Hold Me Closer

In between bites, Seoyeon reaches across the table to hold your hand. “I’m glad you got to come out, babe,” she says with half a mouthful of mint chocolate ice cream. “I know you’re still tired from the week.”

“Psh, as if I’d rather laze around at home alone than be here with you.” You know that line is corny, but it never fails to put a smile on her face. It’s worth every meeting, every deadline, every performance audit to hold her hand on the way home from a nice night out with Yoon Seoyeon.

As if on cue, she giggles at your reply, “Alright, but I wanna stay over for the rest of the weekend. You deserve to laze around at home, so let me look after you, ‘kay?” You have a feeling it isn’t up for debate, so you just accept her offer. “Thanks, baby. I do need the rest.”

“I told you to just let me carry the bags. I’m strong! See?” She flexes her muscles to show you just how strong she is, but with the most adorable face you’ve ever seen getting puffy trying to look intimidating, it only undermines her point.

On the other hand, the seven shopping bags taking up the rest of the seats in the booth do look heavy now that you see all of them, and it doesn’t help that you know what exactly is inside of each one. On the other hand, you do know that Seoyeon is actually strong and can take more than just any average girl.

Just then, her phone vibrates, and as her eyes scan over the screen, a different kind of smile graces her cheeks. “Lookie, me and Naky look so good in this one.” She shows you a video of her and Nakyoung in the practice room rehearsing a sexy kind of dance, “She does that thing with her hand that I like here. You know, that thing you do to me?”

From her arm around Seoyeon’s shoulder, Nakyoung’s hand travels to the back of her neck and pulls your girlfriend in until they’re face-to-face. It’s the same look in her eye that Seoyeon has when you get under the covers with her–anticipating something she can’t possibly predict. Her lips part ever so slightly right in front of Nakyoung’s, and neither of them are wise to notice.

“Am I supposed to be jealous? What’s up with that?” you ask, eyebrow raised, smirk on your lips, and tone filled with sarcasm as best as you can to hide real doubt. As the video plays on and Nakyoung’s hands reach more and more of your girlfriend’s body, you feel a strange and gross kind of heat rising in your chest.

“Nah, if anything, I have to keep her away from you. She said she likes you too.” The video ends and Seoyeon finally puts her phone away. “I’m honestly nervous she’d be able to steal you away from me.”

“No way in hell, babe. You know why?”

“Because you don’t have time to cheat?” Her answer makes you chuckle, the apparent honesty even more so.

“Besides that.”

“Uhh, no idea.”

“Simple. She’s not you.” Wrap your fingers around her free hand again, make sure she feels secure. Nobody should ever have that sort of doubt when it comes to love, especially not your Seoyeon.

“Thanks, babe. I love you,” she says, relieved, and with mint chocolate smeared all over her top lip. She tries letting go to grab a napkin, but you beat her to it, lean over the table and give her a peck instead.

“You’re lucky you’re cute. Mint chocolate, I swear to God…”

“Oh, shut up. And I still haven’t gotten my ‘I love you too.’”

You win some, you lose some, and sometimes you’re not sure. Whatever this is, though, you wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love you too, Seoyeon.”

And of course she picks this moment to tease you. A mischievous smirk puffs against her cheeks, “Mmm, not good enough,” before she finally finished her waffle cone.

“What then?” You finish yours too and crumple the wrapper along with hers.

“Secret. I’ll tell you tonight. I take care of you, you take care of me.” She fires off a wink and bolts out of the booth, taking with her two and a half shopping bags. Her classic “chase me,” her own special trademark “I love you” that only she could ever tell you in this way.

Frantically gathering the rest of the shopping bags she left behind, you stumble out of the booth after her, the only proper “I love you too.”