They did a few more rides in the time before it got dark when they decided to do some shopping in the little gift shops along the walkways which were illuminated in the growing twilight by the numerous lights put into the park for the season. Everyone picked one or two things they planned to give to one of the members who hadn’t come with them as well as something for themselves. At one of the shops they found headbands with antlers, fox ears, and little cone-like Santa hats. They each got one, with Claire and Kitae opting for the fox ears, FX choosing the antlers, and Cheol and Seunghoon choosing the Santa hats.
Luckily they made their way towards the gardens and merry-go-round just in time to watch the light parade as it made its way through its route in the park. Kids and families gathered together along the route with the smaller kids waving at the dancers and costumed park workers as they passed by. The boys hummed along with the music and imitated the dancers as they passed, having a fantastic time. Claire dared to take a few pictures to remember the moment and maybe share them with the other members. All the smiles on their faces made any cost worth it for this trip.
They decided to try and sit down to some food before the Christmas fireworks were supposed to start in a couple of hours. They decided on the pizza restaurant since there were seats available and it wasn’t very far from where the fireworks would be going off a little later. The pizzas weren’t terribly big so they got a few to share, with each of them getting to taste a little bit of everything. The food was hardly gourmet but it was exactly what you’d expect from park food; filling and salty.
When they were done, it was really cold outside and they decided to get some warm drinks they could use to keep their fingers warm as they walked around among the sea of Christmas lights. Small fluffy flakes of snow started falling about 20 minutes before the fireworks show, making the already perfect and Christmasy scenery even better.
“The first snow,” Cheol whispered excitedly, wrapping his arms around Claire from behind as they stood inside of an oversized ball ornament glowing with light.
“Merry Christmas, 자기야[38],” She turned in his arms to kiss him.
“You know, if you watch the first snow with someone,” He told her as he cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “You’ll find true love with them.”
“Seems the snow was a little late on that one,” She teased. “I already did.”
“Well maybe it’s good luck anyway,” He grinned before pressing his lips to hers. Like dozens of other couples there, they also took the opportunity to steal a kiss illuminated by the glow of the hundreds of light sculptures that decorated the walkways and garden. Seunghoon, FX, and Kitae noticed their cute stolen moment and pulled out their phones to capture it for them. With their relationship kept secret and largely behind the closed doors of the dorm, they didn’t exactly have many reasons or opportunities to get pictures.
They really were awfully cute together, Seunghoon decided as he flipped through the set of too cute pictures he had taken of them. He hadn’t really given it much thought and he hadn’t spent that much time with Claire as he wasn’t in need of her expertise. Today he was sure he better understood what had made Cheol take the chance he had to be with her. They fit together, both caring and thoughtful, putting other people first most of the time. It was at least good, Seunghoon thought, that she seemed to be more than happy to be hidden and anonymous, given their situation. Too many people craved the spotlight or at least the reflected limelight they could get by being nearer to members of the band. Even old friends had, in some cases, become weird or tried to get favors or recognition through knowing them.
“Hey, would you mind posing for me over here?” Seunghoon asked, gesturing towards a large heart made from white, blue and pink lights.
“Oh, sure,” Claire nodded. They all moved that way and waited their turn for a moment in front of the light sculpture along with all the other couples.
“Okay, just be yourselves or something,” Seunghoon instructed them vaguely.
“Be ourselves,” Cheol repeated, beaming as he looked into Claire’s eyes. “I guess that means this.”
He leaned in to give her another soft kiss as the fluffy snowflakes fell gently through the air around them. In the cold air their breath mingled like clouds, glowing in the garden of lights. His hand went to the scarf wrapped around her neck, tucking it under her chin as he angled her head slightly to sneak in a slightly deeper kiss for a moment. FX and Kitae hooted supportively from the side, causing Claire and Cheol to break into laughter and look at the two of them as they teasingly made cute and kissy faces at them. They moved away from the heart to let other people pose in front of it and continued their wanderings among the lights as the crowds got thicker around them.
Just after 9:30 the fireworks started from behind the greco-roman style stage in the gardens, filling the sky with a colorful display and smoke. While Claire and Cheol watched in wonder from the crowd, Seunghoon enjoyed watching the expressions on their faces and the faces of the other two members who were watching beside them. His pictures caught the glow of joy on their faces as the lights of the fireworks illuminated them. The show was a mix of fireworks, holograms, and lights decorating the surface of the stage with holiday images.
When the fireworks were over, the crowds thinned out again and they decided to get one more round of warm drinks and some of the very cute holiday snacks. They got one of each of the treats shaped like rudolph, a Santa hat, and two different snowmen. Digging into their shared treats, they got to taste a little bit of everything passing them around and giving bites to others who had their hands full.
It was getting late by the time they finished and they decided it was finally time to head back to the hotel to warm up again and get some rest. The shuttle bus was waiting outside the gates and took them back to the stop near the hotel. By the time they got to the hotel, they were all surprisingly tired, having spent most of that day running around after getting up earlier than most of them were used to. The three members headed up to their room after giving Cheol and Claire goodnight hugs and giving Claire many thanks for arranging this for them. She assured them that she was more than happy to do it and told them she would see them in the morning for the Christmas surprise, wake up call included.
Cheol and Claire headed up to their room, hand in hand. When they re-entered the room, Cheol felt a little thrill run through him. He was finally getting to have her alone again.
“Merry Christmas,” He whispered against her lips, having taken her in his arms the minute the door closed behind them. “I don’t think we will be needing all these layers for the rest of the night.”
“Probably not,” She agreed, helping him to pull off their coats, gloves, scarves and sweaters to leave them in an inelegant pile near the door. He started guiding her to the bed as he worked on removing his t-shirt.
“Want to take a shower with me?” She asked, motioning towards the bathroom with her head.
“Yeah, sure,” He agreed, moving to pull her shirt off over her head. They left another pile of clothing at the foot of the bed before walking into the bathroom. Inside there was a large tub with small tealight candles and fake rose petals decorating its edge. Cheol turned on the water, adjusting the temperature while Claire let down her hair. Stepping into the tub together, Cheol used the handheld head of the shower to wet Claire’s hair body before doing the same for himself. Kindly, the hotel provided some shampoo and conditioner as well soap they used to clean one another, taking their time as they slid soapy hands over every inch of each other.
When they were clean, Claire put her hair back up in a messy bun and drew a full bath for both of them to enjoy. She didn’t mind living in a small apartment, but she missed the luxury of having a bathtub. Growing up her favorite thing was being able to settle in and take long baths while reading or watching her favorite movies, just soaking in the warm water. It was relaxing and had always helped her to think.
Cheol, as he was the taller of the two, s
tretched out on the bottom of the tub, leaning at a slight angle with the slope of it. Claire crawled in on top of him settling on his lap and leaning her head against him in the crook of his neck. Gently, he splashed water on her back and shoulders which were not under the warm water.
“Merry Christmas, 자기야[39],” She whispered as she kissed his neck just below his ear.
“Thank you for all of this,” He replied softly, running his hands along her back.
“Is this a good Christmas present?” She sighed, drawing circles on his chest under the water.
“This is the best Christmas present ever,” He confirmed, leaning his head into hers.
“Do you think everyone else is having a good time, too?” She asked, aware that she hadn’t gotten to know FX or Seunghoon very well over the last period of months she had been working with the members.
“Yeah, absolutely,” He nodded, holding her more tightly to him. “The only thing that would have made it better is if everyone could have come.”
“It would have been good to have everyone together,” She agreed. “But I’m glad most of them are getting to see family now, even if we miss them.”
“Why didn’t you go home for Christmas?” He asked, suddenly wondering why she hadn’t taken time off to go back and visit.
“Oh, this year my parents and my sister are going to visit my sister’s in-laws in Wyoming,” She replied. “It would have been difficult to work out how I was getting there and back and I wouldn’t have gotten much time with the family anyway, so I decided to spend it here. After all, who knows how many Christmases I’ll get to have in Korea anyway.”
“All of the rest of your Christmases,” He promised, smiling into her hair. “I hope we get to do this every Christmas from now on.”
“Maybe not the amusement park,” She interjected. “But maybe a trip somewhere with a nice bath would be good.”
“What, you don’t like amusement parks that much?” He sounded slightly surprised.
“I do, but there are a lot of places to see,” She explained. “Besides, who knows where we will be next year.”
“True,” He teased. “Maybe I’ll make you go home with me next year. Have a hot beach Christmas with my family.”
“Maybe,” She laughed, imagining just how much sunscreen she would need if she did that.
“There is one benefit to baths compared to the ocean,” He admitted. “No sand to get everywhere.”
“Mmmm yeah, true,” She made a face and gave an overly exaggerated shudder. “Sex on the beach is a much better drink than activity.”
“Really?” Bursting into laughter, he slid them both deeper in the water. “What about bathtub sex?”
“Mmm, it’s warmer and cleaner,” She leaned back giving a faux thoughtful nod. “But there is always the risk of someone ending up with water in their nose.”
“Ahhh,” He nodded back sagely. “I guess that means I’ll just have to be satisfied with warm cuddles for now.”
“Probably wise,” She agreed, giving his nose a quick kiss. “Besides, the warm water is just perfect for warming up in cold weather and for getting all those sore muscles from a day of running around niiiiiiice and loosened up.”
“Awwww did the trip get you all sore?” He asked sympathetically, bringing his hands down to her waist.
“A little,” She admitted, arching her back to stretch it.
“Where is my 애인[40] sore? Let me take care of it,” He sat up and turned her around so she was facing away from him but still seated in his lap.
“Here,” Her hands came up to her shoulders, giving them a slight rub herself.
“Mmmmm, can’t have my 애인[41] sore,” His hands went to her shoulders, where he began to rub small circles in the slightly stiff muscles of her neck and back. After a few minutes of attention on her shoulders, he moved his hands down along her back, asking here too? She nodded and his hands went to work on her again. She let out a happy sigh as he worked on the kinks along her spine.
“Where else,” he asked, pulling her back up against his chest.
“My feet, but you don’t have to worry about them,” She patted his leg. “Are you ready to get out, I think the water is starting to cool off.”
“Yeah,” He agreed. “Besides, there are some things we should do out of the water while we can.”
“Ah yes, things,” She repeated meaningfully as she waggled her eyebrows at him.
“Yes, many many things,” His eyes were hungry as she watched her get out of the tub. Letting the water out and grabbing one of the towels nearby to dry himself off, he followed Claire over to the bed.
“I’ve missed seeing you like this,” He groaned as he crawled up on the bed beside her.
“Like what? It’s not like I seem to be able to keep my clothes on around you even when I really should,” She laughed as she gave him an admonishing look.
“Free, like you aren’t looking over your shoulder to check if someone is watching,” He sighed, running a finger over her collar bone.
“Mmmm, well we can’t afford to let someone catch us,” She gave him a lukewarm smile. “It will be better in six or seven months when we only have to hide half as much.”
“I love getting to end my day beside you,” He sighed. “Seeing you as the last thing before I close my eyes.”
“Ready to close your eyes already?” She teased. “And here I thought I’d at least get some kisses from you with these romantic surroundings. We even watched the first snow together.”
“I can’t disappoint my 애인[42],” He declared before he crawled on top of her, smothering her with kisses all over her face and neck. “Can’t leave my girl feeling unloved, especially on Christmas Eve.”
They made love twice before going to sleep that night, entwined like vines.
At about three Claire woke up to the silent alarm she had set for herself and carefully got out of bed, dressing in the flannel pyjamas she had brought along before carefully getting into her suitcase of presents. She had packed handmade stockings for each of the members on the trip, having made one for everyone, but only taking the ones who needed it with her on the trip. Carefully grabbing the three for FX, Seunghoon, and Kitae, she snuck quietly out of the room to make her secret late night delivery.
She found their room and nearly silently opened the door. The room was dark which, she hoped, meant that they had all gone to sleep already. Tiptoeing as quietly as she cool she stole over to the desk that was across the room from the beds and laid out the three stockings on its surface, names up, so that they could be found by the right person. Job done, she snuck back out of the room and back to her own, hoping that Cheol would also still be asleep when she got back. She still had to get his out and put it somewhere for him to find in the morning. Somehow she bet that he would be the last one to find it, as she expected he would have other priorities when he first woke up other than getting out of bed.
When she got back to the room, everything was still silent. She pulled out the last of the stockings, placing it on the little ledge in front of the TV. Finally done, she undressed again and crawled back into the bed next to Cheol. He felt her move in his sleep and reached out with a sleepy groan to pull her back next to him. Claire covered them both back up with the covers and settled in, going back to sleep in his warm arms.
The alarm went off at nine, rousing them both from a happy sleep. Claire, in turn, called Kitae, who had the easiest time waking up, out of the other three, to act as a wake up call for the other room. In an hour they could all meet in the lobby downstairs to head out again with bathing suits and towels today.
“Merry Christmas,” Claire happily greeted Cheol as she swung a leg over his waist to straddle it.
“Best Christmas morning, ever,” He declared looking up at her. Lifting her hips, he positioned himself at the entrance to her body, ready and eager to sneak in one more time with her before they joined the others.
She sunk down on him with a sigh, holding her u
pper body over his with a hand resting on each of his shoulders. With his hands to encourage her, they found an ecstatic rhythm that brought them both to the brink almost too quickly but for the fact that they were expected downstairs soon and still hadn’t packed everything up. After they both came, she curled around him for a moment, listening to his heartbeat return to normal.
“Can’t we just stay like this today?” He asked breathlessly.
“No, we only have the room for another hour anyway,” She sighed, sliding off to the side.
“We can afford another night,” He protested. “Besides, I am sure whatever you have planned would be plenty fun to keep all the other guys entertained for another day.”
“You’ll love it too, I promise,” She assured him. “Now come on, lets pack everything up.”
“애인,”He whined, frowning cutely.
“Come on, 자기야[43],” She gave his hand a tug. “Besides, you haven’t even opened what Santa left you last night.”
“Huh?” He sat up and looked around the room, eyes finally finding the lumpy knitted stocking packed with goodies. Sliding out of bed, he pulled on a new pair of underwear and his pants and scurried over to the stocking with an excited grin.
“When did you even do this,” He laughed as he pulled out the small bag of chocolates that were at the top of the stocking.
“Me?” She made her eyes wide and tried to look overly innocent. “It couldn’t have been me, obviously it was Santa and you have been very good this year.”
With childlike delight he pulled all of the candy and small gifts out of the stocking, carefully putting it all into a corner of his suitcase before folding up the stocking sporting his name as well and tucking it away.
“Thank you, my little Christmas elf,” He gave her a firm hug from behind as she worked on putting things together in a bag for their trip today, separate from the rest of their belongings which they would leave with the front desk until they left in the evening.
The Tutor Page 21
