The rest of the meal was finished mostly in silence and stolen glances here and there. It was clear that both of your minds were still reeling from the weighted conversation that had just taken place. But the heaviness in the atmosphere dissipated when Namjoon reached out and ran his fingers over your knuckles. Too full to eat another bite, you rubbed your stomach and leaned back in your chair. You looked up to find Namjoon staring out the window. You'd give anything to take a peak inside that glorious mind of his. You opened your mouth to speak, but his voice broke the silence before yours could.

"Let's get out of here." He pushed his chair back in as he stood and you took his offered hand, following him out of the restaurant.

The rain had stopped, but that misty scent still lingered on the cool calming breeze that blew against your skin, causing you to shiver slightly.

The afternoon had snuck up on you and the sun had already started to set over the horizon. Above you, the sky had exploded in beautiful pastels in pink, purple, and orange that brushed against the sky like a Claude Monet painting.

"So, what now?" You watched your feet hit the pavement one after the other. Water splashed your ankles as you disturbed the small puddles on the ground.

"Come on." He slipped his hand into yours, intertwining your fingers.

"If you start running suddenly as pay back, I swear-" You let your threat carry in the wind. You were half joking, half hoping you wouldn't have to strain your tired legs. He chuckled and you side eyed him suspiciously.

But he didn't run. He led you back to the beach, that frustratingly unreadable expression on his face again as you came to a stop where the water ended. With a sigh, you looked up.

Your eyes took in every color and every swirling cloud, attempting to etch them into your memory. But the warmth of your hand in his brought you back to reality. You hadn't really decided what you were going to do after tomorrow. The scenarios and theoreticals were still hanging in the air, waiting to be picked.

Ripping your eyes from the sky, you turned your head to look up at Namjoon. Your brows frowned in slight worry. He still hadn't said anything. "Namjoon..." You called out softly, preparing yourself mentally for the talk you knew you two were going to have.

But before you could follow your words up with anymore Namjoon turned to you with amazing speed. His free hand shot up, his palm cupping the side of your face as he leaned down and silenced you with his lips before you could say a single word.

It caught you off guard, but you returned his fervor without hesitation. His tongue sought permission that you granted immediately. There was an urgency in the way he kissed you, almost as if he were beseeching you, but to do what?

He pulled back after a moment, your lips immediately missing his touch. Your eyes fluttered open and he pressed his forehead against yours.

"What was that for?" You whispered, flushed.

"My reward." He answered back, keeping his voice just as low. You couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to pospone your discussion, that maybe he was afraid you were going to say something he didn't want to hear.

You had already forgotten about the fact that he had 'won' the little contest earlier and never claimed his winnings. Sneaky, clever man.

"You couldn't have thought about anything better that you'd want?" You rolled your eyes with a grin.

"Only one thing." Namjoon answered immediately.

"And what would it have been?" You raised your brow, steeling yourself for a lewd comment.

"You." He said, without skipping a beat. There it was. But the way he said it made your heart falter. A chill ran down your back. You didn't want to assume that there could be a deeper meaning to that one word.

"Me?" You said with a scoff, figuring your assumption at his perverted nature was correct. "Is your mind forever in the gutter?"

"No. Not your body." He clarified, and you gulped. "You, Y/N. I just want you." The emotion in his eyes could drown you and you would let it. They were pained, they were raw, they were vulnerable, they were scared, they were laid bare before you daring you to accept them. Pleading with you to accept this amazing man and all that comes with him. As if he'd even need to ask.

"Namjoon..." You couldn't find the words. You could hardly breathe.

"Listen, I know asking that of you isn't my place." His thumb stroked your cheek and you fought the urge to cut him off. Of course it was his place. How could he think - "I won't pressure you into choosing me or even into a choice at all. You're a free spirit, and that's one of the things I like so much about you." He said as his lips spread into a thin smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

Raising your hand, you placed it over his own that rested against your cheek, feeling the warmth of his tanned skin. The sun was disappearing from the sky with each passing second. You let your eyes slowly fall shut, focusing on only the soothing touch of his thumb.

"You've made these past two weeks so incredibly memorable," he continued, "that . . . even if I never see you again after tonight, I know I will never forget you, Y/N."

In an instant your eyes flew open and stared directly into his. You could see the faint distress, the worry in his eyes at the idea of never seeing you again. As soon as those words had left his mouth, you'd felt your heart sink and your blood run cold at the thought. Without a moment to spare, you closed the small distance between your lips. Your force nearly knocked the towering man off his feet in his surprise. But you had to get your point across. His arms wrapped around the small of your back, helping keep you planted against his broad chest. Despite your body's protest, you forced your head back a few inches. Just enough to allow you to speak.

"Don't ever say that to me again." You looked at him with as much firm demand as you could.

Slowly, you unwrapped yourself from around him and let your feet sink back into the sand. The look in his eyes riddled with concern and confusion.

You rested your head against his chest, listening to his heart beating too fast. You wrapped your arms around his middle and he rested his head on the top of yours.

"The idea of never seeing you again, or not being able to talk to you, touch you..." There was a hard knot forming in your throat, and you choked it down to keep your voice from cracking. "I hate it. More than that, I refuse it."

"What are you trying to say?" When he spoke, it vibrated your ears and teeth. The tension in his body betrayed the caution, and the hope.

"I don't know what I'm saying!" You blurted out in frustrated embarrassment. You buried your face in his chest, hoping that if you tried hard enough, you could hide in it.

You had never been good with spoken words. Give you a pen and paper and you could go to town. Talking? Not so much.

He sighed and kissed the top of your head. He was patient, so patient with you and you hadn't done a thing to earn it - to earn him. "It's alright. I didn't mean to upset or push you, it's just-"

"I'm saying I choose you!" You pulled back and away from him, staring at the ground to take your frustrations out on the sand. Your hands ran through your hair as you fought to get your words out in one sensical piece. "It's been you from day one, Namjoon. This isn't even a choice. I didn't explore things with Jimin because this was a competition. I just wanted to make sure nothing was ever going to stand in the way of this. That my feelings for you would never be in question." You were still talking to the sand, but you knew that if you looked at him now, before you finished, your words would leave you like they always did.

"You are everything I didn't dare to hope for. You see value in me when I couldn't see it myself. You are patient and kind and brilliant and hilarious and I have no idea why you give me the time of day but there has never been a decision to make. Because it's you, I just want you."

"Y/N..." Namjoon's voice cracked and you can't remember the last time you felt such crippling fear. You had just scraped yourself raw right in front of him and what if he's changed his mind in the time you gave him to stand there and think? What if he finally realizes that you aren't worth how hard you've unknowingly made him fight? What if he no longers chooses you, too? Doubt seeps into your very bones and you can practically hear them breaking. Like a cold, unwelcome hand, it constricts and suffocates you.

"I'm s-sorry. I shouldn't have-" You could feel the warm moisture threatening to gather in the corners of your eyes and you turned away from him. You had never felt this type of intense emotion before and the idea that he might no longer feel the same way or that he was going to laugh at you was enough to make you want to run, run as fast as your feet could carry you.

"Come back here." He forced you to face him, but before you could gage his reaction, his mouth captured yours. The tears you were trying to fight won the battle as they ran down your face, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. Your head was swimming and your heart was racing. You could taste the relief on his tongue and you melted with it.

Your feet were lifted from the sand as he pulled you to him, lifting you up. Out of instinct your legs wrapped around his waist and he held your hips firmly in his grasp. He kissed you until all of your insecurities vanished and you felt like you had just imagined the fear. He kissed you until you couldn't remember where you were or what day it was.

After a while, you felt him pull back. Your lips were swollen and you took pleasure in the fact that his breathing was a ragged as yours.

"I'm never going to make you regret this choice." He trailed soft kisses down your nose, your cheeks, your chin, your forehead, your eyes.

You breathed out a soft laugh as your head leaned against his shoulder. "You better not."

You stood there like that, listening to the waves crash against the rocks, until the remaining light faded. You felt Namjoon lean down to bury his face into the crook of your neck. The feeling of his breath hitting your skin and his deep baritone finding their way to your ear in a husky whisper sent tingles running down your spine.

"I'm so glad you don't leave until tomorrow." His nose ran down the nape of your neck, lighting you on fire.

Your toes curled as he skimmed his teeth over the sensitive spot below your earlobe. "W-why?" You stuttered, barely concealing the effect he had on your body.

"Because tonight," He started before you felt him nip at the lobe, igniting something deep in your belly. "You're all mine, baby girl."