"Uhm, ok," Asuka finally said.
"What's wrong?" Hwoarang asked.
Asuka looked around the bedroom. To her surprise, it was pretty clean and tidy. The DVDs, CDs, and books were organized alphabetically, the floor was vacuumed, and the closet didn't have clothes overflowing from over stacking.
"Your room is clean," Asuka said amazed.
"Asuka, that's not a surprise," he said as he plopped down on the left side of the bed.
"I really don't get you," Asuka said still shocked, "Just a few years ago, I had to clean up after you. You left your dirty clothes on the floor, you never vacuumed, and you always kept your closet looking disorganized."
"Well, I lost those habits! Just a couple of months ago, I found out I was a father. Don't you think I want to set a good example for my only son?" Hwoarang asked Asuka.
"I really don't know," Asuka truthfully admitted, "I think we both changed a little."
"I know; in the past, you were never shy to lie down next to me," he said with a smirk.
"Ha ha. Very funny," Asuka said rolling her eyes as she finally sat down at the right side of the bed.
Hwoarang just chuckled.
"I have some rules," Asuka stated, "First rule is that there is no touching. I don't want your arms, hands, feet, legs, or anything else touching any part of my body as we sleep."
Hwoarang just nodded.
"The second rule is that there is a boundary line. You cannot cross my boundary line, and I cannot cross your boundary line," Asuka announced to Hwoarang.
"Yes, ma'am," Hwoarang playfully said.
"And the last rule is that you have to be fully clothed. I don't want you wearing boxers again like that time in camp," Asuka ordered him.
"I'm comfortable like that: shirtless!" he defended.
"Well, I don't want you only in your underwear!" Asuka shouted.
"Fine, I'll wear pants, but I'm not putting a shirt on," he told her.
"Why not?" she asked him annoyed.
"I know that deep down inside, you like it when I have no shirt on," he said with a mischievous smile.
"Oh please, don't flatter yourself," Asuka said.
"Well let's just go to sleep," he said yawning.
Asuka turned off the light and went back to lie down on the bed. She was staring at the ceiling. She just could not believe she was next to the man she was longing for four years. The rain was pouring even harder than the time when Jin and Xiaoyu were just about to leave. It must have been pouring twice as harder. Asuka could even hear the rain drops pouring on the outside surface of the windows. She closed her eyes. In a flash, she heard thunder crackling through the dark, cloudy skies. She then shut her eyes tightly and jumped as a response to the thunder noises. She ended up in Hwoarang's arms. His arms encircled her body as she laid her head on this chest.
"Uhm…" Asuka said uncomfortably.
"Just stay. I remember when you still considered me to be your husband; you would be terrified whenever there was a thunder storm. You would always run to me whenever you would hear those noises," he said laughing at the memory.
"Hwoarang, I'm not used to this!" Asuka protested.
"I don't get you," Hwoarang told her.
"I'm not used to your hard chest!" she cried.
"What?" he asked puzzled.
"Well, I was used to resting my head to your chest when we still lived under the same roof, but for the four years, I was used to hugging a pillow, since Hyo thought he was a 'big boy' at the age of three and refused to sleep next to me," she explained.
"Oh, so you're used to hugging a pillow that is super soft and it's a big change to hug someone who has a hard body like me?" he asked.
"You're correct," she said.
"So, you think I should stop working out and I should get fat?" he asked looking at Asuka uncomfortably like he didn't want to.
"I know that you're willing to do that, just for me, but I would rather have you stay the way you are. I love you just the way you are," she said.
After realizing that she just said her thoughts out loud, she shot her head up.
"Ha ha, I was joking!" she said with an uncomfortable laugh.
"Asuka, I know you're not joking," Hwoarang said as he made eye contact with her.
"Hwoarang, don't make eye contact with me! I feel uncomfortable!" she protested.
"Asuka, I know that I haven't told you this in four years, but I think I should remind you: I will always love you with all my heart. You're the only woman I will ever be in love with and I will do my best to make you happy," he told her.
"I remember every single word," Asuka whispered.
"Why's that?" Hwoarang asked.
"You would tell me that every single day when we still lived together in the past," she said as tears started flowing out of her eyes.
"Damn it, woman. Why are you crying?!" he asked her.
"I just—"Hwoarang was cut off.
"—can't stand seeing you cry, especially knowing the fact that I can't do anything to make those tears on your face disappear," Asuka finished for him.
"How did you know that I was going to say that?" he asked.
"You would always tell me that when I cried and there was really nothing you could do to make my tears go away," she whispered gently.
Hwoarang then wrapped his arms around her.
"Uhm, I think we should go to sleep; it's already midnight," she told him as she wiped her tears away.
As soon as Hwoarang saw that Asuka had stopped crying, he gently laid the blanket over her sleeping body. He wanted to make sure she wasn't cold, since they couldn't share any body heat due to rule one and rule two. He then stared at the ceiling. He finally thought he had a good chance getting her back now.