Sitting at the passenger seat while watching her boyfriend fill up the tank, Yoona knew there was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be.

Guilt washed over Kris as he made his way to the living room. His girlfriend was sleeping on the white sectional sofa. He sat down and as soon as he looked at her, he immediately wished he hadn’t. Yoona looked tired even in her sleep. He knew the amount of stress she’s in, because he’s the cause of it. He felt pity for her. Compared to him, she looked so fragile, especially in her sleep. Kris let out an audible sigh. He glanced around and found that Yoona had prepared a nice candlelit dinner for them. Kris stood up and sat at the dining table. His face was crestfallen when he realized Yoona had probably spent the entire day cooking his favorite dishes. He played around with the stir fried noodle with his fork. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had let her down again.

“Where are we going?”

They have driving for hours now. Katy Perry’s song Teenage Dream was blasting through the speakers and Kris’ right hand held Yoona’s tightly while he drove with his left. Yoona was playing with the silver band on his index finger, when she asked him the question. She realized that she never asked Kris where they were off to. She started packing as soon as Kris told her that they were going on a trip yesterday while watching her favorite movie, Mamma Mia! She was so excited that they were finally going to be able to spend time with each other that she forgot to ask him where they were going. She only knew that she should pack some swimwear because Kris told her to.

“Countryside. To visit your parents.”

 Yoona was shocked. Although her parents loved Kris, she still didn’t expect that he would actually plan a trip to her hometown. Kris knew how much Yoona misses her parents and older sister. She didn’t need to tell him that. Yoona smiled, his thoughtfulness and sweetness are just a few of the many things she loves about him.

“Wait, then why’d you tell me to pack swimwear? Weren’t you the one who told me that the beach there is gross?”

Yoona furrowed her eyebrows and turned her body to get a good look at him. Kris gave her his signature crooked smile and Yoona felt her heart race and blush creep up her cheeks. Three years together, and he still has this ‘high school crush’ effect on me.

“Countryside, then Bali.”

Yoona’s eyes widened and enveloped Kris in a hug. She kissed his cheek repeatedly. And let out a little joyful shriek.

 “You remember! I can’t believe you remember!”

The first and only time Yoona brought up Bali was after visiting her best friend, Jessica in Canada. Jessica had just relocated there from L.A. after marrying her high school sweetheart, Jay. They were looking through the heavy mahogany photo album that the newlyweds personally put together.

“When I told Krystal, she got so frustrated at Woohyun for not making the same effort Jay did on the wedding that he ended up sleeping on the couch for two weeks! So it wasn’t a surprise when I got a desperate phone call from my poor brother in law pleading to help him get back on Krystal’s good side. I told him to buy whatever food Krystal is craving without complaints even if it’s in the middle of the night.”

“Yikes. I would hate to feel Krystal’s wrath. She may have the face of an angel but when she’s mad— she’s like an angry bull.”

“They grow up so fast; I still can’t believe she’s a married woman and expecting a baby!” Jessica cried out as she looked at the photo of her baby sister catching the bride’s bouquet during the reception. She remembers crying out ‘Invalid!’ and playfully scolded her for participating in a game that was meant only for unmarried women. 

“I still can’t believe that you made her give back the bouquet and did a redo! You know that the reason why she played is because she’s been eyeing the bouquet since she saw it on the sample album!”

“I didn’t make the rules. Plus this is what she gets for having a shot gun wedding. Her elaborate and grand dream wedding went down the drain because of her impatience and impulsiveness. Plus, if I hadn’t done the redo then you wouldn’t have caught it!”

Jessica pointed at the picture of Yoona with her one shoulder asymmetrical draped ivory dress and her long tresses in a Bohemian Bun with a surprise look as the bouquet landed on her lap.

“You threw it at me! I didn’t catch it! I wasn’t even playing.”

“I believe that is called fate.” Jessica refuted coolly.

“It’s called a scheme, Jess. Oh, and not to mention its peer pressure!” Yoona frowned as Jessica threw her head back and laughed at her best friend’s expression.

‘Dude, you need to stop making that face. You look like a fish.”

Yoona playfully punched Jessica’s shoulder. The latter tried to block the blows but erupted in giggles instead.  With an exasperated huff, Yoona crossed her arms together and pulled up the fluffy pink blanket that covered them.

Yoona watched as Jessica turned the page and revealed the scenic views of Hawaii from their honeymoon. Although it was evident in anyone’s eyes that the destination was the perfect choice for the couple, Yoona found herself asking Jessica why she chose Hawaii as the honeymoon destination.

“Well, it was either a peaceful and relaxing getaway in Bali, or an adventurous and rowdy vacay in Maui.”

“Yeah, Now that I think about it Maui suits you perfectly, plus it’s impossible to have peace and relaxation with you around…”

After waking up with a sore neck from falling asleep in an uncomfortable position on the sofa, she got up and made breakfast and coffee for the sleeping Jessica, who funnily enough ended up on the floor. After cooking, she went to the guest room to catch up on more sleep. But after tossing and turning for an hour, she decided to grab her tablet and surf the net, hoping that tiring out her eyes, would make her sleepy. Five versions of Angry Birds and two hours of random surfing later, she ended up reading about a resort in Bali, in an Indonesian travel guide website. After looking through picturesque views, Yoona immediately fell in love with the place. Three days later, after Kris picked her from the airport, she gushed about the acclaimed vacation spot, the entire car ride home.

After eight busy and stressful months, Yoona was elated with the fact that she can finally have peace and relaxation with Kris. Med-school isn’t getting easier nor is it getting less busy, and to top that off, try having a 26 year-old boyfriend CEO to one of the biggest electronic companies in the country. But what matters is that despite their busy schedules, the cancelled dates, the petty arguments due to the stress, they are still going strong. Because in each other’s arms is home, sweet home.