I close my eyes against the vulnerability that speaks so loudly within Jackson's. 

"Why?" he asks again, this time a mere whisper and I hear the silent ache that laces his voice. 

"I'm sorry." I whisper in return and the two words are barely audible as they pass through my lips.

"That doesn't answer my question." He states loudly as he tightens his arms around me.

I need some distance between us so I struggle until he loosens his hold on me.

Once it loosens I push myself away from him and he relunctantly lets me go.

My body misses his immediately.

"I..." I began...

"When we were young, when you left and started emailing Suzy regularly, she..."

I close my eyes against the act of betrayal I'm committing against my best friend. 

Swallowing hard, I fight against tears that I know will come because of it.

"She grew tired of replying to you. She grew bored not having you with us and just having to respond to you through letters. I told her not to stop corresponding with you. I knew you had feelings for her even as a kid and I encouraged her to continue but she wouldn't listen to me. I started using her email to correspond with you instead. I didn't want you to feel bad or be heartbroken so..."

I finally find the courage to look into his eyes again...they are so dark, so fathomless and now, so cold.

"So you kept in contact with me out of pity huh Youngji??" A tick starts in his jaw again just like earlier.

"You pitied the skinny four-eyed kid you knew would never get the girl of his dreams. You pitied him so much that you thought you could fix it for him just like you did when we were young. Well, you know what, Heo Youngji?! I didn't need your 'n pity then and I..."

His careless words cut me deep and I throw myself upon him, beating my clenched fists against his chest while lashing out in a pained scream, "IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!!!"  He catches my wrists in both his hands. His eyes are wet and he screams back at me,

"THEN TELL ME, DAMNIT!"

He takes a breath and his nose flares, "Tell me what it was like because things don't look so good for you from where I'm standing."

This is said with conviction as a tear makes its escape down his cheek. 

In that moment the fight goes out of me and in a small voice full of pent up pain and frustrated honesty, I say, 

"I was in love with you. All those times you spent pining after Suzy, I spent pining after you.When you left with promises only for Suzy, I knew then that you would never be mine and somehow I accepted that. I was willing to be just your friend if it meant your happiness. When Suzy invited me to email you in her place it wasn't because I had any hopes left for you and I, Jackson. But true friends don't just leave their friends hanging." 

I hesitate for a moment and close my eyes, no longer able to look at him. I further explain,

"Over the years, through our emails and daily online conversations though, the connection between you and I that I had disregarded as a childish crush after you left came back a second time around, solidifying itself as something more... and here I am again, full circle."

Emotionally and mentally spent, I open my eyes but they avoid his. Again I struggle to get away from him, pulling at my wrists, abeit gently this time.

"Babe. Look at me." Jackson orders

It's the profound gentleness I hear in his voice this time that has my eyes swerving to his.

I find soft brown eyes gazing back at me. Warm eyes that are no longer hard.

 When I stare into them confused as heck, kid you not, his lips curve up into a grin.

"Now, didn't it feel good, getting all that off your chest, Babe?"

Okay...what the heck just happened here?? 

 I feel something incircle my left wrist and hear a snick.

Pulling my eyes away from the satisfied curve of his lips that I have been staring at for about ten million years, I glance back toward my wrist and gasp.

"Jackson, what is this??" I can't wrap my head around what just happened a few moments ago and what is happening right now.

"That, is my mom's jade bracelet and now, it is yours."

I find myself at a loss for words, then when I find them, they are:

"Is not!" 

"Is to."

"Jackson! You can't just..."

"I didn't. It was mom's idea. I just told her I was coming here to settle things. You got a problem with it, you take it up with my mom. I don't meddle with the girly issues."

"But I am not THE WOMAN." 

"You certainly aren't. You're MY woman."

I sigh and complain,

"I don't think I want to get stuck with a bipolar man like you, you'll run me ragged."

He  chuckles and nudges my chin with his index knuckle then leans in. 

Laying soft butterfly kisses upon my lips, he gently traces at the seams with the tip of his tongue and as I gasp in surprise, he goes all in.

All I know, when he finally pulls back and caresses my now puffy lips are two things.

Number one: Wang Jackson is a very dangerous man because...

Number two: I'm addicted to the way he kisses.