*Chaeyoung’s POV*

---

I hadn’t held a guy’s hand in so long that it felt almost too good.

Sure I had been with a guy, not that long ago in fact, but I hadn’t dated anyone for what felt like an eternity. I had never had a nap with a guy’s arm wrapped around me. I had never waken up with someone that I loved next to me.

I had never been in a serious relationship.

One, that slowly went on and escalated into a kiss or something. Something romantic like that. Something that wasn’t only based on the guy looking great and me being into him because of that.

This time it was different.

I hadn’t even seen him from the beginning. Just heard his voice, read his thoughts from my phone’s screen. There hadn’t been any physical attraction involved.

Not in the beginning at least.

Now, if I saw Bobby at a club or at a bar while being out, I couldn’t tell whether I had walked up to him or not.

I probably wouldn’t have done it.

I probably would have spared him a glance, maybe a smile, but no. I wouldn’t have held his hand like this if I had only learned to know him by his looks first. He wasn’t exactly the type I usually went for.

Which was mad because he was exactly my type.

If someone had asked me what characteristics I looked for in a guy, you know, I would’ve listed every single detail about him. Those guys I had dated earlier, they were attractive sure, but there was nothing else I fancied about them.

And I fancied a lot of things in Bobby.

I had known him for two months now, which honestly felt like a short period of time. Not much could go down in two months to be honest.

But it had been long enough to make us acquainted. Friends. 

Things never escalated with guys I became friends with. They were just that - male friends.

Would Bobby become my male friend?

Or would he become more?

”Here we are”, I breathed once we reached the station. The lights seemed to be on inside, so I figured it was open. Fortunately.

Bobby didn’t let go of my hand. He arched a single brow at me, with a crooked smile on his lips.

”What?”

”Nothing”, he said. ”Just checking.” We started walking toward the building.

”Checking what?” I asked. The nippy breeze thew my hair on my face. I saw a glimpse of smugness on his face.

”You know what”, He chuckled.

I swallowed. I honestly had no idea. I couldn’t read him like I could read Jennie. Or others. Once again.

I wish I wasn’t such a dummy.

”Are you cold?” Bobby asked suddenly.

I shook my head. ”I’m fine.”

”Fine means not fine”, Bobby said. ”with girls.”

”Oh right. You’re an expert on girls now, are you?”

That made him shiver a little. ”N-no I’m not-”

”Oh you are!”

Suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about his earlier experiences.

Was this how things usually went down with him and his swings? Was this some part of some pattern that he did every time he found a girl he wanted to get it on with?

I left his hand to open the shop door. Bobby’s face sunk.

I launched toward the ramen stands, disappearing between the shelves.

What the Rose?

What was that?

You just blew everything.

I took in a deep breath before exiting the racks. Bobby was there, by the cashier, waiting for me with his midnight snacks.

”Did you find anything?” He asked raising his brows. He was back to his cold self. Just like he was in the morning.

I had definitely blown it.

”Yeah.” I wiggled the ramen package in my fingers. ”Just what I craved.”

”Okaay”, Bobby exclaimed. He took the package automatically and dropped it onto the cash counter. Then he turned his back at me.

I nibbled my cheek.

ing airhead. You shouldn’t have brought up the other girls. I wanted to bang my head against the shop window.

He didn’t hold my hand during our walk back our place. In fact, he didn’t even talk much, unlike the last time. He didn’t chuckle or throw in his stupid jokes.

The silent treatment had begun.

At the apartment, I warmed my ramen in the kitchen while Bobby munched on his snacks in the living room, while watching tv.

While cooking the ramen, I went through the day’s events in my head.

I scanned through all the scenarios; the walk back from the river earlier today, the cooking part when he had eliminated a can of olives because of me, the dinner when he had sat next to me and the walk to the gas station when he had held my hand…

God I wished I hadn’t said anything.

Because if things had slowly folded out, I might have been there on the couch with him, snuggled up against his chest.

Only the thought of that made my heart flutter.

But I had ed it up, to put it briefly.

And so had he.

I sighed and poured the noodles into a cup.

After finishing eating, I peeked into the living room, only to find Bobby fast asleep on the couch. I sighed and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Today had been a complete failure.

---

*Jennie’s POV*

---

I was drowning.

There was barely any air left in my lungs, barely any strength left in my feet and arms that desperately tried to keep me on the surface. My heart was pounding in my chest, ready to explode. Or stop for good.

I was losing my grip of it all. My life, my career, my love, my family and friends, all of it. All this because of someone else’s lust and cruelty. I tried to breathe again. My lungs filled with water.

Then a hand grabbed my ankle from somewhere under me. I looked down, turning my head down with the last strength I had, and saw him.

The man of my nightmares.

His eyes were wide open and dead. No emotion in them. I tried to fight against him, but he managed to pull me deeper. Down at the bottom.

I was in his embrace.

Crying.

Screaming.

”It’s okay.”

Suddenly the gravity turned upside down and I started to float up. I launched out of the water. Wide awake.

”You’re safe”, he murmured.

I was panting, out of breath. My whole body was covered in sweat.

Hanbin held me tightly against his chest. His skin felt hot.

This had happened so many times back in Sanggang-ri. I would have nightmares about him and wake Hanbin up almost every night with my cries and struggling.

But every time, he just held me and took it calmly.

I was supposed to go see a shrink, to talk about my trauma, but I hadn’t managed to do it just yet. So I was stuck with these horrifying nightmares instead.

”You awake?” He whispered in the darkness. I couldn’t see him but I felt his breaths on my skin.

I nodded, wiping my eyes to the bedsheet. ”Yeah.”

”It was a bad one, wasn’t it?”

I nodded.

Hanbin sighed and left some room between us, so that he could lower himself to my level. My eyes began to slowly adjust to the darkness. I could just see the glitter of his eyes as they beamed at me. ”Did you have them earlier? When I wasn’t around?”

I hadn’t had them in a while.

Maybe it was the touch that triggered them. The intimacy. ”No.”

Hanbin sighed again. He was undoubtedly having the same thoughts as I was. ”You think it’s because of me?”

I swallowed, staring into the darkness behind him. ”I don’t care.”

His hand brushed my cheek, wiping off the tears that were left of my nightmare. ”I do.” He caressed my chin, moving down to my neck. ”I hate seeing you like that.”

”It’ll get better”, I assured him and myself. ”I’m alright.”

Hanbin took in a deep breath and moved an inch closer to me. It was still dark outside, so I figured it to be closer to three o’clock. I felt his breaths on my lips. ”I feel like I have to think twice before touching you.”

I huffed. I loved that about him.

His thoughtfulness.

I slid my hand to his chest. ”I don’t mind.”

Hanbin chuckled. ”You don’t mind the wait?”

”No”, I assured him. ”I like it.”

”You like it when I don’t know whether I can touch you or not?”

”Well, no, I said I like the wait”, I tried to explain. ”Like when you’re about to kiss me and stop to contemplate whether it’s okay or no-”

Hanbin shut me up with his lips. They crashed hard against mine, forcing me to quit talking. Then he pulled away, slightly out of breath. ”You were saying?”

My breath caught up in my throat. ”I said I li-”

He kissed me again, interrupting me. This time the kiss didn’t end there.

He eagerly climbed on top of me, devouring my lips with his. And I couldn’t help but to do the same to him.

”So you enjoy the wait, huh?” He heaved, leaving marks on my already spotted n