Until Cece (Happily Ever Alpha World)

I glance up to see her head shake again, and I tilt my head.

“If I were to say ‘Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok…’” I chant, and with each BTS band member’s name, Lola’s eyes get wider and wider until she looks like she’s about to burst.

Her voice is high-pitched, and she sounds like she’s going to hyperventilate with excitement. “Then I’d finish the fan chant with ‘Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook…’”

And we both shout in unison, “BTS!”

She claps wildly, her grin taking over her whole face, and when I glance up at Cece, she’s trying to hide the fact that she has tears in her eyes.

“Your favorite band is BTS?” Lola’s tone is one of astonishment.

“It is. I lived in South Korea for quite some time and loved K-pop, and they’ve been my favorite ever since they came out in 2013,” I tell her, and she claps again.

“You breathed the same air as Taehyung?” Her octave could break glass. “And that has something to do with my surprise?” she prompts.

I grin. “It does. Have you happened to see how they’re doing special limited showings on the big screen of the BTS movie Bring the Soul?” I ask, and her hands shoot into her hair, where she grips it with wide eyes like I’m blowing her mind.

“Oh my gosh. Yes! It’s the second time around, because they’re getting ready to release the next one, Break the Silence.” She starts to breathe in and out dramatically, and Cece giggles.

“We have tickets to see Bring the Soul tonight, and then I got us advanced tickets to see Break the Silence when it comes out. That is, if you want to go with me.” I shrug, trying to play it cool. It was a craps shoot whenever I got those second tickets. My way of putting it in her head that I’d be around in the future.

She jumps up from her chair and comes up to me, pausing with her hands outstretched as if it just occurred to her what she was doing. She pulls her hands back and asks quietly, “Thank you so much, Mr. Winston. Can I hug you? I’ve never gotten to meet another ARMY in person before.”

And that’s it. I’m done. My heart now belongs to not only Nick and Cece but her sweet little girls.

“You can hug this ARMY whenever you want, little one,” I tell her, and she launches herself at me, winding her little arms around my neck and squeezing with all her strength before stepping back and clapping her hands.

“I have to change really quick! Don’t leave without me!” she calls, already halfway to the stairs.

When I glance back up, it’s to see my woman lowering herself onto my lap.

“Winston Schmidt, you’re a goddamn genius,” she murmurs, leaning in to place a kiss on the side of my neck before pulling back and looking into my eyes. Hers are full of nothing but love and awe, and I wrap my arms around her hips, tugging her tighter against me.

“Psh. I’m just excited to have someone to fangirl over BTS with. This had nothing to do with you.” I wink and give her a smirk, and she smacks me on the shoulder before laughing and trying to stand. But my arms lock her in place, and I don’t let her go until we’re both breathing erratically from the intensity of our kiss.

The sound of Lola stomping quickly down the stairs breaks us apart, and I finally allow Cece to stand. When Lola comes into view, I can’t help but laugh as I read her shirt aloud. “A cup of Tae with Suga and a Kookie. That’s awesome.”

She grins and nods. “And it fits perfect. Tae and Suga are my bias and wrecker, and mom’s wrecker is Jungkook. We just need to get her a shirt with her bias.” She looks at her mom.

“Mom picked a bias and wrecker, huh?” I lift a brow. “Who’s the lucky guy?” I lick my lips and see her eyes flare with heat.

She blushes. “I like Jimin.” She crosses her arms haughtily then, sass in her tone when she tells me, “I don’t know a single grown woman who would be able to watch his and J-Hope’s dance to ‘Boy Meets Evil’/ ‘Lie’ and not melt into a pile of goo. Blindfolded, Win. He danced blindfolded. And didn’t fall once.”

She’s referring to their live performance at the MAMA awards a few years ago, but the only thing in my mind at the moment is how excited she looks when she says the word “blindfolded,” and it makes me wonder if she might have some sort of fetish I intend to discover at my earliest opportunity.

My dirty thoughts are interrupted by Lola’s sweet giggle. “Which is a miracle, since Jimin is always falling, especially out of chairs!”