"You should be kissed often, and by someone who knows how."
­— Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind

Byun Baekhyun gazed at the individual sleeping soundly in his arms. Seo Ara. A woman with endless charms. His wife of over four months who he had fallen for harder and deeper than he could've ever imagined.

Her serene face rested lightly on the feather pillow. Her long raven hair contrasted greatly with the white sheets. And her clothed body kept warm by the soft comforter. She was like an angel resting on a bed of clouds—a beautiful sight he couldn't peel his eyes from.

Allowing his dark brown lenses to traverse her features, the pair began their journey from her small, relaxed forehead to her sinfully long lashes, down to her pointed nose…eventually landing on her moist plump lips.

Hauled back to yesterday's kisses—to the way they felt and the way they tasted—Baekhyun instantly felt his cheeks burn. He was no stranger to his lips touching another's. In fact, before she planted herself in his life, he could've confidently claimed he had experienced them all.

Every. Single. Type. Of. Kiss. Imaginable.

There were the good, the bad, the mediocre, the strange, and his all-time favorite, the lustful hungry ones that commanded him and his partner to remove all articles of clothing at once.

Yet with Ara, they were entirely different.

They were…

Unfathomable.

Her kisses made his head light and hazy.

They made his stomach flutter with non-stop romantic excitement.

They made his heart pound against his chest in a chaotic yet calming rhythm that only she had the ability to control.

They made him grin like a fool hopelessly in love.

But the most fascinating of them all—her sweet kisses left him with a virtuous desire he never once thought was possible.

As much as his body craved to be one with hers, Baekhyun suppressed his carnal fantasies. It was the first time he felt this way about anyone, and he was adamant on treating Ara differently from all the other women who came before her.

Baekhyun had a strong urge to protect her. To love her. To treasure her properly and at all costs.

Therefore, ual intimacy was the lowest on his list of priorities. He was satisfied with an innocent touch. He was satisfied with the snuggles, the cuddles, and meaningful conversations. He was satisfied with her radiant smiles and contagious laughs.

Ultimately, he was satisfied with her mere presence.

After their unforgettable kiss yesterday, followed by a slow romantic walk along the beach, the two of them had retired to their suite and spent the remaining hours of the night just talking about everything and anything, until sleep eventually called to them.

"Good morning," Baekhyun whispered when he felt his wife's slight movements. "Should we go get breakfast?" he asked quietly, glancing at the digital clock that read 9:45 A.M.

Ara groaned softly. "What time is it?" she replied, still under a sleeping spell.

Once again ensnared by her cuteness, the young husband found himself grinning from ear to ear. "Quarter to ten," he answered as he gently brushed her silken mane with the tips of his fingers.

Delaying her response, Ara simply snuggled closer, causing the butterflies that hardly rested, to reawaken in her husband's stomach. "Five more minutes," she mumbled then buried her face into his chest.

The adoring grin on Baekhyun's face gradually softened into a warm smile of relief. He had been up most of last night, fearful that all of this was just a dream—and in the case that it was, he was prepared to expend every last drop of energy he could summon and fight to stay.

But now that he had confirmation that this was, in fact, his new reality, the tired lover finally allowed exhaustion to lull him to sleep.

|| …………… ||

Having slept past their multiple alarms, Baekhyun and Ara finally woke up some two hours after lunch rush came to a close. And despite wanting to stay in bed, encased in their own blissful bubble, their growling stomachs prevented them from lingering a second longer.

Baekhyun halted on the spot the second he emerged from the bathroom and laid eyes on the goddess standing outside in their suite's balcony. She wore a mid-length white summer dress whose ruffled ends danced lightly with the warm breeze—a beautiful image accompanied by the delicate sway of her long straight raven locks.

Ara may not have been the bride at yesterday's festivities, but she could easily be the most beautiful bride he had ever laid eyes on.

Sensing his presence behind her, his wife looked over her shoulder and flashed an adoring smile that immobilized him even further. And as he stood there with his fingers still stuck on the top button of his light blue collarless linen shirt, Baekhyun came to wonder how it was even possible—

How was it possible that he could fall in love with her over and over, more and more, and with all the little things that make her who she is.

"Ready?" Ara asked as she turned around fully and walked towards him, grabbing her crossbody bag along the way.

Breaking from his thoughts, Baekhyun finished buttoning up his shirt and just simply stared at the woman in front of him. "This isn't a dream, right?" he asked, still in awe yet in disbelief that such a remarkable person had walked into his life.

Ara summoned another smile and shook her head. "No, it's not," she answered before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

But just as she headed for the door, her husband's light hold on her wrist, followed by another—much deeper—kiss, stopped her from taking another step.

"Just double checking," Baekhyun stated once they parted, his lips curved into a captivating smirk.

|| The Fisherman's Wife ||

Seeing the crowd of women in bikinis and revealing clothes, Ara released a silent breath.

She and Baekhyun had travelled farther into the busier part of town for a late lunch/early dinner and a change of scenery, but the patrons and staff of the westernized seaside restaurant they chose, made her feel that the soup house run by a bunch of ahjummas a block away from their hotel would've been the better choice.

"Party for how many?" a woman in a red two-piece asked as she reached for the menus, her suddenly covetous eyes glued to the handsome-and-obviously-a-chaebol yet uninterested man.

"For two," Baekhyun answered without reciprocating her weak signal in the slightest.

Riddled with disappointment, the restaurant's hostess led them to an outside table facing the busy beach. And as they navigated the layout of the place to get to their designated seats, Ara noticed something she barely paid attention to before:

The endless sea of different colored lenses staring at her husband with vi