emotions | love alarm

21 ~

Chapter Twenty-One

Ae-ri exhales heavily as she places mousse onto her hair, scrunching her curls till they were acceptable. Her eyes slip over her outfit once more before she bites her bottom lip and finds herself acceptable.

Her mom was having a company lunch today and of course, she had to be there or be square.

She was wearing a black long sleeve and a plaid skirt that made her even more aware of how much she was not in fact the Korean beauty standard. She was wearing nude tights and her platform Doc Martens. Her hair was in a half up half down hairstyle and she accessorized with gold jewelry. She sprays some perfume on and grabs a taupe long coat before grabbing her bag and leaving.

Ae-ri starts to go down the stairs to meet with her dad but stops as she hears multiple voices. "Yes, I am so glad they finally met. He seemed excited." Ae-ri tilts her head and furrows her brows, Who the fu-

She hears her dad reply to the first voice, "She seems happy about it too, I hope they get closer."

Then the voice joins in that makes her body still. "Dad, stop talking about me like I'm not right here."

All three of them start laughing and she wishes her mother were riding with them.

She finally descends the stairs and meets the faces of her dad, In-ho, and what seemed to be In-ho's dad.

They all smile at her, but In-ho's seemed to contain something more and she watches as he walks over, extending his hand. Ae-ri looks at it, looks at In-ho and watches as his eyes hold hers, forcing her to have a conversation with him.

I dare you, he takes a step closer.

I reject your dare, she squares her shoulders.

How unfortunate. I thought you wanted to put on a show, he smirks.

Her mind goes to her mom's partnership and she sighs.

Fuck you, she slips his hand into his.

When?, he places a gentle kiss on it.

***

When they arrive at the place, her heart longs for her partner. Sun-oh had been mildly distant the past few days and it was beginning to get to her. Everything had changed the day she met In-ho, the devil himself and she longed for the way it used to be. She sighs and composes herself, promising to text him later.

"Ready?" In-ho questions as he hops out of the car that transported them to the building. She nods once and gets out.

Her parents' company was huge and it stood tall and sleek in the middle of the city. People were piling in from all directions and she could feel her anxiety peaking a bit. Her dad looks at her and realizes the situation before calling In-ho over and giving him a few instructions. In-ho nods and heads over to Ae-ri.

"I've been put in charge of you. Have to make sure you're safe."

"I'd rather choke on wet cement."

"That's a bit aggressive, no?"

Ae-ri feels goosebumps spread against her skin as In-ho slides his hand onto her waist and guides her inside. Ae-ri takes a breath, following him closely and once inside, she takes note of how he doesn't let go.

"Thanks," she says as she looks at him, his face a little closer than she would like.

"Anytime," he smiles.

"May you unhand my partner?" a voice says near them.

Ae-ri feels her heart fill as she turns to find Sun-oh's voice. Her eyes meet his, but he was already looking a little bit past her, to the guy who she undoubtedly knew was bound to cause trouble for them after this moment.

She feels her shoulders deflate a bit and walks over to meet him. He continues looking at In-ho and she chooses to speak to him anyways. "Hey, can we talk for a second?"

Sun-oh looks down at her and from the hurt in his eyes, she could tell he wasn't going to let this slide so easily.

***

"Why was he touching you, Ae-ri?"

"Because my dad knew I was anxious and didn't want me to be alone amidst all those people outside."

"I could've done that."

"You weren't there."

"Because you didn't tell me," he was yelling.

"Tell you what?"

"To be there," he shouts.

Ae-ri looks at him for a while before tucking hair behind her ears and putting her feelings of hurt aside. She leans back on the ledge of the sink in the private bathroom they were in and crosses her arms before looking back at him, with a gaze that made him cold.

"Be honest with yourself. You've been distant this whole week, for God knows what because you refuse to speak with me anyways. And now you're yelling at me over this? Fix your tone before you address me because I am not the fucking one, Sun-oh. If there is something else bothering you then say that, don't project it onto me because you don't know how to communicate your feelings properly."

He opens his mouth to speak but she shuts him up, "And don't get defensive either, I won't be having any of it. I was looking forward to spending time with you today, I've missed everything about you."

She becomes silent and allows him space to explain. His shoulders slump forward and he hesitates before closing the distance between them, his body folding into hers like a second home. He feels his eyes burn and she holds him, caressing his back gently.

"It hurt when you said he was the most fascinating person you have ever met. The light in your eyes returned as soon as you met him. I just-I couldn't be that person for you. I miss when things were okay, but now it feels messy and hurtful and I don't like it. I'm sorry if me yelling hurt you," he says loud enough for her to hear.

She swallows the knot in her throat and wipes the tears off his face before kissing his cheeks, his forehead, and finally his mouth. The kiss was warm, salty, and desperately necessary.

Ae-ri pulls back to cup his cheeks in her hand and look into his eyes before kissing his chin and resting her head in the crook of his neck. She takes a breath before she speaks, "I'm sorry if I made you feel secondary in comparison to him. It wasn't my intention," she stops to make sure he was retaining the words leaving her mouth.

"He's fascinating in the worst way, I truly do not like him. But I very much love you. I felt that I wasn't being the ideal partner for you after my breakdown and you deserved more than that, so I'm sorry about that too," she admits, her eyes blurring slightly.

Sun-oh slips his hand to her neck and kisses her, once, twice, and the third time he slips his hand to her waist, pushing her into him. Ae-ri melts into his touch, fully relaxing against his burning fingertips and his warm mouth. She lets out a soft sigh as his mouth presses a wet kiss against her throat and she grips his shirt; she leans into him as he presses her closer, feeling warmth spread all over her body.

He tugs on the collar of her shirt and she feels a breath escape her as he nudges his nose with hers and gently asks, "Can I?" She nods and a breathless laugh escapes both of their lips. His nose brushes against the skin before his mouth leaves behind a warm kiss she feels in her tummy. His lips begin to suck and bite on the skin until a small bruise forms and once he is satisfied, he smiles at her. She laughs gently and he presses one last kiss there before he returns to her mouth, kissing her gently enough to leave them both breathless and wanting more.

Her hands slip under his shirt and she holds him, wishing they could stay this distant from the world for much much longer. She had missed having him like this.

He hugs her back, pressing a kiss against her head and she leans into his chest, listening to his heartbeat for a little longer.

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