[ Rain's POV ]
Fran brought me to our room first, then led me into the bathroom to wash my feet clean.
"The cut isn't that deep, Fran. It will heal on its own."
"Shh. It's better to be safe," he murmured. After rinsing my feet under the flowing faucet, he suddenly reached out and started to undo my clothes.
"Hey! Wait, what are you doing?"
"What? Were you planning to go to sleep without washing up?"
"I mean... aren't we going back down to the beach?"
"The sun already set, Rain. The others are probably coming back inside by now. Let's rest early; Fer's birthday party is tomorrow," Fran said, pulling my shirt up over my head. He then stripped out of his own shirt and pants, leaving him in just his boxers.
I swallowed hard, my eyes locked onto his physique. Fran had been driving my mind completely crazy lately. It was bad. My thoughts never used to be like this in the past; even if he stood completely naked right in front of me, I never felt the way I did right now. Looking at him, I just wanted to reach out and touch him. Argh.
I jumped when Fran suddenly turned on the shower.
"Waaah! It's freezing. Let me adjust it to be a little warmer," Fran said. He stepped under the spray, nonchalantly rubbing soap over his skin while I stood there, trapped in my own chaotic, shameless thoughts.
"Aren't you going to shower, Rain? Do you want me to scrub your back?"
"Huh? Ah, no! I can manage." I quickly stepped under the water, desperate to finish washing so I could escape the suffocating tension.
Once we were done, Fran guided me to sit on the edge of the bed. He pulled out the first aid kit, gently disinfecting the cut on my foot.
"There. All done. Now let me dry your hair," Fran said. He really was taking such good care of me now.
As I sat in front of him, listening to the hum of the dryer and feeling his fingers gently threading through my damp hair, I couldn't help but wonder. What are we actually doing right now? Is this still normal for friends? Fran still hadn't officially confirmed what we were to each other.
"Fran."
"Hmm?"
"You won't push me away anymore, right?" The words blurted out of my mouth before I could stop them, carried by the weight of my running thoughts.
The dryer clicked off. Fran went completely silent. Gently, he turned me around so I was forced to face him. He looked at me with a gaze heavy with serious guilt. Without a word, he pulled me forward, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly right there on the bed.
"Everything was my fault back then. I'm so sorry. I will never do it again," he whispered into my shoulder. "Just... please don't leave me."
"I won't, and I can't. You already know that," I said, gently pushing him back a fraction so I could look into his eyes. "But... what if you start dating someone in the future and get married? I won't have a choice but to leave then."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" His voice rose, a sharp edge of confusion in his tone. "Why would I date anyone else when I already have you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"You and me. We're together, right?" He looked genuinely baffled, and honestly, so was I.
"Well, you never actually asked me to be your boyfriend," I told him, a teasing pout forming on my lips.
"Ehh?? But we already did... that... so I just thought..."
"What are you saying? Do you think I'm that easy?" I stood up from the bed, deliberately acting sulky. "Who said I'd agree to be your boyfriend just like that?" How dare he just assume we were dating when I had spent days losing sleep over our status!
The moment I tried to step away from the bed, Fran's hand shot out. He gripped my wrist and firmly pulled me back down onto the mattress.
"Rain." His voice dropped, entirely serious now as he locked his arms around me again.
"I already told you that I love you. And I truly cannot imagine my life without you." He pulled back just enough to look directly into my eyes, his expression raw and earnest.
"Can you... will you be my boyfriend, Rain?"
A helpless smile broke across my face. Overwhelmed with pure happiness, I leaned in and pressed a quick, sweet kiss to his lips.
"Yes. Let's be boyfriends, Fran," I whispered, a few stray tears blurring my vision.
Fran slowly leaned back in. I closed my eyes, waiting. When his lips met mine this time, a wave of warmth rushed through me-a feeling completely different from anything I had ever experienced before. After a long, passionate kiss, Fran pulled back just enough to press a soft kiss to my forehead, then to the tip of my nose. I couldn't stop smiling between the affection. He pulled me into his chest, holding me tighter than ever.
After a quiet moment, I felt his hand casually slide underneath the hem of my shirt.
"Fraaaaannn..." I warned, quickly catching his wrist.
"Can't I?" he whined, his voice dropping into a cute, pouty tone. "You're my boyfriend now. I could barely hold myself back in the shower earlier."
I smacked his shoulder playfully at his shameless admission. He just grinned, using his momentum to gently push me backward until I was lying flat on the bed.
My breath caught as he reached for the tie of his bathrobe. As he let it slide off his shoulders, the blood rushed entirely to my face. He wasn't wearing a single thing underneath. A completely breathless, stunning view of him was right in front of me.
He crawled up the mattress, his hands sliding up to hold my ankles. He leaned down, pressing slow, lingering kisses to my feet before dragging his lips up the sensitive skin of my legs. Fran was driving me insane-how did he even know how to do things like this? When he reached the top, his hands hooked into the waistband of my underwear, pulling them down.
Panic flared in my chest. "F-Fran. Wait. I-"
"Shh. Just behave for me. Let me," he murmured softly.
Any lingering protest melted away the moment he leaned down. He touched me using his mouth, his actions slow, careful, and entirely worshipful. By the time he drew back, I was trembling, impatient but incredibly nervous.
He slid the robe off my arms, pulling me up into a sitting position to kiss me aggressively. The passion of it made my mind go completely blank. The entire universe shrunk down until all I could perceive was Fran.
But then, I felt him shifting, trying to guide himself to press inside me.
"F-Fran, wait!"
"I can't take it anymore, Rain. I promise I'll be gentle."
"This is my first time. I... I don't know how to-"
"Shh. I know. Trust me."
Looking into his eyes, I nodded.
I lost all track of time after that. My mind felt like it was floating high above the room, anchored only by the sound of Fran calling my name over and over again. Finally, completely breathless and spent, Fran pressed one last, tender kiss to my forehead, whispered a soft "I love you," and collapsed warmly against me.
The next morning, Sean and I woke up early to help each other prepare breakfast. While we were busy cutting ingredients in the kitchen, someone suddenly barged in right between us.
It was Fran.
"Fran, you're awake. Morning," I greeted him with a smile.
"You didn't wake me up so I could help you," Fran grumbled, looking slightly offended.
"What could you possibly do in a kitchen? Just go back to sleep for a bit," I laughed. Behind him, Sean let out a quiet snicker.
"What are you laughing at?" Fran snapped, turning a sharp glare toward Sean, who was still smiling mockingly.
"Nothing," Sean answered in a sing-song tone. "I'm done with this part, Rain. I'll go set up the dining table now."
"I think you could actually help with that, Fran," I suggested, nudging him.
"Fine," Fran muttered. I just smiled to myself as I watched the two of them walk out to arrange the table together.
By the time we finished cooking, the rest of the group had finally woken up and wandered into the dining area.
I took my seat at the table, smiling as Fran hand-delivered a fresh cup of milk to me. But the moment he set it down, he suddenly reached over, took my breakfast plate, and swapped it directly with Sean's plate.
Sean and I both froze, looking at him with identical, confused expressions, silently demanding an explanation.
"Use this one. I set this plate up myself," Fran stated bluntly.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Fran was being so unbelievably childish, but seeing him act this fiercely possessive over something as silly as a breakfast plate was just too cute.
But as I watched him sit down beside me, a sudden wave of reality hit me. In all the excitement of last night, I had completely forgotten to ask Fran something important:
Should we tell our friends about us?
And even bigger than that...
What about our parents? Will they accept this?