"I get jealous, but who wouldn't when you look like you do?"

~S.M

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Where the month started as a scene straight from a horror movie, the rest of the month flowered into a gift for Naomi: soft kisses in the moonlight, laughter so contagious it hurt to breathe, quiet afternoons spent listening to clinking teacups at the Rose Petal as she goes over her client files. Shortly after their encounter, (if one could call it that) Taehyung delved into the slow process of reconciliation and then some, showering her with dates and gifts and sex whenever she wanted. It was as if he turned on the switch overnight, shut off his more aggressive moments, and let the charm he had left take over.

He came without question. He left without question. He was everything she wanted him to be and more, and not a trace of the mean streak she feared. Those fears and the bruises on her wrist are healing day by day.

She wonders if this Taehyung will stay for good. Nonetheless, she stays clear of the basement from now on.

He seems to be in a rather good mood when they come in together for his shift on Wednesday, because as soon as he sees Jimin sitting on his phone at the counter, he nearly jumps over a table to crush him in a bear hug.

"Jeez, what's with him?" Jimin asks, voice half-muffled from being practically strangled to death. Taehyung takes no notice and continues to hold him even when customers begin to notice, but Naomi giggles from behind him.

"Maybe he hasn't seen you in a while," she says as Taehyung inspects him while holding him by the shoulders. It's true; they haven't been scheduled for the same shift in a few weeks since Taehyung began picking up more odd jobs around Austin.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Taehyung demands, to which Jimin scoffs.

"What are you, my mom?"

"I'm serious."

Jimin furrows his eyebrows, his gaze flicking to Naomi, and looks back at Taehyung. "No, man. I'm good."

"Good."

He musters up a weak chuckle, then leans closer to his coworker.

"But, uh... You haven't seen Yoongi around by any chance, have you?"

Taehyung's face drops, and Naomi can only infer that his unexplained animosity toward him hasn't changed in the months she last saw the two together. She still remembers how Jimin served as her only salvation during the double date, feeling just as displaced as she was.

"Why would I have seen him around?" he asks.

"Dunno, just asking. He bailed on our date a week ago and hasn't been home when I've come over..."

Taehyung shrugs casually as he turns to start setting up for the day. "I'm sure he's fine. He struck me as kind of a loner." Though Jimin doesn't seem convinced, he nods and gets to work, the look of distraughtness still mounting on his face. Naomi can't pin why there seems to be an imbalance of tension in the air but decides not to comment on it. She has better things to worry about than Jimin's boyfriend.

"I'm gonna get set up," she says to no one in particular, then hauls her bag and computer over to the corner. It's the most cramped space in the whole cafe, but she likes the little semblance of privacy she gets there. Curtains draped overhead shroud her in partial shadow while the rest of the world is a little brighter in comparison. When business is slow, Taehyung leans over the counter and asks her what she's working on, and suddenly, it'll be just the two of them. It's funny how easily everything vanishes when his eyes locks on hers.

Naomi thought that their different lifestyles would clash, but it only gives them more to talk about. His ego never bruises when she brings up things relating to college, nor does he try to stop her from doing clientele work in his presence. In turn, her perception of higher education did a complete 180 and almost provided a safe haven from her other friends, as bad as that sounds. There's no pressure for appearances, no pressure to succeed, no pressure to do much of anything, really.

And in a world that spins without her oftentimes, that can be the most wonderful thing life has to offer.

Just when she opens her computer and allows herself to relax, her phone buzzes, and her eyes narrowing in surprise when she sees the name on the screen.

Jungkook. It's not like him to call before texting, or call at all, for that matter. He would much rather save his free time doing something useful, like a new girl, or ignoring the homework piling up on his desk.

She gives Taehyung a quick smile and hides the screen before he can see it. Just when she was beginning to forget about him.

"I gotta take a phone call real quick. I'll be right back," she says, and he nods amicably in response, giving her a wave before busying himself with a speck on the tabletop. She hates how fast she rushes out of the cafe, guilt snapping at her heels.

And now, Naomi regrets going out of her way to answer the phone once she realizes the heater in the Rose Petal spoiled her; Texas in November will be the death of her one day.

Making sure the tension isn't detectable in her voice, she swipes across the screen and asks, "Hello?"

"Hey," Jungkook says flatly.

"What's up?"

There's a pause where he draws a breath to speak, then closes his mouth again. Words rarely have a chance to fail him.

"You've been ignoring my texts and calls. I wanted to know if you were alright," he finally forces out. His voice sticks to the inside of his throat as if it grew hooks to barricade itself out of shame, and the mental image of him running a hand through his hair as he drums his fingers along his desk invades her mind.

She resists the urge to sigh and rubs her temples instead. So, so childish, and so not worth pulling her away from her clients. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I've just been super swamped with coursework."

It's not a lie, but it's certainly not the whole truth, either. The secret is, she really did mean to ignore him. Not because she wanted to, but because there's something that doesn't sit right with her when she thinks about him or when she aches to see him smile after saying something juvenile. It puts a pit in her stomach, one of acid betrayal.

"I haven't seen you in months. I miss you," Jungkook continues, the confidence building in his voice.

"I, uh." Naomi swallows. The guilt has made its way up into her chest now. "I miss you, too."

"Do you have time to come over?"

The question takes her by surprise, and she blinks. "When?"

"Now." His commanding tone tempts her away from the window out a fear that someone inside would be able to hear it, too. She feels it working its sweet magic on her, caressing her willpower up and down to loosen and tease it, but somehow, her feet stay locked into place.

"Now...?"

"Can you think of a better time?" he asks coyly. Her legs turn to jelly.

"Jungkook..." she trails off hesitantly.

"What's wrong?"

Everything.

Naomi shakes her head, though she knows he can't see her. "I can't."

"You good? It's like you're avoiding me, or something," he murmurs.

She doesn't want to like talking to him, fucking him, or doing anything with him. Every time she thinks about him, there's a pang she never felt before, back when their motives were the same. Now that she knows what it's like to be the center of someone's universe, simply being an orbiting planet in his isn't all that appealing anymore.

Then, a sudden flash of annoyance strikes her. Every time he wanted her to come over and fuck, she never once hesitated to drop everything and go, but now that she's giving him the same treatment, he can't handle it?

"I told you, I'm just busy," she retorts, the words coming out harsher than she wanted them to.

Naomi can't help looking back at the window to search for Taehyung, and she pauses when she finds him at a table. He's in the middle of telling a story to an old woman, one that is so fascinating that she is rapt to attention even as her drink sits cold in her hands. But that seems to be the least of her concerns, and he's all the more happy to continue luring her in. Even Jimin looks like he's having a good time, smiling to himself at the counter as he writes down orders. The other customers subconsciously lean in to bathe in his luminance.

The bait is colorful and the fish are rendered blind to everything else.

What was so special about Naomi when she walked in here for the first time? He could've had anyone he wanted, yet he picked her to sink his teeth into. He memorized all the nooks and curves of her body long ago, eager to learn someone new and discard the past. And what a thrill it's been, having someone so perfect yet in need of so much compassion. Someone that needs so much fixing.

She looks down at the bruises on her wrist. What about that? Well, the hiccups along the way were bound to happen, she reasons, and for all of his flaws, he makes up for it in the sincere devotion she sees in his eyes. They're liquid embers that let doubt vanish and be replaced with an absolute trust that she can't help but feel. Every instinct in her body screams for her to leave, but maybe that's the fear of sincerity in a culture that admonishes it. Kismet binds her in its chains.

But just like a dog given scraps all his life, Taehyung is hesitant to ask for what he truly wants, and playing dumb to it is getting rather tiresome. Her flagrant dismissals of his desires to be something more have only been building up, and it'll come to a head one day. Every time they dig too deep into each other and she's the first to change the subject, every time the three words are right there and the tension is allowed to bubble over, it eats away at the both of them.

"I gotta go," Naomi says suddenly. Jungkook's breath hitches as if he's going to say something, but he releases it.

"I- alright. See you when I see you, I guess."

"Yeah, see ya."

Pocketing her phone hastily, she takes solace in the fact that her heart is already beginning to slow down and the pressure on her chest is floating away, tucking itself into her mind for another day. She walks back into the Rose Petal and relishes the way Taehyung turns to her like it's the first time he's seen her as the bell jingles. The same slowness in his movements, the same tenderness and curiosity in which he regarded every aspect of her.

They smile as their gazes lock, and she is pulled into the scent of matcha and his orbit once more.

"What was that about?" Taehyung asks as she approaches the counter, and she shakes her head with a dismissive smile, opting to give him a kiss on the cheek instead.

"Nothing important. When's your break again?"

He raises an eyebrow coyly. "Anytime you want it to be."

"Wanna go to lunch, then? My treat," she says with a wink. Taehyung turns to Jimin, who's currently on his phone with none of the customers to babysit. The stitch in his brow tells her he's probably checking to see if Yoongi read any of his texts yet.

"You got it over here?" Taehyung asks, and Jimin looks up after a few seconds. He looks between the two of them, purses his lips, and sighs.

"Do I have a choice?" he asks. Taehyung makes a face, and he rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine. Just hurry back. I don't wanna have to call Tina in."

Taehyung takes off his apron with a grin, then pats his grumpy coworker on the back. "I owe you one, bud."

"Damn right you do!" Jimin says back, though the couple is already halfway out the door and unable to hear him through their own chatter. The autumn air is still too cold for comfort, but the company isn't half bad. Naomi turns to look at her lover.

He's beautiful, she thinks as she watches him go through the list of her favorite restaurants, eyes animated and full of stolen stars. Goosebumps line his bare arms, but he doesn't seem to mind as his focus is fully on her. And how stupid would I be to let another one go?

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안녕 여러분! What did you guys think about
this chapter? Jungkook makes an appearance
again... Thoughts? Let me know!

I just wanna say thank you so much to all
of the people that have continued to read this
book... I've been having some problems but
you guys motivate me so much and I really
appreciate all of the comments and love...
I love you guys so much!

Until next time, happy reading!

Love,
Haneul