Jungkook interrupted me several times, releasing heavy scoffs and questions while I told him almost everything about the prophecy. I recanted discovering the box, the revelation that it was all real, and traveling to Texas during grad school. I left out details about each of my soulmates, already able to see the anger in his eyes as I talked about my past. I'd promised to answer all of his questions once I finished but he was silent in a way that alarmed me. I couldn't deal with both of them shutting me out.

"Jungkook." I prompted him, his muscles tensed. He sat with his arms crossed, staring blankly past the terrace instead of looking at me.

More silence passed before he blinked, studying me before speaking. "I don't believe it."

"What?" My reply was automatic.

He stood abruptly, looking down at me. "I don't believe it. Just say you've been in love with a bunch of men and that you want to keep being in love with a bunch of men. Don't bullshit." The clip of his voice after every sentence was harsh.

"I'm not, it's real." I stood, offended that he thought me a liar and with his tone.

He rolled his eyes. "It is. You don't get to have and leave all these relationships and pretend it's some magical thing pulling you to the next guy."

My face heated with my own irritation. "You don't know anything about my relationships." I refuted.

"You're right, but I know about this one and you just–" His voice cracked when he halted his statement. An ire filled look crossed his glassy eyes and he cursed to himself before turning into the apartment, the tiny windowpanes to the balcony door trembling as he slammed it shut.

It took me a minute to reenter the apartment, biting back the emotion that begged to be let out. I could hear Jungkook from the bedroom, ranting to Taehyung loudly but with the wall muffling his words. I walked down the hallway, pressing my ear gently against the door to hear him explaining everything to Taehyung. While I would have liked the choice to tell him myself, a part of me was relieved that it gave me the chance to avoid the sure double dose of anger he'd be holding inside.

I already knew what I needed to do and moved quickly to my closet. I tugged out the same old box, the corners dull and edges held together by tape, and placed it in front of their bedroom door. I racked my knuckles against the wood twice before turning back down the hall, grabbing my keys and wallet from the table and heading into the city in search of alternative comfort.

I found it by indulging in all of my favorite foods, having a bowl of amatriciana so large that I usually would have halved it to take home and going for a hunk of tiramisu directly after. As soon as I took the last bite I realized I'd eaten well past the point of being full, making the walk back to the apartment so uncomfortable that I unbuttoned my pants for some relief while standing in the elevator.

It was nightfall by the time I stepped back into the apartment, stripping myself of my pants in the living room and pulling my hair through the elastic that I kept on my wrist. I brushed my teeth and switched my t-shirt for a fresh one from the dryer to sleep in, noticing that the box was no longer on the floor where I left it.

The lack of sound throughout the apartment told me that they were either stewing or had fallen asleep. I was tempted to go to their room, to crawl into bed between them like always, but I feared they'd reject me and that it'd ruin me more.

I was relieved by the lump underneath the covers in my bedroom. I pulled them back before climbing from the bottom into my side against the wall next to Jungkook. We apologized to each other with only a look, his arm snaking around my waist and lips brushing against mine as he talked.

"I don't care about anyone from the past," he breathed, "but I don't want there to be anyone after us."

"I don't want that either." I responded.

He sighed, his hold on me loosening. "But you know it'll happen anyway."

I didn't stop him from pulling away. He rolled onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head in contemplation. "It's complicated. It's not like I ever wished for any of them to end. I just knew they would and they ended naturally like relationships sometimes do." I explained.

"I can't have some other guy come along and take you from me in four years." His chest rose higher with every breath, like he was struggling to control it.

It was hard to know what to say. Here I was, on my fifth and sixth soulmates and still feeling as clueless as ever. I didn't want to tell Jungkook that I wasn't sure if we'd be together by the next date or if something else would lead to the end of our relationship. I wasn't sure if I met my next soulmate and we were still together, if I could simply choose. I didn't know anything outside of the love that existed for him and Taehyung now.

I shifted so that I rested on his chest, one of his arms moving down so that it curled around me while mine draped across his torso. His body flinched as if he were stuck with a lightbulb idea, completely serious as he proposed his plan to stop the prophecy.

"On November 30, 2024," he started with the date, one that he memorized from the contents of the box I left for them, "I'll act like one of those guys from those dumb mafia or CEO books you like to read. I'll tie you up so you'll see no one but me and Tae that day."

I giggled, resting my chin on the back of my hand. "And if fate intervenes and he bursts through the window somehow." I raised a brow, able to sense the tint of humor in his mood.

"Oh, you'll be blindfolded too." He smirked.

I pressed my mouth into my hand to muffle my laughter. "Sounds like you're just into bondage."

He muttered a short acknowledgement, taking me by surprise when he flipped us over. I laid on my back and his fingertips trailed up my arms, pulled above my head as he sloppily kissed my neck. I could feel the tight grip he kept around my wrists, holding them together until he found something handy to act as a bind.

The following morning he expressed confidence that Taehyung would be back to normal in a couple of days, referencing the longest period of two days full with silence toward him. We laid in bed, ignoring the outside world for a while before I started to feel guilty. No matter how upset Taehyung was with me, I missed him. Hearing him move loudly around the apartment, a habit that Jungkook and I scolded him for but that never changed made me miss him more.

Jungkook showered while I moved to the kitchen, staying in my night clothes and leaving my hair falling from the elastic in some places. Taehyung was nowhere to be found, his coat gone and a bag with four croissants left behind on the counter.

I downed two and started to pluck off small pieces of the flaky crust of another when Jungkook snuck behind where I made myself comfortable on the couch.The bag with the last pastry crumpled as he pulled it from my lap, huffing as he peeked inside.

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to have two of these." He plopped onto the cushion next to me, holding his mouth open so that I could shove the picked over croissant that I held past his lips.

He could see the somber look in my eyes and leaned over to kiss the corner of my mouth, nuzzling himself into my jaw. "He went shopping. I'm sure he'll be back soon." He tried to assure me.

Jungkook did his best to distract me with my favorite romantic comedy, one that he previously swore he'd never sit through again. When it finished he danced around the kitchen in the way I adored, sifting through the pantry and refrigerator for something to cook.

Taehyung returned a minute before we were set to have dinner and I suspected that it was because Jungkook. He had to walk sideways with all of the bags he carried, scooching through the door without a word and dropping his items off in their bedroom before joining us.

The sound of our chewing and the occasional sigh by Jungkook were the only sounds that filled the air while we ate. Taehyung poked at his food harsher than usual and smacked with every bite like it was all he could do to avoid speaking. Jungkook had enough of the tension when he finished cleaning his plate, standing and letting his items clatter into the sink loudly before stomping down the hall to leave us alone.

"Taehyung," I set down my fork, tired of plucking over the food I now had no appetite for, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the whole soulmate thing and about Jimin." I lifted my chin, his gaze on the last bite he held to his mouth.

Though I doubt it was Jungkook's intention when he left, Taehyung copied his exit. The door to their bedroom slammed and it didn't take long for them to start arguing.

I occupied myself with cleaning up the table and kitchen, turning the TV to the highest volume to drown them out and lose myself in a final movie for the night.

I didn't remember the ending of the movie or getting to my bed, waking again when my work alarm sounded from where my phone sat on the nightstand. Jungkook groaned from next to me, stretching before curling back toward the wall. I climbed out of bed, groggy as I shuffled to the bathroom for a shower.

It took an extra fifteen minutes for me to get ready, tiredness from the past few weeks and my search for a missing earring making me rush.

The signature smell of Taehyung's cologne lingered in the hallway as I held onto the wall, pausing to slip into my shoes. He stood by the door, waiting for me while I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse.

He treated it as if we coiencidentally left at the exact same time, as if we just so happened to be walking the same route to my job. We skipped our typical stop for an espresso and he didn't miss a step as we passed my office building, keeping toward his job while I turned through the front doors.

Nearly the entire week proceeded in the same fashion. He walked next to me to and from work every day, without uttering a single word. He hardly spoke to Jungkook when I was around, punishing me from even hearing the sound of his voice. We sat through awkward dinners every night and despite Jungkook's best efforts to cheer me up with showered affection, I still fluctuated between rage and sadness.

By Thursday night I was fed up with sleeping without him and decided to take a chance, following Jungkook into their bedroom and closing the door behind me for the first time that week. Taehyung didn't give away any emotion when he looked up, pulling back his side of the quilt and climbing inside. While Jungkook changed I turned over the opposite corner of the blanket, biting my lip to hold back the pained sound that bubbled inside me when Taehyung stuffed a pillow into the space between us.

Jungkook hadn't noticed, preoccupied with rubbing a night cream into his face and neck. He settled into the spot on the other side of me. I turned over so that he held onto me from behind, the cushioned barrier that Taehyung placed keeping me from seeing anything other than the top of his head.

It didn't take them long to fall asleep. It was easier to blame my lack of sleep on their back and forth breathing as opposed to the truth. I felt like I would burst with emotion at any moment and Jungkook could feel it, his hands stroking at rigid parts of my body, attempting to comfort me even in his slumber.

I shook myself out of his hold, edging toward the foot of the bed in one of the earliest hours of morning. I crept onto the balcony, not thinking of the early October chill in the air that made me shiver as I took a seat outside.

The tears I'd been holding back since getting into bed flowed freely down my cheeks. I pressed my mouth into the long sleeve that was pulled down to cover my hands, masking the tiny sobs I let out.

I used my shirt to wipe at my eyes and face, small puffs of air floating in front of me with every ragged breath. I missed the sound of the door clicking open, glancing up as a thick blanket draped around my shoulders.

Taehyung sat in the chair beside me, his toes curling against the cold concrete as he reached out to thumb away the fresh tear on my cheek.

I smacked his hand away. "Go back inside if you're not going to say anything." I intended to sound cruel but the ache against the lump in my throat exuded hurt.

"Don't cry." He said.

I became increasingly emotional as I thought, everything that I'd been holding onto for the past few days spewing out in response. "I guess all I needed to do was cry for you to talk to me. Or better yet, have a meltdown because I've already been crying all week." My voice rasped against the wind.

"It wasn't about that. At least you had Jungkook with you." He retorted. "I've practically been all alone."

My response came before he could finish. "That's your own fault and don't use me having Jungkook to rationalize you ignoring me for days." I was becoming a blubbering mess, hiccuping over my words. "It's not okay and doesn't make up for you not being here."

His head hung low with the weight of his words. "My head goes to another place when I'm mad. I just think and think and think and I can't say anything. When I'm like that I'll only make things worse." He admitted.

"I'd prefer you say something out of anger rather than shut me out for so long." I returned.

He shook his head, a small smile behind his voice that masked the self-deprecation. "You wouldn't. Underneath all this adorableness I can be mean."

"So I've seen." I teased him. It wasn't funny at the time but I felt okay enough to joke about his wordless tantrum. My tears had stopped falling and I was sure the red blotches on my face that always appeared post-meltdown were making an appearance. "How do you stop focusing on the anger and stop the thoughts?" I wondered. Tonight it seemed to be my meltdown that made it end, that led him to being able to talk to me again.

"I realized seeing the way you lit up as soon as you saw him hurt me, more than anything has." He answered.

When I met his eyes, glistening with tears at the confession I stood, the blanket that covered me rising so that my legs were exposed. I perched sideways on his leg, his hand cool as it reached across the tops of my thighs to secure me against him by the hip.

I kissed him, filled with an apology that I'd already given but that he hadn't been ready to accept.

"I'm sorry too." He spoke into my mouth.

"Next time we'll have to find a creative solution to skip to this part." I grinned, leaning into him again.

He chuckled. "Jungkook is the one with all the creative solutions. He's got some ideas about dealing with your next soulmate."

"Believe me, I've heard." I giggled, whispering into his ear about Jungkook's antics from the previous night.

"Don't worry, we'll figure out how to deal with it." He nodded. The late Autumn air chilled me from my ears to my toes, but in his arms again my heart gave a pinch of warmth.