Yunho’s gentle smile warmed Jia’s heart as she took his hand and followed him to the verdant field. He normally looked quite fierce, but she knew that he was kind on the inside.

        The blades of grass tickled her bare toes. Jia giggled, butterflies in her stomach. She had been dating Yunho for 3 months, and things were going well. He had promised her a surprise.

        “What is it you wanted to show me?” she asked impatiently but good-humoredly. She wanted to be able to see whatever Yunho’s surprise was before the sun completely set, which seemed to be soon.

        “Just wait a little more, please,” he answered, still holding onto her hand. Jia’s hand seemed small in his strong, warm grasp.

        “Okay,” she answered. He let go of her hand, and she sat in the cool grass. He sat next to her. Jia felt the need to keep talking, so he intently listened to her ramble about her school day, summer plans, and school troubles.

        “This’ll make you feel as if your troubles go away,” Yunho finally spoke after Jia was done talking. “Look.”

        Jia wasn’t quite sure what there was to see. The sun had set, and the moon had risen, millions of tiny stars with it.

        Then she began to see tiny flickering lights rise from the field, floating about in the air. “Fireflies,” she said fondly, a smile growing on her face. Her hand found itself in Yunho’s again, his strong fingers lacing around hers. Jia turned to face her boyfriend, her face full of delight.

        She was going to say something, but as soon as she caught a look of his face, she became overwhelmed with feelings. Yunho’s expression seemed so vulnerable, yet happier than it had ever been. It had been one of the first times Jia had ever seen Yunho so elated, and she thought to herself, He’s so cute!

        Without thinking, she took a step closer to him so that her body could feel the warmth of his, and got up on the tips of her toes so that her face met his in a sweet, passionate, first kiss.

        The crickets seemed to chirp louder, the fireflies shone brighter.

        Pulling away, Jia saw that Yunho was caught off guard, but was trying to hide the smile that wanted to stretch across his face.

        Later that night, Jia fell asleep in the grass, encircled by his strong arms. She felt content, wanted, safe. Snuggling closer to his chest and smelling his musky scent, the last thought she had before falling asleep was,

He’ll never hurt me.