As Valentina slept peacefully beside him, Yoongi finally allowed himself to check his phone. The constant buzzing had been a background noise all night, but now that she was resting, he felt like he could take a moment to catch up. He opened the screen to find several messages waiting for him, mostly from his friends. There were a few notifications from work, but nothing that couldn’t wait until the morning.

He scrolled through the group chat with Namjoon, Jin, and the others. They were planning a small get-together, likely to unwind from their busy schedules. Namjoon was suggesting a dinner at his place, while Jin was teasing him about how he probably just wanted to show off his new grill. The lighthearted banter between his friends made Yoongi smirk, but his focus quickly shifted when he noticed a message from an unknown number sitting at the top of his inbox.

Curiosity piqued, he opened it and felt his jaw tighten as he read the words on the screen.

_“Yoongi, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I know things didn’t end well between us, but I’ve realized I miss you… and what we had. I’d love to come back if you’ll have me.”_

It was from one of his former submissives. He hadn’t spoken to her in months, not since their arrangement had ended rather abruptly. The breakup had been mutual—or so he thought—but clearly, she had been holding onto something. His initial reaction was frustration. He had made it clear to her back then that their dynamic wasn’t working for either of them. It had become too complicated, too tangled with emotions that went beyond their roles as dominant and submissive.

Yoongi glanced over at Valentina, her soft breathing filling the quiet room. She was the reason he couldn’t even consider responding to this message. What he had with Valentina was different. It was deeper, more balanced. He didn’t just care about her as his submissive; he cared about her as a person. There was no comparison between what they had and his previous arrangement.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He knew he had to address the message, even though it wasn’t a conversation he particularly wanted to have. Ignoring it would only leave room for more complications, and that was the last thing he needed.

After a moment of hesitation, he typed out a response.

_“I appreciate you reaching out, but I’ve moved on. Our time together is in the past, and I’m in a new relationship now. I hope you understand that I can’t go back to what we had. I wish you the best.”_

He hit send, feeling a strange sense of closure as the message disappeared from his screen. There was no part of him that wanted to reopen that chapter of his life. It had been messy, emotionally draining, and, ultimately, unfulfilling. Valentina, on the other hand, made him feel grounded. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was real. He valued that more than anything.

Yoongi set his phone aside, turning his attention back to Valentina. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, her face relaxed, lips slightly parted. He couldn’t help but feel a rush of affection for her. Despite the intensity of their dynamic, she trusted him completely, and that trust wasn’t something he took lightly.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the lingering thoughts of his ex-submissive. It had been a reminder of how far he had come since then, how much his perspective had shifted. He used to think that being a dominant meant maintaining control at all times, but with Valentina, he had learned that true dominance was about balance. It was about knowing when to push and when to pull back. It was about trust and communication, not just control.

A small sound escaped Valentina’s lips as she shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer to him. Yoongi instinctively wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest. She stirred slightly, her body melting into his warmth, but she didn’t wake up. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair.

It was moments like these that made him realize how lucky he was. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the line, his feelings for Valentina had grown deeper than he expected. It wasn’t just about the BDSM anymore. He cared about her, deeply, and that scared him more than he’d like to admit.

As his phone buzzed again, Yoongi reluctantly glanced at the screen, half-expecting another message from the unknown number. But this time, it was one of his friends from the group chat.

_Jin: “Dinner’s at my place on Saturday. Bring that secretary of yours, Yoongi. I want to meet her.”_

Yoongi smirked, shaking his head. Jin had a way of making everything sound casual, but he knew his friend was curious about Valentina. He hadn’t introduced her to the group yet, not officially anyway. Part of him had been keeping her separate from that part of his life, not because he was ashamed or hiding anything, but because he wanted to protect her from the chaos that came with being around his friends. They could be overwhelming sometimes, and he wasn’t sure Valentina was ready for that.

Still, the thought of bringing her to one of their gatherings didn’t seem so bad. She was strong, confident, and more than capable of holding her own. Maybe it was time to introduce her to the rest of the group, to let her see more of his world outside of their dynamic.

He typed out a quick response.

_“I’ll think about it. Valentina might be busy, but I’ll let you know.”_

Setting his phone down for the final time, Yoongi allowed himself to fully relax, his focus entirely on Valentina now. He gently pulled her closer, feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest against his own. There was a sense of peace in the quiet moments like this, a calmness that he rarely found in his fast-paced life.

The night at the BDSM club had reminded him of the intensity of their relationship, but it had also reminded him of the importance of boundaries and care. Valentina had trusted him with everything, and he wasn’t going to let her down.

He kissed her head once more before closing his eyes, allowing sleep to take over. No matter what challenges came their way—whether it was work, old relationships, or their intense dynamic—Yoongi knew that he and Valentina would navigate it together. After all, they had built something solid, something real, and he wasn’t going to let anything disrupt that.