Taehyung's POV
I stare at Jungkook in fascination as his big eyes, wide with wonder, roam the expanse of the art gallery, taking in the kaleidoscope of colours and shapes that adorn the walls. Each stroke of the artist's brush seems to be telling him a story and I feel happy with my choice to take him here instead of to an arcade or a park.
Simply looking at his bright face, I feel my heart melt. The soft light from the gallery's skylights falls upon his features, brightening his every smile and gasp of awe. And I feel just so content, simply standing by his side, holding his hand and watching his every movement.
I loosen the grip of my fingers on his left hand as I notice the little fingers protruding from his plaster cast itching with a desire to touch the canvases. But strangely, he doesn't let go of my hands. He holds me tightly whilst smiling at the painting of a serene landscape with vibrant colours.
"It reminds me of our camp," he tells me. I smile, glancing at the painting. To be honest, coming here itself reminded me of our days at the camp when we walked around in the forest, freely holding hands. I wish we were back at the camp.
Moving along, we come across a gleaming bronze sculpture that commands attention with its sheer size and striking form. For some reason, Jungkookie glances at me and then smiles shyly, staring at the sculpture's expertly chiselled muscles.
"What?" I ask side eying him.
"Nothing," he shakes his head, letting out a tiny giggle.
"Did it remind you of something that happened at the camp?" I ask grinning.
"No!" He yelps and drags me towards the next sculpture, which is the figure of a beautiful lady. The artist's skill was evident in the intricate detailing of the lady's features, every curve and line meticulously carved to perfection.
In another corner of the gallery, we discover a series of abstract paintings that leave Jungkookie captivated and intrigued. We also come across delicate porcelain vases adorned with intricate hand-painted designs and other objects of excellent craftsmanship. Each painting and art object tells a unique story. Time quickly slips away unnoticed as we roam around in the gallery, hand in hand.
Two hours later at 12, when we finally leave the gallery, hand in hand, my bunny boy is smiling contentedly, making me happy and proud. "You liked the surprise?" I ask him.
"I loved it, hyung!" He smiles showing his dimples and I can't help but poke them.
"Oww..stop it, Tae Tae!" He giggles, smacking away my fingers.
"Ah..Jungkook-ah, your dimples and bunny teeth are so cute! How can they call them manufacturing defects?" I wonder aloud.
"Manufacturing defect??" He laughs. "It's called genetic defect."
"Isn't it the same? What's the difference?" I ask, causing him to giggle, and shake his head.
We walk to the parking and go to my car. After unlocking it, I open the passenger seat door for him. Afterwards, I hop into the driver's seat. Our eyes lock with each other as I lean forward to buckle his seat belt. I break the eye contact first, this time. Then I fasten my seat belt and turn the key in the ignition, starting the engine.
"So, are you going to drop me back at home now?" He asks me as I pull the car out of the parking lot and into the driveway.
"No, I'm only dropping you back in the evening," I reply.
"So, where are we going?" he asks curiously as we enter the highway.
"Let's go to my home?" I ask, tilting my face.
"Home?!" he squeals as if shocked.
"Yeah, what's wrong? Don't worry. There's nobody at my home right now."
"There's nobody?" he asks, his eyes wide.
"No, there's no one. Hyung went to the university to work on his project. He'll be back only evening. Mom and Dad will be even more late when they come back from work. I'll make you lunch."
"Isn't it better if we have lunch at some restaurant? Do you need to make me lunch?" he asks, biting down on his lips.
"Why? You don't like my cooking?" I frown.
"No, it's not like that. I like it!" he immediately says.
"Then I'm making you lunch," I smile. "It's not a big deal, Kookie."
"Uhm..okay," he nods. "Is Jimin your best friend?"
"Yeah, why are you suddenly asking about him?" I ask, side-eying him.
"Nothing," he shrugs. "You didn't tell me anything about him."
"Oh, I didn't? Okay, ask me, what do you want to know about him?"
He tilts his head and looks at me. "He has never had any girlfriends?"
"No," I reply and suddenly my mouth drops open in realisation. "Oh my god! It's not like he is gay!" I squeal, turning my face to him. "It's just he doesn't like the idea of a relationship. But he goes on dates with girls often. I and him are not.."
"Taehyungie hyung, wait!" He cuts me off. "That's not what I meant. Sana told me they went on a date."
"Oh..okay," I mumble awkwardly.
"Why doesn't he do relationships?" He asks.
"He says it's complicated. He doesn't believe love could last forever."
"I see.." he mumbles. "Extreme opposites."
"Opposites?" I ask. "No, we aren't that much opposites. In fact, we have so much in common. But I do believe in eternal love."
"I wasn't talking about you two," he shakes his head.
"Then?"
"Him and Sana. After two dates with him, she got sister zoned by your best friend."
"Oh really?" I chuckle. "That was too soon. Maybe he felt she wanted a committed relationship that he decided to quickly slip away. Jiminie didn't tell me anything about it, tho. Let me ask him."
"He doesn't know about us, right?" he asks.
"No, I haven't told anyone about you. Don't worry, I'll keep my promise, bunny." He just nods to me.
In twenty minutes, we reach my home and I park the car on the porch while he curiously looks out. Our foreheads touch as I lean forward and unbuckle his seat belt. But he doesn't flinch or pull back, awkwardly.
"Nice house!" He says as we enter the living room.
"Thanks," I chuckle, closing the door behind me. After placing the key on the teapoy, I go towards the kitchen which is on the left of the living room. He follows me and looks around in the kitchen as I open the fridge and grab a bottle of orange juice from inside. I stretch it to him after opening the cap and he quickly starts sipping on it.
"So, what do you want for lunch?" I ask once again opening the fridge and examining what we got inside. There's ground beef, eggs, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cheese.
"Anything," he replies.
"Anything??" I raise an eyebrow, turning to him. "Sorry, I don't know how to cook that. What about something Western? Like a beef burger?"
"Oh! You can make burger??" He asks with big eyes.
"I can even make pizza, you see. But I think you'd like my burger better," I tell him. Actually, my pizza isn't that good. But Jin hyung makes really delicious pizza. "So, you want a beef burger or shall I make you Kimchi?"
"Beef Burger will do. I like it," he smiles and gives me back the orange juice bottle.
"Okay then. Your wish," I nod and take a sip from the bottle before closing it and placing it back in the fridge. Then I grab the ingredients for our burger one by one from the fridge, along with onion powder, salt and pepper from the cabinet next to the stovetop. Then I grab my hyung's favourite large bowl from the upper cabinet and place it on the counter.
Rolling up my shirt sleeves, I turn around to see Jungkookie watching me, amusedly. "C'mere," I tell him. He quickly obeys and I pick him up from the floor, taking him by surprise. He gets shy and his ears are a little pink when I safely place him on the dry counter next to me.
Sitting there like an obedient kid, he watches me curiously as I start mixing beef, onion powder, salt and pepper in the bowl.
"Don't be so quiet," I tell him as I form two patties. "What are you looking at? Do I look handsome while cooking?"
"Yeah, you look like an expert chef. Your future wife is lucky, I guess," he says. I don't let that ruin my mood.
"Very lucky," I say. "You'll never be able to find a nicer guy than me."
"Really?" He frowns. "But I don't think not many girls who know you have a good opinion about you."
"Maybe they don't really know me," I shrug. "But I'm sure some boy who knows me has a good opinion about me," I say whilst grabbing the skillet from the cabinet.
"Oh, who?" He dares.
I place the skillet on the stove and turn around, staring at his face. I thought he'd finally lose courage but he bravely stares back at me. "You know bunny.." I whisper, looking into his eyes. "I've never cooked for anyone else before, except my family."
"So??" He sassily raises an eyebrow.
"So, you are someone special."
"Yeah?" he hums, still boldly staring at my face.
Gosh! What's the reason behind this sudden sassiness?
I take a step forward to him. "Want me to kiss you?"
Instantly he breaks eye contact and looks away, tense.
"I thought so," I mumble turning on the stove and adding butter to the pan. He watches me quietly as I season the patties and then cut an onion and tomato by the time it cooks nicely. After caramelling the onions, I add two slices of cheese on top of each patty and turn off the heat before closing the pan with a lid.
He smiles at me as I carefully arrange the lettuce, tomatoes and pickles on top of the toasted buns after adding mayonnaise. Finally, I place the patties and onions on top and cover it with the bun.
"And Kim Taehyung's special fresh beef burger is ready!" I announce to him.
"It smells delicious!" he giggles and licks his lips.
"Yeah, let's try it," I say and grab one hot burger from the plate. Standing in front of him, I blow on it while he stares at me, his left hand fiddling with the hem of his shirt. I could feel he was really anxious and I wondered if just my close proximity makes him so nervous.
"Now open your mouth," I say and look up from the burger, only for him to suddenly lean forward and brush his lips on mine. A shiver runs down my spine and my heart starts racing but thankfully I don't drop the burger.
He pulls away and takes a bite of the burger like nothing happened. But his red ears and flushed cheeks tell a whole different story.