CROSS-CHECKED (VSOO)

6

Jisoo

The bonfire's glow flickered in front of me, warm and chaotic like the mess inside my head. I sat cross-legged in the grass, trying not to glance toward where he was sitting with his friends—but my eyes betrayed me more than once.

Kim Taehyung.

His name felt like static in my brain, buzzing in the back of my thoughts with every beat of music, every flicker of flame, and every stolen glance. I pressed my drink to my lips, the soda long gone flat, but I needed something to ground me.

Because I still felt his lips on mine.

God, his lips—warm, possessive, and tasting like danger. The way his hands fit around my waist like he knew every part of me already. Like I wasn't a stranger, just someone he had been waiting to find.

And I had kissed him back. That's the part that was messing with me.

I wasn't some lost girl aching for attention. I knew what I wanted. I knew who I was. But the second his mouth moved on mine, all logic had abandoned me and all I could think was... more.

"Jisoo."
Alisha's voice pulled me back. She plopped down beside me in her signature leather jacket and cutoff shorts, looking both casual and cool in the firelight. Her hair was curled, her lip gloss perfect, and her eyes? Sharp.

I gave her a small smile, knowing that look. She was about to say something I didn't want to hear.

"Look," she started, twirling a strand of hair, "I know what happened earlier. And I need to warn you. About Taehyung."

I stiffened. "It was just a dare," I said, maybe too quickly.

She raised a brow. "A dare that lasted long enough to stop conversation around the fire. Everyone saw it, Jisoo."

I groaned and buried my face in my hands for a second. "It was nothing."

"No, babe. He's nothing. That's the thing." She sounded protective now, softer. "Taehyung's... not the type you mess around with and come out clean. He's done the one-night-stand game too many times to count. And I'm not saying that because I'm judging him. I'm saying it because you're my best friend. You're not one of his conquests."

I swallowed. My chest ached a little, and not because I disagreed.

"He doesn't even remember half their names," she continued. "Sean already told him not to go near you. I made sure of that."

That stung. I knew Alisha meant well, but it still hurt that she thought I needed to be protected from him. Even if she was probably right.

But that was the problem—I didn't want to be protected. I wanted one night. One night to scratch the itch, to crush the fantasy, to remind myself that even the most perfect faces come with flaws. One night to say: Been there, done that, moving on.

Just... one.

Then I saw him.

Taehyung was across the fire now, leaning into some blonde girl who was clearly loving every second of his flirt. His head tilted, his grin crooked, his voice smooth as butter. The girl giggled, touching his arm, and he let her.

Something inside me twisted, sharp and unpleasant.

Maybe Alisha was right.

Maybe one kiss didn't mean anything to him. Maybe that was all it was ever going to be. A game. And if I didn't want to be another name he forgot by morning, maybe it was better to go back to what we'd always been—strangers with nothing between us.

I turned to Alisha and forced a smile. "You're right," I said. "One kiss changes nothing."

She blinked, surprised by how easily I agreed. "Wait—really?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "It's nothing. And it's going to stay that way."

Just then, Sean jogged over, smiling. "Ladies," he grinned. "We're heading out. You both riding with me?"

Alisha stood immediately. "Yep. I called shotgun."

Of course she did.

Sean turned back toward the fire and yelled, "Taehyung! Let's go!"

My heart stuttered.

Of course he was coming. I should've asked.

I glanced once more across the fire. Taehyung looked up at Sean's voice, his gaze shifting past the crowd... until it locked onto me.

That damn stare.

Sharp and unreadable, but heated. Like he was still tasting me.

I turned away quickly.

No. I was done. This was over. We'd go back to ignoring each other like we always had. Like that kiss had never happened.

One kiss doesn't mean anything.

We walked to Sean's car, the night air cool against my bare legs. Sean opened the front door for Alisha, then motioned for me to get in the back. My stomach dropped as I saw Taehyung following right behind.

He didn't say a word as he slid in beside me.

Too close. His thigh brushed mine, and I sucked in a breath I hoped no one heard. His cologne—woodsy, spicy, masculine—wrapped around me like a trap.

The car started, Alisha already talking about some upcoming cheer fundraiser, while Sean chimed in with jokes and comments. But the backseat was silent.

Except for the heat. The tension. The him of it all.

Sean glanced at us in the rearview. "Oh, by the way, Joshua ditched us. Found some girl and vanished."

Taehyung gave a low chuckle. "Typical."

His voice sent a shiver down my spine. Deep, rich, dangerous.

He didn't look at me, not yet. But I could feel it. The awareness. The electricity. Like we were magnets forced to sit still but aching to snap together.

I looked out the window. Cold glass. Bright stars. Anything but him.

Because I wasn't giving in.

One kiss didn't mean anything.

And starting tomorrow, we'd go right back to pretending we were nothing.

Even if every inch of me remembered that we weren't.