AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 66

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017

 

"I need time to clear my head... just leave me alone, until I can figure things out for myself... can you do that for me?" -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

LONDON, LATER THAT NIGHT ...

 

As Min-Cho cruises slowly along the quiet street to Sun-Mi's aunt's house, he keeps his attention on the snow-covered road, watching the white flakes reflect in the headlight beams of his aunt's silver-gray Mercedes E240 sedan.

 

In the passenger seat, Sun-Mi alternates between gazing disinterestedly out the side window, and staring down uneasily at the black handbag resting on her lap.

 

Auntie Jin's Volvo, frosted with a light veneer of white, occupies the center of the parking space, blocking their entry. Min-Cho pulls over to the side of the street and leaves the engine purring in idle...

 

"Are you still angry at me?" he probes for the cause of her reticence.

 

Sun-Mi doesn't look at him, maintaining the contrary, despite the evidence. "I'm not angry, just disappointed," she states tersely, discouraging further questions.

 

Resigned to being shut out, Min-Cho holds out her gift card promising him a first date. "Here, you probably want this back, right?"

 

"You keep it," she refuses, as if the card is meaningless to her. "It has your name on it. What use is it for anyone else?"

 

Min-Cho knows in his gut that he will probably never have the chance to redeem it, but pockets the card anyway. Yet he doesn't want to part this way, with something held between them, so he proposes a way to have a few more minutes with her: "Walk you to the door?"

 

Sun-Mi, not wanting to seem either interested, or petty, responds with an indifferent, "Umm..."

 

 

He cuts the motor off, gets out, and opens the passenger-side door to help Sun-Mi alight.

 

"Careful, it's slippery," he warns, offering his hand for safety.

 

Despite his verbal caution, Sun-Mi moves impetuously, ignoring his outstretched arm in a desire to retain her independent stance. But when one sole skids on the wet snow she almost topples, barely keeping her balance... her thoughts immediately flash back to a similar moment on the steps outside her office, when before she knew what was happening, she'd found herself in Min-Cho's arms.

 

... it's the last thing she wants to have happen tonight, a repeat of that incident, giving him a good excuse to hold her ...

 

Realizing that a small surrender of her independence now may prevent the necessity for a larger capitulation later, she flashes a grateful smile as she takes Min-Cho's waiting arm.

 

 

Since they'd left the restaurant, the temperature had dropped and the wind picked up. Sun-Mi's wool-blend dress jacket adequately keeps her bare arms and torso comfortable. But from the hip-length jacket down to the tops of her Prada suede leather boots, she has only the thin viscose fabric of her dress and sheer hosiery to protect her legs. With goose bumps already rising from the chill as they start off, she is glad they have but a short distance to cover.

 

The pavement is covered by an inch of fluffy powder, and they advance cautiously, her arm securely tucked around his, trailing parallel tracks, one set of footprints -- an alternating zig-zag of wide U-shaped heels and oval soles -- distinctly contrasting with the other -- a wavering line of close-spaced, sharp pointed triangles, each accented with a petite dot -- resembling a string of odd-shaped exclamation points.

 

 

Sun-Mi knows she owes an apology. "I'm sorry I overreacted earlier... I can be something of a drama queen, and overstate things a bit."

 

"I just see that as part of your unique charm," Min-Cho lightly jokes.

 

"You're making fun of me," she faux grumbles, while entertaining a slight smile on her lips.

 

"I wouldn't dare make fun... you're way too scary when you're angry!" he cracks another joke.

 

It works, and Sun-Mi laughs quietly. "You're not the only person who thinks that," she admits. "But thanks... for not taking me too seriously."

 

Then she grips his arm tighter, preparing to announce what she had decided during their drive back..

 

"I'll be really busy for the next month, reporting on the Fashion Weeks," she reminds him. "I need time to clear my head, and this is a good opportunity. So please, don't call or text me, and don't come here, or to the office, or anywhere you might see me... just leave me alone, until I can figure things out for myself... can you do that for me, as a favor?"

 

She looks up at him, her eyes pleading his agreement.

 

"It's not like I have a real choice, do I?" Min-Cho replies, resigned to do as she wishes. "But I can understand -- I dumped a lot on you today."

 

Then a wisp of a grin crosses his face, and he asks. "Can you do me a favor, too? I'd like to leave you with one more thing to think about, okay?"

 

"Feeling a bit guilty over cutting him off so abruptly," Sun-Mi tacitly agrees. "Mmm..."

 

"It's something I want you to keep as a secret for now, so no one else can know," he teases her curiosity.

 

They are at the door, and Sun-Mi suddenly remembers what her aunt had said about eavesdropping. Glancing up, she sees the bedroom light is out, but the window is cracked open for fresh air, her aunt's habit.

 

 

Sun-Mi releases his arm and takes a step back. "Shhh...." she puts her index finger to her lips as a warning, then points up to the second floor window overhead and whispers. "Auntie might overhear us."

 

He nods and whispers back, "Come nearer, then, so you can hear me clearly."

 

Sun-Mi steps up, right in front of him, so close she has to tilt her head back to look at his face, so close that Min-Cho sees only the transcendent visage of an enchanting angel shining in the entry lights, as everything else fades into obscurity...

 

Feathery white snowflakes decorate her brown hair with a sparkling, crystal white veil. A light flush of rose pink tinges her cheeks in a field of porcelain ivory. Her expressive eyes, ringed with long black lashes and wide with expectation, reflect bright sparkles in their gleaming jet pupils. Her sensitive mouth is pursed in the natural pout she holds when pondering an uncertain situation, her full, inviting lips a deep, glossy crimson...

 

If Min-Cho hadn't already been entranced with Sun-Mi, he'd have fallen for her now in a single instant. The knowledge that he won't have this living vision of heaven before him again for weeks, causes him to linger, as he captures every detail to memory.

 

After several seconds pass, become a dozen, then thirty, Sun-Mi finally asks impatiently, "What were you going to tell me?"

 

He keeps his answer brief, repeating her words from earlier that evening, "Just this... Isn't falling snow romantic?"

 

 

Bewilderment passes over Sun-Mi's face as she wonders what 'secret' he is imparting by her own words. Min-Cho doesn't wait for her to figure it out, having the explanation already planned... Leaning down quickly, he surprises Sun-Mi with a kiss placed firmly on her mouth. Too shocked to think clearly, she freezes at his unexpected move...

 

Emboldened when she doesn't pull back or turn away, Min-Cho takes Sun-Mi into his embrace, keeping his mouth pressed over hers, gently encouraging her lips apart. As their kiss deepens into a new experience for her, Sun-Mi's heart races when a surge of heat floods through her body, until her fingers and toes are tingling as vibrantly as her lips. The heat thaws the stiffness in her limbs, and she soon finds herself melting in his arms... hoping for this moment to continue indefinitely...

 

Gradually, Min-Cho eases off their ardent exchange, ending with light, teasing caresses that leave her yearning for more when he finally frees her mouth.

 

Lightheaded and breathless, Sun-Mi leans against him, basking in contentment as conflicting thoughts and emotions churn in her mind like the white confetti swirling inside an upended snow globe. Unconsciously her fingers move to touch where his mouth left its ardent mark, as she puzzles over his stolen kiss, and her bewildering response...

 

... if she didn't resist, was it really stolen, or what she'd wanted all along?... is this merely a one-off fling, or True Love's first kiss? ...

 

 

Wanting to know the answer, Sun-Mi pushes away from Min-Cho far enough to look up into his downturned face.

 

"Min-Cho..." she says his name softly, with a new feeling than before.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Why?... What was that for?"

 

He grins devilishly at the trembling in her voice, the bright red blush in her cheeks, and the confusion clouding her eyes, evidences that he's accomplished his intended purpose, and hopefully tipped the scales in his favor...

 

Taking the 'date' card from his pocket, Min-Cho presses it into Sun-Mi's hand as he answers, "To seal our first official date..."