface for a breath—too stubborn to release him. That is until she feels his body suddenly start to shake, causing her to peak her head up and inhale a big gulp of air.

He's laughing; the young man was laughing, hysterically, besides her. She feels her cheeks flush a little, for even though it was highly unlikely that he was laughing at her confession, there was still a slight possibility.

"What? Why are you laughing?" She asks, peering up at him. He refuses to meet eye contact and simply shakes his head in response, apparently still finding whatever he was giggling about to be funny. "Are you laughing at me? I sound a little bit like a fool, don't I?" Joining him, a soft chuckle escapes her lips. Almost immediately, Jimin stops and looks down at her with widen eyes.

"No, no, no, babe. I'm not laughing at you," he quickly reassures, squeezing her closer. "Well, actually, maybe—I'm laughing at us. We're terrible at this. I mean, look at us, we're going in circles here. If anything, we're both fools." The clarification instantly lifts her dampened spirits and soon her bell-like giggles are resonated throughout the entire room, eventually fusing with his as he joins her.

"We love each other just too much, it's sickening," Seulgi admits with a grin. "You know, I wasn't always like this. It wasn't until I met you and you started influencing me with your clinginess, now look at me! I'm hanging onto you like a sloth on a tree branch."

"Oh, please. Don't go trying to make excuses for the simple fact that you just fell too easily for my irresistible charms," Jimin teases, sticking out his tongue.

"Right, right, right. Whatever helps you sleep at night, babe." She retorts, before leaning her head back and staring at the ceiling. Another period of silence partakes them as they allow the serenity of the night to finally calm them down and unwind them from the long day.

* * *

"Jimin," Seulgi's voice croaks out one more time after what seems like eternity.

"Yeah?" He responses. Theirs eyes are still settled on the blank canvas of the ceiling.

"I love you,"

"Too, too much."