001: Lying beside you here in the dark / Feeling your heart beat with mine

It was the night of the 3^rd day of September - the night that marked their 5th anniversary. It was a special day to Jessica and the love of her life – Luhan. She had a long day, which consisted of a vigorous dance practice for Girls’ Generation’s solo concert at the end of the month, a fan-signing event for Stonehenge then a photo-shoot for Banila&Co. On a normal typical day, Jessica would be complaining about her workload to her members but today wasn’t just any day. It was the day that the man with the oh so adorable face confessed to her five years ago. Five freakin’ years ago!

“I can’t believe that it has already been five years!” Yoona cheerfully stated as she carefully applied makeup on her unnie’s face. Jessica cracked a wide smile and hugged Yoona’s waist,

“I can’t believe it either Yoong. I feel like the luckiest girl alive”

Yoona let out her angelic laugh and patted the older girl’s head, “You sure are. It’s hard to find someone that loves you like how Luhan oppa does”

Seohyun, who came home from her evening jog, happened to overhear her unnie’s conversation and snorted. As she walked past Jessica’s room, she sneaked a peek and rolled her eyes before mumbling some incoherent sentences.

Soon Jessica was dressed in the most glamorous gown and her make up was lightly applied. She stepped out of the house and waved at her members.

“Tell Luhannie we said hi” Taeyeon yelled after Jessica

“And don’t forget to use protection! ”Hyoyeon added just before Jessica had shut the door on them. The rest of the members giggled at Hyoyeon’s comment except for Seohyun, who cornered herself on the couch and solemnly glared at the closed front door.

Outside the apartment, Jessica braved the cold as she waited for her boyfriend. It was 19:05, Luhan was supposed to be in front of her five minutes ago. Fifteen minutes passed and still no sign of him. Jessica let out a hopeless sigh,

“I guess he’s just really busy…”

Jessica bit her lips and fought back the urge to cry. As she turned around and headed towards her dorm, she felt a pair of muscular arms s around her waist.

“I’m sorry I’m late baby”

Jessica grinned as soon as she recognized the voice. She turned around to face her boyfriend before crushing him into a bear hug. Luhan chuckled at Jessica’s action and nestled his face in the crook of her neck. They stayed in the position for a while, rocking from side to side, before he decided to place multiple kisses on her neck. Jessica giggled as his intimate actions tickled her porcelain skin. She playfully pushed him away and angrily pouted,

“What took you so long? I almost thought that you forgot about us!”

Luhan quickly shook his head to defend himself, “How could I forget such an important day like this? The boys didn’t let me out of the house until they all agreed that I looked like a dashing young man”

Luhan took a step back and twirled around to show off his attire. Jessica giggled once more at his childish act.

“Alright handsome, I’ll forgive you. Now take me to dinner before I die of starvation!”

Luhan lead her to his luxurious car and opened the door to the passenger seat for her. He swiftly took out a bouquet of red roses and gave it to her,

“Some beautiful roses for my beautiful lady

Jessica brought the flowers up to her nose but scrunched her eyebrows in confusion when she couldn’t smell the scent.

“Are these fake roses?” Jessica demanded.

Luhan chuckled and pinched her cheeks adoringly, “I’m allergic to flowers remember?”

Jessica nodded when she remembered his crazy allergies but still hugged the flowers happily.

“But hey, who need flowers when you have a delicious-looking boyfriend like me~” Luhan stated when he reached over to grab her seatbelt and buckled her up.

Jessica let out a hearty laugh.

“Delicious-looking?” She questioned her boyfriend’s strange choice of words.

The latter shrugged his shoulders and joked, “Maybe I’m just too hungry”

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, however the silence was comfortable. Luhan was focused on driving; his right hand loosely gripped the steering wheel while his left held onto Jessica’s. He took a quick glance at his girlfriend, who was busy being amazed by the nightlife and bright lights of Seoul, and raised their intertwined hands to plant a kiss.

“I love you” Luhan stated out of the blue.

Jessica smiled but did not reply. She was never the person to express herself easily and Luhan did not expect her to reply – even when they have dated for five years now. Still he knew that Jessica loves him… she’s never told him verbally but her affections towards him did.

They have finally settled down in their reserved part of the restaurant. As they waited for their food to be prepared, the couple spoke about their day at work and Luhan would crack a joke every now and then. After finishing her fair share of dinner, Luhan pulled Jessica out of her chair and ushered her out of the restaurant. He held onto her hands as he lead her towards sets of newly constructed apartments.

“Babe, what are we doing here?” Jessica asked questioningly.

Luhan pulled her close to his side and replied, “You’ll know when we get there”.

Entering the elevator, Luhan quickly pressed on one of the buttons and rummaged through his pockets to find the keys. The sound of the elevator arriving on its designated floor made Jessica panic.

“Oh no… is he doing what Hyoyeon warned me about before…?” Jessica thought to herself. Before she knew it, they were already standing inside one of the apartment. The lights were off and she could no longer feel Luhan’s warmth beside her.

“Lu…? Where are you?” She whispered in fear.

At that instance, the lights flickered on and Jessica’s pupil constricts to adjust to the exposure of bright light. It took her a while to register what was happening before her.

There he was, the man of her life, on one knee as he held a velvet box in his hands.

“I have loved you from the moment I laid my eyes on you five years ago. I still love you till this very day. And I will still love you tomorrow, next year, in 50 years and in my next life. So will you, Jessica Sooyeon Jung, do the honour of marrying me?”

Jessica blinked back the tears that dwelled in the corner of her eyes. She was shocked and was too nervous to reply. She didn’t expect a marriage proposal as a gift for their anniversary. After regaining her composure, Jessica jumped into Luhan’s open arms.

“Yes! I do!” She replied to his question before getting swept off her feet by Luhan. The male was over the moon as he twirled his girlfriend, now fiancé, in his arms.

“You just made me the happiest man on earth” He whispered softly and kissed her passionately.

After breaking apart from the kiss, Jessica smiled and rested her forehead on Luhan’s,

“And you just made me the luckiest and happiest girl alive”

Luhan slid the perfectly cut diamond ring on Jessica’s finger and kissed her once more before pulling her into a hug. After explaining that he bought the apartment not long ago for the couple to settle in after their marriage, the duo decided to spend their first night together in their new house. Of course, Luhan had come prepared as he took out her pyjamas and surprised her.

“I asked Tiffany for help” He explained to her when she asked how he got her pjs.

When the two hopped into the king-sized bed, Luhan could not refrain himself from touching his fiancé. He pulled her close to his chest as he deepened the kiss. He carefully slid his hands under her shirt and caressed her exposed skin. Jessica moaned at the intimate touch as lust clouded her mind. But before things could get out of hand, she stopped kissing Luhan and pushed him off her.

“I don’t think I’m ready for it yet.” She embarrassingly confessed.

Luhan kissed the bridge of her nose, “It’s okay. I can wait”

They laid in bed motionless before Jessica reached out and caressed Luhan’s cheek,

“Lu….”

“Hmm?” Luhan replied as he placed his hand on top of hers

“I love you,” Jessica whispered.

Luhan smiled and pulled Jessica into a hug. Instead of replying, he kissed her on the lips - a kiss that conveyed their love for one another. That night, Luhan and Jessica laid beside one another in the dark… feeling and listening to each other’s heartbeat before they drifted off into slumber-land.