Page 45 of GR8VITY

His cheeks and bridge of his nose fill with color as he huffs a laugh, looking down. Not so big and bad one on one, huh? I’ll keep that in mind. I can’t explain my urge to tease him the way In Se just did me. Maybe just to see how far I can push him for that stunt on the street.

“In Se said you’re sharing me,” I tell him, letting it sink in before finishing my statement. His eyes whip up to mine in surprise. “I’ve got to take a picture with all of you. Smile.”

If Jae-un’s reaction isn’t enough, the seven other confused expressions on the other side of the glass are. I laugh so hard that I have to cover my mouth to keep the sound from echoing loudly in the small space. Jae-un’s smile grows as he starts to nod slowly.

Looking me up and down, dragging it out as long as possible, he finally locks eyes with me as he states, “Having you and In Se together is going to be fun.”

Well, that didn’t go completely according to plan, I’m thinking as he ducks down to crawl out of the space. Kind of backfired a tad bit, because now I’m even more flustered than I was before. I duck my head, hoping that whoever comes through next takes pity and doesn’t do my nerves in any further. At this point, I am in sexy, sweet man heaven, and I may or may not be getting ready to unravel at the seams.

Minsul’s head pokes up out of the tunnel, and he smiles at me. We take a second to get adjusted before he looks me over. “Why are you so flushed? Do you need to get out of here for a second?”

I almost answer him, until I see the sly smile creep across his lips, and I smack him lightly in the arm. “You’re no better than they are if you’re going to tease me about it.”

He laughs for the first time around me, and I find that I really like the sound. “I’ve lived with them for over ten years now. I know how they can be.” Dropping his head slightly to where we’re eye level, he adds, “And they aren’t even trying yet.”

Any chance I might’ve had at the color leaving my face is completely gone. I simply hope for the best, changing the subject. “We should do a funny fish face.”

“Let’s do it,” he says in a tone that lets me know it’s not escaping his attention what I’ve just done. Putting the fronts of his hands behind his ears, he purses his lips and puffs out his cheeks, making me laugh again, but I copy him as we turn for our picture.

He wastes no time trading places with Yeon, who is the slowest to crawl inside, speaking as he comes to his knees. “This is made for children? I think I would’ve been too scared to do this when I was smaller.”

Like Dav En, he also has to slightly hunch down so that his head doesn’t boop the top of the dome. “It’s not so bad if you don’t really think about it.”

“It’s definitely worth it once you get inside,” he says, looking around in wonder. He bites his bottom lip as he leans close to examine a sea urchin laying on the bottom of the tank.

“You ever step on one of those?” I ask him. “It hurts more than you can imagine.”

“You’ve stepped on one?” he replies, turning to me in surprise.

I nod. “One of my first times in the ocean. Their spines are so brittle that if they get stuck in your foot or wherever you touch them, you have to be super careful pulling them out or they’ll just keep breaking off in there.”

“Ouch,” he says with a wince. “They sure do look cool, though. I’m not so sure I like the legs on the crabs, too much.”

“That’s fair,” I agree. “They kind of remind me of spider legs.”

He gives a small shudder and proceeds to look everywhere but at the crabs. I bite my lips together, looking at him. I don’t know how it’s possible, other than the fact that idols are typically built on their looks, but these men are all gorgeous. Yeon is on the taller side with broader shoulders than any of the others with the face of an absolute angel.

He must feel my gaze, because his eyes cut over to me as he presses his lips together and gives me a lopsided smile. That feeling in my chest springs to life again.

“That was really nice what you did for Yoon Ji tonight,” he tells me softly without looking away.

I smile at the reminder of Yoon Ji’s face when he saw the penguins for the first time. “I’m happy that I could give him that.”

“Mmm,” he says softly before peering out toward the glass and motioning with his head. “Should we?”

Nodding, I lean towards him and let him choose how close he gets. His shoulder brushes against my back as he also leans in until our heads are almost touching. His presence lingers as long as his sweet ambery scent after he’s gone and Seong Su is taking his place.

He comes in, taking a look around with an appreciative nod and a quick smile for me. Throwing up a quick v with his fingers, he looks toward the others, so I do the same. Crouching back down to crawl back through, he stops and looks over his shoulder. “Thank you for giving us this time together tonight. Our team really needed it.”

I barely get out, “sure,” before he’s leaving.

Yoon Ji had to have been sitting there waiting for his turn, because he's inside almost immediately and doesn’t stop once for us to get accustomed to being in a tight space together. Nor does he show any interest in what’s in the tank surrounding us on all sides. He doesn’t even seem bothered by the fact that we have seven other sets of eyes on us right now.

As soon as his face is level with mine, he asks, “Can I kiss you?”

My lips part in not just surprise, but I’m already feeling desire from all the others. I’m not sure kissing him would be the best option right now.

Then my willpower crumbles like a piece of paper in the rain as he smiles at me and says, “I’m sorry. They said I shouldn’t say anything weird in here. Sometimes I have trouble telling what’s weird and what’s not. I miss a lot of social cues. I just know that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, and tonight when you said that you’d be my girlfriend too, I was happier than even seeing the penguins.”