Mikayla

I am lying in one of the lounge chairs, the sun kissing my skin in little tickles. I relish the last hours of this idyllic place to the fullest, to say the least. Not having to worry about anything, sleeping in so long in the morning with the light shining in my face, and finally having fun with the man of my dreams I could say that I am living my best life.

The sunglasses that sit on my nose slip a bit with the drops of sweat forming on my skin and the straw hat on my head offers a tiny shadow. The splashing of water from the pool fills my ears and the light breeze makes the warm weather feel bearable.

Today is Saturday and according to our plans we should be on our way back home right now, but Jungkook and I decided to fly tomorrow morning and thus enjoy the last day today.

It didn't take me much effort though, just a flutter of my eyelashes and Jungkook was already on the phone, talking to his pilot and sorting everything else out. After all, tomorrow is Sunday and neither of us has to get to work. Maybe I'm taking advantage of the fact that Jungkook can't tell me no, but I don't care.

I chuckle wickedly under my breath as I swing my legs back and forth. The man who literally hasn't taken a day off in years has decided to go out of the country with me for six days. What's one more day, right?

The only downside to the whole vacation is that the ice cubes I add to my drink melt within seconds and that's annoying. Everything else is like a dream I don't want to wake up from.

I sit up straight, remove my straw hat, and tie my hair on top of my head into a messy bun. Jungkook is swimming lanes, his head coming to the surface every few seconds, while I sit in a position that probably doesn't make my stomach look flattering.

We've tasted and enjoyed every dish imaginable, local and not, over the past few days. I've never been one to count my calories because I believe that every body is beautiful in its own way, but I'm starting to think that a few salads when I get back won't be bad for my health.

Pushing those thoughts away, I throw a few pieces of mango into my mouth. The first cut into the mango had filled the entire villa with an aromatic sweet scent a few hours ago and I began to consider smuggling a few of these fruits in my suitcase. Maybe I should.

Jungkook comes to the edge of the infinity pool while I tighten the bikini straps behind my back because I had loosened them to avoid tan lines. I look nicely sun-kissed, my tan looking great with my white-painted toenails contrasting against it.

I watch him brush the remaining water from his eyes and hair as his eyes roam the area. When they land on me, a smile stretches across his face, bright enough to make the sun jealous.

His arms are crossed in front of him at the edge of the pool, his hair brushed away from his face, and he looks at me as if seeing me for the first time in forever. With yearning and affection. My heart ignites and explodes into pieces that fly around me like glitter.

I can't express how much I love him and how happy he makes me with just his presence, a glance, and a smile. Even if we weren't here but under the blankets in his house, I would be the most content person in the world. And I will never shut up about the fact that he is my safe place.

Jungkook's breathing sounds along with the birds chirping in the trees are like music to my ears. He doesn't skip his workouts and although the villa doesn't have a home gym, it doesn't stop him from working out without equipment or just swimming. And other things.

I can't even lift a finger because of the weather and the activities we do like going to town and walking around the market all day and he has the strength to do squats and everything else like a beast.

I shake my head as he brushes his hair out of his face again and I can't help but watch his flexing biceps as he does so. "I know you're hot, stop flexing." I tease playfully, partly scolding him but mostly fanning myself unnoticed because he really is hot.

He laughs and it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. The first time he let me be a part of his bliss in the form of breathy puffs of air that turned into hearty laughter, I was so happy.

It was like he removed the rust from my ears in the blink of an eye and all I could do was just stare at the way his eyes crinkled at the edges, dimples formed on his cheeks and all his teeth were in full view.

It's strange to say this, but I feel like when Jungkook laughs, I can never have a bad day again. His laughter sounds carefree, a gift to my soul, the soundtrack of our infatuation. So free and pure, a little boyish despite his looks, that I would give anything to be able to protect it until the end of my days.

"I don't flex on purpose. It's just how my muscles move." he shrugs, his lips now pulled up into a smirk.

"Keep it up and soon you won't be able to fit through the doors." I laugh, demonstrating how his shoulders would slam against an invisible door.

He shakes his head with a smile. "You act like I'm a bodybuilder."

"Well, you're not a builder. You're a building." I say matter-of-factly, pointing my finger at him. And he laughs again, which immediately puts one on my face as well. It rips from my lungs and mingles with his, merging into something that is the two of us.

But seriously, I don't understand how this man manages to be so strong without even looking huge. I mean, he has muscles that look delicious under the sun and with his tan, but he's lean and fit. I still haven't found the source of his strength and it blows my mind.

"I'm hungry," I say after a few moments and he looks at me like he knew I was somehow going to say something like that. I grin gloatingly.

"Do you want to order in? Eat out?" he asks as I get up from the lounge chair.

I shake my head. "Nah, I thought I'd prepare something quickly. We have enough food in the kitchen." I say and he nods. I haven't cooked once in the last few days, except to prepare a few snacks.

I pull a white beach dress over my body and when I turn around I catch Jungkook staring at my ass. Raising my eyebrow at him, our eyes meet and he gives me a look as if to say he can't help it.

"Is there something you want to eat?" I ask, already walking toward the villa.

"You," he says unconcerned and I roll my eyes laughing. "Okay, no. You decide. Will be with you in ten to help."

"You don't have to," I call over my shoulder as I step inside.

I turn on the radio, wanting to vibe a bit while I cook because I love it so much. I wish I could sing or dance, but Jungkook doesn't seem to mind when I start singing in my off-key voice in the shower or the kitchen, or anywhere at random times.

The local radio station always plays Spanish music that I, unfortunately, can't hum along with, but I enjoy it anyway. My hips move on their own to the rhythm as I open the fridge and look at the contents.

Contemplating what I can prepare with all the delicious vegetables, I start by chopping onions and peppers and everything else. I wipe away a tear that runs down my cheek as I then feel a hand touch my waist.

Jungkook comes beside me, his eyes curiously watching what I'm doing. His hair is still wet, but this time from the shower he must have taken. The freshness of clean soap and his own scent fills my nose and I continue to chop the vegetables.

After all the veggies are cut into small pieces, I throw everything into a pan with oil. "Can you sauté them while I make the pasta?" I ask Jungkook and he nods before taking the wooden spoon from my hand.

As I put water on the stove to boil, I realize how carefree and comfortable our lives are at this moment. They say love goes through the stomach, but standing in the kitchen together with that person is indeed quality time even if you don't talk.

I watch Jungkook sauté the veggies in the pan, upper body exposed, and tattoos in full view. His handsomeness always leaves me speechless because I have never seen a man this beautiful. Chiseled jaw, round nose, and eyes I could stare into for all eternity.

I also love how he never judges anything I do or say. He simply lets me be me, laughing at the things other people would probably consider unfunny or weird. Even right now as I stand behind him, bugging him while he prepares the veggies.

Laughing under my breath, I step from side to side following the rhythm of the music blasting on my phone while landing a smack on each of his ass cheeks while I do so. His backside is firm and strong but ignoring the sting in my palms I continue with my annoying behavior.

I can see the side of his lips tugging upward every time I giggle, but annoying him is so much fun because he never reacts in a negative way. I continue to smack his ass until he turns off the stove and faces me. He catches my hands in his and I laugh but his next move makes me gasp.

He lands a single hard smack on my poor right ass cheek, his lip turning into a smirk as he sees me getting worked up. "That's how you do it," he whispers against my lips and I pout.

"I was being gracious to you." I jokingly give him the cold shoulder and he laughs when he finds me trying to soothe my butt with my hand.

He pulls me to him by the waist, bringing his hand to where he landed his palm moments ago and he massages it. I almost moan. "Did it hurt?" he asks, now serious.

"No, I'm just kidding." I smile, placing my hands on his chest. I can feel his heart beating steadily under my fingertips, like it's calling my name.

He smiles back, the mood now back to a comfortable silence between us. I don't know what it is that I've never felt with anyone else before, but when I look into his eyes or hear his voice, I could fall asleep because it sounds like a lullaby composed just for me.

I let myself fall into his touch when his hand comes up against my cheek and he draws beautiful patterns on my skin with his thumb. I never want this honeymoon phase to stop, but honestly, I'm sure Jungkook is a man who will never stop showing his love every day even if his words are lacking in it.

I don't care though. Anyone can embellish things with words, choosing them to make you feel like you're in a rose-colored cloud, but showing your feelings with actions is something only those whose hearts are brave enough can do.

When his lips come down on mine, it's more than just a chaos of butterflies erupting in my stomach. It's like waking up thirsty at night and taking the sip of water I needed. It's like the first breeze of salty air when you get out of the car for the first time and breathe in the ocean on an evening, with the sun painting the sky different colors.

It is a necessity to feel alive.

Jungkook pulls back and his eyes are just as soft as his lips felt. There's a sparkle to them that I can't take my eyes off of. "You taste like strawberries," I whisper.

My eyes lift just so I don't miss the moment of wrinkles slowly forming around the edge of his as he reaches the purest form of bliss. Then he raises his eyebrows. "You said you can't remember what they taste like?"

"Yeah, but I want to eat them all the time and I can't. But I know they taste sweet." I say, shrugging my shoulder, and he squeezes my waist.

"You can kiss me all the time." he points out. Knowing I can do that makes my heart beat faster. There's something about the way he said it, like he always wants me to.

But I decide to be a little challenging. "Technically, no. I want to kiss you when you are looking at me in a meeting like you are undressing me with your eyes, but I can't because that would be scandalous."

He throws his head back, his Adam's apple bouncing up and down like I said the most hilarious thing. I know he's amused because it's true. I've caught him sitting back in his chair more than once, adjusting his hips as he does so. Not that I don't like it, because I think it's hot.

"Once everyone knows about us..." he begins, bringing his face closer to mine. "I will kiss you, no matter when, no matter where."

His words get my heart going full speed and I think I can run laps with the burst of energy that comes with it. I love how expressive and talkative he has become. He still doesn't talk much, but at least he's not just staring at me as he did in the beginning.

"I'm not ready for all my secret haters," I joke and he scrunches his nose.

I like the way we are right now. We aren't hiding anything from anyone, but not having many know about our relationship makes it easier for us to get around even if we keep our meeting glances to a minimum when we are in the company. I like that only the most important people in our lives know about us.

The song on the radio ends and a new one starts playing. "Oh, I love this song," I say, breaking away from him to turn up the volume. "This is the third time they've played it since we got here."

I don't know what the song is about, but it's definitely catchy and an earworm. I hum until I yelp because I'm being pulled by the hand out onto the porch. Jungkook takes me in his arms, his gaze fixed on me.

When he starts swaying to the rhythm, my eyes almost fall out of my head and I find something to tease him with. "I thought you can't dance?" I ask, my eyebrow almost touching my hairline.

He looks down at our feet and then back up. He winces. "Does this look like I can dance?"

My forehead falls onto his chest and I giggle under my breath. I don't want him to feel bad, but I can tell he probably hasn't done it that often in his life. I hope he doesn't step on my toes. Or the other way around, because as everyone knows I'm clumsy and I can't promise anything.

After a few steps, however, we both get the hang of the movements, but I'm not surprised, because Jungkook is a person who can pick up on anything quickly. A natural, although he doesn't like to admit it.

He even pushes me away from him, only to pull me back against him, just like I always see in movies and music videos. He presses his forehead against mine, the sunset behind him forming a halo around his head.

The sky has taken on a candy pink and intense orange, the moon and sun visible at the same time, but standing at different ends. One responsible for the brightness and liveliness of the day and the other for the peace and tranquility of the night.

And although both are so different, they can not exist without the other. What meaning would the light have if the darkness did not live? Like yin and yang. Like the ebb and flow of the tide. Like Jungkook and me.

At a glance, the two of us might sit at two opposite poles that would repel each other if they came close. But I've noticed that Jungkook has the exact same morals and values as I do. He's just written in a different font.

Someone who doesn't know him would think he is a bull in a China shop, a fish out of water. Sometimes he may come across as harsh and rough around the edges, but he is gentle, thoughtful, and kind inside. You just have to look a little deeper than he shows.

"Thank you so much for the whole vacation," I say as we linger in a calming silence with the ocean some distance away and music in the background. "I really needed this and I had fun."

"No need to thank me, love," he says and I bite my lower lip. That nickname does something to me. "We can come back here."

"I'd love that," I agree. "I was actually thinking that I could get my parents a trip here for their thirtieth anniversary in a few weeks."

He nods. "They can come anytime."

"It's not that easy. I'm sure there are a lot of people who want to rent these villas, so I'd have to act fast." I can think of a thousand things Jungkook has planned for our vacation and I was stressed with just packing suitcases.

"Not really. You could bring them here whenever you want," he states, and my eyebrows furrow.

"How will I be able to bring them whenever if the villa is already taken?"

He laughs. "It's ours. You can always bring your parents here," he says. "We can always come here."

"What do you mean it's ours?" I gasp, pulling my face back to look up at him properly.

"I bought it." he shrugs as if it's the most normal thing in the world. "It's ours."

"You bought the villa?" I almost screech.

"You said you loved it here, so I wanted a house for us to come to whenever you were cold. Or whenever you felt like it," he explains in his soft voice. His eyes twinkle.

I'm too late to stop the tear running down my cheek, but Jungkook acts fast enough, his thumb brushing over my skin. "I don't know what to say," I stammer, my eyes roaming the porch. Our porch. Our villa. "I—thank you so much, but it was probably very expensive and—"

"Mikayla." he interrupts me, laughing. "Why have all that money if I can't spend it on my girlfriend? It's no big deal."

I snort ugly and probably look uglier. "Perks of dating a rich CEO, I guess."

He laughs with me and wipes away another tear. I can't believe the house is ours. And even less can I believe how incredibly generous and thoughtful a person can be. I raise onto my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck.

"You like it?" he asks against my hair, placing a small kiss there.

"Is that even a question?" I scold. "I love it!"

"I'm glad you do," he smiles.

Then his mouth comes down on mine, his hand slipping from my waist and settling on the curve of my butt. It's nothing sexual. Just a way of bringing our bodies as close as two souls can physically get.

I smile into the kiss as he tilts his head to the side and sucks me into the depths of his heart and I can taste colors I never knew existed. There's desperation and longing in his movements, like he's trying to tell me something else instead of just an I'm glad you like it.

He catches his breath as he pulls back. "Mikayla," he says again, and I realize how much I love it when my name rolls across his lips. "I want all the things we had in Punta Cana when we get back, too."

"That's hard, considering we're both working people, and laying by the pool all day would probably bankrupt you." I laugh, but he shakes his head.

"I don't mean that," he says. "I want to wake up next to you every day. I want to ride to work with you and back home again. I want to sit outside with you at night and laugh when you snuggle closer because you're cold."

I search his eyes, which are currently looking back and forth between mine. And I begin to realize what he means by all these words. "Jungkook, are you...?"

"Yes." he nods, kissing my lips once more. "Move in with me." he smiles. "If you don't like my house, then we can get a new one. Or change the furniture, if that's what you want. Anything you want."

It takes everything in me to hold back my tears.

"Without you, the four walls are just a house. I want to make it my home with you. Our home."

I choke on my laughter. "Jungkook, yes. Yes." I pull him down by the nape and he buries his face in my neck. "And I don't want a new house. It doesn't matter where I live as long as I'm with you."

"Yeah?" he breathes against my skin, his nervousness now conquered by relief and happiness.

I nod and he nods back before taking my face between both hands. "I love you." I smile.

He looks back and forth between my eyes, something flashing in them, and his lips curve up. "I love you."

I didn't say those three words because I expected them back. I was hoping for them, but I could read them in the warm chocolate brown of his irises without him actually uttering them. He did write them there a long time ago, I was just the first to test them out on my tongue only to realize that they had always belonged there.

"I love you so much, not even words are enough to describe it." He breathes.

When he peppers my face with kisses or lifts me up in the air by my waist, everything stops functioning. Not even my heart is beating in its normal rhythm, dancing out of sequence like an earthquake.

From the moment we stood on the balcony, his lips brushing ever so lightly against mine, I felt drawn to him. It was an invisible knot that melted both our destinies into a single path, and I would never wish for anything to happen differently.

"Are you even ready to move in with me?" I ask teasingly. We spend most of our time together already, but still. "I'll be able to bug you 24/7."

He laughs, the dimple forming on his cheek where I want to stay asleep and sheltered forever. "You don't know how ready I am for this," he says. "I was born thirty years ago, but I've only been alive since the day you came into my life."

I connect our mouths into one just as our hearts are. Even though it may have taken us a long way, with a few misunderstandings to boot, we have made it this far. If someone granted me a single wish, I would want to relive this day over and over again so that I can be happy for all eternity.

Because I put my heart into Jungkook's hands so that he can love and protect it until my last breath.

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A/N: It's unbelievable that this book has come to an end now. I want to thank you guys for supporting the story, it's so overwhelming. I appreciate every comment, vote and message. Sending you guys all my hugs and love, and hopefully I will meet you in my next book!💗💗
There is going to be an epilogue and a reflection chapter in a few days, so please do stay a little longer 🫶🏼🫶🏼🥹🥹