Walking into the restaurant on crutches had been embarrassing, but shuffling back into the car on a full stomach with crutches had been even worse. Luckily, Jin had used valet parking, and as such, I really only had to hobble a short distance from the door.

Though I hadn't missed the way a few of the other patrons had snickered lightly as I'd passed.

Once seated, however, I forgot all about it. Jin's car is honestly so comfortable that I nearly melt into the seat.

And that brings us to the present, driving down the highway with the soft sound of jazz in the background. Jin had offered to change the music, but there'd been no need.

"I hope you had a good time tonight, " he tells me, eyes focused on the road as he speaks.

"I really did, " I reply honestly. "Although, next time, maybe we should go somewhere a little cheaper."

"Next time?" He teases, tearing his eyes from the road just long enough to glance at me.

His eyes are sparkling, and I nearly swoon right then and there because of the grin plastered to his face.

"I mean, unless a next time is out of the question, " I mumble, completely embarrassed.

I'd just assumed there would be a next time because of how well we seem to get along.

"To be honest, " he starts, and I brace myself for the worst. "Not having a next time is out of the question. I can't tell you how long it's been since I connected with anyone like this."

I smile, relief flooding my system.

"I feel the same way, " I reply happily.

The trip slips into relative silence, the only sound in the car that of the music drifting softly from his stereo speakers.

I watch, languidly, as the highway's street lamps pass us by. The city twinkles merrily all around us, and I find myself in a rather introspective mood. Despite my earlier statement, which I truly meant, I really do feel the same way, I have to wonder where all of this is going.

It isn't as if I'm the worlds greatest catch, and as a single mother I feel the need to be wary creeping in despite myself. For Yuri's sake, I can't afford to treat dating as a trifling matter. If it isn't going to end in marriage, and if he can't accept Yuri as his own, then this is heading a whole lot of nowhere fast.

I can't help but feel that I am setting myself up for heartbreak.

Oh, I know it's unfair. Seokjin doesn't have any children of his own, and certainly isn't required to take another man's burden in that way. For him, dating shouldn't have to be serious.

But it's different for me, for Yuri's sake.

I turn my head away from the window in favor of silently studying Jin.

"He's so handsome, " I muse, silently appreciating his dark profile.

The very epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, I still cannot imagine why he is so drawn to me, of all people. It's as if he was created from marble, a masterpiece that would cause even the angels themselves to weep at his beauty. His dark hair, parted to the side in an impeccable display of self-grooming, frames his soft face perfectly.

I blush, remembering the way those plump, satin lips had felt against mine. Even though every kiss we have shared so far has been entirely chaste in it's nature, it still brings a fire to life within by belly. The kind of fire I'd thought long gone to me for some time now.

By the time we pull into Jo's driveway, I'm ready to go to sleep. The day has been long, and I find myself suddenly massively exhausted.

I don't even get an opportunity to open the door on my own.

Jin quickly vacates his seat, and like the gentleman that he is, he opens my door and offers me his hand. I blush, too mortified to look him in the eyes as I take it, and as he pulls me into a standing position, I lean upon him for support. I can feel the muscles in his arms as they shift, and I look up.

Something passes between us, and one look at Jin is enough to know that he feels it too. The air is suddenly thick, thick enough to choke upon as he fixes me with a passionate glance.

"You know, " he murmurs, "we could just skip the third date, I'd like to make you mine officially."

I gulp, intimidated by the seductive promise in his eyes.

I want to, I really do. But something within me balks at the idea. Maybe it has to do with the train of thought that I'd been humoring earlier, about how dating is different for me. Or maybe it's because I am afraid. Perhaps it's both.

"I..." I can't seem to find the words, suddenly more unsure of myself than I've ever been before.

"What if I told you I won't take no for an answer?"

A rhetorical question, surely, because he doesn't even give me a chance to answer.

Hoisting me up, he plies my lips apart with his own. He tastes like wine, sweet, and bitter at the same time. Despite myself, I groan into the kiss, hands desperately scrabbling for purchase within his ebony locks.

If every other kiss we've shared has ignited a fire, this one incites an inferno.

It feels as if time has ceased to exist, and I am lost in the feel of him.

And then, just as I begin to feel that tell-tale burning in my lungs that signifies my need for air, he pulls away. I unlatch my hands from his hair as he grins, and smile sheepishly in return.

"I'll take that as a yes?" He chuckles, though he makes no attempt to put me down.

Not trusting my words, confident only in the fact that they will fail me, I nod my head.

Jin's resulting smile is truly breath-taking to behold.