Light floods into the room through the bedroom's window to shine on me and even though I'd like to sleep longer, I force my eyes to open when the sun's rays seep beneath my closed lids. A warm body lies next to mine, a curly headed mass whose face is pressed hard into a pillow.

The familiar sight is calming and exciting in alternate turns as the moments pass while I stare at her.

I can't stop the warm feelings that well inside me from seeing Imani; I've never had anyone who made me feel what I felt when I was with her. I get up from the bed, doing my best not to wake up my sleeping beauty, feeling slightly guilty that my wants had kept her up much later than was healthy. I smile again, unable to stop thinking about what we did all last night and then again early this morning, and I feel my body start to react to my thoughts.

But bathroom needs take precedence over sex and I hurriedly take care of my business. After taking a scorching shower, I smooth away the condensation that's accumulated on the mirror above the sink and inspect my face for changes. I've been a virgin for so long that I almost expected that there would be a noticeable difference in my face, like everyone would be able to see a noticeable change that confessed to the world what I had done to my wife.

But I still look the same with my slightly chubby cheeks, high cheekbones, small mouth and the inky black of my hair beginning to fall slightly into my eyes. My hair grows so fast and already the natural black of my hair has begun to spring up at the roots, making the dark brown stand out in comparison. The look isn't half bad, but I think I'll dye it black fully for our comeback and continue to let it grow. I always feel more comfortable with my hair covering my face.

And even more than my comfort, it seems Imani likes my hair long; she'd pulled on it often enough last night. She'd done a lot of things to me in the throes of her passion and I examined the slight pink lines that ran across my back, evidence of her nails scratching me while she'd screamed my name.

I smirked at my image in the mirror, feeling satisfied that I had pleased my lover so well that she had acted so out of her usual calm character. And like an addict, I wanted to do it to her again and again. There was a gnawing urgency I had felt for her, the moments I spent in her arms were like oxygen to a drowning man. The need to possess her was an ache that I couldn't fulfil, but one that I was determined to ease as often as possible.

Two hours had passed since I'd first woken Imani and as I slid back into bed, I reached for her again, loving the feeling of her rubbing her face against my chest. She valiantly fought against waking up, but my soft kisses to her cheeks and lips finally forced her eyes open.

"It's too early," she grumbled as she tried to burrow her way into my arms. "Haven't you had enough yet?" She asked in a raspy voice, the sound of it turning me on.

"Even if you're already in my embrace, I want you endlessly," I whisper to her, meaning every word. "Imani, I'll be leaving for Japan soon. I won't have any more free days after this week. Can you make some time for me?"

"I don't think I want you to go," she tells me as her small fingers trace the veins in my hands. The light touch tickles me but I don't want her to stop.

"I know but the comeback is happening with or without me. I can't back out now," I tell her regretfully. And privately I'm sincerely disappointed that I have to be gone for a whole month. After sharing something so beautiful, so earth shattering with Imani, I can barely even imagine not seeing her for so long.

"I know that too," she says with a deep sigh. "I think the school can survive without me for a day; how about I ditch and we spend the day together?"

I smile, feeling happy again at her simple words. Squeezing her close one last time, I get up from the bed and press the covers tightly around Imani.

"Definitely. You rest some more and I'll get Jae ready for school."

"Are you sure you can do it? It's not as easy as it sounds, he's not a morning person either."

"Like mother like son," I laugh. "Don't worry, I woke you up just fine. I think I can handle a six-year-old."

"With that attitude, you're sure to fail," she says while reaching for her covers. "Maybe I should just help you really quick-"

"Dwaesso. Keunyang cha." I tell her and close the door behind me as I leave.

I go past the living room and kitchen, making my way to JaeHyun's room. It's still dark inside Jae's room since his window faces away from the rising sun. The little boy lays prone underneath his covers, his face hidden from sight. Wondering vaguely how he breathes under the thick comforter, I pull back the covers and expose his face. Drool coats his lower lip and I can't help but laugh at how cute he is.

"Jae...JaeHyun-ah, ireona" I patted his shoulder gently, trying my best not to be too rough. Only a small grunt escaped his lips and he turned his body away from me, effectively closing me out. Still too close to laughing, I tried again, giving him a slight shake as I called his name. This time a louder grunt was produced and he shook off my hands.

"Definitely like his mother," I mused out loud and decided I'd have to up the ante. Getting to my feet, I bent down over Jae's bed and scooped the sleeping boy into my arms.

"Jung JaeHyun! Ireona!" I called out, jostling him until his eyes finally opened.

"Appa, it's too early," he mumbled while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Aniya, it's nine o'clock. Time to get ready for school. You don't want to be late, do you?" I asked as I set him on his feet. His only reply was a loud yawn and when he would've moved back to the bed, I steered him into the hall bathroom, turning on the shower for him.

"Hurry and wash up," I prodded while helping him strip out of his pajamas. "I'll go make breakfast."

"Appa wait, I need you to help me wash my hair!"

"You don't do it on your own?" I asked him.

"Nope. Eomma always does it for me." He replied somewhat proudly, as if it had been an accomplishment.

Kids these days are sure spoiled, I found myself thinking as I put on a visor Jae had insisted on wearing so no soap got into his eyes. I washed his hair thoroughly, managing to practically give myself another shower in the process.

Prompting him along, I let Jae pick out his own clothes while I made our breakfast, popping two servings of rice in the cooker and pan grilling up some fish for the both of us. By the time Jae had made his way into the living room in a mismatched outfit of long-sleeved dress shirt and shorts, the food was ready. Leading him back to his room to change, I wrestled Jae into jean shorts and a t-shirt before sitting him down for his meal. We scarfed down the food and I settled in the dishes in soapy water in the sink before we left the house.

Jae held my hand as we walked to his pre-school, his small hand in mine evoking feelings in me that I had no name for. But in its purest sense it was happiness and I wondered if I'd ever truly felt the emotion before. Living with Imani and JaeHyun had literally changed my life, changed who I was. To be away from them, even for a month, seemed like a tragedy. How could fame compare to this, to this collection of moments that brought me such a sense of peace?

I hugged Jae goodbye as I left him to his teacher, and I almost felt like skipping home. Despite my impending absence, I was determined to enjoy the time I had left and I thought of what Imani and I could do on our ditch day.

"What do you think?" I asked Imani as I led her out of the Mercedes and onto the grass that spread out from the central playground. The area was deserted since it was the middle of the morning, and not a single person could be seen. Just as I had planned, we were completely alone.

"It's just a guess since you blindfolded me, but I think you have another coffee hidden somewhere on your person! Why do you smell like lattes?"

Chastened, I tossed my almost empty cup back into the car and came around to Imani's side, slipping the sleeping mask off her eyes.

"Mian. But take a look around."

Imani blinked slowly in as the sunshine made to blind her, but she shaded her eyes as she scanned the area, her smile growing wider the more she looked.

"How did you find such a lovely park? It's very pretty here," she asked while taking my hand in hers. I squeezed her hand gently, loving it when she was affectionate.

"I found this place a while ago, a few days after I'd moved into your place. There's a café not too far away from here too."

"No wonder," she said with a laugh. "I guess that's why you made a stop earlier, huh?"

"For the coffee," I laughed with her, "and for this." I pulled out the basket of food and blankets that I'd prepared, giving Imani my best smile. "Let's have a picnic!"

We spread out the blanket together, holding down the edges with some large rocks that I found scattered in the grass. The wind blew lightly as we ate our simple meal of sandwiches and lemonade from the café's bakery. We talked of inconsequential things and about Jae, about how strange it felt to the both of us to be full time parents.

Our mood was relaxed and still exhausted after our late night and I found myself resting my head in Imani's lap as she read a book to me, the soft lilt of her voice making me fall in and out of a lazy stupor. I don't know how long we sat there together, our only company each other and the sounds that of the industrious birds that chirped happily overhead.

When I fully woke up, Imani insisted we try out the swings and our competitive spirits took over as we battled it out over who could get the highest fastest. While Imani pumped her legs like there was no tomorrow, I took leisurely swings but still managed to get higher up before she did. Laughing like I hadn't done in years, I watched Imani jump from the swing, her hair flying wildly behind her as she landed gracefully on her feet.

"I haven't tried that since I was a kid!" She panted out, her face alight with excitement as she sat back in her swing next to me. "I forgot how good it felt to play a little."

Seeing Imani here next to me, enjoying something that I liked to do, having someone to understand me...it was an overwhelming feeling. I understood distinctly then that I was no longer just a person; I was a part of a couple, a pair. I reached for Imani's hand and we swayed together, pushing the swing seats close enough that the metal chains clinked when we bumped into each other.

"Do you believe in love at first sight Imani?" I asked her quietly, needing to confirm her feelings without actually saying the words.

"Whenever people talked about it before, I thought that it might not be possible. I'd never felt that way about anyone."

"And now?" I pushed.

"I guess I noticed something about you right away that I liked," she teased me with a sly smile. "And what about you?" She fired back.

"Oh, it definitely exists, that's why you're sitting next to me now. If I had known that I would care about you so much, I would have believed in it more," I told her quietly, raising up from my swing to bring her into my arms. But my answer was a lie, I could feel my ears burning as I said it. If anything, I had been in love with Imani since the first time I'd seen her at the coffee shop and now I was more in love with her than I had ever thought possible. Everything about her drew me to in and I'd fallen for her before I'd realized it. But she wasn't ready to hear that and I wasn't ready to say it. For now, I would let her know that I would be here for her and Jae no matter what they needed.

The feel of Imani in my arms and the warmth of her was something that I could quickly become addicted to. Without even realizing it my eyes had closed and I had moved in to bring my lips to Imani's, crushing her to me as I let my kiss tell her what I couldn't say. My impending month away in Japan would be a lot harder than I'd originally thought.

"Jae's preschool gets out soon. We should go pick him up." I gave Imani one last squeeze before I reluctantly let her go. We packed up our impromptu picnic and left the park, having created a memory that I would cherish while I was away. Lost in my own thoughts, I almost didn't notice Imani's sigh of irritation.

"What is it?"

"I keep getting these wrong number calls. They pick up and when I say 'hello' they hang up. I guess they aren't expecting someone who speaks English."

"How many times have you gotten these calls?" I say while trying not to let concern fill my voice. But like always Imani can read me easily.

"Don't worry, it's probably just telemarketers. They always seem to get my numbers. I'll just change it again."

"Let me know if it keeps happening, we can get you a private number," I tell her still feeling worried. Maybe Imani could brush it off as nothing, but things like this could escalate. I didn't think anyone knew about Imani and my relationship, but it wasn't completely out of the question. Filled with more than just thoughts of my going away, unease trickled through me as I wondered what else might happen when I wouldn't be here to protect my family.