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A gasp shot out of me as my hands flew to my mouth. "Jesus fucking Christ," Taehyung growled.
"Oh my God, Taehyung." The cackle that left my mouth as I stared at the
grumpier-than-ever man sitting in the middle of the box spring catastrophe
was probably heard all the way in New York City.
He didn't look anywhere near okay if the way he glowered was any indication. But I asked anyway, "Are you okay?" I tried to sober down; I did. But I couldn't hold in the laughter. So, I laughed. Then, I laughed louder.
"Yes. All good," he grunted. "Nothing I can't handle."
"Okay, but just in case ..." I stretched my hand to help him out, but both
of us froze when a holler came from the entrance door of the apartment. A
voice that sent shivers down my spine.
"HELLO!" a pitchy shrill called.
Was that ...
"jib-e nugunga issnayo??"(Is there someone at home) that voice I realized I knew-and I was related
to-called again. No.
The woman whose red hair I was almost certain was about to make an
appearance in about two seconds asked if there was someone at home. As if she hadn't probably known already.
Minji . My cousin Minji was in the apartment. And judging by the
quick clicking of her heels, she'd be in the room in about-A, geuleonde eolmana joh-eunji boseyo (Oh, but look how good). Someone is christening the bed." A giggle that was not adorable and was outright evil instead reached my ears from behind me.
Understanding flashed through my fake boyfriend's face. Not caring to wait for my response, my cousin continued babbling,
"Look at this mess." She tsked. "After being single for so long, one would
think you were out of practice, kook."
I grimaced. Way to put it out there, Cousin. My eyelids shut on instinct,
and I felt a blush climbing up my throat. "Because, really, how many years have gone by since the whole thing with Mingyu exploded? Three? Four? Maybe more."
Oh sweet Lord, I wanted to disappear. I couldn't believe Minji had
gone straight to that after barely saying hello. And in front of Taehyung. I didn't want to look at him. Didn't want to look in his direction for that matter. Couldn't that busted and mangled bed swallow me up too? And just like that, my wish was granted.
Taehyung tugged off my arm and pulled me right with him, ripping a squeal out of me. Right onto the chaos that used to be a twin bed. My body ended up sprawled half on top of him. Not for long though because before I knew what was really happening, his large and meaty arms flipped me onto his lap. Turning me to face my cousin Minji and causing my body to go as stiff as a broomstick at the change of positions.
Holy shit, I am on Taehyung's lap. Back to front. Ass on ... yeah. On his
lap.
"I'll take the blame for all this." His deep voice came from very
freaking close behind me as I slowly recounted all the body parts I felt
pressed against my own much softer ones. Thighs, chest, arms, all hard and
flushed against my back. Against my ass. Against my own thighs and ... I
had to stop thinking of body parts.
"Hard to resist myself really." My fake boyfriend's words entered my ears at the same time I noticed the muscles underneath me flexing. "Right, Kuki?"
Oh my God.
He was ... I was ... I just-
"Right," I croaked, "Beom."
Minji beamed at us, one hundred percent satisfied with the show. She
had just gotten to the apartment and already obtained a story I'd be hearing about for the next ten years. The time Kook and his boyfriend broke that twin bed. I bet she'd add stuff that never happened, maybe that she had seen Taehyung naked or something.
A mental image intruded my mind. One of Taehyung. Sans clothes. With all those muscles I was feeling-
No. No. No.
"Ay, look at you two," my cousin said, bringing her hands under her
chin. "You look so adorable together. And, Kook! I never thought you'd be
this kind of crazy." Minji wiggled her eyebrows.
Taehyung's hand landed on my knee, the contact branding the skin under
my jeans. God, I could feel him all around me. If I relaxed my spine, I'd
snuggle right into him. That warm palm squeezed my thigh.
I kept losing my focus, and now, Minji seemed to be waiting for me to
say something.
"Oh yeah." I recapped as fast as I could. I needed to get out of here. Off
Taehyung. The position we were in was too distracting. In a very, very, very bad way. "Erm. Yes, crazy. Oh, you bet! This is all super crazy," I said,
squirming in Taehyung's lap as I unsuccessfully tried to make my way out of the man-sized black hole that had sucked me in.
"It is crazy because I am super crazy. Crazy about him, that is." I squirmed some more, realizing I might be stuck somewhere between his large thighs. Keep talking. "Like, so crazily in love, it's even crazy, you know what I mean? So crazy-"
"I think she got it," my fake boyfriend whispered in my ear, sending a stupid shiver rushing across my whole body.
I kept shifting further in his lap, ignoring how everything I felt
underneath me-or my ass, more specifically-was solid and warm. No,
hot. It was hot. Muscles upon muscles upon more muscles. Some of them
becoming harder with every useless effort I made.
Oh my gosh. Oh my god. Was that ... no. It couldn't be. Taehyung couldn't be ... aroused.
Desperate, I tried to propel myself off him one more time, obtaining a
little grunt from Taehyung's lips. It landed on the back of my neck as a puff of air.
"Stop," he breathed in my ear. "That's not helping with the situation."
I immediately obeyed, forcing my body to relax into him. Okay, I have
this. Think of it as a chair. A throne. Not Taehyung. Just a hard man-sized
throne.
I gave my cousin a fake smile. "So, what are you doing here, Minji?"
"Oh, I was going to stay with a friend for the wedding weekend, but the
bathroom in his apartment flooded or something, and I have no choice but
to sleep here instead," she explained with a little wave. "I'm sure you
thought you had the place to yourselves, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows again. "I swear I won't be in the way. You won't even notice I'm here."
There was only one way we wouldn't notice Minji snooping around, and that included hard-core narcotics.
"Great. Well, we should really unpack and let you do the same," I announced from my position on my Taehyung throne. I cleared my throat.
"Yeah, all right. Let's do that," I added, neither Taehyung nor me moving. I
cleared my throat very loudly. "Don't you think we should get going, Tiger?"
Before I could ask, Taehyung's big hands were on my waist, and I was
lifted off his lap and then up in the air. With shaky legs, I landed in front of my cousin.
Whoa, okay. So, it could have been that easy. Taehyung-who had mysteriously regained his usual agility-followed suit, leaving behind him the spring and wood disaster.
"I haven't introduced myself." Taehyung stretched out one of the hands that had been wrapped around my waist a little more than a second ago. The one hand that had squeezed my thigh. "Jeoneun taehyung-ieyo. mannaseo bangabseubnida." (I'm Taehyung. Pleased to meet you.)
My cousin-who I suspected had already requested all of Taehyung's
available information from my mother-took his hand and pulled him to her. "A geuligo hangugmaldo haseyo! gippeum-eun nae geos-ida, yaeya."( Oh and speak Korean! The pleasure is mine, darling.)
She planted one kiss on each of his cheeks. Yeah, I was sure she hadn't been lying when she said the pleasure of meeting him was all hers.
After my cousin released Taehyung, who looked a little dumbfounded, she
engulfed me in a hug too. "Come here, Cousin. I have kisses for you too."
And she added in a whisper so only I could hear it, " I salam eodie sumgyeoss-eo?" (Where were you hiding this man?)
I chuckled. "Oh, cousin, if you only knew." Stepping away from my red-haired relative, I was startled by the contact of Taehyung's palm on the small of my back.
I jumped back, right into his front.
Taehyung looked down at me, a question in his gaze. "Go ahead to our
room and start unpacking. I'll take care of this mess for your cousin."
That was ... so very thoughtful. I had forgotten about it. Apparently,
leaving my cousin to deal with a broken twin bed wasn't high on my
priority list.
"Um, no, no." Minji intervened before I could apologize. "I will call uncle
Suk," she said, referring to my dad as Uncle Suk. "You two go and settle in.
I'm sure you are exhausted from the trip. Just make sure not to break the
other bed too." She accompanied that with a cackle. "I can take the blame
for this one but yours? That would be an awkward conversation with your
dad." Then, she winked.
Without more than a thank-you, we shuffled back to what would be our
room. Our room, which we had to share now. Dammit.
We'd better unpack and try to get comfortable. If that had been any
indication of what was ahead of us during the upcoming days, my fake
boyfriend and I were in for a messy ride. Suitcases almost empty and all wedding attire already hanging in the
closet, I sent a sideways glance at the bed in our room. I had been doing
that for the last fifteen minutes.
I'll be waiting here, it seemed to sing, making me wish it would magically crumble down and disappear too.
"Stop worrying. I can sleep on the floor if it makes you that
uncomfortable." Taehyung looked at me, eyebrows creased.
"I'm not worried," I lied.
Sharing a bed with Taehyung was something I hadn't expected. Or planned for. My parents had said only we would be staying in the apartment. Most of the guests were from the region, and the ones who weren't would be arriving only for the big day.
"We are adults, and we have known each other for almost two years
now. We can be civil and share the bed. At least it's a double. And it's
standing up."
"I'll tell your parents that I will take care of the other one. I'll pay for
the damages." There was something in his voice. He sounded pensive and
almost ... embarrassed?
"You don't have to, Taehyung." And I meant it. "It wasn't your fault. The
bed had lasted more than it should have, really. These things ... happen."
Grabbing a couple of shirts off my suitcase and unfolding them, I
pondered my own words. Never in my life had I witnessed that firsthand,
but hey, these things did happen. Maybe to Taehyung they had. Maybe he had destroyed dozens of beds. Reducing them to a mess of wood and springs.
He was a large man, one who was built too. Beds could very well give out and burst under his weight. Maybe if he moved around too much. Or if he dropped his body on them with certain force. Or if he engaged in activities that tested the resistance of the frame and springs and-
No, no, no. I kicked out of my head that image of a sweaty and naked
Taehyung doing- No.
"Okay," Taehyung said, zipping closed his emptied suitcase. "And if you
are sure we can share the bed, then we will. With a little luck, this one
won't shatter too." A whole new mental image ambushed me. One very similar but that now included me and- Nope. I needed to stop this nonsense.
"It's settled then," I said, getting rid of those unwanted thoughts and ideas. "No sleeping on the floor. We can't risk getting caught, having Minji
around. Couples share beds."
"And we would get caught exactly how? Does your cousin go around,
entering bedrooms she doesn't sleep in?"
"Well, Taehyung, I really wish I could tell you she didn't, but I would be
lying."
Years had taught me that Minji was unpredictable.
"So"-I changed the subject-"in a couple of hours, we will be meeting
the youngest members of the Jeon clan for phase one of the bachelor-
slash-bachelorette party."
"A little briefing, please?" he queried. Taehyung had finished unpacking-
which I hadn't-so he leaned his back on the wardrobe that was in the
corner of the room and gave me his full attention.
"You'll be delighted to hear that we will spend the day outside, enjoying
the warmth of the Korean sun on our skin and doing something that has
nothing to do with sipping mimosas and getting massages. Which was my
idea." I walked to the narrow dresser and grabbed a neat stack of towels.
"My best man duties were overruled by one of my youngest cousins,
Woo." I placed the towels on the comforter. "And that means only one
thing." I paused dramatically. "The Wedding Cup."
"The Wedding Cup?" A chuckle left Taehyung's lips. Strangely, that little noise made me want to smile. I ignored it and gave him a rundown of how we'd be occupying our day instead.
"In the Wedding Cup"-I sighed-"Team Bride, which is composed of
all the females invited to the bachelor-slash-bachelorette party, competes against Team Groom, which will be composed of the male ones." I said that last part with sarcasm. "Real refreshing, huh? Boys against girls, competing in a series of games and activities. Yay."
Taehyung nodded, not taking any side. "I can tell, you are very excited. But please continue."
I sent him a look. "The team that collects more points will secure the
win and obtain the Wedding Cup."
"And is this cup a physical trophy or just a symbolic reward?" Taehyung
asked, and I could tell he was trying to take this seriously. Unsuccessfully.
He could barely contain his amusement.
"Listen"-my arms went to my hips in an attempt to make myself look
imposing-"I told you I was not in control of this. I am more of a
representative best man. My cousin woo is one of those fitness- obsessed people, and he organized the whole thing. So, just be glad that you are not stuck with me on your team." Picking up my toiletry and makeup bags, I walked to the modest en suite bathroom as I kept absently
filling Taehyung in while I placed all my things on the narrow space available.
"I am not happy about this, okay? If it were for me, we would be at a spa
while you guys went somewhere to do ... guy stuff."
"Guy stuff?" I heard Taehyung's voice coming from the bedroom.
"Yeah, punch your chests, drink beer like it's the end of your lives, or go
to a strip club. What do I know?" I shook my head, knowing I was being a little too stereotypical. "But no," I continued, placing a travel-sized
container of shampoo on the counter.
"We couldn't be so lucky. Funny
enough, the one on board with this thing is Jihun. Who would have
thought? A stupid competition over enjoying his last day as a bachelor
away from his bride. Not that I'm shocked. Jihun has been crazy about
my sister since the moment he laid eyes on her. So, why would he want to
spend a day away from her?"
What they had was the real stuff. Honest, devoted, palpable love. The
one that transcended distance, differences, and obstacles. The kind that was meant to be written about in books. Thinking of it filled my chest with warmth and longing for something I didn't know I'd ever be able to find.
"Anyway, Jihun is the Wedding Cup's biggest cheerleader. And
something tells me, he'll be more than thrilled when he sees you. He'll
holler and bro-hug you, and you'll be his new best friend. I can tell. JiHun is
so competitive, always has been, so he'll be over the moon to have the
closest thing to a freaking Greek god on his team. Straight out of Olympia."
I snorted.
Taehyung did look a little like one of those sculptures. All stoic with
smooth and symmetrical lines. Jihun would love Taehyung on the-
Hold up.
What did I just say?
My eyes closed at the realization that I had called Taehyung a god. A Greek
one. Out of Olympia. Out loud.
Oh, please, bathroom walls, be thick and soundproof. Please. Sensing his presence somewhere behind me and considering the dimensions of both the room and en suite, I remained very still.
I opened my eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror in front of
me. Taehyung was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.
Inhaling a deep breath, I let my eyes travel around the counter, taking in
everything and making my way up until finding Taehyung's gaze on the mirror.
"Chances of you not hearing me from the bedroom?" I ventured.
"It depends." I watched his throat work, swallowing. "How good of
hearing do Greek gods have?"
I had two options: own it like the grown-up man I was, or ignore this
had just happened and be a total chickenshit. Rearranging every item I had just placed on the shelf in silence, I opted for the latter, all the while feeling his gaze following my every move.
A moment later, I sensed Taehyung turn around, but before he walked
away, I called for him, "Oh, and, Taehyung?" I watched the reflection of his back in the mirror. "The losing team has to perform a choreographed dance tonight."
No answer came from him, but when he finally took a step away, I could perfectly imagine the competitive gleam coming alive in his eyes.
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