“Namjoon, I think this is a REALLY bad idea…” you said as your boyfriend bustled about in the living room. He had claimed he had a surprise for you, and despite your vocal attempts to dissuade him otherwise, he had finally convinced you to be blindfolded so as not to ruin anything. Now your entire reality was dark except for the occasional rustle of cloth and the clink of glass.

“I promise you, this is going to be fun. Trust me. I just want you to be completely surprised. Are you still okay with this?” You nodded your head and felt the presence of his lips suddenly on your cheek. “Thank you,” his deep voice muttered in your ear.

A few minutes later, Namjoon had you by the arm and was helping you make your way outside of your house. “Watch your step, it’s a little high,” you heard him say as a car door opened. The step was indeed high, making you realize that it wasn’t a car that belonged to either of you. Your boyfriend assisted in getting you up and into your seat, as well as securing you safely with the seatbelt. Within seconds your door closed and he was in the driver’s seat, the sound of gravel indicating that he was backing out of the driveway.

“Can I take the blindfold off now?” you said, making a slight pout with your lips to tease your boyfriend.

His deep chuckle echoed through the vehicle. “No babe, not yet. Once we get to the destination I promise you can take it off.”

A dramatic sigh followed his words. “This better be worth all the secrecy, or you’ll owe me. Big time.”

You felt his strong hand reach over and squeeze your thigh reassuringly. “It will be.”

The drive was somewhat long, although Namjoon the radio and chatted with you about your day to help make the time go by. At some point the road turned from smooth gravel to bumpy dirt, causing you to be tossed around in your seat more than you would have liked. “Namjoon, I’m sure you’re wanting this to be some sort of romantic evening but this isn’t starting out well.”

“Don’t worry _____. I promise it gets much better from here on out.” No sooner had he said that then the vehicle slowed to a stop. You heard the click of the car being put into park and the driver side door opening. Your boyfriend made his way over to your side, opened the door, and said “Okay, babe. Take your blindfold off.”

Breathing a sigh of relief you removed the blindfold only to have your breath taken away by the sight in front of you. Namjoon had taken you to the side of a mountain, a place easily reachable by road yet far enough away from civilization that the only sounds you could hear were the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind, and the breath of your boyfriend as he waited to see your reaction to the surprise.

“Oh my god Namjoon. This is beautiful!” You couldn’t see the look on your boyfriend’s face because you were too entranced by the view, but you knew he was grinning widely. “How did you find this place?”

“A friend of mine found it. He told me it was a really beautiful spot both at night and during the day.” Your boyfriend helped you out of the vehicle (which happened to be a truck) and squeezed both of your hands in his. “I know I’ve been away a lot here lately and I wanted to make it up to you. This way it’s just you, me, and nature.”

You pulled one of your hands out of his grasp and placed it on his face, thumb his cheek gently. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” you asked, asking both Namjoon and the universe as a whole.

Namjoon looked down, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. “Come on, help me get the stuff out of the backseat.”

“There’s more?” you asked, incredulous that the spectacular view from the mountain wasn’t the only think your boyfriend had come up with for the day.

“Of course! What did you think, we’re just going to stand here for a while?” he asked. He pulled out a large blanket and handed it to you. “See that little spot under the tree over there? It’s flat and mostly cleared of sharp rocks and plants. Take this over there and spread it out. I’ll be right over.”

As you traipsed over to the spot Namjoon had pointed out, he grabbed a picnic basket from the car. You couldn’t help but smile adoringly at him as you spread out the blanket. “Wow, a picnic on the side of the mountain. How romantic. I truly underestimated you, Kim Namjoon.”

“Oh, it gets better,” he said. You raised an eyebrow, not seeing how things could improve for the day. “Look,” he said, pointing out past the trees.

The light was almost too bright to truly see anything, but you realized that the sun was almost on the horizon. “A sunset too?” you asked. He nodded as he pulled sandwiches, watermelon slices, a container of brownies, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice out of the basket.

As the two of you got settled on the blanket with your food, the sun began to sink below the treetops, splashing vibrant purples, pinks, and oranges across the sky. The light reflected beautifully off of his eyes, the adoration in them shining at you as he fed you a piece of watermelon. You couldn’t help but smile at him and he smiled back, his face holding a thousand unsaid moments of gratitude and love.

The two of you were just finishing up the last of the brownies when the sun disappeared behind the horizon. “Come on,” Namjoon said, standing up and offering his hand to help you. He packed everything into the basket and helped you to gather the blanket up from the ground. Carrying the basket, you followed him to the truck where he then spread the blanket out in the bed of the vehicle. “Grab that other stuff in the back!” he said.

By the remaining light you promptly traded the basket for several fluffy pillows. Namjoon placed the pillows around the back as you removed another large blanket. He helped you into the back and spread the second blanket out so the two of you could get underneath. “Come here,” he said, reaching his arm around you. You settled against him, your hand on his chest and your head leaning on his shoulder. His lips rested gently on the top of your head, Namjoon’s entire presence relaxing into yours.

Both of you sat in silence as the light slowly began to fade. You were grateful for Namjoon’s foresight in bringing the blanket as the air got cooler around you. Slowly stars began to peek out from the sky, twinkling a hello to their two solitary audience members down below. Before long the sun was completely gone and before you was a vast ocean of stars, more than you had ever seen in your life. The darkness of the sky contrasted with the tiny lights, making you feel strangely small. You pushed closer to your boyfriend who tightened his arm around you.

“It’s beautiful, Namjoon. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

He smiled down at you and your cheek with his thumb. “I’m glad you like it. It’s hard to see such beauty when you live in the city. This really makes you think about the universe and how big everything is.”

You nodded, still processing the vastness of the night sky. “Do you know any good constellations?” you inquired.

“Hm…” Namjoon pondered the question for a minute, examining the heavens. “Oh! See that one right there?” he said, pointing to a strange shape that resembled the letter “V”. “That’s Andromeda!”

“What’s that?” you asked.

“Who, actually. In Greek mythology she was a princess whose parents angered the god Poseidon. He sent a whale to devour her. That constellation is right there.” He pointed once again to a strange cluster of stars not far from the original. “Cetus is the name. Then there’s Perseus.” Another shift in his pointer finger revealed a new constellation. “He rescued Andromeda from the whale using Pegasus-” here he pointed at another star group “-then married her. A happy ending, considering the alternative.”

“Wow, that’s quite a story. I hadn’t heard any of it.”

“Yeah, it’s not one of the more well-known Greek myths. Perseus is most famous for slaying Medusa. He’s a real hero in mythology.”

“But I bet after he rescued Andromeda he didn’t take her on a romantic picnic to see the sunset and stargaze, huh?”

You gazed up at Namjoon and he looked back, his eyes full of love melting into yours. He leaned down and captured your lips with his, your noses bumping slightly. You felt him smile through the kiss and you took the opportunity to deepen it, your hand gently laced in his hair. His tongue battled with yours, the muscle exploring every inch of your mouth carefully. Once he was satisfied with his findings, he pulled back and gave you one last kiss on your lips.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight, _____. I love you.”

“I love you too,” you said, resting back against his chest.

That night as you slept under the stars with your boyfriend, you dreamt of Namjoon rescuing you on Pegasus before flying off into the enormous galaxies that lie before you, the two of you entranced in each other’s love and the possibilities that awaited.