We kissed for a long time until her phone began to ring.

“I should get that.” She murmured, pulling away from me.

“Just one more.” I held her chin and kissed her once, twice more.

“Jimin…” She half-heartedly pushed me away.

“Wait, just a couple more.” I pleaded, kissing her three more times.

She broke away from me, smiling, and answered her phone.

“Ah, Ji Eun. Yeah, he got me a puppy!” She smiled at me. I pulled her close and kissed her neck while she talked.

“Yeah, we’ll come. Yeah, soon. Can we bring the puppy, Jimin?” She directed the last question to me. I nodded into her neck before leaving a hickey. I smirked against her skin as I felt her breathing accelerate.

“Okay, see you soon.” She mumbled before hanging up. She tossed her phone aside as she wove a hand in my hair. “What are you doing while I’m on the phone?” She scolded.

“Kissing you.” I replied as I trailed down her neck. “You have a very pretty neck.”

Yukon leapt into her lap and put his paws on her stomach, barking excitedly.

“Hi, baby!” She cooed, scooping him up. I tried to kiss her neck some more, but she ignored me.

“Pay attention to me.” I whined, resting my head on her shoulder.

“You lose more of your shyness every time I see you.” She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Why aren’t you happy about that?” I grumbled. “You’re the one who was always complaining that I couldn’t handle a little making out.”

“You still can’t.” She pointed out. “You’re just greasier now.”

“Well, excuse me for liking you.” I huffed, lifting my head. She leaned in and kissed my cheek, surprising me. I felt my face grow hot and I ducked my head down, trying to hide it from her.

“Yes! I made you blush!” She crowed triumphantly.

“Fine.” I surrendered, embarrassed. “I’m still shy. Can we go to the bonfire now?”

“Yup!” She said happily, standing up. She went over and pulled out Yukon’s leash and collar. “I like this color.”

I stood up and helped her fasten the collar around his neck. “It’s my favorite. I thought the light blue would look nice against his white fur.”

“It does.” She said, petting Yukon’s head. “He’s so cute.”

“You ready to go for a walk, Yukon?” I asked him, kissing his nose. He my mouth in response. I grimaced and wiped the spit off.

We eventually managed to make it down to the beach. Tugging around an extremely excitable puppy around was a lot of work. For something so small, Yukon sure had a lot of energy.

“Sunshine!” Ji Eun waved us over to the fire. A bunch of people were gathered around, all holding hot dogs and drinks.

“Happy birthday!” Everyone cheered as we made our way onto the sand. I glanced over at her to see a huge smile on her face. She reached down and held my hand, intertwining our fingers.

“Thank you.” She replied, passing Yukon’s leash to me as she took a hot dog. “I’m so hungry. Jimin, do you want anything?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a hot dog.” I let go of her hand to accept the one Ji Eun held out to me. “Wanna go sit on that log over there?”

“Yeah.” She smiled up at me.

Ji Eun took Yukon’s leash from me. “Let us play with him!” She smiled. “I’m so excited you got her a puppy. Sunshine, keep this boy around.” She winked before walking away.

“Yeah, keep me around.” I said softly, sitting down on the log and pulling her down into my lap.

“Jimin, we’re in public.” She protested, trying to stand up. I s an arm around her waist and held her tightly to me.

“I don’t care.” I whispered, kissing her ear. “All the other couples are doing it, too.” I pointed out a few to her.

“I don’t wanna be a stupid couple like them.” She mumbled.

“Just let me hold you.” I snapped, squeezing her too tightly.

“Agh, Jimin!” She laughed, smacking my arm. I smiled and loosened up a bit. “Fine.” She relented. “But at least let me get a few drinks in me. I can’t do this kind of thing sober.”

“Sul!” I called, spotting her. “Where’s the alcohol?”

She grinned and tossed us a couple of cans of beer.

“There you go, baby.” I popped the top for her and handed it to her. She took a hesitant sip before chugging it. “Whoa, slow down.” I tried to take the can from her, but she shot me a look.

“It’s my birthday.” She informed me. “You can’t tell me what to do today. Or any day.”

“I’m not carrying you home drunk tonight.” I warned her. “We’ve got a puppy with us.”

“Shh.” She giggled, pressing a finger to my lips. “Just let me have fun.”

How could I resist that face? Or that giggle? Or any of her, really?

“Fine.” I agreed, taking a bite of my hot dog. “But make sure you eat enough.”

People kept coming up to us and wishing her a happy birthday. She just giggled at them and said thank you. She kept introducing me as her “really pretty boyfriend.”

“How many beers have you had?” I asked after the fifth time she’d done that. “I haven’t been keeping track.”

“A lot.” She giggled, leaning against me. We had successfully reserved the log as our spot, so even when we’d gotten up to get more food and drinks, people left it open for us. “Probably four or five.”

“How much have you eaten?” I wrapped my arms around her as she rested her head against my shoulder.

“I had a hot dog and a half.” She whispered, turning her head and kissing my shoulder.

“What’d you do with the other half?” I asked, keeping an eye on Yukon. He had fallen asleep in Sul’s lap a little while ago.

“I fed it to Yukon.” She mumbled sleepily.

“Don’t feed him people food!” I cried. “He’s a puppy! You’ll get him sick.”

“But he was begging me with his big puppy eyes.” She whined. “He was so cute, I couldn’t resist him.”

“You better not do it again.” I scolded. She just yawned and climbed into my lap.

“Jimin.” She whispered, running a finger across my jaw. “You’re really beautiful.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “You’re drunk, aren’t you?”

“Shh.” She kissed my ear. “It’s okay.”

“You’re lucky you’ve got such a nice boyfriend.” I whispered, holding her tightly. I buried my face in her neck. “Such a nice boyfriend that will carry his drunk girlfriend home on his back and won’t even complain once.”

“I love your earrings.” She commented, ignoring me. “You look really badass with earrings. And your black hair, ugh. You’re so handsome.” She sat back in my lap and studied my face. “I love your eyes.” She whispered, tracing her thumb over my eyebrows. My heart began to pound as I stared at her intently. “And I love your cheeks.” She poked each of them. “They’re so cute. How can you be so cute and so y at the same time? It’s really frustrating.”

“I-I don’t know.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I don’t think I’d ever complain about her getting drunk if she was like this.

“Your nose is nice, too.” She kissed the tip. “And your skin is pretty. But you know what I love the most?”

“What?” I breathed, hardly daring to breathe.

“Your lips.” She whispered in a husky voice. She looked at them for a while before rubbing her thumb over my bottom lip. My tongue darted out, a nervous habit, and accidentally brushed her thumb. She looked up, meeting my eyes. I in a breath at the look in her eyes. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip before placing on mine.

She tasted like beer and hot dogs, which should have been gross, but somehow managed to be perfect.

“.” She mumbled, pulling away. “Jimin, I just want you so bad.”

“W-What?” I stammered, blushing deeply.

“I want you.” She whispered, leaving a ghost of a kiss against my lips. “I want your perfect lips all over my body.”

“Oh, .” I started to panic. “Get off of me. You’re drunk.”

“Who cares?” She whined, trying to kiss me.

“I care.” I said. I pulled her out of my lap and set her down on the log next to me. “Get a hold of yourself.”

“Do you not want me?” She asked quietly. “Am I ugly? Is it because I’ve been with other guys before?”

She started to cry. I stared at her in shock for a moment before pulling her back into my arms.

“Of course I want you, baby.” I murmured, kissing her hair. She turned her head and cried into my tank top. “I don’t care how many people you’ve been with. That’s not important at all. What’s important is that you’re drunk and also we’re in public. So just relax, hmm? You want some water?”

She shook her head and continued to cry. I her hair soothingly, wondering how we’d ended up in this position. How could she be so honest while drunk when it was like pulling teeth to get her to say anything sober?

“This girl, seriously.” I mumbled into her hair.

“Don’t leave me, Jimin.” She whispered into my shirt, soaking it with tears. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m right here.” I said, patting her back. “Just relax.”

“Everything okay over here?”

I looked up to see a vaguely familiar guy standing over us.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” I said, holding her a bit closer to me. I was sure she wouldn’t want anyone to see her crying.

“Are you sure about that, buddy?” The guy asked, a hint of aggression in his tone.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I gave him a weird look. Who the hell was this guy? “She’s just a little drunk.”

“Tae Joon?” She mumbled, turning her head. She sat up and wiped off her tears, abruptly looking a little more sober. Tae Joon, like her cheating ex-boyfriend Tae Joon?

“You okay, sunshine?” He asked softly, reaching out to her hair. I put my arm up to block him, glaring at him as he turned to me angrily.

“Don’t touch her.” I said in a low voice. She leaned against me, moving farther away from Tae Joon.

He opened his mouth to say something, but her cousin suddenly appeared by his side.

“Let’s go, Tae Joon.” He said quietly. “Don’t start on her birthday.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “Happy birthday, sunshine.” He gave her a gentle smile. She turned away from him and buried her face in my shoulder like a little girl.

“Are you okay?” I asked once he was gone.

“I’m fine.” She mumbled into my shoulder. “Sorry for crying.”

“Don’t apologize.” I her hair. “You’re allowed to cry.”

She let out a long sigh before turning to face me. “I meant every word I said.” She said softly. “I’m a little less drunk now, but I still think you’re beautiful.” She reached up and traced my lips with her thumb.

“Thank you.” I whispered, kissing her thumb. “I think you’re beautiful, too.”

“What about me?” Ji Eun asked, suddenly plopping down next to us. Sul and her boyfriend joined us, sitting down on the sand. “Am I beautiful?”

“Don’t answer that question, Jimin.” My girlfriend hissed. “Only I’m beautiful.”

“Only you?” I laughed. “You’re the only beautiful woman in the world?”

She nodded her head and Ji Eun rolled her eyes.

“You’re very pretty, Ji Eun.” I told her. “Ouch! Don’t pinch me.”

“That’s what you get.” My girlfriend said smugly.

“You’re lucky it’s your birthday.” I said grumpily. “Where’s Yukon?”

“Right here.” Sul pointed to her lap. He was resting peacefully in the folds of her dress. “Cute puppy, Jimin.”

“Isn’t he?” I smiled down at him.

“Were you crying, sunshine?” Sul’s boyfriend asked.

“No, Daniel, I wasn’t.” She hid her face behind her hair.

“Are you drunk?” Ji Eun asked bluntly.

“Not anymore.” She shook her head. “I sobered up when I ran into the .”

“Tae Joon came over?” She asked, surprised. “What did he say?”

“Happy birthday.” She muttered. “And he was a to Jimin.”

“He was weirdly aggressive.” I agreed. “Why does he still hang around you?”

“He says he’s in love with me.” She rolled her eyes. What the ? Why didn’t she tell me about this?

“Huh.” I grunted, displeased with this new development.

“It’s not a big deal.” Sul reassured me. “He’s not serious.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Just look.” Ji Eun pointed across the fire. I spotted Tae Joon with another girl in his lap, shoving his tongue down .

“Ah.” I nodded. “Yeah, I get it now.”

“He’s always like this when he sees me with someone else.” She said softly, curling into me. “He was like this the first time you met him. Remember, the day we went to the movies? He came out on the porch and bothered me on purpose because he saw I was with you.”

I held her tightly and kissed her hair. “Just let me know if he bothers you again and I’ll go beat him up.”

She giggled. “I can’t imagine you beating anyone up. You’re too sweet.”

We all sat around talking for another hour or so before the bonfire started to die down. She’d sobered up completely and started playing happily with Yukon. She chased him around the beach, laughing like a little kid. I watched her with a satisfied feeling. Even though we learned more about each other every day, I still got butterflies in my stomach from being around her. So many people had warned me that it was only perfect in the beginning, but I wanted to make it work with her. I wanted to take care of her, wanted to make her happy. I wanted her to feel lucky to be with me, because that’s the way I felt about her.

“Sunshine usually eats boys like you for breakfast.” Ji Eun said next to me. “I wonder what makes you special, pretty boy.”

I shrugged. “I honestly wonder the same thing.”

“She can see your sincerity.” Sul said quietly. I liked Sul. She always had nice things to say about me. “I haven’t seen her like this before.”

“Did you guys know her when she dated Tae Joon?” I asked. They nodded, even Daniel.

“We all went to college together. Although I’ve only recently gotten closer with her because we work together. I’m surprised she told you about him.” Daniel commented. “She normally doesn’t bring him up or changes the subject immediately if we’re talking about him.”

“Why? Does she hate him that much?” I glanced over at Tae Joon. He was still making out with that girl.

“Wouldn’t you hate someone who’d cheated on you with six different girls?” Ji Eun gave me a strange look like she thought I was an idiot or something.

I nearly spat out my beer. “Six different girls?” I asked incredulously. “He cheated on her with six different girls?”

“Ah, so she didn’t tell you that.” Ji Eun bit her lip. “Well, anyway, cat’s out of the bag so we might as well talk about it. He said he didn’t count kissing as cheating, so he only technically cheated on her with one girl. She found out about that one girl and confronted him about it, but he thought she knew everything, so he confessed to everything. Piece of .”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah, we never liked him. We tried to tell her, but she just dated him anyway. She’s stubborn, that girl.”

“And sad.” Sul said softly. “Tae Joon really messed her up. And she’s got issues with her family, too.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t like to talk about them.” I nodded. “It’s hard to get to know her.”

“Yeah, it is.” Ji Eun agreed. “We all wouldn’t know so much about her if we hadn’t been there through it all. We’ve been best friends since high school, but even I don’t know about all her family issues.”

“Are you serious about her?” Daniel turned to look at me.

“Yeah.” I said quietly, feeling put on the spot. “I like her a lot.”

“Have you guys slept together yet?” Sul asked, being surprisingly blunt.

“Isn’t that something you should ask her?” I replied, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck.

“They didn’t.” Ji Eun decided. “Sunshine’s been frustrated.”

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about this.” I mumbled, looking at my hands.

“Don’t be shy, pretty boy.” Daniel said, patting my knee. “You’re not the first boy to be intimidated by her.”

“I’m not intimidated.” I began hesitantly. “I just don’t know how she feels about me. I don’t want to be just another guy to her, you know? isn’t something I want to rush into. I want to make sure she likes me first.”

“She likes you.” They all said, almost in unison. I laughed and ran a hand through my hair.

“I want her to love me.” I admitted quietly. “Oh, . I’ve had too many beers. It’s too soon; I know it’s too soon. , I don’t love her, okay? I’m just saying I probably could. Damn it.”

I looked over at them, feeling very shy and very embarrassed, only to find them all staring at me with huge smiles on their faces.

“Finally!” Sul cheered. “Sunshine’s met a nice boy!”

“It’s about damn time.” Daniel agreed.

Ji Eun patted my shoulder. “You’ll get there, pretty boy. She’s a tough one to crack, but you’ll get there.”

“Are you guys being mean to Jimin?” She appeared at my side, holding Yukon in her arms.

“Just the opposite, sunshine.” Daniel smiled at her. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling pretty hungry.”

“Same.” I agreed, pulling her down into my arms. She snuggled up against me and Yukon my face. “Should we go out to eat?”

“We can’t bring a dog anywhere.” Ji Eun pointed out.

I grinned, suddenly getting an idea. “My parents own a restaurant. If I tell them it’s for her birthday, they’ll let us bring him in. They’ll probably keep him in the office while we eat.”

“Yes, yes!” She hopped up and down excitedly in my lap.

“Don’t jump on me.” I warned her, sitting her on the log next to me. “Are you sober?”

“Yes, Mom.” She rolled her eyes. I flicked her forehead.

Everyone seemed up for going to my parents’ restaurant, so I pulled out my phone and called my mom.

“Jimin, baby, are you coming home soon? Your father and I don’t like you staying out so late.” She sounded worried.

“Yeah, Mom. I just had a favor to ask you.” I grinned.

“What kind of favor?” She asked.

“It’s my girlfriend’s birthday and we’re at the beach celebrating it. Listen, a few of us are really hungry, is it okay if we come to the restaurant and eat some food? Ah, I should let you know that we’ve got a dog with us.”

“A dog?” She asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, I bought her a puppy for her birthday.” I said shyly.

“Cute, Jimin! Listen, just come to the house. Your father and I will cook some food for you guys. I think we’ve got some wine too, if you guys want to drink that.” My mom sounded more excited than I was.

“Are you sure, Mom? I don’t want to put you out.” I said hesitantly.

“Don’t be foolish, Jimin. This is a mother’s job. Bring your girlfriend and her friends over and we’ll have fun.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.” I smiled. “You’re the best.”

“I know, baby.”