We were already close home when his phone suddenly rang.

“Can you answer that for me?” I frowned. He was still holding one of my hands and doesn’t seem to be interested to let it go. I took the phone and hit the answer button but hit the speaker.

“Hello?” his manager on the other line said. However, he did not seem keen to reply so I took the liberty of answering for him,

“Hi! Jonghyun is currently driving. Would you like me to take your message?”

“Uhhhmm, yeah.. can you tell him to call me once he can?”

“Sure. I will” I said and ended the call. I was about to return the phone to where it was previously when I noticed that his wallpaper was my picture. I was already surprised by that but what surprised me more was that the photo was of me taken when I was sleeping under the tree.

I looked at him and raised my brows as if to ask the questions playing on my mind. First, why didn’t he take the call and second, was he watching me sleep that first day we met since he has my photo of it?

“What? I didn’t want anybody bothering us.” He simply said as if telling me that it was something that I shouldn’t even be puzzling about.

“Then why is your wallpaper a photo of me while I was sleeping under the tree?” I asked.

“Because you were so beautiful I couldn’t help myself from taking a photo of you. And I wanted to take it with me anywhere.

Argh, how can he simply make me melt like a pudding?

I knew by then that I was smiling like an idiot because admittedly, I like how he said it and his reason behind.

I remembered to tell him directions on how to get to our house though he seems rather familiar with the area.

Soon we were in front of my parent’s house. It felt as if we needed to discuss something and to be honest with myself, I didn’t want to be apart from him yet.

We stepped out of the car and slowly walked towards the door. There was a certain companionable silence like we both had an understanding that we were good and things will just slowly sort itself out. He continued to hold my hand and like being of the same mind, we decided to walk towards the swing by the porch. We sat side by side, him still holding my hands. I quickly saw my parents take a peek of us by the window, which was sort of funny. I felt like a teenager again. I was so happy he was beside me and that we can’t seem to stay away from each other but I felt shy to look at him so I gazed at the stars shining brightly, as if smiling like me.  

I heard him sigh after a while and when I looked at him, I saw him staring straight at me with a bit of a frown on his forehead. I quickly worried. What was it? What was wrong?

“Is there any problem?” I asked.

“Huh? Nothing. Just that you are too beautiful.” I immediately blushed at that. I felt the sincerity of what he said. And how he said it was laced with too much emotion.

“You must have seen plenty of other beautiful ladies.” I murmured. Not sure if I really wanted to say it out loud but I just felt that he may have said it to so many others and that he is used to saying it now without actually meaning it.

“No one compares to you. As soon as I saw you, you captured me and right then and there, I thought you were the one.”  He said it while staring at me and I just believed him. He captivated me, totally, absolutely.

A light breeze blew from my back and caused my hair to come to disarray. I raised my other he was not holding to fix it but he simply shook his head and fixed it himself.

“Allow me to fix these things for you. Rely on me more.”

It was as if he wanted to say more but was hesitant since what would follow was rather a sensitive subject. However, he has taught me, bit by bit, that I should feel safe with him around.

“Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me. I should be the one helping you, turns out it’ll be the other way around.” I wanted to convey, so much, how happy I was that he was beside me at the restaurant. I might not have been able to hold my composure if not for him.

“Don’t think like that. Do you know how hard it is for me to look at you when you seemed to be troubled? That’s why I said to rely on me more. I won’t ever let go of you. You don’t have to shoulder all these troubles alone anymore.”

A lone tear fell from my eyes, as if wanting to be free. That moment, all my emotions, bottled up for the past years, wanted to burst out. In front of this man, I can shed my mask and he will be both my strength and witness to the pain and weakness I kept hidden from everyone.

I let the tears flow freely and cry my heart out. In between sobs, I would tell how it hurt me that the person I trusted turned her back on me. How I suddenly lost my love for music, one thing that I always I would be passionate about. How all these things made me wary about other people.

He had me cradled at the crook of his neck and would slowly caress my hair and back. He would also softly whisper words of encouragement and reassurance in between my sobs and rants.

Finally, when I felt like I have cried all that I can cry, I raised my head and looked at him. I smiled and said, “All those tears felt good. After the rain is a bright sunshine, thank you for being my sunshine.”

“Close your eyes,” he instructed me and so I did.

I was holding my breath not because I was scared but I admit that it was because I was a bit nervous and at the same time anticipating.

“I will wipe away all your tears.” I felt him kiss my right eyes. “And make you see all beautiful, bright things.” Then kissed my left eyes.

I opened my eyes then and we were looking at each other, breath held in and faces just barely an inch away from each other. I could literally hear my heart beating.

“Ehem! We thought you’d like some tea?” It was my dad with a steaming hot mug of tea, grinning like Cheshire cat. Behind him was my mom, silently giggling like a teenager as well.

I literally felt like a kid caught by my parents making out with the town’s heartthrob. I was probably blushing profusely now and just like that, the moment ruined, I hid my face with the palm of my hands. Since Jonghyun and I were sitting very close to each other, I could feel his body vibrating, trying so hard to hold in the laugh.

“We’ll leave the drinks here.” Then both my parents left. Gah, that was just so embarrassing.

He handed me my cup and we silently drank. “Seriously, your mom just makes the best tea in the world.”

I laughed and raised my brow, “This is your first time drinking it.”

He suddenly looked away from me after I made that comment, and I thought it was rather amusing that he seemed embarrassed.

I leaned closer to him and whispered to his ears, “they might be listening on us. You’ve earned a brownie point.”

We finished our drink and decided it was getting too late for him and it was best for him to go home.

Once in the solitude of my room, I realized that every meeting with him becomes the best day of my life and everything we do becomes an unforgettable memory. Praying silently, I hoped that this feeling never ends.