Running out of Time - [part five]
[still flashback - still Hangeng's POV]
“Hangeng, could you help me with these boxes, please? Here…this one’s lighter…”
“I don’t have a problem with carrying heavy boxes…” I said, laughing to myself.
Was this really the true Choi Siwon? A polite, considerate gentleman?
“I do. You don’t have to carry my things in the first place.”
“Did you really expect me to refuse?”
He smiled. “Thank you…”
…
I was renting a small condo in a housing complex that Siwon happened to live in as well, which we discovered while driving.
“I know you’re staying a few floors below me, but let’s drop these off at my place first…they’re both pretty heavy…then I’ll take you back down.”
I nodded, wondering what the interior of his house looked like…
Really, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My place was like a nice little hotel room - clean and simple [with a small kitchen].
When Siwon opened his door [which had a built in security system] my jaw must have literally dropped to the ground.
His house was ENORMOUS!! I couldn’t believe that it was only him living there! […the things you can do with money…]
“We can just set them over here, and…”
He caught me gaping in awe.
“Do you like it?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Well, since you’re here, I might as well show you around…”
With his hand on my shoulder, he led me around his house, showing me his spacious kitchen, enormous living room, bathroom, and finally…his bedroom.
“Oh! Come over here…I really want you to see this!” he said. Looking excited, he took me by the hand.
Siwon led me over to the large window and drew the curtains open, and I was stunned again.
The window revealed the cityscape of Seoul; lights blinked up at us, brighter than the stars.
“That’s-amazing! What a difference a few floors makes…” I said in wonder.
“…it’s nice, isn’t it?” he said with a sigh, but his focus seemed to be elsewhere.
I turned to look at him, and caught him looking at me…or rather, it seemed as though he was looking past me…at something that I couldn’t see…
“Siwon…is everything alright?” I had seen him like this several times before, and it was always when I caught him looking at me…was there still something about me that bothered him? Or was it something else…?
“No…it’s nothing…” he tried to smile it off, but that just made me suspect more…
I stepped closer to him. “If something is bothering you, you can tell me…”
“…it…it’s nothing, really…” He turned, trying to avoid eye contact with me…
“Are you sure?” I was standing close behind him.
He turned his head to look at me, and his face began to turn red. He turned quickly back around.
As if they could move on their own, my arms slipped around his waist like some automatic reflex.
“It’s me, isn’t it?” I whispered into his hair. I heard his sharp inhale in surprise, and then a shuddering sigh.
“How did you know?” he mumbled softly.
“You’re like a book, Siwon…your cover is easy enough to read, but the actual text inside…it’s like some other language…it’s something---something I don’t understand…but I want to be able to read you, Siwon…I want to know you…I want to know ‘why me?’…teach me all about you…” I muttered through his hair, nuzzling my nose into his neck.
Hangeng, what the hell is going on here? What do you think you’re doing?!
Just go away…I don’t need logic or reason right now…whatever you say has no place here…
“Hangeng…I was actually hoping you could help me find the answers…I hardly know myself anymore…” Siwon turned, and we were face to face…
Suddenly, I felt intimidated - vulnerable - and I gulped as our noses came dangerously close……closer……
Our lips came together.
My eyes widened in surprise, but I let my mind go, and a feeling of warmth came over me as I closed my eyes.
At first, it was experimental; we were both nervous and timid…afraid of one another. But with his arms wrapped around me, and mine around him, everything just felt…right.
No matter what our situation was…it didn’t matter if we were both men of different races from different countries…
It just worked.
I had never felt like this…with any other person…
…he tasted like coffee…
Coffee…was that really what had started all of this?
…
Siwon grew more eager; I could feel the intensity of his kisses increasing, and I found myself pushed against the wall - we were pressed tightly together.
“Siwon---“ I gasped for breath.
He pulled back. “Mianhae…” he mumbled, pulling back a bit.
“Don’t apologize…”
I noticed a bead of sweat form on the edge of his brow and slide down the side of his face.
“It’s getting hot…” I muttered, and without thinking, I watched my hands as they slipped down from his shoulders…down his chest…down to undo the buttons of his suit jacket.
Once we had gotten the jacket off, I started on his shirt buttons. As if my conscience had suddenly come back to me, I felt increasingly aware of our situation, and my palms began to sweat. My fingers kept slipping, and I was anxious.
What if he changed his mind? What if he decided that this wasn’t right? That he didn’t want things to be this way?
Any doubts I had dissipated as he took my trembling hands in his and placed a soft kiss onto my lips before releasing me to assist with his buttons from the bottom.
I blinked in surprise as he shrugged his shirt off of his shoulders to reveal a strong, muscular physique.
“You’re still dressed…” he murmured, and his hands made short work of my jacket and shirt.
A slight smile came to his lips as he gazed at me with what I perceived as a sense of fondness.
“I need to close the curtains.”
“Ah…that might be a good idea…”
After drawing the curtains closed, he walked to the doorway and paused.
“The lights need to be turned off, too…in the meantime, take off your pants, or else I’ll have to do it for you~” he gave me a wink before exiting, and I pondered what I should do. I decided to sit on the edge of his large bed and wait.
The lights throughout his house were flicked off one by one…and they seemed to be going off incredibly slow…
“I’m taking you up on that offer, Choi Siwon~!” I called from the bedroom, and finally, his face appeared once again in the doorway.
With a devious smirk from Siwon, the bedroom light went off…
…
…
…
[still flashback - Siwon’s POV]
The next morning, it felt as though every bone in my body ached, as if every muscle was fatigued; I didn’t think I’d be able to move…
I blinked several times before my eyes were finally opened, and saw a head of soft, light brown hair lying on my chest.
Aggh…I didn’t want to wake him…
In what seemed like perfect timing, Hangeng began to squirm around. He slid down under the covers to hide from the fact that it was morning.
After stretching and yawning, I looked around the room.
WHAT ON EARTH?!?!
There were bed sheets strewn about the room; the blanket we were under at the moment was the only one that had actually remained on the bed.
There were a few pillows thrown about, and the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed had been overturned…
“Uggh…what did we do last night??” I mumbled, rubbing my temples in disbelief.
“You did me. That’s what…quite hard, I should add.” Hangeng spoke finally, crawling out from under the blanket and stretching out beside me.
“Owowow…bad idea Hangeng.” he said, groaning in pain.
“I’m sorry…does it hurt?” I reached a tired arm over and ran my fingers through his hair.
He sighed. “Yeah…but I’ll live…and you?”
“A bit sore, but I’m sure you’re worse off than me…”
We both cracked smiles.
He scooted back to me and curled up by my side. My arm was around him, and I continued to play with his hair.
“…Siwon…?”
“Ne, Hangeng?”
“I think……I feel……aggh…” he muttered incoherently.
“…what are you trying to say?”
He took a deep breath and sighed heavily to bring himself back. He took my free hand in his, squeezing it tightly.
“Siwon, I love you.”
I paused a moment, letting his words wash over me.
“Siwon, I know…I know this is sudden…and unexpected, and unnatural…but, with you……I feel like you’re the one. I feel like there’s no one else who could ever make my heart beat like you…”
“Hangeng…I feel the same. I want to stay by your side, no matter what. Even if life takes us to the end of time, I want to be with you. I love you too, Hangeng.”
He smiled gently, and I felt one take place on my lips as well. We lay there in each other’s arms in silence for a while.
“Hangeng…? When did we get our pants back on? …I don’t remember wearing jeans…”
“Hm?”
I sat up, propped up against a pillow, and he followed me.
“Ahh…oh, I remember…the phone started to ring sometime in the middle of the night, and you thought it was the office. You said to change into something fast, so you grabbed jeans from that drawer…I was too tired to change back out of them when you found out it was nothing important…”
“Oh, that’s right. The call ended up being one of those telemarketers…ugh. I wish they would stop calling…”
Hangeng got out of bed and stretched, wincing in pain.
“What do you have in your kitchen? I’m making breakfast.” he said simply as he left the room in a pair of my jeans.
………
[Hangeng’s POV]
“Siwon…I need to get clean clothes…” I realized, standing in a dripping wet towel after showering. I was pretty sure one of his suits wouldn’t fit me quite right.
“OH. Ah…here, just put this on, and we’ll make a stop at your place to get your clothes…you’re fine with me giving you a ride to work, right?”
I took his t-shirt and jeans and nodded.
After I had changed, my phone began to ring.
“Wei?”
“Wei? Hangeng-ge? It’s Henry~ …ah, Zhoumi and I were wondering if you were going to take the subway with us? Where are you?”
“Well, actually, Siwon offered to give me a ride…”
“Oh?! I thought you two couldn’t stand each other…what’s with the sudden change of heart? Ge…what’s going on??”
Hangeng…what have you gotten yourself into?
“Ahh…Henry, it’s a long story…I’ll explain later, ok? I promise.”
“Ok, if you say so…I’ll tell Zhoumi-ge…”
“Alright, thank you.”
“Zaijian~! See you later.”
“Zaijian...”
Siwon and I took the elevator down to my floor…
When we exited the elevator, who did we bump into but Henry and Zhoumi.
There Siwon was, all ready for work in suit and tie, and me, standing there in Siwon’s casual clothes, dumbfounded by the presence of my two friends that doubled as coworkers.
“Ah! Siwon-ssi!” they bowed, and then turned to gawk at me in bewilderment.
“Hangeng-ge??”
Well, this was a bit more than awkward, not to mention more than suspicious.
“Ah…uh…don’t miss your train!” I said, getting out of the elevator so they could enter.
“See you later!” I waved, and they waved slowly back with confused looks on their faces as the elevator doors slid shut.
Siwon smiled. “You’re so obvious, it’s adorable~ …let’s get you your clothes so we can get going…”
**four and a half pages on Microsoft Word @__@
I've resorted to not editing the line spacing after pasting from Word...it's easier to read anyway...
hope this chapter was ok...
.___.
[by the way, that 'loved' mood theme down there has to be one of my favorites~]
BIASED
-^ ^-