Page 56 of Teach Me K-Pop

I have no idea how I got this lucky.

?? ??

My arm is asleep, and it’s a thousand degrees in this bed.

I shift, trying to get away from the heat and get some blood circulating when I very suddenly realize I am not alone. Nikko is sprawled beside me, pressed up against me as both the source of heat and the solid weight my arm is trapped under. I am instantly no longer concerned with my own comfort, but staying still to make sure I don’t disturb him as he sleeps.

His hair is a mess, sticking up every which way, but his face is absolutely serene, the barest hint of a smile on his perfectly pouty lips. I’m very aware of how much of his skin is on mine, and how this is simultaneously the best and worst way I have ever woken up.

Nikko is right here with me, which is amazing. We kissed and talked until we both couldn’t keep our eyes open, admittedly not all that long after we’d gotten off together. My cock twitches at that particular memory—the way he’d looked and sounded. I’ve never seen anything sexier. And holding him as I drifted off felt more like a dream than anything that could have happened while I was asleep.

To start my day like this, Nikko still in my arms, is incredible. And devastating, because I know the number of times it can happen again is so, so limited.

As though he can sense that I’m about to get sad, he stirs, the faint smile stretching into a real grin that I can feel. He presses a kiss to my shoulder, then yawns, and it’s adorable, like watching a sleepy kitten.

“Good morning,” I whisper, turning to brush my lips against his temple.

He blinks up at me, so soft and open. “This is my favorite morning ever.”

“Mine, too,” I assure him, pulling him a little closer until he’s resting fully on my chest, draped across me. I want to spend the rest of the day in bed, lost in each other, wrapped up in our own little world, just the two of us. But I know it can’t be like that, and what I want ultimately has very little impact on how things will turn out.

“I want to start every day like this,” Nikko murmurs, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. “Let’s pretend we can do that.”

God, I wish we could—that imagining we actually can have this could somehow make it real. I’d take either one, anything that lets me keep this moment longer. But I say, “Sure. Which life is this?”

He thinks for a moment, considering. “Seoul. We stay in bed until we decide it is time to go get coffee at the cafe where we met. After we go, we come back to bed. We would have more energy then…” His words trail off, an insinuation.

I can’t not laugh at him, endeared by his lack of subtlety. “Mm… yes. Energy, very important.”

Slipping one hand around the back of his neck while the other cradles his jaw, I just look at him for a minute, wanting to remember everything about this beautiful boy that I got to spend the night with. Wake up to.

It’s only temporary, but we’re here now. He’s got those stars in his eyes, and I feel like I can see everything I need to know in them.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JASE

“Why isn’t this working?” I mutter to myself, trying for the fourth time to connect my phone to the small speaker on the nightstand. I’m pretty sure that I have all the settings right. But I am also more than a little antsy and distracted, so it’s entirely possible I missed a step. Finally, with one more frustrated push of the button, an electronic tinkling sound indicates the devices are synced.

I spent an unreasonable amount of time earlier trying to craft the perfect playlist—a mix of music that feels romantic without trying too hard and playful without ruining the general vibe. I have no idea if I’ve accomplished this, but I had to stop messing with it in order to get everything else ready.

Nikko’s day was pretty packed with group activities—interviews for radio and tv, a soundcheck party at the venue, rehearsal, and then the show—which left us with essentially no time to spend together. Which is fine, because I came up with a plan, and him being busy gave me time to pull everything together.

We have a hotel room to ourselves, and while there are plenty of activities we could use that privacy for, I don’t want this visit to be just about all the ways we can get naked. Not that I haven’t thought about them allin detail, but I know there’s more I can offer to make our time together memorable.

I’d gotten several texts from him throughout the afternoon, expressing his displeasure at me being alone and having to wait on him again. I assured him that I was very well-occupied and did not answer a single question he asked about what I was up to.

Looking at the clock, I see it’s probably about time for him to get back to the hotel. I check my reflection one more time and go to switch off the main lights in the room. The LED candles I went out to buy earlier seem to dance somewhat realistically and make the little table I have set up look pretty damn magical if I do say so myself.

A bouquet of white, pink, and cream-colored roses sit in the middle, on top of the simple tablecloth, with plastic flutes for the champagne and two takeout orders of cheesecake and tiramisu. It isn’t anything fancy, but I feel like it’s fairly impressive for having been pulled together in a couple hours and sourced within a few blocks of the hotel.

I’m trying to find a way to look casual and sexy in the desk chair when the door opens.

“Jase? Are you here?” Nikko calls, clicking the lock into place.

I stand up, unable to keep from smiling, hopeful he’ll love this surprise. “Yep… keep walking.”

“Why is it so dark?” he questions, but freezes mid-step when he can see what I’ve got set up. HIs hands fly to his mouth, muffling the gasp of surprise. “Jinja?”

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