Namjoon's POV

It was the eve of his birthday.

Namjoon was in a really good mood, nothing could spoil his day. Not even when the interview that they had was sounding less than intellectual and he had to listen to the same kind of question all over again. He knew he was level-headed enough when he interpreted the questions for his band members throughout the day. The question they had were mostly about how they felt being in the States, who they wanted to collaborate with in the future and what were their plans after this. Some of the questions sounded misogynistic and sometimes they were treated like they were just a group of mindless boys who were manufactured by the Korean entertainment industry. BTS had to thank their fans for the success they were having and their cheers at all the venues empowered Namjoon and the rest of his band members to succeed.

Namjoon turned to the people behind the camera. He smiled as he spotted Hana with their managers and the rest of their crew looking immaculately sexy and smart in her suit, holding a thumbs-up sign for him as their eyes locked. She then turned to the rest of the members with the same gesture so that she wouldn't be too obvious. He knew it was hard to cover up that feeling of overwhelming happiness when he finally found out how each other felt. She is his girlfriend now. After all the years, he could finally call her that only that in their case, they were the only ones who knew it.

He handed his microphone to one of the technical staff at the studio and went to Hana. They were always in a crowd but she had her ways of showing off her affection, unnoticeable to the rest of the crew. When they were gathered up for a discussion, there was always her hands touching his for a short moment, the subtle contact when she knew he was behind her, the light hug as she went closer to him in a crowded place. One minute she was there, and the next minute she was going on with her job aiding the members in their communication skills. The way her eyes lit up when he caught her gaze made him feel warm all over.

They had plans after he was done with his birthday livestream scheduled for the day and he was looking forward to it. It was going to be their first date. Hana told him that she would be handling the details, he only had to show up when he finished his work.

He started his livestream near midnight, with the members coming to his room bringing a cake and wishing him a happy birthday. He was happy and felt lucky to be able to have the rest of the 6 members with him. He looked at each of his members and sometimes wondered how they managed to get lucky to withstand the hardship with their different personalities and talents.

Jin-hyung, the oldest member who always had a happy and funny front when the actual truth, was a serious person when he pulled out his big brother card. He helped Namjoon a lot when Namjoon had concerns about the younger members and he felt lost. Being a leader was not easy and Jin helped him a lot. Then there was the genius Yoongi, one of the most talented people Namjoon had ever met. They have been living together even before they debuted, a savage rap machine with a soft heart. Hoseok, is a talented and cheerful dancer, and rapper on the outside but scary when he gets mad. Then comes the maknae line, Jimin the wonderful dancer and the vocalist with an angelic voice, Taehyung, the vocalist with great looks and great personality and finally Jungkook, the person with endless talent that makes everything looks smooth and easy. They were more like brothers than just working acquaintances.

The livestream ended and the members filed out of the room leaving Namjoon alone again. He removed the jacket that Jimin gave him for his birthday and changed into his hooded jacket. Security was tighter on the floor he and the rest of the members were on to fend off unwanted attention from sasaeng that it was hard for Hana to go up without work as an excuse at that time of the day. Getting on his floor without being noticed is hard but slipping out was manageable and that was his plan. It was up to him to go and meet her on her floor.

He rung her doorbell. Almost immediately, the door was opened and Hana pulled him by his hoodie.

"Did anyone see you?" Hana greeted him with a question as the door shut.

"No. Nice to see you too," Namjoon said drily.

"Sorry. Hi," Hana said with a peck on his lips. She was about to turn and go before he pulled her back again and kissed her deeply. "Namjoon, I'm rank and sweaty," Hana protested.

"That was for my birthday kiss," he grinned. He finally looked at her and saw her attire. "Are we going to the gym?" he asked.

"No, I already went. Taehyung and your guy's trainer were there too until he had to leave for your livestream. I left after he did and tuned to your live that I was distracted."

"Did he challenge you to powerlifting again?" he asked. Since the day they worked out together, Hana became a regular at the gym because there were no restrictions for her to use it like the gym back at their company. He knew she was not a beginner with strength workouts judging from the amount of weight she was working out with and the toned muscle she had. The younger members were more than happy to challenge her when they saw her there. Even their personal trainer joined in the fun. Sometimes they won, and sometimes they lost.

"He didn't. Mr Kim, the PT was with him and Taehyung was just groaning from his workout routine and ran out when he remembered your livestream. He was shouting he was late," Hana recounted with a chuckle. "I guess he was looking forward to any kind of reprieve. Your guys' PT is a real drill sergeant from hell."

"I wouldn't get this if it wasn't for him," Namjoon flexed his bicep. "Now all the fans are swooning over this muscle of mine"

"I would be swooning even if you're without," Hana replied.

Namjoon pulled her closer as he put his arms around her. "Really?"

"I like you way before this becomes muscly," Hana squeezed his left bicep and Namjoon kissed her again. "Dude, we'd better stop. I need a quick shower before we leave."

"Okay. I'll be here," he said as he sat on her bed and took out his phone, planning to check on his e-mails.

She went to the closet, took her clothes and went into the bathroom. She then returned with a damp towel, wiped and kissed his left cheek. "You missed that spot during the live stream when you got icing on your face," said Hana. "Chocolate, huh? You could do wonders with that," she said before she headed back into the bathroom.

Namjoon blinked as she went. What did she mean by that? Was that a reference to something or she was talking about food in general? He shook his head as he focused on his e-mail. He had better take Hana's advice on getting his head out of the gutter or he wouldn't be able to walk out without embarrassing himself.

While he was waiting, Hana's phone on the desk kept on buzzing with messages. He just lifted his head and returned his attention to his screen. He didn't plan to play the role of a nosy boyfriend by checking on her phone anytime soon. He read that a lasting relationship is based on trust and space, so, that's what he was going to do.

Hana didn't take too much time to get ready and before he knew it, she drove them away in a car she borrowed from her friend to a place where she had planned for their first date together. He didn't know much about the area so he left it all to her. He looked at their choice of attire. They weren't dressed for any formal wine-and-dine kind of restaurant with him and her in their hooded shirt; but given the time at that moment, they didn't have that much of a choice. Honestly speaking, he didn't care about the place. He only cared about the company he was with.

With Hana.

They stopped at a small restaurant quite a distance away from their hotel and Namjoon basked in what he saw. It was a quaint restaurant with a Spanish colonial architecture façade. The restaurant sign was set to close and the lights outside were turned off. There was light inside and he was unsure what to do as he looked at Hana in question.

"Are we at the right place?"

"We sure are," Hana linked their hands and led him up the stairs.

She knocked on the door and as it was opened, Hana was engulfed in a hug followed by a barrage of Spanish chattering. "Namjoon, meet my best friend in the whole wide world –" Hana started.

"Sally Marquez?" guessed Namjoon.

"He knows me?" Sally asked Hana.

"Of course, he does. You're my sister from another mother," Hana started.

"Give up our liver for each other," Sally continued their friendship chant.

"You went for a liver transplant?" Namjoon looked at Hana in surprise. He didn't know anything about that before. He didn't see any scar on Hana when she was working out - not that he ogled at her when she was but a liver transplant scar would be noticeable at a glance. But then again, she always wears high-waisted tights at the gym. That part would be concealed.

"That's just figuratively speaking, Namjoon. We figured we drop the word 'would' before the liver part for a more dramatic effect when we were in elementary school," Hana waved. "But I don't mind doing that if necessary."

"Me too," Sally replied. "You're so handsome and the TV didn't even do you justice," Sally gushed to Namjoon which made him a little bit uncomfortable. He was used to listening to that referred to the other members, but not to him. "Hana told me so much about you forever. Come on in."

"Really?" Namjoon looked at Sally and then at Hana curiously. Hana just rolled her eyes as they both stepped into the building.

"Sure did. Especially after she returned from Korea aeons ago and you're the only thing she talked about. She would sometime talk about you over the years. I'm just glad that you're finally together," Sally continued.

"Remind me not to bring you anywhere near my friends. They just can't keep any secrets," Hana said wryly to him. "None at all."

"If they were so secretive, this wouldn't even happen," Namjoon raised their linked hands.

Sally hooted in response, "See, I told you to quit being a chicken but no, you had to have Rachel to be your middle woman."

"I gather that you know her too?" he asked.

"We didn't go to the same school if that was what you were asking but we have met a few times. I know about what happened from Hana," Sally explained.

"Oh, shut up, Sally. We're here for your food, not for your never-ending yapping," Hana reminded her.

"Heh, you should count yourself lucky that I'm willing to open the restaurant at this ungodly hour just for you," Sally answered sassily. "Your order will be right up, sir and miss," Sally switched her tone and bowed down before leaving for the kitchen.

Namjoon didn't know how to respond to that revelation. Did she really tell Sally every little detail of what was happening between them?

"In case you're wondering, I didn't tell her every nitty gritty detail that happened between us. That is too personal. I just told her the general stuff. Not all the time. Just when I wanted to vent out something," assured Hana.

That got him loosened up a bit. He knew what she meant. It was good to have someone to talk to but in his case, he never told anyone about his friendship with Hana. Not even his group members knew about her before she got the job with the company. They were already too stressed out with their work that he didn't feel he should tell them about the crush he had for years. He did that through his songs.

"I'm sorry I didn't actually plan ahead for your birthday. This is the only place I could think of and the food choice is a bit limited. I know you don't like avocado much so I told Sally to take that out from the food spread," Hana apologised.

"Hana, I like this better than anything else," he stopped her. Honestly, he preferred it this way. It was more personal than the usual crowded places he went to.

"Hold on for a sec," said Hana as she stood and went to the kitchen. She then appeared carrying a small cake with sparklers on top singing him the birthday song. "Go ahead and make your wish."

Namjoon closed his eyes, making his wish and blew on the sparklers. He knew the sparklers weren't going to stop burning as he blew on it but it was the thought that mattered. Hana then handed him a gift which she took out from her backpack. "It's nothing much but I know you haven't got that yet so, there."

He removed the wrapping paper and grinned widely when he saw it was Eminem's newly released album. "Hana, thank you."

"Food is here," Sally announced as she came with a platter of food. "It's quite late so Hana requested something light but fulfilling food for your spread tonight. Here is smoked cheese and cherry tomato rarebit on toast for your appetizer. Buen apetito."

They ate the toast and Namjoon sighed with appreciation at the taste of the food as it reached his tastebud. "This is delicious," he said.

"Sally's family has been in the food business for a long time and she studied culinary arts in college. This restaurant is one of her family's," Hana explained. More food came in and true to Hana's words, it was light yet it made him full.

They left the restaurant after they were done and returned to the hotel. Hana turned to him after she turned off the ignition. "How's your birthday so far?" Hana asked.

"Looking good, but I think I need a lot more of your kisses to make it even better," he pondered jokingly.

Hana moved closer as she granted him his wish and before they knew it, the kiss turned scorching hot and she was irresistible.

"Namjoon, we're fogging up the car," Hana commented. "We'd better stop or we are going to embarrass ourselves in Sally's car."

"Okay," he said dumbly. For the life of him, he couldn't think straight after the kiss. He knew the right thing to do was to walk Hana up to her room and then return to his.

That was what he did.

There were not many people around at that hour. They went into the elevator, putting a little bit of distance between each other. He didn't trust himself with Hana being close to him after that kiss and he could sense she was feeling the same. The air felt heavy in the small enclosure and their eyes were locked on the floor number the whole time, the walk to her room felt like forever.

"Good night, Namjoon," Hana awkwardly said as she opened her door.

"Good night, Hana," he replied. "See you tomorrow," he said before turning with all his self-control and leaving.

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Hana's POV.

Hana closed the door as she calmed her racing heart. She was just a millisecond away from inviting Namjoon in before he left and she knew sleeping would be the last thing they would do if she did. So much for not getting off the home base that quick she thought wryly. It was just their first date and she couldn't get her hands off him.

She went towards her bed before doubling back to the door. She knew she was irrational but she needed to go out. Cold showers won't help her much. She just needed to go out and do something. She didn't know where she would go - maybe up to the helipad or even back to the gym again. She didn't think she would be able to sleep a wink after their date and she had better stop acting like a hormonal female with one track mind.

She opened the door and her jaw fell as she saw Namjoon there looking surprised at the same time.

"Namjoon, what are you doing here?"

"I uh..." he hesitated. "Can I stay?" he asked.

Her plan and the self-talk she had earlier flew out of the window instantly. "Sure," Hana answered.

He stepped inside and continued where they left off before they stopped in the car. "I can't promise you on just staying on the first base if I stay," he said breathlessly. "And today's just our 4th day."

"I know," she replied as she took off his hoodie. "But for the record, it's our 6th year anyway."

"Cool."

Her prediction was correct and sleeping came much later.

"Best birthday yet?" Hana asked as her eyelids felt heavier. She positioned herself more comfortably in Namjoon's arms.

"Definitely the best birthday ever," he replied before they both succumbed to slumber.

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Author's note:

Spanish colonial architecture: first appeared in North America between the 1600s and mid-1800s, when Spanish settlers arrived and began building their homesteads. You can find them mostly in Florida and California because Spanish settlers arriving in North America chose locations with climates similar to Spain. 

Buen apetito: Spanish words for bon appetite which means enjoy your meal

Smoked cheese and cherry tomato rarebit on toast

P.S: So I made it - one week per chapter (a long one too, sorry). Hope I would get on with the momentum til I finish everything off before the sky falls down (like someone said, lol)