The Tutor

by Kelsi Clayton

  “No locks on the doors,” He shrugged, stretching her out on the mattress before laying down beside her, propped up on his elbow. “내가 얼마나 사랑하는지 모를 거야.[21]”

  “Hmmm?” Her eyes turned to look into his.

  “You didn’t understand that one?” His cheeks pinkened and he gave a little embarrassed laugh. “Mmm, what about 나는 니꺼야[22].”

  “내꺼야[23],” She whispered back.

  “영원히[24],” Placing a hand on the side of her face and neck, he leaned in to give her a kiss. It was a sweet kiss and full of a longing he was afraid to put into words. I love you, was stuck on the tip of his tongue but what if it was too soon? Would she freeze or turn away if he said it? She smiled against his lips and whispered his name as they paused for breath.

  “티셔츠 벗어 봐[25],” Her whispered request was accompanied by wanting fingers pulling at the fabric of his shirt. “나 니 몸 보고 싶어[26].”

  Cheol happily pulled his shirt off over his head, tossing it on the floor before cuddling back up against her. She bit her lip as her eyes found the remains of the bite mark she had left on him the day before.

  “미안해요[27],” She murmured as she ran the tips of her fingers across it.

  “Don’t apologize,” His face glowed as he looked down at her. “I love that I can drive you wild.”

  “If I ask nicely, will you help me with all the rest of these clothes we don’t really need?” She teased, running a hand down his now bare arm.

  “I’d be happy to help you there,” He said with a laugh. He began to undress her, enjoying the removal of each piece like he was unwrapping a present. Before he got everything off her, she gave the belt loops of his jeans a meaningful tug.

  “벗어 봐[28],” She whined playfully. He broke out into another laugh with her as he shimmied out of his jeans which joined the growing pile of clothes on the floor.

  “너 참 섹시해[29],” He breathed, covering her body with his own.

  “It’s sort of cute that Korean had to borrow the word sexy when there are guys like you here, being the epitome of the word,” She joked as she brushed his hair back from his brow.

  “Ooo, I like being the epitome of sexy,” He grinned.

  “Mmmm, 초콜렛 배를[30],” She playfully bit at him as she ran her fingers down his stomach.

  “How did you learn that one?” He questioned, blushing with pleasure at the compliment.

  “From your fans actually,” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You have a lot of pictures tagged with that on fansites.”

  “I have a lot of them, huh,” His voice shook with laughter. “Well even if everyone can see them, only you get to touch them.”

  “내꺼야[31]?” She feigned a surprised excitement. Nodding with equal excitement, they both collapsed into amused laughter. A feeling of sweet warmth mingled with their desire in the tiny room. He still wanted her, wanted to feel and taste every centimeter of her, but more than that he wanted that joyful warmth and playfulness to always linger.

  “Cheol, 내 눈 쳐다봐[32],” Her laughter faded as she made the request.

  “Hmm?” His eyes came up to meet hers, his face turning more serious.

  “사랑해요[33],” She told him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “나도 사랑해요[34],” He replied, heart overflowing at the words. Leaning in for another kiss, his hands began to move to take off the last of her clothes.

  “Wait,” She stilled his hand mid movement. “Maybe we should leave them on, I didn’t bring protection with me as I was thinking we might have one day where we didn’t...you know.”

  “I ran to the convenience store this morning after you said you’d come over,” He admitted with a darkening of his already pink ears. “What can I say, I’m an optimist.”

  She shrugged and nodded at the description, not feeling like she had much room to complain. It would have been smart of her to have brought them with her, realistically, but she had talked herself out of it, feeling like it was encouraging herself to do things she shouldn’t. Honestly, when she wasn’t with him she could see all the hundred and one reasons she should walk away, at least for now. But one glance into his eyes or a flash from his too cute to bear dimple and none of it seemed important anymore. There was nothing about him that didn’t make her feel like she was drowning in something as close to heaven as one could get. He was perfect for her. His job and his position, however, were a different story. Never in her life did she ever think she would be wishing for someone who was a barista or a bookseller. Not that career path had ever been something she cared much about in her partners. Who they were had always been more important. But it mattered this time because his career, at least for now, had a sort of control over his life unlike almost any other.

  Cheol noticed the thoughts flying around behind her eyes and felt a little pang of sadness. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected she was thinking about something that he wished she wouldn’t even without knowing what it was. Deep down he knew asking her to be with him, especially now, was actually quite selfish of him, which only added to his insecurities about her walking away. He shouldn’t be asking her to sneak around, but when he didn’t have her there, it was like his soul felt tight. Looking down at her now, he wished he was strong enough to ask her to just wait for him, but not being with her felt like having to go on without a limb which hurt even in its absence.

  “애인[35], can I make love to you today?” He asked, almost shyly.

  “Of course,” She gave him a sort of a strange look. “Have we been doing something else I am not aware of?”

  “I don’t know,” He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “We’ve had sex and I think what we did yesterday was more like fucking than anything else. I guess I just want to…”

  “Ah…” She jumped in, seeing that he was struggling to find the right way to say what he was looking to say. “I think I know what you mean.”

  “Good,” He laughed breathlessly. “Because I’m not sure I don’t sound like an idiot right now.”

  “You sound like my 자기야[36],” Her voice was soft as her eyes sparkled happily. “And I love my 자기야.”

  “Just one second,” Sliding out of the bed, he dug into one of the desk drawers and pulled out the small box of condoms he, thankfully, had dared to run out and buy. He had almost talked himself out of buying them this morning, but he had decided, well, just in case. He brought the whole box back to the bed, strategically placing it high up between the pillow and the wall. With careful hands, he removed the last of their clothing and scootched the blanket out from underneath them.

  As he moved to lie down again, she parted her thighs and opened her arms, welcoming him. His heart fluttered at the gesture. Even before he climbed into her embrace, he felt the pang of satisfaction that came from being truly wanted. He covered them both with the light blanket as she wrapped her limbs around him like warm vines.

  She moved slowly, enjoying the warmth and weight of his body on hers. He had been right that most of the time they had spent together had been a blur of mindless passion. Not that she would complain about that, but something different, something slow and sweet sounded perfect.

  Holding himself up on his elbows, he brought his hands up to hold her face as he looked into her warm eyes. Usually holding eye contact that close and for that long had a tendency to feel awkward or uneasy, but lying like this, it felt like he could have stared into her eyes forever. More than at any other time, he was struck by how beautiful she really was. He had seen her as pretty, cute, sexy, attractive, fascinating, and many other things but he couldn’t think of another word that fit her right now more than beautiful.

  Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and then to each temple and each eyelid. Taking his time, he worshiped every curve and plane of her face, almost as if he were memorizing it. His gentle hands explored her shoulders and torso as he moved down her body, finding every dimple and
freckle. She relished the sweet attention, loving the adoring look on his face as he reverently mapped out every hill and valley of her body.

  “I never noticed this mole on your hip,” He pointed to it with a smile before pressing his lips to it, almost as if to taste it. “Now I won’t be able to see you without thinking of it.”

  “And what will you think about when that mole comes to mind?” She asked, in a playful tone.

  “I’ll think of today,” He replied, making his way back up her body. “I’ll think of how you look and how you smell like the warm green scent of summer. And I’ll remember what it was like to make love to you on the best Sunday afternoon I’ve ever had.”

  He reached for the box and fiddled around until he extracted a single condom which he carefully slipped on himself. Carefully positioning himself at the entrance to her body, he slid his fingers into her, testing if she felt ready. He was greeted with slick moisture and a please sigh that parted Claire’s lips. Her head rolled back as she arched her neck as he replaced his fingers with his erection and wrapped himself around her, getting as much of her warm skin against his as he could.

  His hips curled and ground into hers as he found a slow and aching pace. With his arms holding her against him, he found his face almost level with hers on the pillow, and turned to watch the expressions play across her face. She made soft gasping noises with every movement, each petering out to a barely audible breathy moan.

  He had the fleeting thought of the irony that now that they might not have needed to worry about giving themselves away, they were both nearly silent on the quiet afternoon. In fact, it was the light creak of the bed frame which seemed loudest in the room, mingling with hot panting sounds as they made love as though they might become a single body.

  “사랑해요,” His lips pressed against her cheek just above her ear.

  “I love you,” She whispered back, as her hands traced the line of his spine.

  Beneath him, she began to move restlessly, coming nearer to orgasm and craving something more to bring her there. Cheol shifted to a position which allowed him to thrust harder and better angle his hips and sped up his pace, feeling himself coming closer as well. He kissed her lips briefly, pulling back to bury his face in her neck as he gulped for air between tensing as the pleasure rose and fell like an incoming tide, stealing his breath as it did.

  “Are you close?” He asked, trying to hold back enough for her to come first. She only managed to nod, a tear escaping the corner of her eye as she squeezed them shut with a wave of ecstasy that rolled through her. He thrust harder, grinding his pelvis against her as he went as deeply into her as he could. His eyes were glued to her face as she arched and squirmed as her orgasm peaked and her body contracted around him. She didn’t cry out, instead she took in a shuddering breath and held it in as if she had suddenly found herself submerged under water. When she finally let the breath out, the tension in her body slid out, leaving her slack and exhausted beneath him.

  He thrust, his hands twining in the hair at the back of her head as he pulled her face into his shoulder as he moved more harshly. Her hands were gentle and encouraging as she held him close. His pace faltering, he fell over the cliff of his own orgasm with light dancing like sun on the surface of a lake behind his eyes. For a moment everything tensed in his body and he knew that he could have happily lived in that moment for the rest of his life before it faded into a warm, sated exhaustion.

  He managed to pull out, disposing of the condom in the nearby trash, before collapsing half on top of Claire, pulling the blanket up to cover them from the ribs down. He stretched his arm across her chest to hold her upper arm as he nestled his face in the pillow beside hers.

  “I’m not too heavy, am I?” He checked with her quietly as he felt the soft tips of her fingers making small circles on his arm and shoulder blade.

  “No, this is perfect,” She assured him.

  “Okay,” He nodded, his eyes closing. “We can stay like this for just a few minutes.”

  “No rush,” Her sigh was soft and tired. Sleep quickly claimed them both as the afternoon sunlight trickled through the sheer white curtains on the window.

  ***

  “Has anyone heard from or seen Cheol and Claire since like…three?” Seunghoon asked, glancing at his watch which read quarter to eight on its glowing digital face.

  “Last I saw they were coming out of the study room,” Changho answered. “They were headed to the bedroom and I assumed they were going to...you know...but they can’t possibly have been doing it for five hours, right?”

  “Even if they are,” Minjun added. “They need to take a break to eat or something.”

  “Maybe they are just studying and lost track of time,” Hyunwoo shrugged, not looking up from his book.

  “Sure,” Kitae giggled from the seat beside him, poking him with his elbow with a smile.

  “Well somebody has to knock or something,” Jaejin insisted, nosily peering into the hallway without getting up.

  Not it, they all interjected in quick succession except Hyunwoo, who hadn’t been paying enough attention to see it coming. He looked up at the sudden rush of voices but it took him a second to catch up to what it meant. With a groan, he tossed his book on the coffee table and padded towards the hallway. Drawing close to the door, he listened for a moment trying to discern any voices or sounds that would give him a clue as to whether they were doing something or in there at all.

  “I don’t hear anything,” He reported quietly to the room full of attentive eyes all pointed in that direction.

  “Well knock,” Prompted Minjun, motioning impatiently at him. Hyunwoo sighed and gave a very faint knock on the door and paused.

  “Nothing. Maybe they aren’t there.” He suggested.

  “Knock again, harder this time,” Jaejin told him. Hyunwoo sighed and knocked again, this time loud enough that they could hear it in the living room. Again he paused, listening to see if there was any response from the other side of the door. Still nothing. He looked back at the others in the living room and gave a shrug.

  “Okay, open the door and see if they are in there or not,” Kitae suggested next. Hyunwoo gave a frustrated sigh, not wanting to be the person that had to do it. The rest of them motioned for him to get on with it. With a frustrated sigh, Hyunwoo quietly turned the handle and opened the door to peer into the room. It was dim inside with no lights turned on in the room. He stepped inside, leaving the door open behind him providing the only illumination of the room, as his eyes adjusted he saw the pile of clothes on the floor, lit up by the shaft of light coming in the doorway. His eyes flicked over to the bed, only faintly illuminated, but he could now clearly see two entwined bodies only half covered by the scrunched blanket draped over them. Color rose up his neck and colored his cheeks as he realized how much he saw of Claire lying there.

  Holding his breath, he spun on his heel and left the room as silently as he could, not wanting to get caught peeping on the intimate moment. He walked back to the living room, his face hot with a deep blush as he avoided meeting the eyes of everyone else in the room almost as if they would be able to see what he had reflected in his eyes.

  “They are just asleep,” He cleared his throat, trying not to look as awkward as he felt and failing. “I think we just need to make a lot of noise so that one of them gets up without any of us having to do it.”

  “What, you can’t just give them a shake and tell them to come for dinner?” Jaejin protested.

  “No,” Hyunwoo said meaningfully, giving him a hard stare. Kitae giggled into his hand and Changho bit his lip to keep from laughing as Minjun gave the closed door an intensely questioning look.

  “Well he didn’t sleep well last night,” Changho cleared his throat to stop the laugh that was developing in his chest. Collectively they decided that the best course of action was to try and have a very loud conversation in the hall and occasionally ‘bump’ into the door until they came out of the room.

&nb
sp; The plan worked as Claire woke up to the raised voices followed by the first loud thump that sounded against the door. She was surprised to find herself in a thoroughly dark room as it had been pleasant and sunny last she recalled. They must have fallen asleep, but what time was it, she wondered. She gave Cheol a kiss and a light shake until he also stirred groggily.

  “What time is it?” He asked, blinking in the dark, his arm still wrapped around her waist.

  “I’m not sure,” She replied, dangling her arm off the bed hoping to find her bag there that might have her phone in it.

  “Hang on,” Cheol got up and turned on the little light on the corner of the desk. He found his phone where he had left it on the desktop and clicked one of the side buttons to wake up the screen and display the time. 8:03 the white numbers glowed against the dark background of his lockscreen. He was surprised they had slept for so long that afternoon.

  “Are you hungry?” He asked, starting to sort through the pile of their collective clothes.

  “Yeah, now that I am awake,” Claire chuckled, taking her underwear from him and putting it on as he piled more of her clothes at her feet.

  “I think they are arguing about what to have for dinner tonight out there,” Cheol said, trying to make out what was being said in the loud conversation in the hall.

  “I guess they haven’t eaten either,” She chuckled at the lively conversation that was happening outside their door.

  They both dressed, still slightly groggy after the hours of deep sleep. Claire’s hands touched her head, feeling out how mussed and wild her hair had become in her sleep.

  “Can I borrow a brush?” She asked, feeling loops of hair and entire locks that had worked themselves out of her tight braid as she slept.

  “Yeah, mine is in the bathroom,” He nodded, mussing his own sleep styled hair. “I’ll bring it.”

  “Just bring it to the living room for me,” She yawned as she gave her eyes a rub. “It won’t take me long to do, I just need to put it back up.”