"Yunho…" she murmured, voice barely above a whisper, but the tremor in it felt too loud in her ears. She couldn't hide the way her body responded to the proximity. "I,"
Her words faltered as he shifted again, his chest brushing hers once more. This time, it wasn't just an accident. His body was pressed against hers fully now and for a split second, she felt the length of him, his firm chest, the solid line of his body against hers.
She froze, unsure whether to pull away or lean in.
Yunho stilled too. His face softened, his eyes tracing her features with something new, something raw and possibly vulnerable. It was a slow, deliberate shift. And then his voice, low and tentative, broke the silence.
"I didn't mean to make this weird," he said softly, his hands barely moving on her back. "I just… I can't stop thinking about how close we are."
Bella blinked, trying to steady her breath, but her heart was pounding in her chest. "Yeah. I feel it too," she admitted, her voice quieter now.
Yunho's hand gently cupped her jaw, tilting her face slightly toward him, his thumb brushing just beneath her cheekbone. The contact was soft, barely a touch, but it lit a spark that moved through her like a current.
Bella's breath hitched.
Her hands hovered at his sides in the water, unsure of where to go, unsure if she could trust her own restraint. But Yunho didn't rush her. He only watched her, gaze steady, waiting. That made it worse somehow, the quiet intensity of it. The way he looked at her like he already knew what she was feeling, because he was feeling it too.
"I've been thinking about this," he said quietly, voice rough at the edges. "Since that day you pulled me in. You were so close… holding me like it was nothing. But for me,"
His hand slid back slightly, brushing wet strands of hair behind her ear as the other stayed at her lower back, holding her in the water, not possessively, not forcefully.
They drifted slightly, a soft current nudging them closer to the pool wall. Bella's back touched cool tile, anchoring her again, but Yunho stayed close. The weight of him, the heat of him, it was impossible not to feel all of it now.
"You don't have to say anything," he added, more gently this time. "I just… wanted to be honest."
Her hands finally found his shoulders, fingertips pressing lightly into muscle still warm from his swim. She looked at him for a long moment, eyes searching, trying to find the right words, but there weren't any.
There was only this: the closeness. The ache. The fact that she didn't want to let go.
And then, so quietly it was almost a breath, she said bashfully, "too honest. I can feel your honesty."
His eyes widened just slightly. "You…"
And then Yunho leaned in again, slower this time. Deliberate.
His lips found hers and the kiss was gentler than before, not less hungry, just more certain. He kissed her like he meant it, like there was no need to rush and no desire to retreat. Bella's hands slid from his shoulders to the nape of his neck, anchoring herself to the moment, to him.
They hovered there, suspended in the quiet hum of the water, breaths uneven, hearts racing just beneath the surface.
Then Yunho shifted, lowering his legs with careful ease. Bella blinked in surprise as she felt the change, realising his feet had found the bottom of the pool.
Of course. The water wasn't that deep, not for him.
He straightened to his full height, water cascading down his shoulders, chest rising into view. Solid. Unshaken. And suddenly, so much closer.
Still caught in the afterglow of their kiss and everything that had been building between them, Bella drifted gently toward him, the water nudging her off balance. Her hands reached for his shoulders instinctively, fingers curling into the firm muscle for steadiness.
"I've got you," he murmured, his voice soft, low enough to echo in her bones.
But even as the words left him, her legs hitched against his hips. Reflex. A shift of balance.
Her heart jumped to her throat. She'd meant it as instinct, pure balance. But the second her thighs pressed around him and her arms looped loosely over his shoulders, the air between them grew thick and still.
Neither of them moved.
He stood perfectly still in the water, holding her as if she weighed nothing. One hand steadied her at the small of her back; the other hovered near her hip, caught between letting go and holding on.
Bella could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, her breath shallow. Her whole body was wrapped around his now and the intimacy of it, the way their chests rose and fell against each other, how their faces were just inches apart, left no room for pretense.
Yunho's eyes searched hers, dark and unreadable. "Bella… You are making this hard for me. In more ways than one." he said, voice low, a thread of something deeper laced through it.
Wide-eyed, she didn't speak. She couldn't.
She pulled him in for a fervent kiss. Her fingers curled slightly into his shoulders, not pulling him closer, but not letting go either. She felt the slow, deliberate way he adjusted his stance, how his arms, strong and sure, supported her without hesitation. The tension swelled again, like the whole pool had narrowed around them.
But then, carefully, wordlessly, he turned without breaking the kiss, still carrying her and began to wade toward the shallow end.
Each step was smooth, quiet, his arms anchoring her with that steady calm he always carried. Bella stayed where she was, still wrapped around him, feeling everything, the strength in his frame, the certainty in his movements, the unspoken emotion between them.
When he reached the edge, he paused. Water dripped slowly from his hair and chin as he looked down at her, still holding her like she belonged there.
"I wasn't expecting you to hold on like that," he said softly, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Bella met his gaze, breath still uneven. "I didn't think. It just… happened."
His eyes stayed on hers, steady. "I'm not complaining."
Bella could feel the heat of her skin even in the cool water, her fingers still resting just above his collarbone, her legs still gently locked around his waist. It should've been awkward. It wasn't.
Yunho hadn't moved since they reached the edge. His arms still held her steady, like it was the most natural thing in the world. His chest rose and fell beneath her, the rhythm matching her own. Everything else, the echoes of water droplets, the soft thrum of the lights overhead, faded into a kind of hush.
He closed his eyes, just slightly, like he was suffering internally, fighting against himself about something.
Bella could feel the heat of her skin even in the cool water, her fingers still resting just above his collarbone, her legs still gently locked around his waist. It should've been awkward. It wasn't.
Yunho hadn't moved since they reached the edge. His arms still held her steady, like it was the most natural thing in the world. His chest rose and fell beneath her, the rhythm matching her own. Everything else, the echoes of water droplets, the soft thrum of the lights overhead, faded into a kind of hush.
He tilted his head, just slightly, like he was studying her. "You always surprise me, you know that?"
She blinked, lips parting. "For better or worse?"
Yunho smiled softly. "Always for better."
It was a simple answer. But it landed hard.
Bella let out a quiet breath, resting her forehead briefly against his shoulder. She could feel his warmth even through the water, the steady beat of his pulse just beneath her hand.
"You've got this habit," she murmured. "Of saying the exact thing I'm not ready to hear… and meaning it."
Yunho's expression didn't change, but something behind his eyes softened, like he understood every word she wasn't saying.
"I'm not going to drop you," he said quietly.
She didn't answer, but she didn't need to.