“Okay, okay.” I laugh, raising my glass. When I look into his eyes, I feel powerful. I feel like nothing else matters. Because with him, I know I’m always going to be okay, even if I don’t always have the answers. Maybe I don’t have to know everything to be certain, at least, of this. “To us.”

Back at the hotel, we say good night before disappearing into our respective rooms. Barely two minutes have passed before I walk over to the adjoining door and knock three times.

“That better not be a ghost,” he calls. “I hear this hotel has one.”

“Ha ha,” I say.

He opens the door and grins, pulling his tie loose from his neck. I bite my lip. Why does it look so sexy when he does that? I lean against the doorway, putting one hand on my hip.

“I have a question for you,” I say.

“All right, shoot.”

“Could you help me unzip this?” I ask innocently, turning my back to him and sweeping my hair, recently freed from its bun, across my shoulders.

I can almost see him visibly gulp.

“Sure,” he says, reaching for the zipper. I feel his fingers warm against my skin, goose bumps forming along the path of the zipper.

“How come it took you so long to respond to my outfit when I got to the restaurant today?” I say, knowing exactly what I’m doing. “I did put in some extra effort, you know. Did you not like it?” I look at him over my shoulder again with innocent eyes.

A smile quirks up the corner of his lip and he steps closer, putting one hand on my waist. “No. I liked it. Too much, actually. You knocked all the words out of my head.”

“Smooth talker.”

“I mean it.” He leans in closer, his lips inches from mine now. He closes his eyes and presses his mouth against my neck instead, sending shivers down my spine. “But you look beautiful no matter what you wear.”

I sigh as he kisses my neck, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, my dress left halfway unzipped. He brings his mouth to mine and I kiss him back, gently at first and then more passionately, my lips growing soft and tender at his touch.

He pulls back to look at me, his eyes heavy with desire. I tug on his loosened tie, pulling him deeper into my room. He softly closes the adjoining door behind him and we tumble onto my bed, our lips finding each other once more.

Last night, I was up all night missing him, wondering if all my decisions have been a mistake.

But not tonight.

Not tonight.

TWENTY-SIX

On the way back from the airport, I don’t even bother going home first—I ask Jongseok to take me straight to the Girls Forever villa.