The rain pours down rapidly outside as Sungyeol and I sit leisurely on the couch in the middle of our mediocre apartment, watching one of our favorite dramas on the television. It's nearly midnight and an extremely loud crack of thunder booms out of nowhere. Sungyeol squeals and covers his ears, quickly closing his eyes. "Are you scared of thunder?" I ask him concernedly and he frantically nods his head. I can't help but give a faint smile. I've never seen him act this way before... it's actually kind of cute. "Don't worry, Yeollie, I'll protect you," I assure him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and resting my head on top of his. This seems to calm him down, at least for the moment.

     "Thank you, Myung," he mumbles to me, a sense of gratitude in his voice as he rubs his face against my neck. He's becoming cuter with every passing second. If anyone else were to do this, I would probably push them away and tell them to get over it, but Sungyeol is different. Something about him makes me feel like I need to constantly be watching over him, shielding him from all harm and unpleasant situations. Like how a mother feels towards her child, except entirely different in my case. It's strange, really, but I've never bothered questioning it. He brings me absolute happiness and that's all I really care about, and I know he feels the same way towards me, only because he's constantly telling me how much he loves me and wants to marry me one day. I'm so grateful he's an open book because I don't think I'd be able to say those things in so many words, but you never know... Sungyeol  brings out a whole different side of me. Another crack of thunder booms throughout the night sky, this one even louder than the previous. Sungyeol squeals again and instinctively jumps onto my lap. I can feel him start to tremble, so I reposition my hands and instead place them over his ears, pulling him in as close as I possibly can. I'm almost never this affectionate, so he'd better appreciate it. I think he can sense my thoughts because right at that moment, he wraps his arms around the back of my head and kisses my neck. Yeah, he definitely appreciates my affection, no doubt about that. I pull my head backwards ever so slightly and kiss him lightly on the forehead, then can't prevent myself from kissing his cheek, then realize I've made my way down to his lips. Oops. I can't pull away, rather, I don't want to pull away. I like this too much, and considering Sungyeol is passionately kissing me back, I think he likes it too. I think I may have found the key to making him forget about his fear of thunder... until yet another crack of it booms and he's accidentally bitten my upper lip from the sudden surprise. "Oh, no, Myung!" he yelps and pulls away, "I'm so sorry! Are you in pain? I'm so sorry..." He looks at me with with his large, apologetic eyes. With eyes like those, I'd forgive him for anything.

     I won't lie, it stings a little bit, but I know it wasn't his fault. "No, I'm fine," I say to him and give him an assuring smile, but I can see that he's still skeptical.

     "Are you sure?" he asks, closely examining where he just bit me, most likely trying to tell if I'm lying or not.

     "I'm sure," I respond. I still don't think he believes me, but I know he knows arguing with me is pointless. Not once has he ever won an argument between the two of us, though I always admired him for trying. He leans in closer and kisses my so-called "wound", causing me to giggle. "And now I'm really sure," I add, and he giggles as well. Gosh, this boy makes me say the silliest things, but I wouldn't want it any other way and I'm sure he wouldn't, either. I give him a look that says "I still want to kiss you" and he gets the idea. I turn off the television and we immediately get back into the position we were in before and continue to lock lips. A few minutes go by before we hear the sound of thunder once more. Sungyeol is startled and nearly bites my lip again, but manages to catch himself before it happens. He still seems a little frightened, so I place both of my hands underneath his thighs and hoist him upwards, carrying him.

     He looks at me, confused. "Myung, where are we going?" he asks, and I just smile in response. I carry him into our bedroom. Considering he's taller than I am, this was no easy task - I nearly toppled over several times on my way in here, but I didn't let that stop me. I was determined to make Sungyeol as comfortable as possible. I lay him flat on the bed and pull the covers over him, then crawl in and lie next to him. I position my body so that I'm lying on my left side and rest my right arm over his stomach, rubbing in slow, circular motions to help him relax. He looks at me and smiles innocently, flashing his perfectly white teeth right at me. The thunder booms once more and his precious smile fades away, leaving no trace of it behind. He buries his face under the covers and asks "Will you sing for me?" though his voice is muffled. "Please?"

     I can't say no to him, especially when he's in so much distress over the roaring thunder. I use my free hand to pull the covers from off his face and say "Of course" with an endearing smile. I clear my throat and begin to sing for him in a soft voice, Sungyeol giving me his undivided attention. The look he gives me as I sing makes me feel like I'm the most important person in his life, and I know for certain he's the most important person in mine, though I'm too embarrassed to ever admit it. I finish my song and Sungyeol leans over and embraces me. The thunder roars again and he doesn't squeal, he doesn't wince, he doesn't do anything, other than stare directly into my eyes and tell me he loves me. Despite this being the thousandth time he's said that to me, my heart flutters and I'm caught in the moment. I think I've cured him for real this time, and not only that, but myself as well.

     "I love you too, Sungyeol," I say to him in the heat of the moment, and that's the first time those words have ever come out of my mouth. I should probably feel embarrassed right about now, but I don't. I feel nothing other or less than incredible. Everything seems so right, like all of the things I've done in life have all led up to this exact moment. He refuses to take his eyes off of me, looking as if he's struggling to figure out what to say. What a night... I've managed to render my extremely chatty boyfriend who almost never shuts up speechless.

     Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he says something. He gives me a playful smirk and asks, "What took you so long, Myung?" We both laugh as the thunder rolls once again, and he intertwines my hands with his and lovingly kisses my lips as if it's the last kiss we'll ever share. This, whatever we're doing right now... it feels so natural. Yes, Lee Sungyeol, I am madly in love with you, and I want to marry you one day too.