Hotel room. Ocean view. Swim good. The black sky and ocean behind you. It’s beautiful, like a painting. Come closer to me.

 “We’re really going to Korea,” I said to Tao just the night before we would be leaving the American coastline behind. He nodded, his usually dark eyes gleaming like shiny diamonds.

“This isn’t my first time, but I’m still excited. I’ve always dreamed about traveling the world” I said as I looked out the window. We were sitting on the floor of my room with mugs of hot chocolate in our hands, even though it was summer.

“When I was younger, I used to want to be a flight attendant because I thought that traveling the world from day to day would be so cool,” I whispered dreamily, squeezing his hand just a little bit, “but then I grew up”

“Why let go of those dreams?” He asked, not in an accusing way, just curiously.

I shrugged my shoulders, before responding, “It was just unrealistic, that’s all. Going into business makes much more sense”

“Is that you talking, or you’re parents talking?” He asked.

“My parents did nothing wrong!” I said indignantly.

“I didn’t say they did, but is going into business what you really want?” He asked, looking me in the eye, “When I was younger, my father didn’t want me to get into the entertainment business, he said that it would lead to nothing. But, here I am today, doing what I love and making people happy, so it turned out all right in the end”

I didn’t respond right away, but I said, “But things didn’t turn out all alright, you have your leg injury”

“A small sacrifice for the sake of others,” He said with a small smile.

“You are too kind,” I mumbled, and he laughed lightly.

…

“Be safe, don’t talk to strangers, use your head, and stick close to your mother,” My dad said to me at the doorway, just as we were about to leave.

I gave a big hug and promised him to return safely. With one final wave, we said goodbye. My younger siblings were pouting as the car drove away. I knew that I would miss them terribly. My eyes didn’t look away from the window until the house wasn’t in sight anymore. From the seat beside me, Tao leaned over to squeeze my hand supportively.

“You’ll see them again,” He said with knowing smile that I returned. I squeezed his hand back.

“Thanks,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder. He nodded his head and leaned down to press his lips to my forehead. I grinned. My mom rolled her eyes from the front seat, mumbling something about cheese. The two of us laughed.

Once we got to the airport, Tao got out first with his things. We couldn’t go into the airport together, some fans might catch us and think that something was up. At first, he wanted us to walk together, but I was against it. It was just too risky, so he gruffly agreed in the end, but not without heavy persuasion from me in the form of kisses.

“I’ll text you once I’m through security,” He said as he waggled his phone at me.

“Don’t let any of those fangirls get a hold of you or we’re through,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

He swiftly leaned in to kiss me, a cheeky grin on his lips.

“I would never do that, I only have eyes for you,” He laughed and I just pushed him gently out of the car.

“Get going cowboy,” I said, my lips turned up into a smile.

As Tao left, my mom shook her head.

“What?” I asked.

“You kids are just plain weird,” She said, but she was smiling.

“Yup, that pretty much sums up our entire relationship, weird,” I said laughing.

“Yes, but that boy really does care about you huh?” She said. I blushed.

“I guess so,” I replied, and she giggled.

“You kids are so lucky to be young”

…

“This hotel room is huge!” I gaped.

After a long and tiring flight, we finally landed in Korea. The two of us didn't sit next to each other, and separate taxis took us to the hotel. Once we arrived, I couldn’t believe how fancy the rooms were. My mom and I would be sharing a room and Tao had the room right next door, both were suites. The rooms offered a great view of the city with shining glass windows that reached from the ceiling to the floor. The sofas were clean, fresh, and stylishly placed around the room. The kitchen area was sparkling and stocked full of every utensil and pottery that you could ever possibly need. The bathrooms were large and lavishly filled with sweet smelling bath bombs and any and every toiletry that you wanted, including razors and floss and hot wax. THe bathtub was right next to the windows so you could look over the city as you bathed. Inside the bedrooms were giant, soft beds draped in fresh sheets that were sparkling white and fluffy pillows were left for us too. The bedside tables had a telephone to order anything from the staff, a notepad and pen, and a lovely bouquet of fresh smelling flowers. There was even a small bookshelf with a selection of titles and top was a speaker set to plug your phone into and just listen. I had never been in such an extravagant place. 

“This is like the inside of a dream,” I mumbled as my fingers brushed over the soft fabric of the blankets in awe.

“Only the best for you,” Tao said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I rolled my eyes, but I was secretly pleased.

“Where shall we go first princess?” He asked.

I took a moment to think, tapping my finger on my chin as I looked up at him.

“I think I’d like to go to bed first,” I said in a faux-haughty tone, “I am feeling quite tired from the long flight and wish to get some beauty rest”

“What will beauty rest do for your highness, you are already as radiant as a flower,” Tao added in a dramatic British accent, playing along with me. I laughed.

“Why thank you, you are too kind,” I replied as we walked off towards the sofa.

We grabbed some pillows from the bedroom before laying out on the sofa side by side. I let my head rest on Tao’s broad chest, enjoying the sound of his soft breathing and his heartbeat. He wasn’t awake for long, but before he dozed off he said something to me.

“Are you okay with this?” He asked, his sleepy eyes staring at me.

“With what?” I asked, unsure about what he meant.

“With being away from my side all the time. I hate not being able to sit next to you on the plane or walking with you in public,” He said angrily.

I was silent for a moment, thinking about how I should respond to this. I could feel Tao’s frustration radiate from his tone of voice, and I understood it. It’s so hard not to share with others your joy.

“There will come a time when the whole world can know that I love you,” I said, intertwining our fingers, “we just need to be patient”

I hadn’t completely answered his question, but he didn’t say anything. Soon after that, he fell asleep, leaving me alone to take some time to think. I looked at Tao for a long time as the thoughts flowed through my mind. Was choosing to be with him the right choice? Things right now are so wonderful, I can’t help but wonder this, my boyfriend is a celebrity after all. What if we make a mistake and we’re caught, what if I cause trouble for him, what if we just can’t handle the long distance. What if we can’t make this work?

I didn't want to think about it, but my brain has a knack for working against my wishes.

…

“I’m hungry, let’s go get something to eat!” Tao called from the living room area.

I was drying my hair in the bathroom when I called back, “Okay, where do you want to go?”

“Just get dressed, it’ll be a surprise!” he said and I could here the playfulness in his voice.

“Alright, I’ll be ready in a half hour,” I replied.

“It takes that long for you to get ready?” He laughed.

“At least I’m faster than you,” I teased and he blushed.

Once my hair was dried, I put it up into a no-mess bun and put on a little makeup just to freshen up. I pulled out jeans and a white shirt with small pink flowers scattered across it from my suitcase, changed into those, and I was finished. Once I came out of the bathroom, Tao was sitting on the sofa and he looked at me with a strange gleam in his eyes.

“You look beautiful,” He said, getting up to be near me.

“It’s just jeans and a t-shirt, nothing special,” I said with honesty, my gaze dropping to the floor in embarrassment.

“But you’re special, and that’s more than enough for me,” He said, leaning down to kiss me. His lips were warm and gentle against mine. I could feel his fingers brushing against my cheeks and his sweet scent was making me lightheaded. Maybe it was the love that was in his kiss. When I pulled away to breathe, Tao had his hands on my hips and his eyes were sparkling.

“Wow,” He mumbled.

“Wow indeed,” I said, and we laughed.

…

The two of us left to go out and eat. My mom had decided to go shopping alone, insisting that the two of us should have some time to ourselves. I was glad that she liked Tao so much, but when she said those kind of things it made me feel awkward. I’m an awkward person by nature, so her actions didn’t help much. Luckily, Tao had this magic ability to make all my anxieties disappear with just a look and a brush of his fingertips.

“You seem quiet tonight, is something wrong?” Tao asked gently. I shook my head.

“I was just thinking,” I replied.

Tao paused for