She woke up to someone kissing her neck, the familiar lips marking a trail down towards her shoulders. Amused, she didn’t bother turning over to greet him until his arm tightened around her waist and he grumbled lightly.

“Morning, Kiseop.” She smiled.

His eyes widened in surprise. “So you were just going to let me molest you until you felt like talking?” He asked, playfully indignant.

She snorted. “Kiseop, baby, I wouldn’t call that molesting. You’d freak out if you ever did something you thought I didn’t want.”

Kiseop rolled away, hiding a smile. “You need to wake up, anyway.” He sighed. “You’ll miss your flight if you don’t.”

She bit her lip, staring at his . Her fingers found his hand as she snuggled close to him, chin on his shoulder. “I have to go.”

Kiseop didn’t look at her. It was a well-worn discussion. “You don’t have to go.” He muttered. “You could stay in Korea with me.”

He pulled away, sitting up so that he was leaning against the pillows. She looked up at him from the bed, her empty arms still stretched out. “I do, Kiseop. It’s the only way to actually experience the language first hand.”

“You could carry on learning it here…” He tried, knowing that it wouldn’t work to dissuade her. It never had before, and it especially wouldn’t hours before she had to leave for America.

“It won’t be the same.” She said quietly. “Kiseop, I don’t want to leave you either, but it’s only a year. It’ll probably fly by and then I’ll be right back.”

“A year’s ages.” Kiseop shrugged.

Groaning, she shoved her face into the mattress like a child. “Kiseop, please.” It came out muffled, sounding rather like a gargle instead of actual words. She was tired of them dancing around the fact that she had to go. She had been organising it for months and months, paid ahead and there were two people waiting to welcome her as soon as she got over there. It had been her plan all along; do two years of her degree and then fly over to live in the US for a year, just as she’d always wanted to. And then Kiseop had appeared in her life and distracted her from it.

He didn’t say anything, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Kiseop, I love you, but this is a once in a lifetime thing. If I don’t go now, I never will. Don’t be like this, please. It’s our last time together for months.”

There was silence for a minute as she let it sink in. “I’m sorry.” He started. He slid back down, easing himself next to her. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She sighed in relief, hugging him back. “I’m just really going to miss you. A lot.” He admitted. “I’m really sorry, noona.”

She tightened her arms around him, pressing her face against his bare chest. “I’ll be back for holidays.” She told his abs, laughing as her breath tickled him and he shivered.

“You better be.” He said seriously, pulling back and tipping her chin up with his forefinger. “If you’re not, I’ll never forgive you.” He was grinning as he said it, but she knew there was an element of truth to it. Kiseop was too sweet for his own good; he needed to know he was wanted. So did she, really. It was why they worked so well.

She sat up, untangling her arms from his. “Okay, I’m getting up. Are you going to shower first, or do you want me to?”

The bathroom being so near had always been a plus, especially when Kiseop happened to sleep over in her room. And as her leaving party had been disorganised load of fun last night, it had only made sense for him to stay over. Not that they were hungover – they’d been careful not to drink too much as she wanted to be clearheaded and he had promised to drive her to the airport.

It didn’t take her long to shower, slipping out in her pink towel. She had expected Kiseop to go in straight away, but instead he sat on the bed, hands fisted on the duvet. He looked up when she came back into her room, towel clutched loosely around her.

“Kiseop, are you going in?” She prompted gently. He quite obviously wasn’t all there.

He cleared his throat. “In a second. Come over here, would you?” She blinked, but nodded anyway.

“Of course.” She walked over, still clutching the towel tightly. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen everything before, but propriety must be upheld. Tucking the edge of it so that it would stay secure,  she moved to stand between his legs as his hands found her waist.

He looked up at her. “I love you, kay?” The eyes that pleaded with her to understand were so earnest that she couldn’t help but bring her fingers down to cradle his face, fingertips brushing his cheekbones.

“What is it you’re so afraid of?” She asked. He breathed out slowly.

“I don’t want you to forget me.” He said quietly as her hands slid down to rest on his shoulders. She had almost been expecting it. Kiseop had never been very confident about her. It wasn’t that he was a shy or unconfident person, but deep inside, he was insecure. He’d had depression as a teenager and it had taken a while for him to get over it; in fact, she knew he’d been on the verge of suicide at one point in his life. So she understood why he was scared, but she wished that he would understand that it would take a great amount for her to forget him.

After all, she had been the one who had pursued him. He was happy, quite the sweetheart with his friends, and he wasn’t averse to fooling around with the girls he knew, he didn’t really ask people out exactly. It had taken her months of coffee runs with him, and dragging him to watch movies with her. They had been friends before they became lovers – she had met him at Freshers’ week, and had immediately been attracted to his almost-smirk of a smile. It was odd. His smile didn’t show his real self. It was beautiful all the same.

He didn’t have the same major as she did; it had merely been a chance meeting at a live band performance that had brought them together. He was a good dancer, while she was just ‘okay’. He’d smiled at her, and that was where it had all started. He made her heart flutter, and after a string of boring boyfriends who only wanted at high school, it was a nice change. It hadn’t been easy to get him to respond to her, however. He was an almost natural flirt; she’d thought asking him out would be easy, but she soon learned it was an act. He never seemed to get her signals and seemed to be flirty with everyone. Her best friend Jaehwa had been telling her to give up on ever getting a chance with him before something finally happened.

They’d been at a club, one of those rare nights where they could actually afford more than two drinks, and she’d actually been kind of elated when some cute guy she didn’t know had bought a drink for her, all while handing her his number smoothly. She’d been sipping her drink happily when Kiseop had appeared behind her and pulled her with him to the dance floor.

“You’re not going to go out with that guy, are you noona?” He’d whispered huskily into her ear, as his hands drove her hips to the beat of the music.

She’d laughed back. “What does it matter to you, if I do Kiseoppie?” It wasn’t as if he was making any advances on her, and she was tired of waiting for him to realise she wanted him more than just a friend to flirt with.

He had spun her round to face him, wrapping both arms around her waist and finding their rhythm once more. “He doesn’t seem right for you.” He had responded, his gaze steady.

“He looked pretty good to me.” She’d smirked at him. “What, are you saying you’d be better or something?”

“Maybe.” He grinned. And that was it. All thoughts of the cute guy who’d given her his number flew out of her head when Kiseop gave her his signature grin. She could have hit him for it. Why did he always have to make her feel this way?

“Why don’t you ask me out, then?” It was the million dollar question, and she’d had to admit she had sort of been afraid to hear the answer.

She was hurt when he didn’t answer. Really hurt. She had known it was stupid to feel like that, especially when there was someone else who was clearly into her, but it wasn’t fair. She had been on the verge of giving up on him, when there had finally been a hint of something, only for him to back out.

When the song had finished, she left without a word, back over to where the rest of their friends sat. It had been childish, but she’d ignored Kiseop for the rest of the night. She felt slighted, and even though he probably had no idea what he’d done, seeing as he appeared to be oblivious to her blatant approaches she didn’t want to go back to it.

She simply caught Jaehwa’s eye, hoping her friend would abandon Hoonmin (and his incredibly awkward dancing) to come over and make her laugh, salvage something of what had been a promising night. Luckily, she had and while she hadn’t been able to forget the uneasy hurt feeling, she’d managed to get back on the dance floor after another few drinks.

They’d been stumbling drunkenly towards the row of taxis waiting outside when Kiseop had caught her. The one too many drinks she had had were swimming around her system, and somehow conspired to make it seem like a good idea to push him roughly away. Jaehwa, who was never very good in delicate situations, giggled at the sight.

Kiseop seemed like he was going to cry. “What did I do, noona?”

“Just stop it.” She had said. In her mind, she’d said it quietly, but in reality she had yelled it and Jaehwa cringed.

“Stop what?” He’d asked back, still looking so vulnerable.

“Being so-so oblivious! You don’t get it. You didn’t even care when you rejected me! you.” She tried a menacing glare, but it just came out as more of a squint. Jaehwa decided that enough was enough.

“Stop it! Come on. Stop it. Nara, stop it!” Jaehwa had pleaded as Nara glared at Kiseop for another thirty seconds, too drunk to care that she was being irrational.

Jaehwa had tugged her roughly towards the taxi then, and she hadn’t been able to see or hear Kiseop’s response.

Of course, when she’d woken up with a pounding headache, and started to remember what had happened she had regretted it instantly. She had spent the first ten minutes of waking up wallowing in her bed, before deciding to get up and apologise (after taking painkillers).

He didn’t live very far from her. His dorm was on campus, as hers was and the short walk into the building and up to his room did nothing to assuage the painful beating of her headache or horrible feeling of having done something stupidly hurtful. When she knocked on his door, it was opened by a bleary eyed Kibum, clearly as hungover as she was.

He stared at her for a minute, before his eyes narrowed accusingly. “What are you doing here?”

She wrung her hands. Obviously he’d heard what she’d said, and resented the fact she’d been cruel to his friend and roommate. “I came to apologise to Kiseop. Is he in?” It took a lot of nerve to say it, actually. Kibum was kind of scary to people he wasn’t close with. Mostly because his tongue was razor-sharp and he had an answer for everything. You didn’t cross him.

Kibum eyed her. “What the was up with you last night?” He didn’t bother answering her question. He didn’t need to. She could see Kiseop quite clearly, standing behind him with a forcedly calm expression on his face. He put a hand on Kibum’s shoulder.

“Leave it, Kibum. It was just a misunderstanding.”

Kibum rolled his eyes. “You want me to go?”

“For just a minute or so, yeah. That’d be great.” Kiseop seemed grateful as Kibum shrugged and pushed past him to grab his jacket and shoes.

She didn’t say anything as Kibum got ready, barely able to look Kiseop in the face after the mortification of last night. Kibum stood up. “I’ll be with Soohyun if you need me. I’ve got my phone.” With that, he sauntered out, sending one last dirty glance to Nara.

“Kiseop, I’m really sorry about last night.” It came out in a rush, but she was desperate for him to understand. “Just ignore what I said. I was drunk, I didn’t mean any of it.” Her cheeks burned at the lie. She had meant some of it. But she didn’t want him to know that.

Kiseop blinked at her behind the chunky black frames of his glasses. “I was kind of hoping you did, noona.” His hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck bashfully.

“I-what?” She hadn’t been prepared for this. All she’d been intending to do was apologise, as she was pretty sure she’d been totally ignored last night.

“I’m sorry if I upset you.” He started. “But I really kind of like you, I just don’t know how to ask you out. At all.” He shuffled his feet nervously.

“Kiseop, honey…I think you just did.” She couldn’t look at him, finding the situation both awkward and exciting.

“Oh. Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Um, will you? Go out with me, that is.”

She thought he was adorable there. And seeing as this was what she had been trying to make happen for months now (although she had assumed she would be the one doing the asking out; not that she was disappointed, though), she couldn’t help but nod frantically. She was hoping she didn’t look as transparently desperate as she felt. “Yes.”

“Really, noona?” His smile was infectious. She couldn’t resist it. It was something that she would learn that she found impossible to say no to.

And so it was that their relationship was born. It had lasted over a year and the move out of the dorms into their own (separate) flats. Kiseop still shared a flat with Kibum and Kibum’s older brother, Hyungjun. Nara shared a flat with Jaehwa, and most of the time only just made the rent on it.

Back in the present, she was still clinging to his shoulders, wishing he would understand that the likelihood of her forgetting him was slim at best. She bent forwards to kiss his cheek, cursing when the towel began to open. Kiseop made no move to help her with it. She sighed and let it drop, smirking lightly as she pressed him back onto the bed and straddled him. He laughed.

“I, Hwang Nara, promise not to forget you, Lee Kiseop.” She told him mock-solemnly, leaning down to capture his lips in a slow kiss. He pushed himself back up on his elbow, bringing her upwards too as he tangled his fingers in her damp hair and kissed back.

He was the first to pull back, chuckling breathlessly. “You carry on like that, and I won’t be going in the shower.”

Her answer was interrupted by a knock on her door. “Guys, if you’re not ready yet, I’d get moving.” Jaehwa sleepily said from behind the door. "We’ve got a little less than an hour before you should start driving to the airport.”

“Thanks!” Nara yelled back in response, before turning back to the man underneath her thighs. Smiling wryly, she slid off of him, letting his hands fall limply from her hair before strolling to her dresser, where she had laid out her outfit for today the night before. “Baby, come on. I can’t be late.”

Kiseop yawned and stood up, padding towards the door in nothing but boxers. She admired the view. “I’ll be back in ten.” He saluted her.

Once she was relaxed in her most comfortable jeans and a loose grey t-shirt that had once been Kiseop’s, she pulled out the drawer in which he kept the extra clothes he needed when he stayed over. She hastily grabbed him underwear and a t-shirt, knowing he’d be find in the jeans from the night before. He’d still look gorgeous either way. Placing them on her bed for him, she bent down to her suitcases once more, checking that they were labelled correctly and secure, and searching through her carry on to make sure she had her boarding pass and passport, along with her purse, phone and iPod.

Satisfied, she plumped down back onto her bed to wait for Kiseop, nervousness starting to creep in. She had been abroad before, but this was a whole year. It was a whole year among people she didn’t know, speaking a language she wasn’t quite fluent in yet. While the people that would be taking her in for the year seemed perfectly kind and pleasant, she didn’t know them. She also didn’t know America, especially not San Francisco, where her new university would be. But she was determined to do it; she wanted the chance to be fluent and to try out her language skills properly. A year without her friends and family, especially Kiseop, was daunting, but she knew she could do it.

It had always been her dream to visit America, anyway, and she knew it would all be fine once she got there and sorted herself out. Or at least, that was what she told herself, not needing the jittery nerves before the wait in the airport and eventually the plane ride itself.

Kiseop came back in a towel, cutting her internal musings short. He could feel her gaze as he shrugged the clothes he had laid out for him on, but he said nothing until he crawled back onto the bed next to her, slipping his arms around her so that her back rested against his chest. He kissed the top of her head quietly. “Have fun. I know you’ll do really well.” He told her sweetly.

“I will. I’ll call you every day and write you ridiculously long emails.” She promised, gripping his hands in hers.

They said nothing more, instead choosing to soak up each other’s company until Jaehwa stormed in, grumbling loudly about traffic and lazy couples. They laughed at her good-naturedly, as Nara sprang off the bed and told her best friend they were ready to go. She took one of her cases down in the lift, Kiseop and Jaehwa holding the other two as she fretted about whether or not she’d brought enough things.

The drive to the airport was far from silent, as Jaehwa warned her of countless things she’d heard of in America while demanding that she do every cliché they’d ever seen in American movies and bring her back souvenirs. Kiseop chuckled at all the chatter, and held Nara’s hand loosely every time they stopped at a red light and mouthing ‘I love you’ at her. Jaehwa told him he was being disgustingly cute and to stop it before she threw up.

Nara’s parents had agreed to drive to the airport separately, along with her older brother so that they could see her off too. Her mother was crying profusely about her baby girl going off by herself, her father looking as if he was close to tears as well. She was engulfed in a family hug, her brother gruffly telling her to stay safe before he pressed a gift bag in her hand and told her to open it on the plane (he promised it was nothing liquid). Once she had said her goodbyes to her family, she threw her arms around the stoic Jaehwa, who was determined not to cry (she already had at the party yesterday) babbling about how much she’d miss her and how she needed to call her and tell her everything that happened, while Jaehwa gushed back.

She left Kiseop for last, knowing he was watching the rest of her goodbyes quietly, waiting for his. She slung her arms around his neck, not caring that her family were watching and that Jaehwa would probably tell her to get a room as she kissed him fiercely. “I love you.” She murmured, standing on tiptoe as she leaned her forehead against his.

“I love you more.” He told her shakily, his eyes misting up. “I’ll miss you, baby. Come back soon.”

Her luggage had already been loaded as she heard the call for her flight to board. She let go of Kiseop, hoisting her carry-on bag higher up her shoulder and biting her lip. “Bye guys. I love you all.” With that, she waved goodbye, walking towards the check in as she restrained her tears. When she looked back one last time, Kiseop pressed his fingers to his lips and waved. She smiled back.

It was time for a new phase in her life, but she’d come back very soon.