Sun-kissed: Part II / ACT III

She stood by the fridge.

Barefoot and pregnant.

With a large spoonful of Mr. Cherry Choco ice-cream jammed deep inside .

Amina stared wide-eyed in disbelief as Youngbae shut the apartment door behind him.  He glanced up and locked onto her surprised gaze, his movements faltering briefly.  His lips parted of their own accord, his eyes taking her in.  Clad in one of his promotional tees and nothing else, she had a soft glow about her that drew him in.  Had it only been hours since he’d last seen her?  Minutes since she’d last entered his mind?  He finished taking off his shoes and slowly walked further inside – heading straight towards her direction.

The moment Youngbae moved, the dreamlike atmosphere vanished and her heart began doubling up in rhythm.  Amina slid the spoon between her lips and swallowed everything whole, forgetting how much she had fed herself.  She winced at the unpleasant brain-freeze and then inwardly groaned.  His eyes were zoned in on the pint of ice-cream in her hand.  She could imagine what Youngbae was thinking to himself right now.  She clung to the cold straight-to-your-thighs dessert as if her life depended upon it.  How pig-like she must have appeared as she stuffed her face in the middle of the night. 

How utterly unattractive.

He stopped a couple of meters away.

“You’re awake,” Youngbae said quietly, placing the stack of estate documents on the counter.  He could tell she just woke up by the look of it.  As he leaned back against the granite countertop and appraised her face, he admired the gentle curve of her rosy cheeks.  Pillow mark creases marred the delicate skin, still red and visible from her recent sleep.  Her voluminous hair was wild and in disarray – the halo above her crown knotted in several places. 

“Neh,” Amina grimaced in distaste, eyeing the Baskin Robbins pint accusingly.  “It wouldn’t let me sleep.”

“The baby?”

Her eyes flew up to meet his.  “The ice-cream.”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

Stabbing her spoon into the container for another indecent sized portion, Amina padded over towards Youngbae.  She ignored the way his body visibly stiffened as she neared, her eyes steadily on the folder of documents.  “Are those the papers?” she asked, looking up expectantly at him.

“Yeh.  Uh, neh,” he swiftly corrected himself. 

She raised an inquiring brow.

He flushed.  Turning quickly away, Youngbae reached for the portfolio and dragged it close, all the while mentally cursing himself for feeling so jumpy and nervous around her.  “I… kind of dropped them in the car.  But they should all be there-” He immediately in his breath, feeling the intimate brush of her protruding stomach against his side.

Amina leisurely flipped open the file folder and leaned in, squinting slightly as she read.  A bank statement.  The copy of the Will.  An enclosed envelope addressed to her in her father’s own handwriting.  Her fingers shook slightly as she traced the familiar Hangul bold .  She immediately flipped the envelope upon itself, shielding it from her view.  There would be enough time for her to deal with it later.  She took a deep breath and pretended to scan the rest of the file.  Right now, she had more urgent matters to attend to.  In between scanning and flipping pages, she brought huge spoonfuls of ice-cream to – trying to swallow as much as she could without appearing too obvious.

He held himself still.

Very still.

He basked in the heat of her body as it pressed innocently against his side.  He closed his eyes.  Oh how he wished he could just wrap his arms around her and rest his cheek upon her head!  How tempting it all felt to be so near… and yet be so far away.  The scent of her skin continued to intoxicate him.  It burned his lungs with every breath he took and made his heart ache for her that much more.

“Hmm,” Amina mumbled disinterestedly.

He opened his eyes – just in time to see how terribly close his body had swayed and towered over her.

The tangy flavor of dried cherry infused as Amina casually chewed and swallowed.  She placed the spoon back inside the near empty container and frowned.  Half a gallon.  She’d have to buy half a gallon next time.

Youngbae jerked back half-a-step, right as she glanced up and met his chagrin-filled eyes.  She paused, taking in his stiff and tense demeanor.  He’s doing it again, she thought to herself.  Her heart sank.  She blinked rapidly and moved away, lowering her head and her lips self-consciously.

“Mianhae,” Amina said regretfully, apologetic in more ways than one.

He furrowed his brows.

“I didn’t even share.”  Amina schooled her features and turned around, a serene smile on her face.  Her eyes warmed, beckoning him.  “Do you want some ice-cream?”

His eyes automatically went to the container she held possessively against her chest.  The one he could see that was nearly, if not already, empty.  He began to shake his head no when she started to prompt him with small eager head nods.

The sight made him grin. 

“S-sure,” Youngbae stammered, feeling like a superhero when she exclaimed her approval and punched the air with her fist.  He swore that was something he only did.  Quietly laughing to himself, he watched as Amina discarded the Baskin Robbins container in the trash bin before lightly tossing the used spoon inside the sink.

“So, what shall we have?” Amina asked brightly, as she walked back towards the fridge.  She pursed her lips and warmed her hands dramatically before sliding the freezer door open.

For the second time that night, he broke into a smile.  And to think!  He had been actually afraid of coming over.  Youngbae closed the distance between them, his eyes widening upon seeing the rows and rows of ice-cream bars, pints, and boxes.  In addition to various Baskin Robbins containers, there was a box of Berrymix – a premium ice-cream bar infused of berries, nuts, and rich chocolate.  Next, were a variety of individually wrapped Melonas – from the original melon flavor to strawberry and every other wild fruit flavor in between.  And towards the back of the freezer were chapssaltteoks – the Korean version of mochi, stuffed with traditional green tea flavored ice cream.  Leaning a forearm against the fridge, Youngbae propped his free hand on his hip and peered studiously below. 

“Did you raid the local H-Mart?” he murmured.

The smile on her face faded away.

Amina’s eyes trailed up the length of his legs, along the zipper of his open bomber jacket, over the supple firmness of his lips, until she reached the twinkling laughter found in his eyes.  The sight pleased her immensely.  This was the lighthearted Youngbae she had missed.  The carefree, easy-going Youngbae she fell in love with.  “I wouldn’t have to empty their freezer section if someone bought me a truckload every once in awhile,” she quipped with a straight face.

Youngbae chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling into tiny slits.

She smiled in return and glanced down at the array of frozen goods.  “They were on sale.  I couldn’t pass up a good deal.”  Reaching down, Amina grabbed the nearest item – a slim black package with green and red lettering.  She held it out, offering it to him.

Youngbae took the Bibibig ice-cream bar from her outstretched hand and eyed it with little interest.  It was a red bean flavored ice bar – nothing to get too excited about!  It was something his parents loved to eat.  Something the elders often raved and asked for.  “You like this?” he asked, making no movement to rip into it.  He could’ve sworn she was into rich sweeter flavors. 

“Mwuh?” Amina replied with a knowing grin.  “Did you want something else?  We don’t do plain here.”

The teasing smile took him aback – made him feel at a loss for words as he delved into her dancing brown eyes.  He felt his heart grow oddly light with every passing second.  Felt the pain of a former deep love slowly soothed by a different heartfelt gain.

“We have sweet potato.”  Amina bent over the row of ice-cream bars.  “Banana.”  She rummaged through the stacks, her lips scrunched up to one side as she dug further in.  “Kiwi.  Watermelon.”  She looked over her shoulder, finding his bemused gaze on her.  “Everything is fruit or veggie flavored because that’s what aegi likes best.  But if you want pure chocolate…” she winced, “…I’m afraid I only have those in pint size.”

He chuckled softly, lifting the Bibibig in salute.  “This is fine.”

Amina closed the freezer door shut and straightened.  Her eyes went to the untouched azuki dessert bar in his hand… then up to his face.  She gave him a small smile.

He smiled politely in return.  “Thanks.”

She nodded.

A pleasant lull grew as they stared at one another.  There was no awkward tension.  No sense of loss.  Just a comforting quiet moment between two people.  The amicable silence was intermittently broken up by the sounds from the television set droning quietly in the background.

Amina looked over Youngbae one last time, taking in his relaxed jeans, Kenzo shirt, and ever present snapback.  He had taken off his shoes when he arrived, but kept his jacket on – which probably meant he intended to depart soon.  The realization made her grow despondent. 

“Busy night?”  She masked her sadness with a forced smile.

“Ah… ani,” Youngbae vaguely replied, his eyes following the movement of her feet.  The red polish on her toenails distracted him like crazy as she repeatedly ran the tip of her foot over her lower calf and ankle. 

He blinked hard and looked up, taking in the protective way she held herself – one hand clutched over the opposite elbow.  With the foot curls and now this… he wondered – was she cold?  Maybe the exposure to the cooler gave her chills?  He should probably leave now so she could turn in.

“We finished a meeting earlier.  So, the rest of our evening is pretty much free…”  He scratched the back of his neck and made the mistake of looking into her eyes.  They were too alluring… too tempting.  It made him feel nervous once again.  He his lips, dropping his hand slowly.  “But I should probably get going soon… so you can get back to sleep.”

Her eyes went straight to the unopened dessert bar in his hand.  “But you haven’t even eaten your ice-cream yet,” Amina pointed out, shifting her weight onto her other foot.  She looked uncomfortable as she started up her mini-dance again.

He didn’t miss a thing.

Youngbae narrowed his eyes slightly, a slow grin forming.  “You need to use the bathroom?”

She wished he hadn’t noticed.  She was trying to hold off going until after he left.  Who knew when he’d stop by again? 

“Stay!” Amina blurted. 

He froze.

Her face immediately grew red.

Youngbae’s mouth parted soundlessly while his brain went into overdrive.  Earlier thoughts and planned excuses raced through his mind.  This was the moment he had been dreading all evening.  The v