stuck with you; knj (ambw)

Chapter 9

Namjoon POV

He could feel the heat radiating off of his face, as well as his neck and ears. It didn't take long for him to figure out what Iris' friend was going to say and once he did, he couldn't exactly hide his embarrassment.

So he had to retreat to the bathroom to calm himself down. He didn't want Iris to feel worse than she already did.

He washes his face in the sink, the cool water feeling good against his flushed skin. Then he looks at himself in the mirror. His lilac colored hair is in a mess and his cheeks are still a light shade of pink from before. But he looks good.

Well, at the very least, he knows Iris didn't run away from him because he was too ugly. Not that he was seriously considering that to be the reason, but still.

Then why did she run in the first place?

The unanswered question plagues his mind once again.

He'll have to ask her that later.

After a few minutes, he exits the bathroom and starts looking for his soulmate.

"God dammit!" Her annoyed groan seems to be coming from the kitchen, so that's where he goes. He finds Iris bent over, peering into the fridge.

Oh my.

His gaze immediately zeroes in on the view in front of him. More specifically, her ass. He know he shouldn't be staring but he can't help himself. It's just such a perfect shape and-

"The fridge is basically empty." Namjoon quickly diverts his eyes when Iris suddenly turns around. "We have to go grocery shopping tomorrow." From her tone of voice, he can tell that she's stressed.

"Why don't we just go today?" He asks nonchalantly. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice he was staring.

She shakes her head at him. "It's too late in the day, the grocery store's gonna be a zoo."

Namjoon can imagine it now. He knows that whenever there's a natural disaster or storm in the forecast, people try to stock up on as many supplies as possible. But now that there's a deadly virus among them, the frenzy will probably be much worse.

"I was gonna cook, but I guess that's not happening." She mumbles.

"You can cook?" Namjoon asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Kind of." Iris shrugs. "You?"

He shakes his head, remembering all the times he tried to make a dish for himself or his members. It never ends well. "Cooking is definitely not one of my talents." He admits.

"I can teach you if you want." She offers, taking a seat at the island in the kitchen. "Obviously not today, but.." She trails off, playing with her fingers.

A small smile forms on Namjoon's face. "Yeah, that sounds nice. I would like that."

"Okay, great."

The room goes quiet after that and Namjoon sees it as a perfect opportunity to bring up a topic he's been wanting to discuss. "Can I ask you something?" He starts off, sitting down across from her at the island.

Iris looks up from the table, making eye contact with him. "Yeah, of course."

"Why did you run away from me?" Namjoon finally asks. "That day in the library. I mean, I know you weren't expecting the whole soulmate thing to happen but I still don't get it."

"I, um.." Iris pauses, shifting in her seat. It's obvious that the question has made her uncomfortable. But this is something Namjoon needs to know in order to satisfy his curiosity.

So he's patient, giving her as much time as she needs to answer. And after a while, she finally does.

"I never wanted a soulmate."

Oh.

He'll admit that hurt a bit. But he masks his emotions, allowing her to finish explaining herself.

"I hated the idea of my fate being chosen for me. I'm someone who likes to be independent and make my own decisions and I felt like if I found my soulmate, all of that would change."

Namjoon's eyebrows furrow as he thinks about her words. He had never thought of it that way. He always viewed his soulmate as someone who would complete him, the last missing piece of the puzzle that was his life. But now he can see where Iris is coming from. He takes a few moments to process his thoughts before speaking.

"I'm not here to take anything away from you, especially not your freedom." He reassures her. "The two of us are a team now and we need to work together."

Namjoon could see the relief washing over her. "I'm really glad you said that." Then she smiles, stretching out a hand towards him. "Teamwork?"

He grabs her smaller hand in his, shaking it firmly. "Teamwork."

_______

The two of them watch some television, taking a break to eat some grilled cheese sandwiches. Then they decide to call it a night. It's still somewhat early, but it's been a long day.

In fact, Namjoon is in the process of falling asleep on the couch when he hears Iris' voice once again. She must have just gotten out of the shower.

"Here's a blanket and some pillows." Her voice nearly echoes as she reenters the silent living room area.

She enters Namjoon's field of vision and his eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

Iris is only dressed in a large oversized t-shirt that comes down to her mid-thigh. Everything below that is bare.

Sweet baby jesus.

This might be the norm in America, but most Korean women tend to be more conservative. He's not used to seeing them expose so much skin, especially those with curvy figures like Iris'.

He feels hot. Is the heater turned up too high or something? And why is his heart beating so fast?

Why do his pants feel tighter than usual?!

The shirt hikes up slightly when she hands him the items, revealing a loose pair of shorts underneath. Thank goodness.

"Do you need anything else?" She asks and Namjoon's eyes quickly shoot up towards her face. "Like another blanket or something?"

He gulps harshly, forcing a smile onto his lips. "No, this is fine. Thank you."

"Okay well in that case, I'm going to sleep." She replies. "Let me know if you need anything. Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Namjoon calls back, watching her walk away. Even through the loose dress, he can see the way her hips sway back and forth.

Once she's gone, he looks down at his pants with a sigh.

Namjoon junior, you traitor.

He refuses to do anything about little friend, deciding to just wait it out instead. And after a while, it finally goes down enough for him to sleep comfortably.