My heart fluttered when he placed his bag on his desk next to mine and I was engulfed in the scent that was distinctly Kris. I continued to etch in the tiny groove of a smile on his face and he looked over and I heard his tiny laugh.

            “Still drawing me?” His tone was filled with amusement and I looked up at him.

            It was nice to see him again. It had always been an obsession when it came to him. For some reason, I could never control myself. A day without him had been torture and now he was back.

            “Oh hey, you’re back, Kris.”

            We broke eye contact to look at the person who joined in and his face froze for a second. “Yeah. I was just a bit sick.”

            My art partner gave me a look and I stared back defiantly. She could try to pry but I would never tell her anything. “Well, good to know that you’ve recovered. Welcome back to class!” she smiled happily at him and Kris dipped his head.

            “Thanks. I think class is starting.” He nodded pointedly at the professor who had just walked in and sat down to ignore her.

            His large hand moved closer to mind and he gently pushed my arm away so he could look at himself. “Hmm, quite a handsome face,” he mused and I pinched him.

            “Egotistical.” I was rewarded one last smile before he folded his hands like a good student and focused on the lecture.

            After the hour was up, Kris picked up my hand and tugged me from my seat. “Come on. Class is done for the day. Let’s go eat and let me make up for yesterday.”

            Even though it had been already a rumor that the two of us were an item, his actions still brought on curious glances from the bystanders and I gripped his hand softly. “I missed you,” I admitted and a smile unfurled across his face.

            “Then let’s go. I think the ahjussi at the dukbokki stand is missing us.”

            The two of us sat side by side, and I leaned against his shoulder. Kris looked at me and smiled a little. His thumb came up to my mouth and wiped it away. “You still have hot sauce there.”

            I popped up and dabbed at my face in a panic. “We’ve finished eating for at least half an hour and now you tell me?”

            He smiled mischievously. “I had to make sure that nobody was checking out my girlfriend until I could get her to safety. Are you full?”

            I blushed and refused to meet his eyes. Kris was always filled with surprises. “Yeah, a miracle considering how you stole like half of my food.”

            He winked at me and pulled me in again for a hug. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. The fall breeze was starting to pick up and I could sense the crisp air. I’ve known him for four months and winter was just around the corner. He pulled his sweater over me. “Man, it sure gets cold in Korea.”

            I looked at him and could see the puffs of breath in the air as he spoke. He was shivering and I tentatively wrapped my arm around his waist. “We can always huddle for body warmth. I heard that was effective.”

            The moment the words were out of my mouth, I knew I had set myself up for another Kris joke. “More like you just want an excuse to touch me.”

            I immediately withdrew my arm and he stopped me. “Don’t. If I die of hypothermia, who else will you be able to draw?”

            “I’ll just draw your dead body in the morgue,” I shot back and he stared at me. I blinked but he wouldn’t look away. “What?” the word came out softer than I intended it to.

            “Nothing. I’m sorry for yesterday. My mom overreacted.” I winced a little, remembering her fierce glare from before and he kissed my forehead in comfort. “Don’t think too much about it. She’s just being protective.”

            I daringly placed my face into his sweater. “I know. I guess now that we’ve met our respective mothers, it must mean something right?” I meant it as a joke, something to take away the despairing atmosphere and he looked at me seriously.

            “I told you before, being with me can be dangerous.” His tone was flat now.

            I pulled away and cupped his face. “I know. You’ve warned me and I’ve had four months now to run away. But the more I’m with you, the happier I am each day. Don’t make me have to choose between my own supposedly safety and you. You already know my choice.”

            Kris sighed and hugged me to him. “Don’t come looking for me if I’m absent. I promise you, I will be fine. I am fine. It would most definitely just be my mother acting irrational again. Promise?”

            I bit my lip and nodded. I had no other choice. He wouldn’t drop it unless I agreed. I stared at him and took out my phone. “Stay like that. I want to take a picture so I can draw this.”

            But he pulled me around and took the phone away, despite my protests. “We should take a couple photo. Then you can draw that out.”

            I shook my head. “I have a poor rendering of how I look. If I draw it too pretty, it would seem wrong, but if I botch it up, then it wouldn’t be art.”

            He tipped my chin and kissed me, his lips molding over mine and for a second, I lost my train of thought. When we pulled away, I saw that his eyes were slightly moist but then he grinned. “You can never go wrong, if you just draw yourself. Based on this photo, trust me.”

            My eyes were still on his lips and he looked at me curiously. “What’s wrong?”

            I shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s go then. You take the picture, I’m not much good at it.”

            He wrapped his arm around me and I dropped my head on his shoulder and smiled tentatively. But Kris looked at me and snapped the photo. When I looked at it, I ran a finger over his eyes and shivered. As an artist, I was able to read the emotion there and there was a lot. I peered up at him and he gave a sheepish chuckle.

            “Oops, guess I missed where the camera was.”

            I tucked away my phone and sat facing him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared at him, just trying to memorize everything about him and then I leaned in for the first time and kissed him. His hands pressed against my back and I ran my fingers through his hair.

            He pulled away to catch his breath before leaning back in and capturing my lips again, nibbling softly and pecking a little. I folded myself in on him and he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and cupped my chin, gently detaching himself from me.        

            “JoJo,” he whispered and I looked at him. In his eyes was still the same look and I realized, that I must look the same. There was the same tenderness, the softness that he had that I was feeling and my heart was pounding and everything was spinning. The coming winter has been forgotten and all that mattered right now was Kris and how he felt and how he tasted.

            He pressed his lips against my cheek. “I think I love you.”

            And just like that, my world tilted.