CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 

Gentle  of fingertips against her face wake Dara up from her sleep. Her eyes slowly flutter open, blinking in order to adjust her sight. Even before her mind can register what is going on, a pair of soft lips presses on the gap between her eyebrows. A smile stretches on her lips as realization hits her, and the pair of lips against her skin mirrors hers. 

“Good morning,” Jiyong whispered and his thumb on her cheek. He moves and hovers over her, their eyes finally meeting. “Had a good night sleep?” 

She just smiles up at him, and runs her gaze around every corners of his face before it meets his once again. 

“So, it’s a silent treatment after everything that happened last night? 

She chuckles and wraps her arms around his neck. “Silly.” 

After the kiss they shared by the doorsteps of her apartment, last night, Jiyong asked Dara if he could spend the night at her place. She agreed and both of them spent the evening, talking about their dreams as kids and the things they love, all while lying beside each other on her bed— A moment to know more about each other. 

And as his voice started to get lower and slowly fluttered close, she spent the rest of the time staring at his peacefully sleeping face before her own eyes gave in and sleep took over her as well. 

Now waking up next to him once again, without panicking just like what happened months ago or running to the bathroom due to morning sickness, her heartbeat races inside her chest. 

He leans forward and rests his face at the crook of her neck. He encircles his arms around her waist and carefully pushes himself, closer, making sure not to crash her. “Are you falling for me, even more?” He continuously teased. 

She giggles and tightens her arms around his neck. “That’s impossible.” 

“What?” 

“How can you possibly ask me that when I’ve already fallen hard enough, it’s difficult to pull myself back?” 

Upon hearing this, Jiyong stays still for seconds before starting to pull away. But her tight hold on him makes it impossible for him to process her words while staring down at her face. “Will you please repeat that?” He requested. She shakes her head against his shoulder. “Come on, Dara.” 

“You heard me,” she responded, hiding her face. 

“I did, but I want to hear it again while I stare at your face when you repeat those words.” 

After hearing this, she slowly loosen her arms around him. He slightly pulls away and looks down at her.  

“You will not tease me?” 

“Sweetheart, just in case you haven’t noticed yet, my heart is beating crazily inside my chest right now. You have to take responsibility before I lose it.” 

Dara stares at his eyes as he bares his emotions through them. She briefly bites her lower lip before repeating the words he wants to hear. 

“I love you, hard enough that you own a large portion of my heart,” she said, a hard blush crept on her face after. “Happy now?” 

“Definitely satisfied especially with that blush, here,” he answered and tapped both her cheeks while chuckling. “Embarrassed, aren’t you?” 

“Yes!” She exclaimed and pulled her arms from his neck in order to hide her face with her hands. “I hate you.” 

“Whoah, whoah there, Ms. Park,” he laughed and tried to pull her hands away but she held them, firmly, in place. “That escalated rather quickly. First, you said you love me, sooo much. And now, you hate me?” 

“You’re making fun of me!” 

“I’m not. I just love staring at your embarrassed face. Come on, love. Show me.” 

“No!”  

“No?” He asked and she shook her head in response. “Surely, no?”  

“No.” 

“Okay,” he uttered. He starts showering the back of her hands with kisses, and the light touch of his lips sends shiver down her spine.  

“Stop it,” she mumbled. 

“No. Not until you show me your face,” he firmly said. She peeks between her fingers and meets his gaze. “Come on, Dara. I just want to drown myself to the sight of the feelings you pour through those embarrassed blushes on your face.  

Silence fills the air while they stare at each other’s eyes. After a while, Dara gives in and pulls her hands off her face. “You’re crazy,” she whispered and averted her gaze. 

“I know. Crazy for you,” he responded and a thumb on her left cheek. 

She cannot take it anymore. She doesn’t know if he is aware of his effect on her, but she has to do something about it. Her heart pounds crazily inside her chest, and a thought crosses her mind. 

She closes her eyes and draws out a sigh, earning a chuckle from Jiyong. 

“Alright, another point for Kwon—“ 

His words stop midway as she raises a hand to his cheek and the other rests against his chest. She twists the fabric of his shirt and drags him down to her. A gasp leaves his lips and he does his best to support his weight after her sudden pull. 

Without breaking their eye contact, Dara presses her lips against his, pulls back, and does it again until a smile stretches at the sides of his mouth. She drowns her mind to the fast rhythm of his heartbeat against her palm, but not enough to fully scatter her thoughts and drag them away from her plan. 

She smirks and he misses in quickly catching the glint that crosses on her orbs— A playful one. She draws out her tongue and his lower lip, taking time in gliding the soft flesh against it. She, then, nibbles it and pulls it with her teeth before letting go. Slowly, she draws back and grins at the sheer shock that registers on his face, after. 

“Did you just—,” Jiyong mumbled in complete disbelief, and still grinning, Dara nodded. He eyes narrow and a lopsided smirk slowly appears on his lips. “Oh, you want to play this game, huh?” 

He startles her when he suddenly holds both her hands and pins them above her head with a hand. She  squeaks in surprise. He hovers his face closer to hers, and his gaze lingers on her lips before pulling them back to meet hers.  

“Are you trying to test my patience, love?” He whispered. 

She playfully smiles up at him. “What if I am? What are you going to do about it?” 

“Oh, there are a lot of ways I can think of.” 

Even before she can respond, he runs the tip of his tongue on her lower lip, mimicking the way she did it, earlier. He nips it, claims , and kisses her hard. His restriction on her hands and the intensity of his claim pushed a moan from , which was muffled by his kiss. 

She responds with equal passion as he finally lets her hands go, and her arms immediately find their way around his neck once again. She pulls him closer, wanting to feel more of his warmth. 

They are already engulf by the heat of the moment when a sudden sensation inside her stomach makes her to pull away, their lips, parting, creating a loud pop. Her eyes are wide-opened as her hand covers . Confusion registers on his face. 

“Dara, what—“ 

“Sorry, Jiyong. I—“ 

She tightens her hold on her mouth and unceremoniously pushes Jiyong off her. She immediately climbs off the bed and runs to the bathroom. 

Blinking, he stares at the room where she disappears to, and finally slumps on his back when the vomiting sound follows. “Damn,” he mumbled and an amused chuckle replaced his confusion, “nice timing.” 

He blows out air, and shaking his head, he jumps off the bed and follows her. He finds her kneeling in front of the toilet bowl, her hands hold firmly on the sides of it. He walks behind her, gathers her hair in his hands, and holds it in silence.  

After a few more moments, Dara pulls away from the bowl, straightens he back, and wipes her lips with the back of her hand. Jiyong guides her to the sink, and washes her hands and wipes her lips for her. She watches in silence as he cleans her up. 

“Sorry about that,” she said while he was lathering her palms. 

He smiles and pulls the towel from the rack above the sink. “I should be the one, apologizing, you know?” He wipes her hand. “This is the only thing I can do while you go through all the hardships of carrying a baby