Page 104 of A World Apart
Sitting on a purple velvet cushion, were two rings, one of which I immediately recognised from the jewellery stall we’d stopped at today in the market. It was a braided band of silver holding an amethyst that sparkled with the reflected shine of the little lights in the trees. Next to it was a plain band of twisted silver, a companion to the one with the gemstone.
I looked up at Jihoon, searching his face for answers.
“In Korea, it’s normal for couples to exchange rings,” he explained, shrugging one shoulder up like it was no big deal, but red spots appeared on his cheekbones as he spoke.
“We missed our 100-day anniversary, but I wanted to get you something…” He looked away and frowned.
“Couple?” I aimed for a teasing tone, but with my heart in my throat, it sounded as hopeful as it was.
His eyes collided with mine. “Isn’t that what we are?”
“It’s just… we’ve never talked about what we are.”
Jihoon looked… I didn’t know. His eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth a thin line, but he held my gaze.
“I don’t want you to think you’re not important to me, just because we can’t be open.
“When we signed our contracts, we all knew we wouldn’t be able to live normal lives, and even though we don’t have a dating ban anymore, it’s still… difficult to have relationships.” He floundered, and even though I understood what he was trying to say, I could tell how difficult it was for him to say it.
“Hey,” I placed a hand on his cheek, gently turning him back to face me. “I may not understand your life, but I do understand it’s not the same as mine. I’m just happy to have the pieces of you that I can, however I can. This is enough. You are enough.”
His chin trembled under my palm and I watched as he blinked away the sudden shine in his eyes as I tried to swallow past the lump in my own throat.
He looked down at the box in his hands and plucked out the one with the amethyst, putting the box on the ridge of the hot tub.
“Did you know my birthstone was an amethyst?” I asked.
He looked up at me, eyes widening. “No.”
I nodded, dropping my hand from his jaw and holding it out for him. “Yup, my birthday is February 21st.”
He huffed a laugh, “a Pisces.”
“Yup,” I grinned.
“The universe has plans for us all.” He shook his head, ruefully, before reaching for my other hand, gently lowering the hand I held up for him. “Your left hand,” he murmured, “we put couple’s rings on our left ring fingers.”
My next breath caught in my throat as Jihoon gently slid the ring onto my finger. It fit as perfectly as if it’d been made for me. Jihoon brushed his thumbs across my hand, looking down at the ring now settled there, before raising my hand to his mouth and placing a kiss on the back of it.
I reached for the ring box and carefully pulled the twisted band free from the secure cushion.
“Your turn,” I tried to joke, but I could barely get the words past the lump in my throat. Compliantly, Jihoon held out his left hand, and I slid the ring onto his finger. It went on easily, the pale metal complimenting his skin tone so perfectly.
I held onto his hand, our rings a complementing set that glinted in the dusk, the physical presence of them a comforting thing.
Jihoon pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me as he held me. I rested my head in the crook of his neck, my arms tight around his waist and just breathed in the reassuring presence of him, somehow more solid than ever before.
“Just so you are certain about it,” he said, “you are my girlfriend. Yes?”
I could only nod, my words had been stolen away by the butterflies in my stomach.
Chapter 31
It was getting late by the time the movie ended and we’d finished off the six-pack we’d bought earlier. We’d both showered after getting out of the hot tub − separately, before setting down to watch a film, though I could barely recall what it had been about; we’d spent most of the time talking through it, laughing and kissing. Yes, there had been lots of kissing. I was currently too comfortable to move as the end-credits rolled. We’d eventually made it back to the sofa and I was now sprawled across it, my feet in Jihoon’s lap, where he was absently rubbing my soles. I was so blissed out that my eyes kept closing, even though sleep was the last thing I wanted to do. That countdown clock was now hovering somewhere around six hours until Jihoon had to leave, and although I tried not to think about it, bouts of melancholy kept creeping in, aided − no doubt − by the beer.
I dimly registered that Jihoon had turned off the television, and when he moved my feet off his lap, I weakly protested. But then I felt his arms scooping me up as I was hoisted against his broad chest. My eyes flew open and I swung my arms around his neck, probably a little too tightly.
“Whoa,” I protested, “I can walk.”
