emotions | love alarm

12 ~

Chapter Twelve

"It's so warm," Sun-oh mentions as he and Ae-ri fan themselves.

"I know, isn't it great?" she smiles, popping open a malt beverage. Sun-oh analyzes her briefly, noticing how the glimmer in her eyes was brighter, her smile came out easier, and how she seemed to fit into the environment more.

"Casi estamos llegando?" she asks the driver who nods, "Si, señorita."

Sun-oh realizes he had never truly heard her speak Spanish; she sounded very eloquent. "Your Spanish sounds so pretty," he says to her as she offers her a coke. She smiles and leans closer, "Thank you." He stops breathing as she grins and kisses his cheek.

***

"This is your room," Ae-ri points to the room to their left and enters with Sun-oh before she smiles and opens the connecting door between their rooms. "And this one is mine," she states before plopping herself on the chair near the balcony.

Their vacation home was very beautiful. It had immaculate marble floors with a Spanish style roof, and each room had its own balcony. The upstairs area consisted of a moderate living area and four different bedrooms, each with their own bathroom; there was a circular opening in the middle of the second floor, guarded by a railing that allowed people to look down to the first floor. The aesthetic was neutral with many beiges, whites, and some blacks.

Sun-oh's room had a bed near the back wall, along with a door leading to his bathroom, a balcony to his left with a proper seating area, and a dresser with Ae-ri's connecting door to his right; hers was quite similar in arrangement.

"I'm gonna change, you should to, we have guests coming," she smiles.

***

Sun-oh shifts uncomfortably on his feet as he watches Ae-ri greet her family members happily. He bows at them before they smile at him and continue their way through the house. Ae-ri was wearing a red floral skirt that had many tiny flowers, and a white loose cropped tank top with her hair half up half down. She was sporting brown wedges which made Sun-oh smile because she finally didn't seem as small as usual.

"Este es tu novio? Es buen 'moso," one of her aunts analyzes Sun-oh and Ae-ri laughs, "No es mi mejor amigo, tia."

"Aprovecha," her aunt warns.

Ae-ri shakes her head at the conversation and smiles at Sun-oh before translating. "She asked if you were my boyfriend."

"What did you say?"

"No?"

Sun-oh laughs and nods, "Interesting."

Ae-ri answers the knock of another person and her face lights up, "Gabriel!" She tosses her body into the awaiting arms of her childhood best friend and Gabriel welcomes her gladly. "Hola, princesa," he hugs her. They stay embraced until Sun-oh awkwardly coughs and Ae-ri separates from Gabriel, realizing time had stopped momentarily.

"Gabriel, this is my best friend, Sun-oh," she introduces.

Sun-oh watches as Gabriel looks away from Ae-ri before smiling at him, "What's up man?"

Sun-oh and Gabriel shake hands and Ae-ri and him begin to speak Spanish rapidly. Her voice was happy and her smile was genuine; Sun-oh didn't like it one bit. Gabriel heads deeper into the house and Ae-ri waves at him before standing next to Sun-oh whom she noticed was more tense than anything else.

"Are you okay?"

"Who was that?"

"Oh, he was my childhood best friend."

"I'm your best friend," he frowns, hugging her protectively.

Ae-ri hugs him back, "I am aware."

***

Sun-oh and Ae-ri hold hands throughout the night, neither one wanting to let the other out of their sight for more reasons than one. Ae-ri and him sat with Gabriel who Sun-oh was beginning to despise a lot more with every passing second. Gabriel kept glancing at where Ae-ri and Sun-oh's hands intertwined, slight protectiveness coming over the retired best friend.

A bachata comes on and before Ae-ri can ask Sun-oh to dance, Gabriel grabs her other hand and smiles at her, "Care to dance, my designated dance partner?"

Ae-ri looks over at Sun-oh who nods encouragingly and she lets go of her grip on Sun-oh's hand before looking at Gabriel, "Sure."

Deep down Sun-oh wanted nothing more than to ask her to dance with him instead. He had been practicing so he could make her proud and also enjoy her culture with her; yet Gabriel was beginning to make jealousy bubble up in his chest.

Ae-ri smiles as Gabriel places his hands in their designated area before they begin to dance gently, getting fancy with their footwork every now and then. She knew since they were little that Gabriel had had a crush on her and by the way his eyes glimmered under the setting sun, she had no doubt that the feeling was somehow still there.

A salsa comes on and Gabriel offers his hand once more before she laughs and accepts, letting him guide her through the more complicated dance. Sun-oh hadn't ever seen her dance Salsa but he was beginning to appreciate every gesture her body made while dancing. She moved with elegance, and the fluidity he had admired.

People around them begin to hype them up and Ae-ri shakes her head, a soft blush from the attention making its way to her face.

***

"You're a beautiful dancer," Sun-oh says quietly as they look at the party below them in full swing. They had snuck off into his balcony that gave them a view of the people in her house, wanting to be alone together for a little while.

"Thanks," she smiles as she sips on some wine. Sun-oh gazes at her as she leans her head back and stretches her body out, the soft glow from the balcony fairy lights illuminating her face. "Ooo, I love this song," she opens her eyes. She gets up carefully and extends her hand, waiting for Sun-oh to follow suit. He shakes his head, "I'm not your designated dance partner," he mumbles.

Ae-ri drops her hand and instead kneels down next to him, hands on his face, "Yes you are. Now get your butt up." She tugs on his hand and he finally agrees to dance with her. The song was slower than he was accustomed to, but Ae-ri felt more at home with it. She shuts her eyes and guides his hands to her lower back, the other in her right hand and leans against his chest.

They dance softly, more wallowing in each others presence than making a definitive effort. Sun-oh drops his hand from hers and instead wraps his hand in her soft curls, placing his chin on the top of her head. They stay like this for a few more songs until she relaxes completely under his touch.

"I love you," she whispers softly, hugging him tighter.

Sun-oh feels his heart speed up slightly at her words and caresses the curve of her neck with his hand before reaching down and grabbing her hand, pressing a kiss against her knuckles. Ae-ri shivers at the warmth of his lips before looking as his gaze meets hers. "I love you too," he whispers back, meaning it more deeply than she could ever imagine.