This is the perfect night for him.

They’re on the sofa in her apartment and Nichkhun’s head is on June’s lap and they’re both reading. Her fingers are softly caressing his hair, and he doesn’t know if it’s putting him to sleep or if it’s keeping him awake. It’s silent all around them, with just the sound of their breathing and it’s just so perfect.

Like this, he feels it beating. His heart is telling him that this is how he wants to spend the rest of his life. If he can come home to this every day, then it doesn’t matter what kind of scandal comes his way. Let it rain. He knows he’s safe when he’s in her arms like this.

Nichkhun takes her iPad away and sets in the space between him and the sofa’s backrest. She doesn’t even complain or chastise him for deciding her reading time is over. Not anymore anyway. He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles.

“I’m happy,” he says.

June withholds a smile, but he sees the effort she puts into hiding it. “I think it’s great what you did. Your song, all your advocacies, your advocacy for cancer with your mom.”

“Because there are important women in my life.”

Her smile finally slips. “You have a lot of women, Mr. Horvejkul?”

“My mom, Nin, Cherreen, and then there’s this one girl. She kind of looks like you.” Her other hand continues her ministrations on his hair and he closes his eyes. “I’m happy you think it’s great. I feel closer to you like this. Even if it’s not the same, we’re fighting a similar fight now.”

He places her free hand over his heart. “I can’t thank you enough for choosing me. For coming into my life.”

“You chose me, remember?” she says, voice breaking somewhere near the end of that sentence. “I should be thanking you.”

“I just love you is all.”

She presses a kiss on his forehead. “If it rains, I’ll hold out an umbrella for you.” It’s as close to an ‘I love you’ as he’s ever going to get, but that’s okay. This is perfect as it is.