Jungkook

Friday might actually be the best day of the week, not only because it's the weekend, but because I finally get to see Elaine again after a busy week. Although we spend a lot of time together during the week, the stress of everyday life and work makes us both exhausted, so we only have a few hours to spend together. Nevertheless, these few hours are the best of the day and I always patiently wait for Elaine to finish work and stop by my place or I can go to her. She is really what I need to recharge my energy after the physical exertion in the workshop. Her laughter and her beautiful face brighten my day and I immediately get in a good mood.

But when it is Friday, I know that we can spend the whole weekend together without worrying about other things. Sometimes I send Minho home early so that another incident like the last one doesn't happen again. I smirk to myself thinking about how Elaine was so reckless and bold. Luckily the poor boy didn't notice any of it, otherwise, I would feel sorry for his innocent eyes and ears, even if they are not innocent at all.

I hum to myself as I spray on my cologne that Elaine loves so much. Although we will only have casual time together today because we have nothing big planned, I still only want to show my best side, even if Elaine accepts me with everything that I have. We can be so nonchalant with each other and I love the feeling of freedom next to her. I can be who I am without her judging me. I can do any stupid thing and she simply laughs about it.

She also seems to feel that way next to me, walking around in my shirts, which are too big for her, but she is most cute when she is sleeping. I love to watch her sleeping, to watch her chest rise and fall with every gentle breath she takes, how her hair lies wildly around her and even sometimes in my face, or how she drools sometimes when her mouth falls open. I laugh at the thought and realize how much I miss her when she is not with me. It is always a different feeling when she is in front of me, when I can breathe in her scent, when I can touch her.

I try not to show it, but she makes me nervous. Sometimes I don't know how to react or what to say, although I radiate a confident aura. She is literally the first woman who can make me blush, who can make my heart skip a few beats and then beat faster than ever. Every time I feel her lips, my eyes close by themselves and I lose track of time.

She heals me. Like a cure that I have been waiting for all my life, desperately looking for it and just when I almost gave up hope, I found her by fate. She is like an oasis in a desert, which I was looking around thirsty for, she extinguishes the fire in me and comforts me.

Damn, I'm head over heels for her.

"Pull yourself together, Jungkook. You're acting like a teenager." I slap myself, clearing my throat.

But I can't pull myself together. How am I supposed to pull myself together when she's all I can think about? Ever since my birthday, when we stood up on the roof terrace and watched the stars, I can't get her out of my mind. She looked so beautiful that day, breathtaking. Her honey skin shone in the moonlight and even more so her eyes, full of admiration for the stars in the sky. I couldn't take my eyes off her, because despite the many stars, she shone the brightest for me.

So I got her a little present. When Tae and I went out of town to get a car piece and explored the city, I found a small stand with jewelry. Of course, I wanted to take her a souvenir and my eyes immediately fell on a necklace with a small diamond star on the end of it, which reminded me of her and her name. Shining light. Because she is the shining light for me.

Since I haven't found the right time to give it to her yet, I stuff the necklace with its little velvet box in my pocket so that I can hopefully give it to her today. We don't have a big date planned, just a visit to the park where we can enjoy the nice weather, and I will give the necklace there because I'm sure nobody will disturb us.

After I have finished getting ready, I get into my car and head over to Elaine's house because she told me a few minutes ago that she has arrived at her apartment and is ready to go. I'm wearing an oversized shirt, but I took a hoodie with me in case we stay outside longer and she gets cold. I know how much she loves my hoodies. Smiling to myself, a joy comes over me. I don't know how I drove, but when I see Elaine's house in front of me, I'm glad when I watch her open the front door and jump over to my car.

"Hey, baby." she greets me, leaning over the center console and placing a short kiss on my lips.

"Hey." I greet her back, taking her hand in mine and kissing her knuckles before I put our intertwined fingers on the gearshift to drive off.

"How was your day?" I ask, peeking at her profile.

"Good, but exhausting," she exhales. "But seeing you makes me happy again."

This girl.

I kiss her knuckles again after I have shown her my best smile and the rest of the ride passes by with our conversations about the most different and random things about our everyday life. With her, I can have the most absurd conversations, but I never get bored, listening to her is interesting for me, I want to know everything about her. There is still very much that I want to find out about her and also very much that I want her to know about me. I want to know her inside and out so that I can easily reach her with closed eyes and ears.

After a not too long drive, we finally reach the park. I leave the car somewhere where I don't get a ticket because the last time we were here eating ice cream I had to pay a fine. Not that it bothers me, because Elaine teased me the rest of the evening all the way home, which I found amusing even though I was pissed off. We both get out of the car and immediately hear children in the distance playing on the playground, we see some dogs walking with their owners and the sea that fills our noses again with a salty but fresh scent.

Taking her hand in mine, Elaine and I walk to a large meadow, dazzlingly green and with some flowers, decorating the grass in a colorful way. Finding a comfortable and somewhat secluded spot, I sit down in the grass, pulling Elaine down with me in the process by her hand and we lie down in the soft grass. The fresh scent of the various flowers fills my nose, the grass tickles my skin as we look up together to the sky above us. It is peaceful and it reassures me that we spend our time together in such a qualitative way, we don't need any fancy dates, it is just enough if we can enjoy each other's presence.

The sky is cloudy today, but it is still very warm and humid. We squint our eyes as the sun, although it is hidden behind a cloud, manages to blend us. The big fluffy clouds, resembling cotton, are floating freely in the blue sky, taking on different shapes. As a child, they always fascinated me and I always wanted to know how they manage to float through the air without falling down. I wanted to lie on them and feel their softness, sleep on them, and fly on them to new realms.

"That cloud looks like a dragon," Elaine says, pointing upward. I follow her finger by tilting my head a little and indeed the cloud above us looks like a dragon. It is impressive what people can read in the clouds.

"And this one looks like the robot woman from the movie Wall-e," I say, now pointing to another cloud.

"You mean Eve?" she giggles.

"Yeah." I chuckle.

She shifts her head closer to mine so that our cheeks almost touch to allow us to have the exact same view of the sky. We lie in the soft grass, our hands linked between our bodies while my other hand lies under my head forming a pillow. The sky is already starting to change color from clear blue to a light pink as we watch the clouds. Time flies when I'm with Elaine and soon I hear slow but deep breathing beside me. As I turn my head to the side I see that Elaine has her eyes closed, just about to fall asleep.

I take in her form, savoring her beauty while supporting myself on my elbow to have a better view of her sleeping face. Her long eyelashes caress her soft cheeks covered with light freckles, her lips are crimson like cherries and her curly hair is spread out in the grass. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I could spend the rest of my life looking at her without getting tired of it.

I rip off a blade of grass next to me and slowly bring it to her face. Very lightly I brush it over her lips first, which she then licks and smacks, then up to her nose, which she crunches lovingly. A big smile lies on my lips while I annoy her in her slumber and she whines, itching her nose. I replace the blade of grass with my lips that I run across her cheek, then leave a little kiss on her nose. Noticing that she doesn't intend to wake up, I gently nudge her so as not to scare her out of her sleep.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. Otherwise, you won't be able to go back to sleep tonight," I say between kisses that I spread all over her face as she tries to shove me away.

"Mhmm. Just five minutes, I'm tired," she mumbles and I almost can't make out the last words, almost letting myself be persuaded because of her cuteness, but I jump up from the grass, dusting my clothes, and slowly pull her up by her arm.

"Come on." I grab her by her shoulders, making sure she opens her eyes and when she does I'm greeted by a glare that makes me laugh softly.

"I'll get even with you for interrupting my nap," she huffs.

"I'm waiting for the day," I smirk before I take her hand and pull her towards the shore.

The sun has already disappeared behind the horizon and the moon has taken its place, shining through the clouds as Elaine and I slowly walk along the shore hand in hand. The waves rustle as they crash against the concrete wall and there are not many people left out here. Remembering the little gift still waiting in my pocket, I gently pull on Elaine's hand, bringing us to a halt. She turns to me, a smile on her face as she looks at me with questioning eyes.

"I have something for you," I say, nervous about whether she will like it or not. To be honest, I bought a gift for a woman after a long time, and considering that I didn't get Elaine anything except flowers and sweets, my balls shudder of nervousness.

"Really? What is it?" she asks enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight and her smile widening. I reach into my pocket and take out the velvet box, scratching the back of my neck with my hand.

Bringing my hand down I slowly open the lid of the box to reveal the necklace and an audible gasping sounds in my ears. I raise my gaze only to be greeted by Elaine's shining eyes, which are now a little wider open, and her mouth unlocked. The necklace is nothing expensive, but despite that, her reaction is as if I got her the world and it makes me happy to know that she likes it. She brings up her shaking hand, delicately touching the little diamond star with her fingers as if it would break if she handles it too hard.

"I thought of you when I saw the necklace. It sparkles like your eyes and represents your name, which illuminated my life in this dark world," I breathe, my heart running a marathon and my breath rapid. I want to tell her much more, tell her my real feelings, I want her to know how important she is to me, but the words don't come from my mouth. I'm tongue-tied, she takes my breath away and my head is not able to think straight.

"It's beautiful" she whispers, her eyes meet mine and a shy smile adorns her lips, which I would like to kiss forever.

"Can you put it on me?" she asks and I just nod my head, unable to form a simple logical sentence. She takes her hair, shining in the moonlight, in her hand and lifts it up, now giving me her back so that I can put the necklace on her. My fingers are trembling, normally I'm not like this and I hope from the bottom of my heart that she doesn't notice how nervous I'm right now. My thoughts fall on the day of our first date and the day I asked her to be my girlfriend. It was absolutely amazing and although I managed not to show it, I was just as nervous when I had to close the zipper for her.

I step closer, the sweet smell of her hair numbing my senses as I carefully put the necklace around her neck. My fingers run over her soft skin and I see goosebumps forming while I fiddle with the lock until it is finally securely closed. I lean in, my lips brushing her delicate skin until I place a gentle kiss and I can hear her sucking in a breath. My fingers move from her shoulders down to her arms where I calmly stroke her up and down before turning her back to me.

"You look beautiful." I smile, looking at the necklace around her slender neck and I can see the artery pumping, which inflates with each beat of her heart. The necklace doesn't do justice to her beauty, because although it sparkles like a real star under the moonlight, it is Elaine's eyes that are blinding me. I lean in once more, this time letting my lips so gently hover on hers. A tingling sensation runs all over my limbs, my eyes close and I kiss her with passion and affection. Our lips slowly dance together to imaginary music, as if we were in a dream from which I never want to wake up. She truly makes me happy. I slowly pull back from the kiss, although I want to stay like this for a longer time.

"Thank you." her soft voice is all I want to hear. The cool breeze makes her shiver, but her eyes carry nothing but warmth in them.

"You are cold," I notice before I take the hoodie in my hand and pull it over her head without thinking about it. She always looks so cute in my clothes which are too big for her and I stroke my hands over her arms to warm her up even more. I place a kiss on the mole above her right eyebrow and take her hand in mine, our fingers intertwined as we walk back to my car.

Buckled up, I start the engine and we drive to her apartment in silence. It is not a deafening silence, but one that calms and warms. Her apartment is a ten-minute drive to the park, but despite the short time, Elaine seems so tired from her workday that she falls asleep immediately, but I don't wake her up this time. I take a quick glance at her sleeping form from time to time and only realize that I'm smiling all the time when my cheeks slowly start to hurt.

Arriving in front of her apartment I step out of the car but make sure I close the door slowly so as not to wake her up before I run to the passenger side and open her door. Placing my arms under her thighs and back, I carry her from my car up to her apartment, because I don't want to interrupt her sleep. She cuddles up into the crook of my neck, babbling something in her slumber that I can't make out and I chuckle about it. Struggling to get the keys out of her pocket without dropping her, I open the front door and walk up the stairs to her bedroom. While I change her into her pajamas, I contemplate whether to stay or go back to my workshop but to give Elaine some peace and rest I decide to sleep at my place. Just as I'm about to turn around to leave, a small hand grabs my wrist to stop me.

"Stay," she mumbles sleepily and my eyebrows shoot up.

"You cheater. I thought you were asleep." I smile, thinking back to the day when she watched me in my sleep, although I wasn't actually asleep and said exactly the same words.

She doesn't say anything, just smiles lazily with her eyes closed and I strip my clothes down to my boxers before I crawl into bed next to her. I take her in my arms and her warmth radiates to me, her cheek resting on my chest while I massage her scalp until we both fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

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The annoying vibration, which seems to echo even louder due to the wooden surface of the bedside table, tears me out of my sleep. Usually, I'm a heavy sleeper and wouldn't wake up at such a light noise and considering that I don't even have the sound on, I'm surprised that the ringing of my phone could wake me up. I blink my eyes, looking around me to comprehend what is happening. The slight illumination of the display flashes next to me and I groan stretching out my arm to reach for the annoying device and see who is calling me at this hour.

It's only a little past two in the morning and I swear to God, if it's one of the guys again, I'm going to rip their heads off. But when I look at the caller, which is an unknown number and I realize that this is not Tae or Hoseok, I get curious. Who is calling me at this hour? Sliding my thumb over the touch surface I accept the call because a voice inside me tells me that something is not right.

"Hello?" I answer, my voice still sleepy as I try to sit up.

"Am I talking to Jeon Jungkook?" a voice asks, which I can't decipher because it is the first time I hear it.

"Yes? To whom am I speaking?" I ask cautiously, an uneasiness present in the pit of my stomach.

I jump up from the bed, the phone in my hand as the next words of the man ring in my ear. I listen, but it seems as if I don't understand what he is saying. He continues talking, asking if I'm still there, but I'm tongue-tied, my entire system is unable to comprehend, my limbs are rock hard. I can't move as the words sink in and I feel the world around me crumbling. My fingers get cold, a shiver runs down my spine and I shudder, although my head is spinning and my eyes are burning with unshed tears.

My vision is blurred, cloudy, like the sky today. But the clouds, which were so clean and innocent, now block my vision, floating heavy and dark before my eyes. Like the clouds that cause a thunderstorm and make everything rumble with their furious growl.

I don't know how much time passes while standing here, the phone pressed firmly to my ear to make sure I understand everything correctly. The man's voice still resonates in my ears and I flinch as a warm hand touches my cold skin.

"Baby?"

The voice is familiar, but my brain seems to perceive nothing around me. I'm in a state of shock, I know that, but there's nothing I can do about it. My muscles fail and I drop the phone from my hand, the man's voice still coming from the phone that is now lying on the floor with a broken display. A quick rustle from the bed is what I can still perceive before two worried eyes stare into mine.

I stare into her eyes, but I feel nothing, I feel numb. The eyes that I admired until a few hours ago now shine with concern. I feel broken, broken because such a beautiful day can turn into such a cruel one. Have you ever had the feeling when it feels like you are in a dream? As if everything is too beautiful to be true, only to crumble into dust, like a piece of glass breaking and cutting you. Like the blood of despair and hopelessness gliding burning over your skin and eventually drowning you in it. I sometimes truly wonder if the time will ever come when I can be happy without worries, without everything shattering and leaving me in pain.

"Jungkook? What happened?" she begs, her hands cupping my face. Her eyes are searching for mine, which are unable to show any emotions right now, and the next words that leave my mouth don't even seem to be true to me.

"My workshop's on fire."

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A/N: We have reached the turning point in the story so the next chapters could be interesting to read. I hope I can meet your expectations.
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