"Ava?"

"Ava Young?"

Madison smacks me on my shoulder to get me out of my daydreams. The scowl on her face and the dramatic head nod towards the front of the classroom quickly makes me realize where I am.

"Mianhae! Oh, um...sorry!" I smile at the professor and look confused as to what she wanted.

"Did you hear what I asked?" Professor Collins inquires.

I sheepishly shake my head and bite on my pen. Although I know I should be paying attention, my mind is only in one place today. It's the day Taehyung has to fly back to Korea and in an effort to spend as much time as possible with me, he came to campus. I can see him sitting on the bench right outside of the classroom window from where I sat as he watches a video on his phone, occasionally laughing at whatever it is.

Professor Collins sighs and shakes her head. She knows I'm normally a great student so she doesn't seem annoyed with me, but more so amused.

"How did the art show go on Friday?" She repeats herself and the rest of the class looks back to my desk.

"Oh! It went well! A complete success. The artist was very pleased." I explain with a proud smile.

"As so I've heard." She smiles back to me and then turns her attention back to the class. "Over the next two days we will have a known up and coming artist join our classroom and demonstrate their talents for us. His name is Ethan Michaels. This is the same artist that Miss Young hosted recently at the gallery she works at."

My mouth dries and my eyes go big. Ethan will be here? No. No, no, no.

While he wasn't an arrogant jerk like Lucas was, he has still made it clear that he finds me attractive. I thought I'd be done with him. I thought I wouldn't even have to see him when he came to collect his commission check.

I plop my chin down in the palm of my hand and let out a small sigh at the newfound information.

"What's wrong? Is he an asshole or something?" Madison whispers, keeping her eyes on Professor Collins.

I shake my head, "No, he's been nice to me. But he's made it known he thinks I'm attractive."

"And that's a problem, why?" She looks down at her book as if she's paying attention when the professor begins to make her way back to our side of the room during her paced walk.

"Because of Taehyung. It's just awkward." I explain and flip to the next page in the large schoolbook.

"Girl, you can't stop every man from thinking you're hot because you are hot. I guarantee you there are at least," she counts the guys sitting in the rows in front of us, "seven guys in here right now that would do you. Not counting that one, I don't think he likes girls. And I can also guarantee you that Tae knows that as well."

"I know, but shouldn't I distance myself from him?"

"Do you feel like he's a temptation?" She quirks a brow at me.

"No! Not at all. He's the only one for me." I nod towards Taehyung sitting outside.

"Then what's the problem?"

I nod.

She makes a valid point. As long as he doesn't make a move, I shouldn't be so worried about him just because he thinks I'm pretty. It's not like it's some kind of sin to be attracted to someone, even if they are taken.

After class, I damn near dart out of the building and run up behind Taehyung sitting quietly on the same bench with ear buds in still watching some movie. I place my hands around his eyes and feel his cheeks rise against my palms.

"How was class beautiful?" He reaches up to remove his earbuds and turn his face to meet mine with a quick kiss.

"It was okay. I could see you from my desk." I smile.

He turns to look up at the building I was just in and starts to blush.

"Were you watching me?" He chuckles.

"I was. I almost got in trouble when I didn't hear the professor talking to me." I shrug. "Speaking of that, Ethan Michaels will be coming to class over the next couple of days to demonstrate painting for us."

I decide to tell Taehyung about Ethan. Like Madison said, if I'm not tempted then what's the problem? It's not like I had any say so about him being there.

"Oh," he starts to say, "that's nice. I'm sure that'll be more interesting than reading from a textbook."

"You're not mad or jealous?" I question as he stands up to walk with me to my next class.

"I told you I'd try not to be so jealous when it comes to you and other guys. He seemed nice enough the few times I met him." He shrugs and offers me a sip from his styrofoam cup.

We walk towards the next building on campus that I have to go to class in. There's a lounge downstairs in this one so Taehyung finds a comfortable couch and plops down on it before I make my way to the elevator around the corner.

"Hey Ava! Did you have a nice break? You've got to tell me all of the details. How did he surprise you when he showed up? Ah! This is so cute!" Megan beams when she sees me enter into the classroom.

I giggle at her over enthusiastic reaction and pull out my textbook, notepad and pen from my backpack.

"I did! He's downstairs right now actually. I have to take him to the airport after this class." I frown. "But guess what?"

"What?" She damn near can't take the suspense. I love how positive she always is.

"I'm going to Korea for Christmas and through New Years to meet the family." I smile brightly to match her excited expression.

"Oh my God! I'm so happy for you! You'll have to send me lots of pictures. South Korea...wow!" She plops her chin in her hands and sighs out with a smile as if her own rom-com is playing before her very eyes.

I shake my head with a cheesy grin and turn my attention back to the front of the classroom when the professor walks in.

Megan had another class in the same building so we part ways when we leave with the promise that we'll catch up soon.

I excitedly get on the elevator knowing that I have a handsome man waiting for me when the doors reopen, but when I exit, I see that he's no longer alone on the couch.

"He's so cute! Don't you think so Amanda?" The girl on one side of him croons, sitting way too close to him.

"He definitely is! Have you ever been with two girls at the same time? Trina and I would be willing to make that happen." She winks and goes to touch his arm but he shrugs her off and quickly stands up.

"I told you both that I'm taken." He frowns and rubs his arm where he was just touched as if he was trying to scrub away the feeling of her.

They both giggle and look at each other and back to him, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"It would hurt her and I'm not about to do that to her." He snatches his phone off of the small table and sharply turns when he spots me watching the whole thing.

"Ava." His eyes grow wide. He looks back over to the giggling girls and back to me.

I walk over to him and pull him down to kiss me, deepening it to let him know I'm not upset and to also claim him right there, not caring who the hell would see.

"It's okay babe. I heard everything." I smile up at him as I pull away, noticing he's temporarily stunned. I look over to the girls sitting on the couch with amused expressions. "Karma is a bitch. Just like you two."

I grab his hand and pull him out of the exit doors without looking back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want them." He says again once we reach the corner and I stop walking for a moment to turn around to look at him.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You can't help what slutty girls do, but you didn't accept their advances. That's all that matters." I cup his cheek and run my thumb over his bottom lip.

He smirks and studies me for a bit before deciding that I'm really not upset and gives me a much wider smile.

We reach my little red Beetle and I throw my backpack in the trunk next to his waiting suitcase. A rush of sadness washes over me when I see his belongings ready to go. I shake my thoughts and shut the trunk. It won't be long until we see each other again. I just have to focus on school and time will fly by.

At least I hope.

"This week and a half went by way too fast." He mumbles as we both sit down in the car.

"It really did. Three weeks and three days left to go." I give a tight lipped smile over to him before putting the car in reverse.

"Three weeks, three days. We've got this!" He winks and I nod in agreement before giving him a high five like the dorks we are.

The airport wasn't extremely busy this time of day which I was thankful for. We pull up to the drop off area and I put the car in park. Pulling my keys out of the ignition, I fiddle with them in my fingers for a bit until he reaches over to place his hand on top of mine.

"Are you okay?" He asks when my eyes meet his.

"No. But yes." I bite my lip and lower my eyes back to the floor.

"Hey. Look at me." He lifts my chin to meet his gaze. "We have a plan this time. We know when we'll see each other again."

I nod and take a deep breath before getting out of the car. I know if I don't move now, it may not happen.

I walk with him into the airport and wait while he prints off his ticket and checks in his suitcase. The calmness of the airport now seeming more like a burden than a blessing with no distractions around. The bright florescent lights and the random voices over intercoms surround us as we walk slowly towards the security gates. We stop when we reach the point where I wouldn't be allowed to go any further without a ticket myself.

"Well, this is it." He says turning around to look at me, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

"This is it." I repeat quietly.

"I'll text you before I board and when I land. Call me before you go to class tomorrow."

"Okay and I will. Have a safe flight baby. Saranghae." I do all I can to fight back the knot forming in my throat.

"Sigani jinalsurok deo saranghae. I love you more and more every day." He smiles and translates when my eyes grow wide.

He bows to my lips, wrapping his arms around me and making me feel small in his hold. There's no better place than right here, in his touch...in his embrace.

We pull away and look at each other one last time before we both offer each other a small smile that doesn't touch either of our eyes.

I nod and force myself to turn to walk away. I glance back to see him beginning to make his way to the security checkpoint and turn back around with a sigh.

"Ava!"

I hear him call out my name and turn to see him drop his backpack as he begins to run back over to me.

In one swift movement, he lifts me up and I wrap my arms around his neck as I look down to him to kiss his saddened lips. Small tears stream down both of our faces, but we don't even care about holding it back anymore. He continues to hold me up as if I didn't weigh and thing and kiss me deeply in the middle of the airport.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" We hear a woman scold her husband and smack him with a magazine making us giggle and him slowly lower me back to my feet.

"I just had to taste your lips one more time before I left." He smiles with his forehead to mine.

"No complaints here." I smile back up at him.

He looks up and sees that the security line is starting to get much longer than it first was.

"I better go." He runs his hands through my hair.

"I'll see you soon." I raise up on my tippy toes to kiss his nose.

"See you soon jagi." He holds onto my hand as he begins to walk back to the the line until our fingers can no longer reach.

I watch him pick up his discarded backpack and blow me a kiss which I snatch and place over my heart.

I notice the same woman watching us and looking like her poor husband is still getting the third degree. Taehyung sees what I notice and we smile back at each other.

I stay and watch him make it up to the front of the line and give his passport and ticket to the guard sitting at the small desk. He walks behind the large plexiglass wall, turning to give me one last wave goodbye. I slowly wave back and sigh before turning around to head back to my waiting vehicle.

Back at the dorms, I walk past groups of friends talking about their Thanksgiving break or just goofing off and a few couples making out in the hallway before I finally make it to my dorm room. I open the door and see Emma, Megan and Madison hanging out inside.

"Hey baby girl." Madison stands up and comes over to hug me.

"Are you okay roomie? I bought us snacks." Emma holds up a bag of chips and two bags of candy.

"I snuck in some wine." Megan smiles.

I look at each one of them and smile, wiping away the remaining wetness under my eyes.

"Thanks you guys." I walk over and take a swig of wine straight from the bottle and hand it back to Megan before I grab the chips and rip open the bag to begin munching. "Would you guys mind helping me learn Korean?"

"Aw hell." Madison rolls her eyes and grabs my phone from me. "Where's the damn app?"

I giggle and show her which one it is.

I think I'm going to be okay as long as I have the little family I've created by my side.