The air had taken on a brisk chill the following morning as Amina quickly made her way from the transit station to the Big Bang dormitory.  She was running a little behind and was grateful when the security guard recognized her and immediately allowed her entrance. Once the lift reached the 4th floor, Amina rang the doorbell and waited.  But no one answered.

Am I really that late? She checked her watch and discovered she was only 10 minutes behind schedule.  Amina pulled out her phone and was about to check her messages when the bolt on the door unlocked.  There before her, in his wheelchair, was Youngbae, with his signature baseball cap and headphones on.

"Annyeong... sorry I'm late."

Youngbae was taken aback.  She had dressed down today, no longer in professional attire.  She wore dark washed skinny jeans, red ballet flats, and a blue flowy blouse that was ultra-feminine.  Her hair, which fell down in loose waves down her back, was topped with a black and white beanie.  She was the epitome of girliness, something he had tried to steer clear from based on his earlier experiences with women.  They usually went for flower-boy types, and he was definitely not a flower-boy.

"That's alright. I just got finished up some phone calls.  Please, come on in."  He beckoned her towards the living area while he wheeled slowly behind.

The apartment was unusually quiet.  "I hadn't expected you to answer the door. Where is everyone?"

"Daesung and his manager flew to Tokyo earlier this morning for a movie cameo that he's currently working on."  He paused in front of one of the large sectionals and lifted himself out of the wheelchair to the nearest seat. Even though he only had use of one arm, Amina couldn't help but admire how fluid he moved.  "And Boram hyung is taking Boss to my mom's house until I'm fully recovered... What's that?"

"Oh, this?" Amina pulled out a pair of aluminum crutches from behind her back.  "This is the main reason why I'm late.  I went and borrowed some crutches for you at the hospital just in case you wanted more mobility." She watched as he grabbed one and leaned heavily on it to test the weight.

"Unfortunately, I do not recommend taking these on the subway because they take up a lot of space." She laughed at herself. "It's barely 10 o'clock and I've already made a couple of people mad at me today."

He smiled.  "You rode the subway?"

"Yes." 

"Was it a long trip here?"

"No, not really.  I live in Suyu, so it's usually only about a 45 minute trip. I live right off the transit station, so it's not too bad."

He nodded and tucked away the information for later use.

"So... how are you feeling today? Did you sleep well?" Amina asked before she remembered how their conversation ended last night.  A blush crept up her cheeks.  She cleared .  "I mean, did your leg give you any problems?"

"Neh... I slept well," he replied, slightly amused. 

"Good." She nodded self-consciously.

An awkward moment of silence passed while they looked at each other.  "I guess I better get started.  Do you just want to be examined here?"

"Here will work. I don't mind."

Amina proceeded to lay out her materials on the low glass coffee table and later went into the kitchen to sanitize her hands and gather hot water.  She returned and knelt down next to Youngbae, where he was sprawled with only his injured leg on the sectional.  When he saw that she had planned to sit on the floor, he scooted himself up, and pressed his right leg up against the back of the couch. "Here, sit up here," Youngbae motioned. Amina nodded her thanks and sat daintily sideways on the edge, with her back facing him.  She realized that if she wasn't careful, she could end up sitting on his lap.

As she examined the skin graft sutures, she remarked on the coloring and health of the skin.  "Try to keep your leg elevated whenever you can.  It looks a little more swollen today than yesterday and we need to make sure enough oxygen is getting down there."

"Neh."

She continued to clean the wound and brought out new gauze for the wrap.  The room was quiet as she worked.  Unlike last night, Youngbae didn't engage her in any conversation.  Amina glanced up twice to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep on her.  But to her embarassement, each time she looked his way she found his steady gaze on her.  She quickly finished wrapping his right calf and then turned in her seat to face him.

"I need to remove the wrap from your arm today.  Could you please lift up your shirt?" She realized how ual that had sounded when her voice dropped an octave.  Amina hoped he didn't notice.

Youngbae looked into her eyes and nodded.

Amina swallowed hard and looked away,  feigning interest in her medical scissors.  She turned back to face him once he finished pulling his shirt over the top of his left shoulder blade.  Carefully, she laid her hands on his lower torso where the bandage had been secured. His skin was warm and Amina could feel the contours of his abs under her fingers.  She slid the medical scissors underneath the cloth, and his breathing hitched slightly at the coldness. 

"Mianhae... It doesn't help that it's winter time as well," Amina said softly while she concentrated.  Trying to ease his discomfort, she placed her hand underneath the bandages, palm up, to create a barrier between him and the blades. Amina began cutting away the fabric, a little more carefully where his arm was secured by multiple bands across his abdomen.  She felt him shudder slightly, so she moved more quickly as she approached his chest.  When she reached his shoulders, Amina glanced up and found Youngbae's eyes on her.  His eyes were dialated and Amina realized it wasn't the cold that caused him to shiver. She felt her own eyes betray her when he started to leaned in slightly towards her.

Amina lowered her eyes and moved away slowly, hoping he wouldn't be offended by her actions.  Her hands were unsteady as she returned the scissors to her equipment bag. She turned back to face him, avoiding his gaze as she removed the scraps of bandages and balled them together.  "Can you rotate your arm slightly?"

He didn't move.  Amina could feel the frustration emanating from him but she refused to look at his face.  A few moments passed before she felt Youngbae shift on the couch to rotate his arm back.  He let out a loud grunt of pain due to the tight muscles. Her natural instincts kicked in and she placed her hand on his shoulder.  "That's enough.  You don't want to over-work it the first day. You have to ease into it," she ordered sternly.  He looked away from her.

Ignoring his slight, she continued to speak to him.  "Your muscles are sore from the dislocation, but more from being in the same position for the past two days.  You'll need to be careful when lifting or rotating your arm so it doesn't get worse.  In the meantime, you can soak in hot water or massage the area lightly to relax the  tense muscles."

When he still hadn't looked at her, she sighed and proceeded to massage his deltoids gently.  So immersed in her work, it took her a moment before she noticed that Youngbae had turned to face her, his mouth inches away from her own. Her hands fell slowly away as she returned his gaze.  Amina could see the confusion in his eyes and her heart sank. She didn't want to hurt him.  He wouldn't understand.  She parted her lips slightly to explain, but he mistook her reaction and lowered his head towards hers.

Youngbae's soft lips felt warm and firm against her own. He moved cautiously, placing a light kiss on each of her lips.  He slowly rubbed his lips back and forth against hers, begging entrance.  She closed her eyes and sighed in surrender. It was all the encouragement he needed. She felt him move deeper inside and became lost in the sensation. He tongue and beckoned it to come out and play. 

He continued to kiss her thoroughly, moving cautiously so he wouldn't scare her away again. She tentatively kissed him back in response.  When her tongue slid against his, Youngbae let out a groan of pleasure. His moves became more confident. He tilted his head slightly to gain more access. 

Amina slid her hands up and wrapped them around lightly around his neck.  Her fingers rubbed softly against his nape and sparks of pleasure shot down his spine.  She smelled like peaches and tasted just as sweet.  He was confused about her coyness earlier, but now he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.  He pressed his mouth harder on hers, demanding her to keep pace.  Her fingers tighted slightly, her breathing became labored.

The sound of the someone shuffling outside the apartment invaded Youngbae's consciousness.  He heard the rustling of keys and broke off the kiss abruptly, which prompted Amina to open her eyes in hurt and confusion.  It took her a split second longer to see the silent warning in his eyes, before she heard the front door open.  She quickly righted herself, and Youngbae immediately missed her closeness.

"Ah, Youngbae... your mother sent back all kinds of food.  It's going to take a whole week to eat it all...." Boram trailed off when he noticed Youngbae's body was blocking someone from his view.  He stepped further into the room.  "Oh, Amina. Is that you?"

Amina immediately stood up and replied, "Annyeonghasayeo. Yes, I just finished my examination and will be leaving now. " Boram saw that Amina's face was flushed. She started to throw her belongings into her bag frantically, visibly upset over something.  I wonder what Youngbae did to make her so upset, thought Boram.  He mentally scheduled a meeting to talk to Youngbae later about how to treat women.

"Alright... I'll just put the food away.  If you have time, maybe you can join us for lunch," Boram implored.

"Thank you, I'm sure it's delicious, but I just remembered I have another appointment to get to." She bowed politely.

Boram nodded and proceeded toward the kitchen.  Amina grabbed her belongings and was about to walk past Youngbae when he reached out and grabbed her arm.  She looked down at him, her face flushed and now embarrassed over what transpired moments before.  He stood up as best as he could from his position and leaned in close to her, crowding her space.  She attempted to step back, but he tightened his grip on her arm to stop her.

Youngbae saw regret form in her eyes and immediately wanted to erase those thoughts from her mind. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.  Amina jerked away in surprise.  "This isn't finished," Youngbae promised before letting her go.