Chapter XX: The Love

"I'm outta here!" Top said that afternoon, poking his head into Jiyong's office.

Jiyong glanced up from where he stood behind his desk sorting files, trying to decide which ones he needed to take home with him.

"See you on Monday."

Top arched an eyebrow at the open briefcase on his desk.

"Don't tell me you're actually leaving at a decent hour. You got plans tonight?"

Dara had refused to see him, but Jiyong wasn't going to let her get away so easily. Not after that kiss. Her voice might tell him no, but her body was sending entirely different signals.

"I've got something in mind."

Top gave him a questioning look.

"What's up with you? You've been smiling all afternoon."

"I'm going to have a son." Jiyong said simply.

He knew he was probably beaming like a little boy with a shiny new truck, but was unable to curb his elation.

"A son?" Top came a few steps farther into the room to brace his hands on the back of one of Jiyong's chairs.

"Dara called?"

"No. She had an ultrasound this morning, and I was there." Sitting down for a minute, Jiyong put his arms behind his head, crossed his legs at the ankles and closed his eyes to relive it.

"I got to see the baby and everything."

"Give the man a cigar." Top smiled.

"Any other news?"

"Such as?"

"What's happening with you and Dara?"

Jiyong grimaced and sat up straight.

"That's going to take some work."

"But it's fixable right?"

"I hope so."

"Come on, I'll walk you down to your car."

"No, you go ahead. I have a quick call to make."

Suddenly excited now, Jiyong picked up the phone and dialed Dara's number. Top paused at the door as Sanghyun answered.

"Hi Kid, this is Hyung."

"Hi Hyung!"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Where's your sister?"

"In the kitchen. She's making some miso soup, it's my favorite."

”That's great. But be sure to save some room for popcorn afterward okay? I want to take you to the movies tonight."

"Is Dara-noona going?"

No, just me and you."

"Oh I get it." Top said softly.

"You're using the little boy to get close to Dara. You're playing dirty."

Jiyong smiled and covered the mouthpiece.

"No, I'm playing for keeps.”

"Dara-noona, Dara-noona! Hyung's on the phone! He wants to take me to the movies! Can I go? Please, noona? Can I, huh?"

"What?" Dara set the container of miso paste down on the counter.

"What are you talking about Sanghyun?"

"Hyung's on the phone."

"He is?”

She heard the phone ring but she expected it to be her uncle or CL. They called often and were just as happy to talk to Sanghyun as Dara. She never dreamed it would be Jiyong. Not after this morning when she told him to leave her alone.

"Can I go?" Sanghyun asked again.

Dara shook her head, wondering how to handle this new turn of events.

"Let me talk to him."

Tucking her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ears, she snagged the phone off the far counter.

"Jiyong?"

"Hi Dara?"

Dara's stomach did a triple somersault and dived, just at the sound of his voice. What was ever going to become of her?

"Sanghyun said you wanted to take him to the movies?"

"If that's alright."

Sanghyun was jumping up and down next to her, a look of desperation on his face.

"Pleeese, Dara-noona."

"You didn't think to ask me first, Jiyong?"

"So you could tell me no?"

Dara sighed. She thought he'd understood that when she'd told him to stay away from her , she'd meant Sanghyun, too. It appeared she should have been more specific. Turning away from her brother, she lowered her voice.

"You can't just keep waltzing in and out of our lives."

"I'm not going anywhere this time." He cheerfully informed her.

"As a matter of fact, I'm not even going home tonight, that I'm not."

Surprised, stiffened Dara's spine.

"You're not? Where are you going?"

"I'm staying at your place. Just thought I'd give you some notice."

Dara's heart slammed against her rib cage and stopped. She resisted the urge to smack her chest to get it going again.

"I'll prepare the guest room."

"Don't bother, I'll be sleeping with you." He said.

Then the phone clicked and a dial tone hummed in her ear.

Dara didn't care if Jiyong was spending the night or not. She wasn't going to sleep with him. after what had happened last time. He was the last man on earth she'd trust with her heart or her body.

But she showered, washed her hair and shaved her legs, twice. The makeup she applied was to make herself feel good. She wasn't trying to impress him. and the expensive vanilla and jasmine scented lotion? She put that on after her shower every day…or at least once a year.

When the doorbell rang, Sanghyun rushed to answer it while Dara feigned interest in a novel. She'd read the first three pages several times, but had no idea what the book was about. She'd been too nervous knowing that Jiyong was on his way over.

If she was half regretting her decision not to go to the movies with him before he arrived, she regretted it tenfold after. He looked better than a fudgy brownie standing at her door wearing a pair of snug worn jeans and a pink polo shirt. His crimson hair was free of its normal braid to hand down his back, held together only by a tie at the nape of his neck.

She remembered that lithe body snug against hers, his mouth on her own, hungry and wet and had a hot flash.

‘Damn hormones.’ She silently cursed.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" He asked, his soft smile tempting her to forgive him, to trust him.

"A nice movie, fresh popcorn, maybe an ice-cream sundae afterward?"

The ice-cream almost got her, but Dara shook her head. She needed time to shore up her crumbling defenses. Jiyong wasn't an easy man to refuse. And it would be dark and late when they returned. Nights were difficult enough when she was only imagining his presence. Maybe she should spend the next two hours going to the hardware store to purchase a dead bolt for her bedroom door.

"Have a great time." She said, giving the wriggling excited Sanghyun a hug. Her brother waved good-bye and promptly took Jiyong's hand to lead him away.

"We'll be back soon, that we will." He said, leaning close to add as a whisper in her ear.

"In the meantime, any chance you could dig out those silk pajamas you wore on our wedding night?"

Dara swallowed and looked down at her rounded tummy. She just bet she'd make quite a sight in a size two sizes too small for her now. But that didn't stop her from finding out, once they left. Standing in front of the mirror, she adjusted the beige silk shorts several times, but nothing she did made them look any better.

Unfortunately, none of her other ier lingerie, also leftovers from her first marriage, made much improvement. She had no waist. Now, s….well s were another story. She'd gone up two bra sizes in the past three months.

But none of that mattered, right? Because Jiyong wasn't going to see her wearing anything but her grand-mother-ish castoff nightgown. One of those cotton snap button numbers would be enough to drive lascivious thoughts out of any man's head. Jiyong would take one glance at her, realize she looked like a round granny more than she looked like his beloved, long-lost Taeyeon. And he's run for the hills again.

Better that than to have him reject her while she was wearing something in which she felt cautiously hopeful. Then she'd feel completely unappealing, the way she did after the last incident. Only this time would be worse because she weighed an extra fifteen or twenty pounds. And that much weight on her already petite frame was extremely noticeable.

The baby began to squirm inside of her, and she smiled ruefully and her undulating middle.

"I'm not blaming you." She said aloud, rubbing it affectionately.

"It's just that daddy of yours. He makes me crazy."

Crazy in love, she admitted, but only to herself.

Jiyong held Sanghyun on one knee during the movie so he could see over the row of people in front of them-and because he liked the feeling of being his bigger brother. He'd fought for six months to forget Dara and Sanghyun, but getting them out of his blood had been virtually impossible.

Now he enjoyed the peace of giving in to his attraction. They belonged together. He believed that now. He believed that the time he'd spent feeling bereft and alone since Taeyeon's death was about to come to an end.

The animated characters on the scream burst into song, and Sanghyun's eyes widened, his eyes shining with the rapt attention. Children were so easy to please. Jiyong only hoped Dara would prove as open to him as Sanghyun had been. She'd once told him she loved him, and he'd thrown the words back in her face. That would be tough to forgive, but he was determined to make it up to her.

He glanced at his watch suddenly impatient to get home. He wanted to crawl into bed with Dara, feel the shin he'd longed to touch for so long, have her turn to him and put her arms around his neck and let him make love to her for the first time. Then maybe he could dispel some of the fear that he'd lost her for good.

"Hyung?" Sanghyun asked once they hit a slow point in the movie. He twisted slightly to face him.

"Himm?" hH responded though his thoughts were still on Dara.

"Why does uncle Lee call you a babo?"

Jiyong chuckled. "I guess your sister isn't the only one I have to win over again huh?"

"Ohmygosh, I think he's here."

Dara pulled the phone cord with her as she crossed the living room to peak out the window. Sure enough the headlights of Jiyong's car blinded her for a minute, then the purr of his engine died and the lights flashed off.

"It is him. Oh, no! What am I going to do? I never made it to the hardware store."

"Calm down." CL told her.

"You don't need a lock. Jezz you need a tranquilizer."

"Are you kidding?! My mind has to be sharp.