FIVE

"When you become mine," he smoothens her hair.

"Yours?" She tilted her head, a smile gracing her lips.

________________________

"Dance with me," Miran whispered in her ears. He wraps his hands around her waist. Kim looked up at him. She was in a sparkling gown. They drew the attention of everyone.

"I don't think I should," Kim looked around.

"Come on, it won't hurt you to dance." He says, softly.

"So, she is the girl." Kim heard someone murmur.

"Hey, pay attention to me," he says, grabbing her chin.

"Okay," she smiles, walking to the floor with him.

"I didn't know you could dance so well." she smiles following his movement.

"There are many things you don't know about me," He turned her over. She went down on him slowly and came slowly. He wrapped his hands around her. They danced to the rhythm of the song.

"That isn't as flattering as you think it sounds," she holds his neck and their heads meet. Kim's gaze went down his lips. They looked beautiful and shiny, he seemed to have put something on them.

"Really?" His eyes locked with hers.

"Yes, it got me curious but, also cautious. Because... there are many things I don't know about you."

It twirls her away and pulls her back to him. "I wanna kiss you," he says, staring at her lips.

"What?" She looks back at him as the music stops and the lights came back on.

"I guess that's enough," He pulls away from her. Kim stared at him, she had heard him fine. Why did he have to ask her?

"Oh, your dress is so pretty," A middle-aged woman said, as she neared her.

"Mom, not now," He holds Kim by her waist.

"Mom?" She took her eyes off him and turned in her direction.

"Let's go," Miran says. He turns her way. She didn't even get a glimpse of his mother's face.

"Wouldn't you... at least introduce..." What was she saying? She turned back but the woman had disappeared into the crowd.

"Not now," he says, looking at her.

"When?" She asks. He stops walking and faces her.

"When you become mine" he smoothens her hair.

"Yours?" She tilted her head, a smile gracing her lips.

"Yes, when you become mine."

Kim looked at him, What sort of man was he? "Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?" she smiled, she loved it anyways.

"You could say that. Follow me," He says, leading her to a garden.

"Wow," She had never seen a garden this beautiful except in movies. It had this little bridge which they stood on she hadn't noticed it.

"You like it?" He says.

"Don't you? It's beautiful," she says.

"I'm sick of it," He turns leaning on the bridge.

"What? How could you say that?" she pouts.

"I have seen it a million times, that I'm sick of the old view," he says, looking at her.

"How come? Do you come here often?" She leans on the wooden bridge.

"I grew up here," He says, "Well, wasn't all the time, but I often come here for vacations."

"What really?" She asks, gazing at him.

"Yeah," He says, staring at her, Kim turns to continue admiring the garden.

"So wait... this is your house?" She looked around the compound.

"My parents," He tells her, without taking his eyes off her.

"Whose birthday party was it?" She says, her eyes locked in his.

"My father's," he strolls forward, with his voice dangerously low.

"I see..." Her cheeks went red, "I didn't get to see him." Kim says quietly, she felt the tension build up in her. Kim bit her lips suddenly noticing his movement.

Kim hesitated then watched his face, a smile tracing his sensual mouth, his gaze went straight to her heart, she closed her hands in a fist, she felt a warm blush rising to her cheek.

She could feel he wanted to kiss her. He licked his lips, her gaze falls to the motion of his lips, he runs his hands along her jawline, back to her neck. He edged closer to her, sending a chill down her spine.

"Miran?" Lina calls. Kim jumped.

"Lina," He clears his throat. Kim rolled her eyes, looking at her.

"Sorry to interrupt," Lina says.

"Sorry?" She murmured. That was going to be her first kiss and she ruined it.

"What?" Lina moved closer

"It's nothing," She looked away, she gave her a sideways glance, Miran smiled at her.

"When did you get back?" Lina asks, staring at Miran.

"Why?" He asks, exasperated.

"I called your office. They said you were away, and you didn't answer my calls." Miran looked at Kim.

"I should probably give you some privacy," Kim puts a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, sure," She walks out of his presence.

She felt very uncomfortable. She stood at the front of the house, she sighed.

"What's the point of going back in?" He wouldn't even introduce her to anybody.

"Hey," he holds her hands, Kim jumped from his touch.

"I want to go home," she says to him.

"Right now?" He looked around, they hadn't even started, he could tell she was uncomfortable.

"Yeah, right now." Her smile lifted to a grin.

"Okay," he signals for Tony, who stood at the entrance.

Kimimela kept her gaze focused on the road. She said nothing and neither did he. She picks up her phone, staring at Ava's message.

"Hey girl how did it go?" It read.

"On my way home," She hits sends.

"Is something wrong?" Miran asks, his gaze never lefts hers.

"No, I'm just tired." She faces the window again.

"Okay," he says.

Kim got down from the car, without saying another word she shut the car door, walking into her apartment.

"Kimimela," Miran calls, going after her. She glanced at him. "Kim!"

"What?" She turned in his direction.

Miran grips her hand, pulling her to his body. His soft lips pressed against hers. Kim's eyes open in surprise. His hands cupped her cheeks before resting on the back of her neck.

The kiss was demanding like he was drawing something out of her. She brought her fingers up to his hair. Her lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against his own.

She could feel the soft tickle of his breath beneath her nose. Her fingers raked through his hair as they breathed each other in. She closed her eyes and pulled away, taking a deep breath. He pulled gently on her bottom lip. It didn't hurt, it only made her want him more. He captured her lips again and slips his tongue into her mouth, searching for her. He kissed her with a burning desire.

"Miran," She lets out. He stops and they both try to catch their breath. It was her first kiss and it was intense.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have gone that far," he apologizes.

"Oh, right, I mean..." she stutters trying to catch her breath.

"I would call you tomorrow, goodnight." He says, leaving her to mull over his last sentence. Shock kept her motionless, her brows furrowed.

"Yeah," Kim taps her head. Why did she stop him? Her heart wept. "It would have turned to something else," She sighs, slowly walking into her apartment.

________

Looking at herself in the full-length mirror, she sighs.

"What if he comes after work today?" She asks herself.

"What if who?" Ava interrupts.

"Huh?" She backed away obviously terrified.

"Why are you shocked? Did you forget I live here too?" she says.

"No, it's just..." She runs to get her phone.

"What a creepy human you become when you fall in love," Ava laughs.

"I'm not in love. Shut up," Kim snaps.

"Mom?" She answers the phone call.

"¡Mi hija!" (My daughter).

"Mamá, siento mucho no poder llamarte, he estado ocupado estos días" She says, Ava around watching her. (Mom, I'm so sorry I can't call you, I've been busy these days)

"It's okay dear, are you alright? hope you aren't working too much?"

"Mom, I'm okay." She breathes, taking her hair backward.

"Have you gotten your place yet?" She says.

"Soon mom, I'm a little busy," Kim replies.

"Cuídate, te amo" (take care I love you)

"Yo también te amo mamá."(I love you too mama)

"It's sexy when you speak Spanish," Ava says.

"What?" she laughed. "You're also Spanish." She eyes her.

"I know, has your hottie heard you speak? He wouldn't want to leave you after that." Ava says.

"You must be insane," Kimimela laughs out loud, blushing.

"You like him right?" Ava says watching her laugh.

"I don't." she stops.

"You do, you were laughing" she nudges her.

"I was laughing because what you said was funny," she says.

"I see, seemed more like you were... BLUSHING," she emphasized.

"Leave me," she says and stared at her phone. Miran's message comes in.

"Dinner?" His message read, Ava looked at her, a smile traced her lips.

"Another date? he won't leave you until you become his!" Ava says. Kim paused and looked at her.

"When you become mine" His words pop into her head.

"Don't tell me he already asked you!" she yells.

"He did," Kim quietly replies.

"Oh, my goodness, I like him, he's so forward."

"He said I should become his," she says.

"So romantic, what else?" Ava clapped, teasing her.

Kim remembered his lips, breath, and his hands wrapped around her waist. She touched her lips.

"We kissed last night," She lets out.

"You," Ava paused. She couldn't believe her ears. Kim was the type with rules and regulations when falling in love. She never kissed any guy she wasn't dating and that's why she never got her first kiss.

Kim widened her eyes waiting for a reply, "Say something," she gulped in patience.

"Wow girl, you kissed him for real!" She turned back at her.

"I don't know what came over me, I just... he just... um," she battled with words.

"What are you gonna tell him?" she interrupts.

"I don't know, I don't even know anything about him." she gets up.

"You know his name"

"Yeah..."

"And you don't want to be with him?"

"You know I want to... but that's not why I came to California. Besides I don't like attention, I was humiliated a bit yesterday." she frowns.

"What? How?"

Kimimela begins to narrate her story— about Lina, the girls, and him not introducing her to his mother.

"But maybe he has his reasons,"

"Yeah," she says, invested in her reply.

"Looks dangerous," Ava says. Kim looked at her and smiles

"Oh now he's dangerous?" she got up.

"Yeah, he is. So, take your time and know what you want"

"I like dangerous," She says, licking her lips while walking away.

"Te odio," She throws her pillow at Kim, laughing. (I hate you)

"Pues yo te amo" (Well, I love you) she walks inside.

"What time is your shift today?" she asks, walking into the kitchen.

"Night!" Kim yelled from the bathroom.

"Me too, let's go together!" she says.

"Uhhh!" Kim stared at her phone, his message. "I can't send a reply now." She left her message box.