Chapter 22 #2
She leans in closer to her computer, her face looming closer. “I’m listening.”
“A few years ago you mentioned having some jewelry that you hoped to pass down either to grandkids or maybe to a daughter-in-law.” I pause again, now waiting to see if any of this sounds familiar to her.
There’s already a new light in her eyes, and I feel like she’s already very much on board with where this is going.
Nodding, she says, “Yes, I did say that. And the hope is still there, even if the recipient is not the daughter-in-law I may have expected. My son-in-law deserves beautiful jewelry as well.”
I meet her eyes through the screen, my heart joyful, relieved even though I knew I didn’t have anything to be afraid of. “Would you be okay with me making changes to the pieces?”
“I would expect you’d want to do that. With someone as elegant and modern as Sun is, you should update them to reflect his style,” my mother tells me, and I am deeply appreciative of her intuition and understanding.
“That’s what I want to do,” I say. “I have been looking at rings here in the city, and I found some I thought were okay, but none of them felt like they were the one. Jase came with me, and we had Sun’s best friend ready to look at pictures, but none of them made the cut. They just weren’t enough or something.”
“Then those were not his rings,” she states simply, like it’s just that obvious I wasn’t going to find the perfect one in a store. “He’s special, and he deserves something that’s as unique as he is.”
I don’t know if she realizes how emotional her words are making me, along with the way she’s talking about him so easily, as though she already knew it would come to this, that we would have this conversation one day. Maybe she did. “Have you been expecting this, eomma?”
“Of course I have.” She smiles at me, soft and warm. “I knew when you brought him to see us that you were serious about him. Your father even said after the two of you left that it’s a shame you can’t get married.”
That really chokes me up, knowing both of them are so ready and willing to make him part of the family, like a missing piece that had always belonged, and they were just waiting for me to figure out it was him.
“No, we can’t,” I say. “But I can still give him a ring and promise him that I’m in this with him for life, if that’s what he wants.”
“He’s lucky to have you. I know I’ve said that before, but for someone whose life is so defined by what they do, and everyone has an opinion about who they are, whether it’s true or not, you are a safe place for him.
” She blinks a few times, her own eyes glassy.
“I’m proud of you for being the man you are. ”
“Eomma, please.” I wipe my face with my sleeve, grumbling even though I’m far from upset.
I’ve never had a problem with crying, but I still don’t do it much.
However, my mom has always been gifted at saying exactly the right thing to make the tears start falling.
And everything about this conversation is reaffirming that I have the best parents anyone could ask for.
“Love you, Gyuli,” she says, making me laugh, just like she knew I would.
????
I can count the number of times I have dipped out of work early on one hand. I wouldn’t even need any of the digits, though, because the number is zero.
I had to assure Human Resources that everything is fine, I am fine, I just need a couple of hours this afternoon off work.
Grace, of course, had also raised her eyebrows, curious to what I might be up to.
I only needed to tell her that it was about Sun before she started blocking off my availability on my calendar so fast she had to double check if she’d gotten the date correct.
I knew Sun would be busy for another couple of hours, which gives me time to get everything ready.
I’ve got champagne.
I’ve got glittery balloons filled with confetti, because he said he thought they looked fun when we saw them in some drama we were watching.
I’ve got a bouquet of brightly colored flowers, most of which I can’t name, but they’re beautiful, just like the person I’m giving them to.
I’ll order takeout a little later, getting basically the whole left side of The Leafy Dragon’s menu because he asks for it on the regular now. He’s just as enamored with their food as Jase and I continue to be.
But, most importantly, I have the ring.
And it’s perfect.
I’d gotten Grace to find out his size by slipping one of his rings onto her own hand during one of Sun’s visits to the office.
She had been thrilled to try on the expensive designer piece, and he was so delighted at her ooh-ing and ahh-ing that a gift box had shown up on her desk later in the day.
She’d promptly burst into tears when she found a ring of her own and a note from Sun that she refused to share with me.
Though Sun’s slender fingers hadn’t required much adjustment in size from when my mom once wore this particular ring, the rest of the changes took a while. The wait made me anxious, but the final result was worth it.
The overall design has been altered to be a little more contemporary, a little less fragile, and now includes two small, blue diamonds.
I considered many stones, but those were the ones that felt right—rare, dark like they hold secrets, and breathtaking when the light hits.
I couldn’t think of anything that suits us better; there’s one for me and one for him.
Now, the ring is tucked into a slim box in my pocket, and I can’t stop patting at my hip, continually checking to make sure it’s still there.
I’ve thought about what to say, how to try to tell him everything I need him to know, but I’m not sure I’ve got the words for that.
Maybe they don’t even exist. I’m just hoping they’ll come when the time is right.
When Sun lets himself in, I’m hit with a sudden mix of emotions that’s nearly overpowering. All the love that I feel for him, every hope that I have for our future, and the slight anxiety I have over what I’m about to do, all crash through my veins in a chaotic rush.
But he smiles so brightly, so easily, when he sees me, skipping across the room to stand on his tiptoes and kiss me, that my pounding heart settles right down, happy to have him near again.
“You’re here! Why are you home already?” he asks, hands sliding down my arms to hold my hands. “Are you okay? You’re not sick, are you?”
Shaking my head no, I walk backward toward the couch, bringing him with me.
“I feel great,” I say, as he climbs onto the cushions to situate himself on my lap.
I love the way he does that, makes himself comfortable on me, always looking for more contact, more ways to touch.
“Just wanted to spend more time with you.”
“I was thinking about you all day.” He leans in to kiss me—soft presses of his lips to both my cheeks, the tip of my nose, the corners of my mouth—before finally slipping his tongue to tease mine. “This is an excellent surprise.”
I had a plan. Kind of. A general idea of a plan. When I hid everything in my bedroom, I’d thought we would end up there eventually after dinner. I would give him the ring, fuck him slow, and we’d spend the night wrapped up together.
But I’m pretty sure I can’t wait until we eat, and he pretty much gave me the ideal segue. Maybe now is the right time.
Trailing my fingertips along his jawline and back into his hair, I grin as he leans into my touch. “Maybe there’s more to the surprise.”
Sun perks right up. “Oh? What’s that?”
“I want to give you something,” I tell him.
He smirks. “Is it your cock?”
“Like you don’t get that whenever you want it.” I laugh, because I should have expected that comment.
“Your heart?” His eyes go soft, so full of adoration, and it makes me feel gooey inside.
“You already have my heart, and you know it,” I whisper against his lips before I kiss him again, deep and lush, one hand at the back of his neck, the other on the small of his back.
He moans softly, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pressing his chest closer to mine. When we break for a breath, he cups my face with his palms. “I don’t need anything else.”
“Just those two parts of me?” I raise an eyebrow in question.
Sun considers for a moment, making a big show of acting like he’s thinking, brow furrowed, head tilted as frowns. “I guess your brain is pretty sexy too.”
“Thanks so much.” I push him off my lap gently. “So you don’t want to know then? I’ll just keep it for myself.”
He looks offended, like I might actually deny him something. “I didn’t say that!”
“That’s what I thought.” I take his hand again and lead him to my bedroom, flipping on the lights so he can see the balloons, the bouquet, the champagne bucket.
I watch him take it all in, clearly confused, but also very curious.
When he turns to me, his eyes are wide and bright as he nibbles on his lower lip. .
“What’s going on?” he asks, when I sit down at the edge of the bed and pat the space next to me. “Are we celebrating something?”
“I hope so.” I reach for one of the balloons, then pick up the tiny pin on my nightstand and prick the hot pink heart-shape to pop it, making gold confetti spill out all over him.
His shriek of surprise quickly turns into giggles of joy, and I am so charmed, I can’t hold out anymore. “I love you, sachi...”
“I love you, too. Love you so much,” he replies immediately, before I get a chance to really get going, leaning in for another kiss, quick and sweet.
I snatch the box out of my pocket, trying to keep it hidden while his eyes are on mine.
“I never expected any of this. I didn’t expect you.
But you were exactly what I didn’t know I was missing.
I’m so glad you took the first step, showing up in my office and making me pay attention to you.
I needed that. The way you got under my skin so fast and stayed on my mind all the time was crazy.
And I wanted more. I wanted to know everything about you, and then I wanted to know who I was with you. Who we could be together…”
“Kija.” His palm on my thigh is warm, and his hand is trembling. “What are you doing? Kija, please.”
“I love you, Yung-Sun. You are my light, my luxury. I believe in you and me and what we have. I want you to know that you have all of me, that I am committed to you, and to us for as long as you want,” I have to pause before my voice gives out—and because I want to give him the ring.
A tear splashes onto my arm as I flip open the box, and I’m not even sure which one of us it came from.
Sun gasps, a sharp intake of air before he starts crying in earnest, throwing himself into my arms. “Is this real? What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I want to give you this ring.
It was my mom’s, but I had it remade for you, because you are my family now, the one I want to come home to.
I know we can’t have something that looks like everyone else, but I want what we can have,” I say, slipping my finger under his chin so he’ll look at me.
“Call it a promise ring, call it an engagement ring, I just want you to have it, so you always know that you’re mine. I’m yours.”
“Put it on me.” He thrusts his hand out in front of me, shaking. “Please.”
I slip it on his finger—a perfect fit—and curl his fingers around mine, lifting his hand to my lips to kiss his finger where the ring now circles it. “Does that mean you accept?”
“Yes! You know I do,” he sobs. “This is everything I have ever dreamed of. I want to do my whole life with you. I want to get married and have your babies and…”
Chuckling, I press a kiss to his temple. “I want those things, too. But how about we start with a low-key commitment ceremony and a cat?”
He wipes his eyes on my sleeve and nods. “That’s good, too. But later?”
“You can have it all, sachi.”