The evening had settled in when Taehyung woke up from his nap. Alone.

He already knew deep down that he was actually alone inside the hotel room and that Jeongguk had left god-knows-when but he still searched the room.

He checked his phone to see several texts and calls from his secretary and let out a stressed sigh but proceeded to text back that the meeting had dragged on. With a heavy heart, he got dressed and exited the hotel alone. There was no note whatsoever left by Jeongguk. Not a single text. And Taehyung had to accept that their intimate interaction might not have meant anything to Jeongguk at all.

Jeongguk's words echoed in his head on his way back to his workplace. "You looked happy" he had said. As if Jeongguk hadn't.

Taehyung remembered how exactly two years after their breakup, the one day Taehyung decided to show up to one of their friend group hangouts, Jeongguk decided to bring a date; a girl Jeongguk had been dating for a few months after meeting her at his university.

Taehyung knew that Jeongguk had a girlfriend. He announced it to the whole group chat when they stared dating. This was usual practice in their friend group. However, Taehyung was single at the time. In fact, he had resorted to stringless hookups or one-night stands in the first two years of university.

Taehyung knew he should've had it coming since this isn't the first time that someone brought a date to a hangout.

This had been the first time he had felt utterly disgusted by Jeongguk and he wasn't sure to this day why such an emotion took over him. He and Jeongguk were nothing. They weren't even friends. The last thing he should be feeling was this disgusting jealousy.

However, he couldn't help himself.

"Since when are you bringing strangers to our hangouts?"

Taehyung and Jeongguk were in a queue to order their food and Jeongguk had glared at him when Taehyung's question fell upon his ears. It was a dumb question. She was his date. However, Taehyung couldn't help himself.

"She's not a stranger. She's my girlfriend"

Taehyung had rolled his eyes. His bitterness only grew throughout the night as he watched Jeongguk and Hyejin share smiles and inside jokes. Taehyung remembered the group's conversation turned into camping, which was one of Jeongguk's favourite pastimes. Hyejin started talking of how she and Jeongguk were planning on going camping in the summer and Taehyung had felt a fit of jealousy so overwhelming that he had to butt in-

"Jeongguk, remember that time we went camping, about four years ago and it started raining so much..." Taehyung kept going. Because camping used to be their thing. They had gone camping alone countless times when they were together.

And the trip won't be completed without Jeongguk getting fucked in the middle of a forest. They were just horny teenagers.

"Yeah" Jeongguk had laughed awkwardly, trying to keep it cool. He hadn't wanted to reveal his past relationship with Taehyung to Hyejin. "The storm destroyed our tent"

"Oh my god, what did you do then?" Hyejin was so pretty and dainty. Feminine. She was Jeongguk's type.

"We stayed inside this tiny cave until the storm was over" Taehyung smiled. They fucked all night. "It was quite the night. I wished it wouldn't end"

Jeongguk's face had turned red as a beet. He grabbed his beer and took a few sips to cool down.

It was later that night that Jeongguk dragged Taehyung away to the bathrooms, pushing him against the nearest wall.

"Can you stop with this bullshit? I'm trying to move on from you and you're not helping!" Jeongguk had shouted.

"I don't intend to help you" Taehyung had whispered.

"But we're over! You broke up with me! What else do you fucking want?"

Taehyung didn't know the answer to that. He didn't even know why he was acting all petty. Therefore, he had sighed. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it"

Jeongguk had looked puzzled. "What?"

"Go back to your girl. I won't bother you anymore"

Jeongguk had just stared at him. "What do you want?!"

"You" Taehyung had blurted out.

And Jeongguk looked enraged. He had pressed himself against Taehyung and their lips ghosted against each other. Taehyung's heart had been racing, only a single thread of self-control holding him back from smashing his lips against Jeongguk. Jeongguk panted against Taehyung's lips and Taehyung could see him bargaining as he stared into Taehyung's lips. He had tilted his head, the hot skin meeting a single millimetre for a split second. And Jeongguk ran out of the bathroom. Taehyung wasn't surprised.

This was the first time that Taehyung understood that Jeongguk was still hung up on him.

It had brought a sick satisfaction to Taehyung.

Because deep down, he too was hung up on Jeongguk.

Regardless of the lengthy eight years that passed after that interaction, the numerous hookups with numerous people, and the relationships that didn't work out, Taehyung never got over Jeongguk, after all. The epiphany didn't come unwelcome to him, as he arrived at his workplace from the hotel. Nor did the epiphany of how Taehyung's anger towards Jeongguk didn't materialize solely out of the unresolved conflict between them, but also through the undissolved feelings for him.

The question was whether Jeongguk felt the same way about him. Or if this was just a flicker of lust for him that he wanted to put out.

However, Jeongguk did break up with his girlfriend after their almost-kiss at that time. So maybe, just maybe, Jeongguk too is still hung up on Taehyung, after all.

-

Jeongguk didn't turn up at the negotiation meeting that followed. Instead, a staff member did. Taehyung was disappointed. Therefore, he decided to contact Jeongguk. However, his texts of "we need to talk" got left on delivered.

Jeongguk only turned up at the final settlement meeting, once the negotiations were done with. They met up at Jeongguk's office building. When the two parties shook hands, Taehyung's hand was met with Jeongguk's cold ones, which only met Taehyung's for a brief second and rewarded with a tight-lipped smile. As the four of them celebrated the settlement with a lunch organized by Jeongguk's company, and the conversation flowed smoothly, not a single word was exchanged between Taehyung and Jeongguk. In fact, Jeongguk refused to even look at Taehyung during the meeting and lunch. Even as Taehyung tried to spark some conversation between them, Jeongguk's responses were short and uninterested. The air between them hung heavily with awkwardness and with every passing second, Taehyung could feel himself losing his patience. He felt uncomfortable and anxious. And he hated it.

The lunch ended and the four of them parted ways. Taehyunng watched Jeongguk walk to his office without a single glance at Taehyung. And Taehyung felt himself snap. He marched towards Jeongguk's office and opened the door Jeongguk had walked through without knocking. Jeongguk, standing beside his table, looked surprised to see Taehyung marching towards him. However, he was frozen in the spot as Taehyung paused in front of him, chest-to-chest.

"I fucking hate this" Taehyung let out.

"What?" Jeongguk mumbled, doe eyes wide.

"That you're ignoring me"

"I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. We have been ignoring each other for the last ten years"

"Until a few weeks back. We fucked, in case you forgot"

Taehyung watched the way Jeongguk's cheeks dusted pink at the remark. "So what?"

"So what?!" Taehyung shouted. He was losing his mind. "I hate how after all the things we did that day, you're pretending like I don't exist. Like it meant nothing! Like you felt nothing from it! I can't take it"

"What do you want me to say, Taehyung? That I enjoyed it? That we should do it again sometime?"

Taehyung gulped. "Anything but this growing awkwardness"

"Fine, then" Jeongguk pressed himself against Taehyung, eyebrows knitted together in anger. "I enjoyed what happened. In fact, I loved it. I loved it so much that I longed for you every day that followed. And I wished every day that I could do it again with you"

Taehyung was dumbfounded. "Then let's do it again"

"We're not at the age to have fuck-buddy relationships, Taehyung" Jeongguk took a step back. "We're supposed to be finding settling down at this age"

Taehyung just stared.

"So let's just forget what happened and go back to how we were. We both had separate lives, there is no need to let a moment of weakness change things"

"A moment of weakness?!" Taehyung couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What are you talking about? Is it a mistake for you? Our passion and the chemistry we had that day? We made love, Jeongguk!

"Made love? You're ever so the romantic, Taehyung" Jeongguk whispered. "You're right. But being hung up on this would take either of us nowhere"

"You're just going to walk away, then?"

"Yes"

Taehyung chewed on his bottom lip, contemplating his next words. A brief silence passed between them. Until Taehyung decided.

"No"

"What?" Jeongguk asked.

"I won't let you walk away"

Jeongguk raised his eyebrows in question.

Taehyung walked towards him once again and pushed Jeongguk back softly. Jeongguk moved back, letting Taehyung back him against a rack of books. "I walked away from you last time. I won't let you do that this time"

"It's only fair that I do it this time. We are a mess, Taehyung. We won't work out like we did ten years back. We can't-

"We can't or you don't want to?"

Jeongguk looked up at Taehyung, doe eyes sparkling in the lights of the office. Taehyung's heart skipped a beat as he stared back. Jeongguk didn't answer Taehyung's question. Therefore, Taehyung spoke again.

"Tell me you don't want me and I will go"

"I can't say that"

"Tell me" Taehyung seethed. "That you don't crave me the way I crave you"

Jeongguk's eyes shook.

"Tell me that you don't want to be with me again, Jeongguk. Say it" Taehyung whispered.

"I can't" Jeongguk whispered helplessly.

Taehyung's hand snaked around Jeongguk's narrow waist, over the thick blazer. However, it made Jeongguk's wide eyes even wider and he sucked in a breath.

"Then push me away. Right now" Taehyung whispered.

"What?"

"I'm going to kiss you" Taehyung whispered, his lips inches away from Jeongguk's. "Tell me to stop and I will. Push me away"

"Tae..." Jeongguk whispered.

"Say it" Their lips ghosted against one another.

"You know I can't say that" Jeongguk whispered and pressed his lips against Taehyung.

🪢

short chapter, I know. But I will update soon!