STRAY // JJK x HYBRID (bunny)✔️ Re-Writing

CHAPTER 46

BO-YOUNG

"So, what are you going to get?" I ask Jungkook as I look through the menu. There are so many options, all that of which seem so enticing. Romana, Margarita, Hangover, all of them seem so delicious.

"I'm not sure," he mutters, flipping between two pages. "I'd like to get the Romana, but the Four Cheeses pizza seems so good."

"Woe is you. How about I get the Romana, and you get Four Cheeses, then we can share," I suggest. Jungkook nods and gives me another small smile. "You know, you do that a lot," I comment.

"Do what?" he asks.

I hold back my impulse to reply with: "remind me of the babe."

"Fond smiles," I clarify. Jungkook looks up again, the smile still on his face.

"I suppose I do. What's the problem with giving fond smiles to people I'm fond of?" he says, his smile shifting into a teasing smirk. I turn away from him, trying to hide my face.

"Someday, your cheesy comments will end up killing me," I huff as I try to calm myself. Jungkook chuckles heartily, shaking his head slightly.

"I hope not," he mutters.

The waiter who led us to our table approaches us, a small notebook in his hand. He takes our orders, then swiftly leaves, expertly dodging the other waiters bustling about the restaurant.

The band changes the song from the calm blues-like tune to a higher energy jazz song. With the music change, the tone of the restaurant changes. People stop talking for a moment, listening to the change in music, before continuing their conversations. The lights that had been quite dim have now shifted into a brighter, yet still moody, purple.

I turn back to Jungkook.

"You said this place is new. It looks to be doing quite well for a recently opened restaurant," I say, trying to start a conversation.

"I mean, who would say no to pizza and live music? Look at this place, it's no wonder what it's doing well," Jungkook says, gesturing from the lit stage to the shelves full of what I assume to be empty wine bottles over the bar.

"That's a good point," I say. "I didn't expect the people in this town to be interested in jazz music."

"People may surprise you. I've been looking for a nice restaurant for a while now, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard this place was opening," Jungkook says, leaning against the table as he speaks. I raise my eyebrow after he finishes. Jungkook gives me a questioning look.

"So, you've been looking for a nice restaurant for a while now?" I ask rhetorically. Jungkook's eyes widen as his cheeks redden.

"No, no-"

"That makes it sound almost as if this was not two people just checking out a new restaurant," I tease, slightly enjoying seeing Jungkook squirm. Jungkook looks at me, his lips pursed. Even in this dim lighting, I can see that his face is reddening.

Jungkook sighs before saying: "You're so cruel. Why must you call me out like this?" He chuckles as he covers his cheeks with his hands. "Okay, maybe I didn't stumble across a newly opened restaurant and decide to try it out with you..."

"Is that so?" I ask, exaggerating my surprise. In reality, I'm panicked.

"The cat's out of the bag," he begins, "I've wanted to take you out for a while. I thought that going on a small holiday would give me more time to find the perfect place," he explains. His movements are more nervous than before, his eyes darting from me to the table. Most of my nervousness leaves as I give him a reassuring smile.

"That's so sweet," I tell him. Jungkook seems much less tense after I say that. He sighs in relief before looking back up at me. Most of the redness in his face has gone, but some of it remains. I hear him mutter: "thank god," under his breath. He gives me a wide smile.

The waiter comes again, balancing two pizzas on his arm. He sets them down before leaving again. Small lines of steam twirl in the air, coming from the pizza.

Jungkook and I grab our utensils and begin to cut the pizzas. Jungkook and I wordlessly swap slices. We glance at the tables next to us to find that they are eating with their utensils.

"This place is just fancy enough to make people eat pizza with forks and knives. Damn," Jungkook says with an unsure smile. He begins to cut small sections from one of his slices. "We'd get glared at if we eat with our hands."

After a while of chatting and cutting, my hands begin to hurt. I grimace as a slight ache develops in my hand."You're overextending your fingers," Jungkook points out.

"I can't help it," I whine, holding up the hand in which I'm holding my knife to see that I am, in fact, overextending my finger. I frown. "It's just natural to me. Ever heard of joint hypermobility?"

"Like double-jointedness?" he asks.

"It's the same thing. "Double-jointed" is misleading," I explain. "I can't help but overextend when I put pressure on my fingers."

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"If I do it for too long, yes. That's why cutting into pizza isn't my forte," I say with a small laugh. Jungkook looks at me without a word. He suddenly grabs a slice of pizza from his plate with his hands and takes a large bite. I stifle my laughs.

"Jungkook, stop! The fancy people will glare at us!" I say, whisper-shouting. Jungkook glances at me, the familiar glint of mischief in his eyes. He takes another large bite, prompting me to laugh more.

"I don't care if middleaged women glare at us. I care more about comfort," he says as he chews. As if Jungkook's improper conduct summoned them, people around us glance at him and glare. He doesn't pay them any mind. I begin laughing again, and the glares momentarily move to me. Jungkook nods at me, looking from my pizza to me. I grab a slice, biting into it. The people turn away, seeing that we are lost causes.

"See, doesn't that feel better?" Jungkook asks with a confident smile. I nod as I chew, chuckling as I do so.