A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 25

Reader was the first to wake the next morning. She, who could be bright and cheerful within a few moments of the alarm on any given day, was especially perky that Sunday. She knew by the light streaming in between the blinds that it must be late in the morning. The boys had no calls for today and were due to leave on the same chartered flight as the entire crew later that night, so no one had thought to set an alarm.

Reader listened out but the apartment seemed quiet. She slipped out of bed, leaving Jungkook sprawled out next to her still sleeping. When she returned from the bathroom, she slipped on a pair of clean knickers and the jeans she'd worn to the club the night before. Without thinking twice about it, she took the necklace he'd given her for her birthday the night before from its box and clasped it at the back of her neck. She leaned over Jungkook, nuzzling her face into his warm neck. He grizzled sleepily and she relented, pressing a kiss to his temple and deciding to leave him be.

Out in the living area, she looked at her phone and found it was nearly 11, but she thought, it must have been well into the dead of night when they'd returned home and finally fallen asleep. As she changed the filter and switched the coffee machine on for a fresh pot, her mind wandered through everything that had happened the day before.

Her first surprise stage appearance and being sung to by tens of thousands of people, conducted by the BTS leader and members. Their trip to an exclusive club with flowing champagne, carefree dancing and then, of course a horrible altercation with two strangers precipitating their departure and Jungkook's soured mood.

She knew that on any other given day, the unprovoked and most unwanted kiss from the drunken Japanese-club-goer, her violent defence of herself, and then his slap in retaliation, would have left her feeling cold for days. Such events weren't to be taken lightly and she was also aware, with a little tug of guilt, that on most other days she would have asked the police to pursue the man, but that she couldn't bear to prolong BTS's exposure to such an unpleasant turn of events. They weren't even really supposed to be seen out, not supposed to make a big splash of their on-tour anticks, when it could tarnish their pristine reputations. She shook her concerns off, sure that the BTS and club security might have delivered some additional justice in their heavy-handed restraining and expulsion of the men.

She thought of the sad return to the apartment, of her fear that Jungkook would be thinking badly of her. She chided herself now that she could have mistrusted him and doubted his reaction to such an unprovoked attack on his girlfriend. She didn't push any responsibility his way, as he had feared, for not coming to her rescue sooner. The whole incident from start to finish had barely lasted a minute and had escalated quickly. She was within sight of the security team, she was stood with Laura in plain view of a room full of people and he was bound by a careers worth of restraint in the face of bad press. No, she didn't blame him any more than he did her.

Then, in the dim light of her room, he'd given her a necklace, so fine and so beautiful. She knew it must have cost a small fortune, and she had baulked slightly at the extravagance.

The coffee was ready and so she poured herself out a cup. She considered taking one through to Jungkook but decided to let him sleep. After today's respite, there'd be little let up until the end of the Asian tour and then the boys were doubling back to America for another round of publicity.

She took a seat at the table looking out over their view which was to say a lot of very tall buildings closely packed together. She sipped at her hot coffee and found her smile stretching across her face as she thought of Jungkook.

Firstly, to be told that he loved her. The way his words had washed over her, the release of being able to tell him that she loved him too and her anticipation that today, or the next, or any day after that, she might tell him again.