Chaerin knows how Jiyong takes his coffee in the morning. If it’s been a long night, black, poured from the pot and strong. If not, if he got some rest, he’d indulge, three spoons of sugar and cream.  She’d usually make it while he was shaving. Flitting through the kitchen with practiced ease. The first time she had done it was years ago. It wasn’t the first time she had stayed over. No the first time she had stayed over she laid in bed, listening to him moving around in the morning and reassuring herself over and over that the night previous had actually happened. But now, after so many years she was comfortable. 
 

Chaerin also knows that the puppies don’t get fed until after she does. Jiyong doesn’t know this, they’re his dogs, and he can spoil them. But Chaerin is too tired in the morning to try and keep two bounding dogs from knocking her over in the race for food.  Usually she grabs a piece of toast while she waits for the coffee maker to beep. Leaning againt the counter and getting the mugs ready. Hers is ceramic, she’ll take her coffee on the sofa in front of her laptop looking over emails and promotional ideas.  His is plastic, he takes his coffee to go, something to drink in the car on the way to the studio.  The mugs sit on the counter, perfectly prepared and waiting as Chaerin walks back to the bathroom. If she makes it there in time she can get Jiyong to take his vitamins before he brushes his teeth. They’re chewables, she found that he’s more likely to take them that way. But only before he’s brushed his teeth, afterwords they taste bad and he refuses them until the afternoon, if at all for the day.

This morning she’s too late and he’s already brushed his teeth, so she takes the vitamins for him.  She sits on the bed and pulls her legs up to her chest wrapping her arms around them. She admires his back as he pulls his shirt over his head. His muscles pull under his skin and then relax and it still makes Chearin’s stomach flutter every time.  The fluttering only intensifies after that when he turns and flashes his signature smile at her. “Coffee’s on the counter.” She says, as she does every morning, and he nods at her, walking over and cupping her cheek in his palm places a small kiss to her lips.  “Thank you baby.” He coo’s softly before straightening himself and scratching at his scalp, mussing up his short blond hair. 

Chaerin watches him leave, listening as the dogs start to bark and she can hear Jiyong laughing as he chases them down the hall to the kitchen. She smiles to herself, knowing that he’s walking down the hall, legs spread out and stiff with his hands in the air.  She gets up and walks to the door peeking out and a enjoying the show almost as much as the puppies do.  Idly she thinks that if they ever have children this show would continue with them as well as the dogs. The smile continues to spread as she watches Jiyong pick up his coffee mug and take a sip, nodding at its perfection as he walks out the door.

There are a lot of things that Chaerin knows about Jiyong. But the thing she knows best is that they fit well together. And even if they don’t say it to each other, they love each other. And they don’t have to say it, because they both know it.  And it’s shown in perfect cups of coffee, and gummy vitamins, and soft kisses in the morning.