Chapter LXIX – Heated

“I can’t believe I actually fell asleep. . .” Irene giggled as the two finally made it back to shore.

“I don’t think that counts,” Arthur laughed as she only dozed off for a few minutes.

“Still!” she looked at him flustered while smiling brightly before averting her gaze to the ground, lowering her voice. “You make a good pillow. I should make use of your more. . .”

Arthur smirked before placing his hand on her head once more, pulling her in closer as they walk side by side.

Most of the group was already in the water apart from Yeona and Iseul. They were hanging out under the parasol. Looking around, Arthur noticed that Amelia was missing as well.

“There you are. . .” Iseul crossed her arms.

“What’s up?” Irene asked, confused as to why Iseul is looking at them like they did something wrong.

“Don’t go running out in the sun without sunscreen. . .” she said leaning down to pick up a white bottle before throwing it over to Irene.

“Thanks, Mom. . .” Irene chuckled at Iseul’s concern.

“Don’t complain when you burn up,” she sighed before heading toward the water, leaving Yeona behind. “I’m gonna join the others.”

As Iseul was passing by, she noticed Irene smiling warmly before their eyes met. “Thanks, Ise-. . . No. . . Unnie.”

“Unnie?” Iseul looked at her surprised. “Since when do you call me that?”

“You don’t like it?” Irene smirked teasingly before approaching a bit too close which would cause most to fluster, but not Iseul.

“You’re acting like Sophie now. . .” she smiled approvingly before continuing to walk away. “Oh, and by the way, Amelia’s on the phone with your parents if you wanted to say hi.”

While the two were talking, Arthur and Yeona exchanged glances but she awkwardly looked away before he could say anything. Arthur was curious as to why she stayed behind, but his focus drifted after Irene’s parents were mentioned.

“Now then,” Irene turned to Arthur before walking behind him.

“You’re not gonna say hi?” Arthur looked confused.

“Nah. I already talked to them before we left.”

She opened the bottle and poured sunscreen onto her hand before handing it to him. Rubbing her hands together, she started smearing it across his back, especially around the neck.

“What are you doing?” Arthur asked, trying to glance back at her.

Meanwhile, Yeona sat down on her towel and went through her backpack.

“Putting on sunscreen?” she looked at him confused before driving her fingers deep into his skin as if massaging him. “Oh, do you not remember what it’s for?”

“I heard about it before. Isn’t it to protect you from the sun? But it’s not that hot though,” Arthur explained.

While not as efficient, similar protection against the sun in the shape of ointments existed in his former world, however, Arthur never required such items.

“I don’t burn easily either, but it’s good to protect yourself. There. . . All done. Could you do me?”

“Sure. . .” Arthur answered thinking that she could’ve phrased that better, realizing that others might’ve influenced him a bit too much lately.

“Let me lie down so it’s easier,” Irene walked over to the towels and laid down before undoing the bra straps.

“Why’d you take it off?” he asked confused, noticing Yeona secretly glancing at them.

“I wanted to sunbathe for a bit since we just came out of the water and I don’t want tan lines.”

“Want me to do it instead?” Yeona offered to put on the sunscreen in a low voice.

“Thanks,” Irene answered smilingly, “but I don’t mind him doing it.”

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and knelt next to her. Without thinking, he poured the sunscreen directly on her back which caused Irene to almost jump since the oil was a bit colder.

“Cold, cold, cold. . .” she gritted her teeth all tensed up before letting the discomfort pass through her. “Phew. . . You should never apply any type of oil directly. It might not be that cold now, but it’s not as pleasant as it is when you rub your hands together, warming it up.”

“Oh, sorry. . .” Arthur put down the bottle and placed his hands on her back. “I’ll rub it in now.”

“Just be gentle. The skin will absorb it on its own.”

“Gotcha,” Arthur said before slowly gliding his palms up her back and over her shoulders.

Each time he did so, he felt Irene hold her breath briefly before letting it out relieved. She appeared to be enjoying it which boosted Arthur’s confidence to do so. It was the first time he did something like that, and each time he touched her skin, he wondered how it was so soft.

For a moment, Arthur forgot that Yeona was next to them. Glancing toward her, he noticed that she was blushingly averting her gaze the entire time, clearly jealous but unable to say anything. Part of him felt bad for her since they hadn’t talked yet about what Arthur remembered.

“Thanks,” Irene said with her eyes closed.

Arthur stood up and closed the bottle, thinking about where to put it.

“Amm. . . Art. . .” Yeona took the initiative and approached. “Would you mind helping me out as well?”

Arthur was stumped since he didn’t expect her to make a move like that. He expected Irene to at least react in any way, but she remained unfazed. It was a tough situation to be in, especially after knowing the motive behind it, but at the same time unable to say no.

“Sure. . .” he sighed before showing her a soft smile.

“Thanks. . .” she made sure to look down the entire time while turning around.

She pushed her hair to the front and exposed her back, allowing Arthur to have an easier time.

Learning from his mistakes, he applied the oil to his hands first and rubbed them together before placing his hands on her. However, as soon as he did he noticed something strange. Her skin appeared to have already been coated in a very thin layer of sunscreen that had not been absorbed completely. Still, he was in no position to say anything, but at least it made things clear.

After making sure to rub the sunscreen properly into her upper back and shoulders, Arthur noticed Irene turning her head. Her gaze was sharp and the grin on her face full of mischief. It appeared that she too noticed Yeona’s poor attempt of drawing his attention to her.

“Arthur,” Irene’s voice sent a chill down his spine as he heard his name. “Don’t forget to help her with the lower back as well. It’d be bad if she burnt there.”

Her words took both by surprise.

“Right. . .” Arthur said before Yeona could react.

He still had leftover oil on his hands so there was no need to spill more, thus he simply reached for her waist which made Yeona jump in place.

“Wait!” she turned red while taking a step back from him. “It’s fine since I’ll be going into the water. I don’t want it to just wash out. . . Thanks.”

Arthur didn’t have the time to say anything as Yeona lowered her head and stormed off to the rest.

“That’s-” Arthur turned to Irene as she still laid there, but her gaze wasn’t fixated on him and instead was focused on the rest.

“Sorry,” she lowered her voice but remained confident. “I know I said I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I won’t just allow her to do whatever without at least teasing her a bit.”

“I get it. . .” Arthur sighed.

“We’re not together, so you can do whatever you want. And even if we were, I’m not the jealous type. . . There’s nothing wrong with helping out a friend put on sunscreen, even if she’s a girl.”

Irene had more to say, but she refrained from doing so as to not pressure Arthur. He could tell that she was also aware that Yeona had sunscreen on before asking him for help, meaning that she knew Yeona tried to get somewhat closer to him despite her being there. Arthur began to worry about how everything was gonna play out, especially since they’ll be together for a while. It was the first day of their vacation together, and things have already gotten heated. Regardless of what happened, he needed to talk to Yeona and clear things up later that night.

The now unavoidable talk slowly approached as the sun faded from view. Arthur decided not to stress too much about it during the day as Irene and he rejoined the rest after Amelia came back from the house. There were plenty of reasons he felt uncomfortable about the talk, but among them was the fear of remembering a past that wasn’t his or worse, feeling guilt over something he didn’t do. He had no idea what Yeona was going to say, or if she’d even be truthful for that matter. However, he needed to place his trust in her and just improvise on the spot.

Without being able to prepare, Arthur simply focused on having fun. After they were done with the beach for the day and in desperate need of a good night’s rest, everyone made their way inside to fully unpack. While everyone was eager to try Iseul’s cooking again, Max, whose cooking was second only to his sister’s, took the initiative and entered the kitchen. Iseul was one of the drivers, thus he wanted to help out. Sophie rushed over eagerly hoping to help out. While he focused on cooking the main dish, she helped with prepping ingredients while also making a salad. Needless to say, the dinner was phenomenal.

After dinner, Arthur made sure to help out with the dishes before heading back to the bedroom. He wasn’t used to sharing a room, so he opened the door carelessly without knocking first. Entering, Arthur’s attention was immediately stolen by Irene who stood in front of the mirror with her back turned to him. Flustered, he couldn’t help but stare as she wore nothing but black lace panties and a matching push-up bra.

“Enjoying the view?” Irene asked as their eyes met in the mirror.

“I-. . .” he blanked out, unable to look away. “Sorry for not knocking.”

“If it’s you, I don’t mind,” she said, coyly smiling. “Besides, you saw me in a swimsuit. Not much of a difference.”

She said that, but Arthur could clearly tell the difference as the tension built up. Her stunning figure was near-irresistible to the point where he was tempted to just grab her, but his self-control kept him in check. Part of him wondered if she was doing all that on purpose, and her smile wasn’t doing a great job disproving that theory.

Irene rummaged through the wardrobe before taking out an oversized t-shirt and putting it on. It seemed to be what she planned to sleep in. Regardless of his response, he knew he would just get teased even more thus changing the subject sounded reasonable.

“Which side of the bed do you want?” He asked. “I presume right.”

“My, my. . .” she approached with her hands behind her back, leaning in a bit closer. “So attentive that you even remembered my preferences.” Her chuckle made him blushingly roll his eyes, letting out a flustered sigh. “Too much teasing?” she kept smiling before walking toward the door. “Anyway, I’ll be right back.”

After she left the room, Arthur collapsed onto the bed.

“She’s becoming impossible. . .” Arthur said out loud but couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

While Irene patiently waited for him to answer her confession and sort out his thoughts, she made no effort to lessen the teasing, becoming bolder by the second. She fairly offered him space if he wanted it, but he refused and even avoided asking her to ease up on the flirting a bit. Truthfully, as he sat on the bed, he couldn’t help but think about how much he enjoyed it.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur stood up and stretched his arms back. Yeona mentioned that she was gonna head to bed soon and Sophie was out on the deck enjoying the night sky with Ari, Iseul, and Max. It was the perfect opportunity to catch her alone, hopefully undisturbed.

Making his way out of the room, he noticed that the hallway was empty and the only source of light was coming from downstairs as Tjay and Don talked loudly about games. Arthur approached the door and before he knocked, learning from his past mistakes, he heard chatter inside. Closing his eyes and focusing only on hearing, he heard Irene’s voice.

It took him by surprise that she was with Yeona, making him hesitant to knock. The sound was muffled due to closed doors and the guys downstairs were too loud for him to ignore. There was only one way for him to find out what was going on inside without entering and that was to utilize Qi.

It was a simple technique that allowed one to enhance their senses while ignoring everything else. Though, he knew that getting caught standing outside the door would’ve been awkward, so he made sure to focus on the stairs if anyone was approaching.

“Glad you like the house,” Arthur could now hear Irene’s voice. He felt a bit guilty about listening in, but he assumed it had something to do with him. “Still, that’s not why you called me in here, is it?”

“Right. . .” Yeona mumbled.

“So? What’s up?” she sounded friendly.

“I’ve been thinking and I noticed that Arthur is staying in your room. Considering we’re your guests it didn’t feel right to force you to share your space. So. . . I wanted to offer you to switch rooms.”

“You want to be in the bedroom with Arthur?” Irene sounded baffled by Yeona’s boldness.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant. . . I mean, I could, but I wanted to offer to simply switch the rooms. That way you have your own bed.”

“I see. . . However, I already unpacked, so that’s just extra work,” she kept going, wondering where the conversation might take her.

“Oh, right. . . Well, Sophie and I didn’t unpack yet and Arthur probably doesn’t have a lot of stuff so one of us could switch with him. You’re probably more comfortable sharing a bed with someone who isn’t a guy, right?” she tried to rationalize it as best as she could.

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t mind if it’s him,” she said confidently, taking a step toward the door.

“Wait!” Yeona raised her voice. “I’m sure Sophie wouldn’t say anything, but don’t you think it’d be more comfortable for her as well to not have her brother sleep in the same bed as her friend?”

Jarring silence filled the room as even Arthur felt awkward listening in. Irene broke the silence by letting out a disappointed sigh.

“Yeona. . .” Irene lowered her voice, but the confidence behind her tone remained striking. “You and I both know this has nothing to do with Sophie. She already knows that Arthur and I slept in the same bed before and I can assure you that she doesn’t mind since she kept teasing us for weeks about it. If you’re gonna say something, then at least tell the truth. The way you look at him isn’t how you look at a friend. Same goes for me. You’re mistaken if you thought it was a secret.”

“That’s not-”

“Hey, it doesn’t matter since Arthur and I aren’t together so it’s not like I have the right to stop you or anyone else. However, it baffles me that you keep trying to go for him despite knowing how close the two of us are. Especially since the two of you don’t really hang out, at least not alone as far as I’m aware.”

“It’s not fair. . .” Yeona finally spoke up as her voice was low and trembling. “I wasn’t even given a chance. . .”

“A chance?” Irene played along, refusing to mention that she knew about them knowing each other in the past.

“I’ll admit. . .” she whispered. Arthur could tell that she was full of tears, but was holding them back. “I’ve kept this a secret, but I’ve known Arthur before his suicide attempt. . .” Without hesitation, she revealed that it was a suicide attempt. She paused while letting out a sigh. “Seeing as you’re not surprised, you already knew. Didn’t you?”

“I suspected as much. . .” she mumbled, still hiding the fact that she knew all along. “So, what were you to each other? Friends? Lovers? It’s obvious that you have strong feelings for him. . .”

Arthur’s heart began beating faster as he anxiously waited for Yeona to answer.

“We were more than just friends. . .” Yeona gritted her teeth as jarring silence again filled the room.

“I see. . .” Irene mumbled while trying not to imagine the two together. “So why didn’t you tell him that? Why keep it all a secret?”

“Because. . .” Yeona hesitated. “Because-”

Arthur’s attention was stolen away before he could hear what Yeona had to say as he noticed someone coming up the stairs. Without second thoughts, regardless of how much he wanted to hear what she had to say, Arthur quickly stepped back into the bedroom. He had no clue who it was, but his time was up.

“Dammit. . .” Arthur mumbled as he collapsed back on the bed. “So, there was something more going on between them. . .”

Arthur let out a sigh as the only thing left for him to do was to wait for Irene to return to the room so he could ask her about it. Of course, that meant that he had to admit that he eavesdropped, but if it meant learning the truth, he had to do it.

If there was one thing he was glad about, it was that her mention of them being more than friends hadn’t triggered any memories. Besides, she never specified that they were lovers.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.