"Meet me in the library at midnight." 

The thought of his whispers, his breath tickling her neck, sent chills through her, and she quickened her pace towards the library. Though they'd only seen each other a few hours prior, she was desperate to see him again.  

They'd been dating for two weeks now, but this was the boldest move they'd decided to make, aside from riding together a few more times. But finally, they decided to take the risk and meet like this. 

She was terrified but also elated and excited. And she couldn't wait. 

Keeping her footsteps as quiet as possible, she opened the door to the library and slipping inside. She wondered where Eric was. The library was huge, at least five times the size of his room, which was already big enough for a king-size bed, couches and chairs for a seating area, a breakfast nook near one of the windows, and a giant walk-in closet. So the library was a place that one can get lost in. 

She started wandering the aisles of books, not wanting to call out in case she was heard by someone else. She made her way to the smallest, hidden seating area of the library, assuming that's where he'd head. And she was right. She found him by the window, hands in his pockets as he stared outside. 

"Hey there," she whispered, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He laughed, turning around so that he could ruffle her hair and hug her back. "Miss me?" she teased. 

"Terribly," he said dramatically, placing a hand on his heart and winking at her. 

***

They sat side by side on the floor, the moonlight filtering in through the windows and illuminating the two of them. Eric had brought flashlights and tape and had somehow positioned them on the windowsill to give them enough light to read. Each of them had a small pile of books near them, and she laid her head on his shoulder and she flipped through hers. 

She'd gone to the picture book section, wanting to enjoy those simple yet beautiful books. Wanting to feel like a child, a real child. She felt as though she missed out on a lot of amazing things childhood held, and a part of her regretted it. 

But when she looked up at Eric, seeing the moonlight touching his strands of hair or the way the shadows of the library looked on his perfect face, she couldn't actually regret anything. Every moment in her life had been meant to bring her to this boy, to this moment. 

"Why are you staring at me?" he whispered, a smile on his lips as he flipped through the pages of his book. It was a history book. He'd been doing a lot of extra studying nowadays, and she suspected it was because he wanted to become King as soon as possible. Somehow, he figured that their relationship would have no obstacles once he became King. She hoped he was right, but suspected that he wasn't. "Is it because I'm so handsome?" 

"Well, obviously," she teased, bumping her shoulder against his. He turned to look at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he leaned over, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. She was glad the darkness would hide her blush. No matter how many times he kissed her, the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't go away. Every kiss felt as magical as their first. 

The book fell out of her lap and she moved closer to him, and he kissed her one more time before standing up. 

"It's getting late," he sighed, picking up their pile of books. "Or should I say, early? Either way, we should get back to our quarters. You should get some rest." 

"So should you," she said, following him as he started putting the books away. 

He took her hand when he finished, interlacing their fingers together. "I'll walk you to your exit, okay?" he whispered. They had to enter and leave through different exits and at different times, to avoid any suspicion about them in case anyone happened to see them. 

They were almost at the doors when she saw two shadows in one of the aisles and she let out a small squeak of surprise, jumping backwards as she did so. Eric's hand tightened in hers, and as her eyes focused she was able to make out the two figures. 

Hyunjae and Yerin. 

Yerin looked extremely flustered, and she was looking everywhere but them. Her eyes traveled to the floor, the books, and then her hand, which was holding Hyunjae's. That made her even more flustered. 

"Um... this is awkward," Hyunjae finally said, scratching the back of his neck. "We won't tell if you don't," he said after a moment, winking at the two of them. 

Chanmi couldn't help but think that she'd be in extreme trouble if they were caught, whereas Hyunjae and Yerin wouldn't be in trouble at all. It seemed like a bad deal, but Eric visibly relaxed, and he laughed. 

"It's a deal," Eric said. "We'll be leaving now," he said, letting go of Chanmi's hand. She started walking towards her exit while he headed back into the depths of the library to find his. 

She opened the door, sighing to herself. The measures they had gone through not to get caught, and now this. But still, she trusted Hyunjae. He was friends with Juyeon, and she trusted Juyeon with her life. 

So she trusted that their secret would stay that way, at least for now.  

***

A/N

I had to include a little bit of what might be my favorite couple😫 If you haven't yet read my Hyunjae fic, you should definitely do so😉