Taecyeon stormed over to the kitchen and threw a file angrily on the counter.  He felt a slow simmer of anger start in his stomach rising toward his face.  “How can that happen?”  He yelled over the phone as he strode down the kitchen island wearing his white shirt, Mickey Mouse boxers, his dark rimmed glasses and a scowl.  With every word from the other line he could feel the anger blaze inside him.  The cold tiles under his bare feet were not of any help in cooling him down.  “I can’t believe this, I laid everything out so smoothly for you and you still managed to mess it up.  What the hell were you thinking?”

It’s 5:02 in the morning and you awoke to find yourself in an unusual condition…you were alone in bed.  You stretched out on your back to hear a voice coming from outside the room, it sounded suspiciously of your husband screaming his head off.  So, you curiously climbed out of bed and followed his voice leading you to the kitchen where you stepped into chaos.

Taecyeon turns around from where he was standing just in time to see you walking a little dazed and rubbing the sleep off your eyes.  “I will call you again later.”  He whispered on the phone, careful not to raise his voice with you in the room.  “If you cannot resolve it by then, I think you all better be prepared to look for another job.”  The easiness with which he said it was scarier that any threat would have been.  If not for the Mickey Mouse boxers he donned on, he would have looked so intimidating.  He hangs up and growled, running his hand vigorously through his hair in utter frustration as he slammed the lid of his laptop shut.

“Taec.”  You walked up to him and rested your hand on his chest, it down as if it would calm his rage.  “You need a hug to cool off?”  You raised your hands to your sides and he pulls you into his embrace.  “Hugs are good for the heart I’ve heard.”  You patted his back gently as his arms cradled you with so much care and affection, rocking both your bodies from foot to foot.  “Whatever happened to taking deep breaths when you’re mad?  You used to tell me, if I get angry at every single thing that happens, I will never get to enjoy my day the way I should.”

He melted into your arms, the feeling soaring within him as a sigh escaped his lips.  He felt relaxed, warm and comforted in your embrace.  “Did I wake you?”  You shook your head in response.  Taecyeon tipped your chin to have you face him, his eyes meeting yours with a penetrating stare.  And finally, he smiled, but it was lacking the full warmth of the smiles he used to give you.

“Can I help?”  His troubled expression had left you unsettled.

He shuts his eyes and kissed the top of your head.  “I don’t think so love.”  He sits on a stool and held your hands dragging you along with him.  “Our marketing department just sent a contract to our client with a missing zero in the contract price.”

“A missing zero, huh?  That sounds bad.  So why not just ask for the contract back and correct it?”  You raise your eyebrows at him as you play your fingers on his hair.

His mouth twisted as if he had on a lemon.  “Well, you see, P&B isn’t really the easy-to-talk-to kind of client.  And they are actually refusing to -”

“P&B?”  You grabbed a handful of his hair to tilt his face up so he was back to looking at you.  “As in Park and Baker?” 

“Uhm.”  Taecyeon tried to nod with your hand still grabbing his hair.

“I know someone there.  I could call in a favor and fix the mess for you.”  You snapped your fingers and grinned.

“It’s not that easy.”  He shook his head with a smile that lacked its normal cheer.  “I don’t think it’ll be that easy love unless the person you know is…”

“I’m friends with the Chairman’s son.  I’m sure it’ll be easy.”  You gave him a crooked smile and a wink.  “I think he’s running the place now or at least a department in there.  Trust me Taec, I could fix this for you.”

Taecyeon blinked and looked at you, obviously coming back from wherever dark place his thoughts had wandered to.  “Will it cost you anything?”

“Hmmm…probably a cup of coffee…and maybe throwing in an extra pie would do…but no more than that.”

He made a little sound of frustration in his throat.  “That’s a date.  I don’t like it.”

You smiled at him.  “Oh please Taec, a cup of coffee and a pie does not equal a date.”

He swallowed back the irritation that your statement evoked, his lips compressing into a thin line for a moment.  “I still don’t like it.”  He shakes his head defiantly.

“You have to trust me Taec.  You do trust me right?”  He nods and you smiled widely.  “Good!  It’s good to know I am of some use to you.”  You sounded cheerful hoping the forlorn expression on his face would disappear.  “Who dares gives my husband a difficult time!?”  You interlaced your fingers with his and kissed the back of his hand.

“You don’t have to do all that for me, but ….thank you.”  He held your face to give you a kiss.

“I’m settling this matter for you, but you have to take me somewhere fun today.”  Your mouth widened in a smile as your face remained in between his hands.

“Really, thank you.”  He was practically whispering, but it was still loud enough to hear over the sound of your heart starting to beat faster as he his thumb against your bottom lip.

The color climbed to your cheeks and you were stuck in a daze that lasted for a few seconds.  It would remain a mystery to you how even for this long a time he still has the same effect on you.  “You’re welcome.  I like knowing you need me and I can be here to help you.”

----

After a few phone calls and a lot of sweet talks and grumbling, the contract was sent back to your husband’s people and that afternoon you found yourself in the car with Taecyeon.  You had absolutely no idea where you were going and your queries had been met with a mischievous grin and the words, “Just trust me.  You did say to take you somewhere fun, right?”  So you tried to enjoy the ride and the time you have with your husband.

Taecyeon finally pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car as you looked at the large building up ahead.  “Seriously?”

“You did say to bring you somewhere fun.  This is the epitome of fun.”  He proudly said as you looked at the building again as you got out of the car.  You couldn’t remember the last time you had been in an indoor amusement park, but he could be right, this could be fun, especially for him.  Taecyeon paid for the tickets and fastened an all access pass around your wrist, his thumb rubbing teasingly over your pulse as he did so.  In no time you were both laughing in bemusement as you waved your laser guns at each other, heading inside the black lit arena for a game of laser tag.  There had to be about a dozen other people in there, but as far as you were concerned, you had one target and one target only…Ok Taecyeon.  Surprisingly, your husband proved to be somewhat hard to find for someone as tall and bulky as him.  You have spent the next half hour chasing each other, hiding behind partitions and creeping around barriers.  But Taecyeon’s strategy was to keep sneaking up and grabbing you from behind and then kissing you instead of shooting at you.  After almost half an hour of running around trying to snipe each other, he finally caught you in a corner, trapping you against one of the walls with his body and grabbing both your hands to pin them above your head.

“So love, did I win?”  His mouth was just a breath away from yours.

“Not sure.”  You felt your throat dry up as a surge of lust racked through your body.  You smiled and arched your back, rubbing your hips against him.  “How were we keeping scores again?”

He brushed his lips against yours sealing any explanation with a kiss.  You opened your mouth and he pushed his tongue inside, crashing it with yours.  The feel of it sent a wave of emotion through you as you opened your mouth wider allowing his lips to claim yours.  He was to you like wine, every time he got closer, the attraction just kept getting stronger and stronger with every taste.  Like wine, every time you tasted it, you wanted more.

“Please stop making out!  We can see you!”  You were both startled to hear the loudspeaker.  You laughed as Taecyeon guiltily lets go of you.  Resting your head on his chest, you were giggling helplessly in embarrassment at getting caught making out like a couple of teenagers.  Bashfully you left the arena while holding hands and laughing until your abdomens started to hurt and your cheeks red.

“There’s one more thing I want to try with you.”  Taecyeon drags you with him until he stops in front of the climbing wall.  It was at least 40 feet high reaching up the ceiling of the large arcade.  You looked up to see the multi-colored hand and toe holds that were scattered across the wall.

There was one thing Taecyeon didn’t know about you.  As confident and as tough as you are, you were actually scared of heights.  Gone were the days when you climbed the willow tree just behind your grandfather’s house.  Ever since you fell and broke your ankle, heights have been a problem to you.  And just by looking at the intimidating wall towering over you was already beginning to make you dizzy.  “Why don’t I just watch you do it from down here?”  You said hesitantly.

“Oh c’mon love, little kids do this.”  He reassured you with a laugh.  “This will be just like climbing that old tree from way back.”

You rolled your eyes at him, but eventually succumbed to his teasing smile.  “Fine.”

After a few minutes of being strapped in and given rudimentary safety lessons, you found yourself standing at the base of the wall.  The first few steps were easy.  After that you had to remind yourself to breathe.  About a few feet up and a long while your foot slipped off the toehold, but surprisingly you managed to keep your other three points of contact with the wall long enough to get your foot back into place.  You could hear Taecyeon’s voice encouraging you to keep on as you noticed he had already finished the whole course and is back down on the ground.  It seems the closer you were getting to the top the further apart the holds were placed.  You looked up to see how much further you needed to climb and you saw at least 20 more feet.  You thought you were closer to the top than that.

You reached up to your left for the next handhold and then your foot slipped.  You tried grabbing for the hold but couldn’t quite make it and you felt yourself falling, sliding and your line snapping tight as you grabbed at a hold.  Your bodyweight was painfully jerking your shoulder as you caught yourself.  You clung to the wall with your breath coming in short shallow gasps.

“Are you okay, love?”  You heard Taecyeon call from down below, but you couldn’t get your vocal cords to function to give him a reply.  You wanted to say something, but your brain just couldn’t stop freaking out enough to actually speak.  You were beginning to go into a panic attack and for the first time in a long time, you don’t know what to do.  You closed your eyes shut and tightly held on to the wall.  You know it would have been easier to just let go and just let the line get you, but your body can’t seem to follow your mind.

Suddenly, you heard Taecyeon right beside you.  “Hey, look at me.”  You clung tight to the holdsl and refused to move with your eyes kept shut.  Then he calls your name, his voice calm and low.  “Open your eyes.  I’m right here beside you.  Just look at me and nothing else.”  You slowly opened your eyes and there he was, right next to you just as he said.  “I’m going to hold your hand, okay?”  He quietly said.  He was trying to sound reassuring, but you could see the worried crease between his brows as he gently placed his hand over yours.  “You’re safe.  I’ve got you.  I won’t let you get hurt.”  He kept his reassuring babble until your breathing steadied.  “We’re going to go down now, okay?”  You nodded and fought to blink back your tears.  “I’m going to talk you down one movement at a time.  I’m going to tell you exactly how to do this.  Now, I want you to take your left leg and go down and to the right.”  But you didn’t budge.  “I need you to move your leg baby.”

“I can’t.”  You whispered in a trembling voice.

“Yes you can.  Look at me.  You trust me right?”  You met his gaze filled with so much concern and love.  “Do you trust me?”  He repeated as if reminding you of something you already knew.  You took a deep breath and nodded.

“Say it.”  He smiled.

“I trust you!”  The barest hint of a smile flickered around your mouth.

“I promise you wouldn’t get hurt, not while I’m around.  I’ll keep you safe.”  His voice was resolute.

“Okay.”  You took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

You’re not exactly sure how long it took for you to get down, but your husband stayed with you with every motion.  He kept up a running stream of encouragement as you slowly worked your way down the wall with him.  And when you finally put your feet on the ground, you collapsed as a silent sob wracked your frame.  His fingers had you unbuckled from the harness in a few short seconds and he pulled you into his lap and held you closely.  “You’re safe.  I’ve got you.”

After several minutes you had calmed down to a point where you could finally feel that you had control of your body.  It wasn’t until that moment that you realized he hadn’t been wearing any climbing gear anymore.  You pointed this out to him and he just smiles at you.  “I had to get you.  I didn’t have time to harness up.”

“But what if you had fallen?  You could have been hurt.  You could’ve been…”

His eyes, those wonderful eyes that had blocked out the rest of the world while he rescued you, narrowed slightly as he focused on your worried stricken face.  “You needed me.  And I promised not let you get hurt while I’m around.  And I am someone who keeps my promises.  Besides, you trusted me to be there for you.”  There was no doubt in his voice, no worrying about what might have been.  He believed he will always be able to do whatever you needed from him to keep you happy and safe…and you believed it too.  Nothing else matters ….just as long as you trusted each other.