Round Forty-Four

 

“Sica! Baby!” Yul caught up with Jessica at the elevators.

 

She turned away from his look of concern, feeling a little unnerved by her little outburst earlier. She was usually a lot more aware of her surroundings, being raised in a family like hers. However, she couldn’t quite help herself today. The anxiety was eating her up from the inside. What anxiety could she possibly have with a fiancé like Yul whom she could rely and trust on? She didn’t know why she was feeling so insecure and it bothered her a lot. How could she still question if Yul was the right one for her after everything they went through together?

 

“Baby, let’s talk. Let’s go to the café, get a hot cup of tea and talk this out.”

 

“Don’t you have to work?”

 

“I can always go back to work after we’ve talked. Come on… I won’t be able to work properly if we don’t work this out.”

 

Yul took Jessica’s hand and she followed him meekly like a lamb. She was beginning to feel ashamed of herself for ranting at him in his office in front of his co-workers.

 

Oh gawd… what his co-workers must be thinking of me right now…

 

She wanted nothing more than to run and hide but Yul held her hand firmly and brought her to a nearby café that he frequented since it was so near to his office.

 

“Hey Yul! The usual?”

 

“No, not today… do you have any drinks that are good for calming a person down?”

 

“I would recommend chamomile tea for that.”

 

“Great, I’d like a pot of it, thanks.”

 

“Coming right up…”

 

Yul brought Jessica to a quiet corner and sat her down. He pulled his chair closer to hers and held her hand again. She kept her eyes on their intertwined fingers, refusing to meet Yul’s gaze.

 

“Look at me, Sica… Tell me what’s wrong…”

 

Jessica looked up slowly and met Yul’s gentle gaze.

 

“I’m sorry,” she blurted, “I don’t know what came over me.”

 

Yul looked at her steadily. “You’ve been having these little episodes for a while now… is there something bothering you?”

 

Jessica wrestled with her inner self over what to say next. Should she come out and say that she had doubts about whether Yul was really the one? Yul would be hurt if she said that and she didn’t want Yul to be hurt. But she decided to be honest with Yul.

 

“I’ve been having some doubts lately.”

 

Yul raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when the pot of tea arrived.

 

“There you go… enjoy your tea with your girlfriend… I’m assuming she’s your girlfriend, since you’ve never come in with a girl before…” The owner of the café winked at Yul and grinned.

 

“Yes, she’s my girlfriend. In fact, we’re going to get married.”

 

“OH MY GAWD! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Hey! This pot of tea is on me. I’m happy for you dude. You’ve got a pretty fiancée.”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Yul smiled at Jessica who was feeling good about being called his fiancée. Yes, she was his fiancée. Hee…

 

“I’ll just let the two of you enjoy your time together then.”

 

The owner headed back to the counter and Yul turned back to Jessica.

 

“What kind of doubts?”

 

“I’m not sure if you’re the one.”

 

Yul’s jaw dropped.

 

“Baby… have I done anything to make you think that?”

 

“No… no… it’s not you… it’s me. I don’t know why I’m feeling scared right now. It feels like I have everything and I’m afraid of losing it all. What if we don’t get along after marriage? What if we’re not meant for each other? What if you don’t love me anymore one day? What will I do?”

 

Yul looked at Jessica steadily. He pulled his chair even closer to hers and pulled her close to him, cupping her face with his palms.

 

“Baby… You’re having the wedding jitters, aren’t you? I’ve heard my co-workers talking about how they got scared before marriage and how they started to worry about everything. Baby, there’s nothing to be worried about and if there are any problems, we can solve them together.”

 

“Wedding jitters? I’m having wedding jitters?”

 

“Yes, I think so. That would explain your behavior in the past week. That would explain why you think I don’t find you y enough and why you are having these doubts. But baby… do you trust me?”

 

Jessica looked deep into Yul’s steady brown eyes and knew that she did.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good… that’s enough. Just trust me and believe that I will stay with you no matter what happens. I won’t cheat on you… I won’t fall out of love with you. I am Kwon Yul. When I decide to do something, I stick to it and see it through to the end and the same goes for our marriage.”

 

“Yul…” Jessica’s eyes were glistening after listening to his declaration of something much more than love. It was something that she had not seen in her family in her years of growing up. It was something that she had not experienced in her previous relationships. But here was Yul… promising her commitment… for life… forever. And she nodded as tears began to fall.

 

“Baby… Don’t cry…” Yul wiped her tears with his thumbs.

 

“I love you… I trust you… please don’t ever leave me.”

 

“I’m Kwon Yul, baby… Kwon Yul won’t ever leave Jessica Jung. And Jessica Jung cannot leave Kwon Yul either.”

 

“I won’t leave you…”

 

“Promise me.” Yul held out his pinkie.

 

Jessica sniffed and giggled as she linked her pinkie with his. “I promise.”

 

“And I promise too.” Yul leaned in and sealed their promises with a kiss.

 

~~~~~

 

Tiffany certainly knew what she was doing. She had arranged for Jessica to meet the premier wedding dress maker who was the most sought after by the rich and famous but above and beyond that, this wedding dress maker was chosen by Tiffany mainly because of her exceptional designs and dedication to each and every bride she handled. Her name was Ock Juhyun.

 

~~~~~

 

“Seonsaengnim… thank you for meeting us. Your designs are truly a work of art.”

 

“My dear, that’s because they come from the heart.”

 

Jessica blinked. Even the words that she spoke were graceful. It was no wonder that her wedding gown designs were revered by many all around the world.

 

Ock Juhyun smiled gracefully at Jessica and Yul. “I can see that the two of you are very much in love. Your body language speaks volumes to me. You are very fluid together, which is a good sign. But in order for my heart to beat for you, I need to know your love story.”

 

“Isn’t it natural for couples to be in love if they’re getting married?” Yul asked curiously. He could not fathom how a couple could not be in love if they were going to get married.

 

“Ah, Mr. Kwon… I see that you are an idealist… or simply too righteous. There are plenty of couples who come to me and leave without a gown. I will not design a gown for a couple that doesn’t touch my heart.”

 

Yul was gaped a little. “You are no ordinary wedding gown maker…”

 

Ock Juhyun laughed daintily, covering politely. “You are right about that, Yul. Some people say that I think too highly of my designs. Some people say that I’m acting like a diva. But nobody can say anything about my designs. I worked hard to build my reputation so that I can pick and choose my brides. Brides are my models. I don’t need a runway at a fashion show… that aisle leading to the altar is my runway so… as a designer… wouldn’t you pick and choose your models?”

 

Jessica and Yul could only stare in awe at the elegant lady sitting opposite them.

 

“Well, that’s quite enough of me boring you with my ideals… I would like to hear your love story. Tell me all about it… right from the start.”

 

Jessica looked at Yul and smiled. He smiled back and nudged her gently.

 

“You can start our story.”

 

“Well… we didn’t exactly fall in love at first sight.”

 

“How did you meet him?”

 

“I needed a pretend boyfriend.”

 

“What?” Needless to say, Ock Juhyun was a little taken aback. It wasn’t every day that she had stories starting off like that.

 

“My mother was going to match make me with somebody whom I didn’t like. So I got Tiffany to help me.”

 

“Ah, so Tiffany was involved in your story.” Ock Juhyun smiled warmly.

 

“Yes, she was. She is the one who got me Yul.”

 

“And why did you agree to be her pretend boyfriend?” Ock Juhyun turned to Yul.

 

“I was only helping my friend to impress his new boss. Tiffany is my friend’s boss.”

 

“I see… it is interesting how fate put you two together. And it wasn’t love at first sight? Did you not like each other at first?”

 

“I thought he was a pompous when I first met him.” Jessica giggled at the memory of her ranting to Tiffany in the washroom back then.

 

“What? You thought I was a pompous ? You were the one who wouldn’t even shake my hand properly…” Yul pinched Jessica’s nose playfully, making her pout.

 

Ock Juhyun observed their interaction with her eyes only. This couple before her eyes absolutely radiated love waves from their bodies. She was very interested to learn more.

 

“And how did that translate into this?” Ock Juhyun gestured towards them.

 

Jessica giggled again. “It’s a long story.”

 

“I love long stories… and I have all evening.” Ock Juhyun leaned back comfortably, all ready to listen.

 

“Well, he was very cold to me. I guess… he didn’t like me as much as I didn’t like him at that time. But he asked me out for dinner one day and proposed being civil to each other for three months. We would break up after that and return to our lives. Who would have known…” Jessica looked lovingly at Yul and giggled yet again.

 

“And how did you go from that to becoming a real couple?”

 

“A girl who hates me schemed to steal Yul from me.”

 

“Oh dear… what happened…?”

 

“She got someone to drug Yul. I think she was going to take discriminating pictures to break us up. But her accomplice called me and I saved him from her. It was the next morning when we officially became a couple.”

 

“It sounds like a whirlwind romance. I haven’t heard one of those in a while.” Ock Juhyun was all smiles. “I want to know why you proposed,” she said, looking at Yul.

 

“I love her,” said Yul, very simply. “There has never been a girl who managed to get under my skin the way she has.”

 

Jessica pouted and jabbed Yul in the ribs. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

 

Yul laughed. “I couldn’t understand her at first. She seemed to have several different sides to her. She’d act this way with one person and another way with somebody else. I didn’t know who was the real her. But after spending more time with her… I saw her for what she was… just a girl who wanted to be loved. She didn’t have the easiest childhood and it certainly isn’t easy to live in her world as an adult either. I want to shelter her… I want to make her life better… and if there’s anyone whom I want to share my thoughts and little things with… it’s her. So it occurred to me that I want to marry her.”

 

Ock Juhyun nodded. Yul’s motivations and thoughts were clear to her now. This was a man who had a clear vision of his future. He made plans and saw that they happened. This was the right man for Jessica who seemed to have quite a fragile heart. It was evident in the way Jessica consistently looked for Yul and relied on him for support. A girl like Jessica needed a strong pillar of support. She knew many girls like Jessica. They may appear to have perfect lives, to the envy of many but their lives were nowhere as rosy as what most people thought.

 

“What about you… Jessica… what made you say ‘yes’?

 

“It’s a dream come true. I love him, he proposed, I said ‘yes’… isn’t that like a fairytale dream come true?”

 

“Why do you love Yul?”

 

Jessica looked lost. “Why do I love Yul? He’s perfect. He’s Yul.”

 

“But no one is perfect, Jessica.”

 

“I know that. Sometimes he works too hard and forgets about me. Sometimes he doesn’t get what I mean. Sometimes he pushes me away when I want him. Sometimes I want to pull all of his hair out. But he’s Yul. There’s no other man for me but him, no matter what he does.”

 

Ock Juhyun smiled. That was what she had hoped to hear. Some girls had expectations on their partners that she knew would turn into serious problems after marriage. Jessica had her worried for a moment there.

 

“Are you from a rich family too, Yul?”

 

Yul shook his head. “I come from humble beginnings.”

 

“Mmm… in that case there will be issues that the two of you will face in future. Let me give you a word of advice… Listen to what your partner is saying. Listen hard and hear the truth that’s within. Once you’re married, other factors come into play. And since you do not come from similar worlds… you need to compromise a lot more with each other.”

 

Ock Juhyun noticed that Jessica looked significantly more worried than Yul and smiled to reassure her.

 

“Jessica… Don’t worry too much about it. I’m sure you and Yul will do fine.”

 

The wedding dress maker looked at Jessica and Yul and smiled beautifully.

 

“The two of you have touched my heart with your love for each other. Now we can talk about the wedding dress.”

 

~~~~~
 

Yul noticed that Jessica looked worried after returning from the wedding dress maker’s studio.

 

“What’s eating you, baby?”

 

“Her advice…”

 

“What about it?”

 

“She said that there will be issues that we have to face… she said that we have to compromise a lot more…”

 

“Baby… everyone will have issues and compromise is the basic necessity for all kinds of relationships. Her advice is good but it shouldn’t worry you so much. We’ll cross the bridge when we get to it… alright?”

 

Jessica hugged Yul and buried her face in his chest.

 

“Alright…” came her muffled reply.         

 

Yul smiled. Then something that Jessica said at his office bothered him. He would resolve that.

 

“So… you want to meet my mother, huh?”

 

Jessica lifted her head to look at Yul incredulously. “Of course I do… she’s your mother! She’s the one who made you happen…”

 

Yul chuckled and hugged her, squeezing her lightly with his strong arms. “How about we visit her and go on a premarital holiday after that? I think you are too worried about getting married. So to cure the premarital jitters, let’s go on a premarital holiday… just the two of us… how about that?”

 

Jessica’s eyes shone with excitement but she shook her head.

 

“Yul… don’t you have to work?”

 

“I can clear my cases this week and take leave after that. Besides, I have never taken leave before so I have a lot of it accumulated. Then we can go somewhere so that you can stop worrying your pretty little nose about our marriage.”

 

“I’d love that,” said Jessica in a hushed whisper.

 

“Why are you whispering?” whispered Yul.

 

“I don’t know…”

 

Yul laughed out loud and looked at her with twinkling eyes.

 

“So is it a yes or a no? Should I take leave?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Alright… consider it done. Now, all you have to worry about is where to go for our holiday.”

 

“San Fran.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I was born there.”

 

“You never told me that…”

 

“You never asked…”

 

Yul smiled and shook his head, realizing that he would have to spend the rest of his life learning more about Jessica a bit at a time. The thought pleased him.

 

“Alright… let’s go to San Francisco. I’d like to try riding on one of the famous cable cars there.”

 

“And we can do two of my wishes on the trip…” Jessica ducked her head and averted her eyes from his as she blushed furiously.

 

“TWO???” Yul blinked rapidly as his brain tried to process what he had just heard.

 

~~~~~
 

Joongki swiveled in his luxurious leather chair as he thought about Sunny. She was inexplicably upset after meeting Yoong at Jeju and her linking arms with him was definitely not something he expected to happen.

 

He smirked at the thought of Yoong’s horrified expression when Sunny linked arms with him.

 

You deserve every bit of pain you get, son of a . And to think that you brought it all upon yourself with your silly stunt… you make me laugh.

 

But his smirked was wiped off his face when he thought of Sunny’s sad eyes again. Although she had remained strictly professional and ended the business trip on a good note, he knew that she was hurting inside. It was evident in her eyes.

 

Geez… she has such expressive eyes…

 

Damn it. Things are not supposed to go down this way. Don’t let your heart get in the way of things.

 

Joongki steeled himself. If Yoong was going to get what he deserved, Sunny would be hurt and that was inevitable.

 

No. I am not the one who made Sunny sad. It is not my fault. Yoong did it all. I did not make Sunny sad. No, I didn’t. Yoong… you are going down. You’re going to pay for what you did. You’re going to pay for breaking my sister’s heart.

 

~~~~~
 

Taeng had trouble sleeping that night. Yes, you guessed it right… he couldn’t sleep without his peas beside him.

 

Right after he realized that his peas were missing, they had rushed back to the bar only to find that a note had been left for them by Kangin.

 

It said: Taeng, your green thing is with me. Call me. Kangin

 

His number was written behind the note and Taeng wasted no time in calling him.

 

“Good morning, who is this?”

 

“I’m Taeng.”

 

“Ah, Taeng… I’m assuming that you want your green thing back?”

 

“It’s not a thing. They are my peas. And yes, I want them back!”

 

“Woah, woah… chill man… don’t worry, they’re safe with me.”

 

“Where are you? I’ll go to where you are.”

 

“Where am I?” Kangin is heard chuckling over the phone which made Taeng feel uneasy about the whole situation. “I’m actually on my way back to Seoul right now.”

 

“WHAT?” Taeng was off the rack and Tiffany put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

 

“I said—”

 

“I know what you said but how am I going to get my peas back?” Taeng was quite beside himself with anxiety. He needed his peas more than anything and the sensation of rising bile in his throat was rising rapidly, choking him up. He was extremely grateful to Tiffany for making her presence known to him. She calmed him down considerably just by being beside him.

 

“Simple. Come to Seoul and meet me. I’m holding the peas hostage until you treat me to a feast. You owe me that much.”

 

“A-Alright… I’ll go to Seoul and meet you. I’ll treat you to the biggest dinner of your life. J-Just… d-don’t… hurt my peas…”

 

“Don’t worry… I have no intention of harming your peas in any way. I’ll keep them safe until you meet me.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Dude… Are you ten?”

 

“Promise???”

 

Taeng could hear Kangin sighing on the other end of the line but he got the answer that he needed.

 

“Fine, I promise.”

 

“Thank you, Kangin.”

 

“And Taeng…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You need to man up, don’t you think? Why do you need the peas so badly? How are you going to be a man for Tiffany if you can be so easily threatened?”

 

Taeng swallowed hard. It was as though Kangin knew about his history of being bullied and the most recent case of Mr. Lee and his daughter, Jieun. But he wouldn’t know, of course. Taeng knew that he was referring to the dinner treat deal that they had just made. He sighed inwardly. He wanted to be a man for Tiffany too, but it was easier said than done.

 

“Taeng… man up and get by without these peas for a while, will you?”

 

“I-I’ll t-try.”

 

“Say it with confidence, Taeng.”

 

“I’ll try.”

 

“Good. That’s a lot better. So I’ll see you in Seoul! Call me!”

 

And with that, the line went dead.

 

Now, as he tossed and turned in bed, Kangin’s words repeated over and over in his head, driving him a little crazy. He was on the verge of pulling his hair out when he felt a sudden dip in his bed. A body of warmth slid in beside him and held him in arms that wrapped around his waist from the back.

 

“F-Fany… is that you?”

 

“Shh… just close your eyes. I’m here with you.”

 

Taeng closed his eyes and tried to breathe evenly. Surprisingly, he found that he could breathe properly again. It was Tiffany. She was his cure. She was what he needed. And those were the thoughts that accompanied his mind as it slipped into the dark oblivion of the night.

 

~~~~~

 

“Penny for your thoughts, Fany…”

 

Tiffany blinked and snapped back to attention.

 

“Oh… it’s nothing… I’m just feeling a little guilty about lying to Hayeon about what we did last night. She wouldn’t stop asking me in the room so I told her that you took me on a tour of your school.”

 

Taeng turned red at the mention of their most embarrassing experience. “I’m sorry… it’s all my fault…”

 

“It’s not really your fault... Tae… It’s her fault… and her father’s fault. I can’t believe that such selfish and callous people can live their lives without sleepless nights. How could he threaten my dear Taetae like that?” Tiffany bristled with anger at the thought of Mr. Lee and Jieun bullying her innocent boyfriend. “Taetae… listen to me.”

 

The strength and firmness of her voice made Taeng look at her instantly. His teary eyes made her pout and she cupped his face in her palms and allowed herself to fall into his brown puppy eyes.

 

“Taetae… although I don’t like the idea of you hiding it from me, I’m very touched that you would do so much just to protect me. Although your method of helping me is utterly silly… it’s still not your fault. I believe that you tried your best for me, Taeng and that’s what matters most to me.”

 

“I tried my best… I really did…”

 

“Then you have nothing to be sorry about.” Tiffany smiled radiantly and made Taeng’s heart stop with her beautiful crescent moon eyes. “So… where are you bringing me to, Taetae?”

 

Taeng recovered from his teary puppy eyes mode and grinned widely. He couldn’t wait to bring Tiffany around his hometown. This was where he grew up and the place that he knew best. For some reason, he felt a little bit more confident and bolder back home than in Seoul. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he knew the place so much better than Tiffany did. Back in the office, she was his boss and he was her personal assistant but here in Jeonju, he was the host and she was the guest. That made him the boss and he was happy to be able to take care of Tiffany in that way.

 

“We’re going for a walk.”

 

“Sounds great! Lead the way!”

 

~~~~~

 

It wasn’t a walk. It turned out to be more like a hike than anything. A hike up a mountain was what it really was and Tiffany began to understand why Taeng had insisted on her wearing a comfortable pair of walking shoes instead of the heels that she had so desired to wear. Heels were something that she couldn’t really live without. They made her taller, walk with better poise and gave her a different vantage point from which to look at world around her with. With heels, she could be considered tall. Without heels however… she barely managed to escape from being called short. She wouldn’t be caught dead without heels at the office that was for sure. In Jeonju, however… where people didn’t know her nor work with her and she didn’t need to command their respect and bark orders at them… flats were tolerable. So she gave in and wore the walking shoes that Taeng had bought for her from a shoe store.

 

Tiffany had recalled an interesting story once told to her about giving shoes to someone when Taeng bought her the shoes.

 

“Do you know… that some Chinese believe that giving shoes to someone is a sign of sending them away?”

 

Taeng’s eyes opened wide in horror and his head shook violently, displaying his vehement objection to the said superstition.

 

“No… I don’t want to send you away!” And he snatched the shoes away frantically.

 

Tiffany laughed at his reaction, feeling rather loved at the same time and said, “But there’s an easy way around this. I was told that as long as the receiver pays a token to the giver in exchange for the shoes, it wouldn’t be considered a gift and no one will be sent away.”

 

“Pay a token?” Taeng murmured, looking a little confused. “But I’m supposed to be the one buying the shoes for you for our date.”

 

Tiffany’s eyes twinkled merrily as she grinned widely. “Oh Taeng… you’re so CUTE! Can I bite you?”

 

“Huh?” Taeng blinked in ever increasing confusion.

 

“Well, my dear chivalrous boyfriend… I don’t have to pay you money for the shoes, do I? Surely you will accept payment in kind?” Tiffany’s eyes glinted naughtily under the store’s bright lights.

 

“P-Payment in kind…?” Taeng was still clueless.

 

“I’ll pay you in girlfriend currency.”

 

“Girlfriend currency…?”

 

Tiffany’s grin only got wider as she leaned in and planted her lips on his, moving them over his ever so gently before pulling away a moment later. “That, Taeng… is girlfriend currency. And now, you can put the shoes on for me.”

 

Taeng didn’t respond to her instructions for a while. The shoe hung loosely on his fingers as he gaped. Tiffany was immensely amused by his reaction and giggled heartily.

 

“Taeng… do you need more girlfriend currency to snap out of your daze?”

 

Taeng broke into a silly grin suddenly and nodded vigorously. Then, he puckered up and waited… and waited…

 

Tiffany fell a little bit more in love with Taeng when she saw him puckering up. Oh Taetae… you’re indescribable to me. So she leaned forward and met his lips with hers again. She had long forgotten that they were in a shoe store and that they were supposed to get a pair of walking shoes and get started on their first real date. If they kept this ‘girlfriend currency’ act up, they’d never get to go on their date.

 

She came back to her senses when she felt his hands on her . With a jolt, she remembered that they were not in a private room. Instead, they were in a very public shoe store with all of its customers and staff watching on as they put on the cheesiest public display of affection ever. She broke their kiss immediately and ducked her head in embarrassment. What had come over her? Goodness… she had never behaved like this before… not even at the peak of her relationship with Siwon.

 

She looked at the shoes on her feet and smiled. That’s going to be a wonderful memory… Then she whined, “Taetae… It’s a lovely walk but I’m tired…”

 

Taeng stopped and looked around. “We can rest there.” He pointed to a bench nearby and led her to it.

 

They sat down right next to each other with their arms touching although the bench was a fairly long one with plenty of space on each side and Taeng opened his backpack. Tiffany was surprised to see that Taeng was adequately prepared for this hike for he took out a flask of cool water, all ready to quench their thirst. She peeped into his backpack and was stunned to see that there were quite a lot of food supplies in there.

 

“Your backpack must be quite heavy, isn’t it?”

 

Taeng shook his head at once. “It’s not.”

 

Tiffany gave him a look of disbelief and tried to carry the backpack. “Are you kidding? This weighs like a ton! What have you got in there?”

 

“Just lots of water and some snacks… I don’t want you to be dehydrated or hungry while hiking up the trail.”

 

Tiffany couldn’t resist giving Taeng a peck on his cheek for his meticulous preparation. “Thanks for doing so much.”

 

“It’s our very first proper date. I want it to be special.” Taeng smiled shyly.

 

“And why did you pick this mountain?”

 

“It’s called Seungamsan. I want to bring you here because it’s really beautiful and peaceful and there’s a beautiful church that I want to show you right at the top.”

 

“Mmm sounds good. And I have to agree… it’s really serene and beautiful up here. It totally relaxes me.”

 

“That’s good… I want you to feel relaxed and peaceful… especially after going through so much because of me.”

 

Tiffany was sure that her heart was close to exploding from the overload of pure, unadulterated love from Taeng.

 

“Taetae…” she said his name in a soft sigh.

 

“Yes, Fany…?”

 

“I love you.”

 

She didn’t have to look at his face to know that he was grinning like a total dork.

 

“I love you too, Fany ah.”

 

~~~~~
 

“Taetae… this church is beautiful…” she spoke dreamily, as if lost in reverie.

 

“Yes… it’s beautiful… and really peaceful.”

 

They spoke in hushed tones, for fear of disturbing the peace that was in this place. They stood still, facing the beautiful, serene church with their hands held fast. They didn’t speak, simply enjoying the sight with their eyes and when their eyes finally met, it was as though they could read each other’s minds for they simultaneously squeezed the hand that they held on to gently. Taeng took Tiffany’s remaining free hand and stepped forward slightly. As though knowing exactly what he had in mind, Tiffany closed her eyes and felt his lips pressing gently on her forehead. She opened her eyes and smiled toothlessly. She was well and truly touched.

 

In the hustle and bustle of their lives… they met… and connected… on an unprecedented level… and after all the ups and downs they went through… they were finally united, hand in hand, in this wonderful sanctuary for the weary soul.

 

It was a perfect date and she had to let him know it.

 

“Taetae… thank you for giving me a perfect date.”

 

And she knew that he was grinning like a dork… an adorkable dork.
 

~~~~~