Six months later...
Hanna swirled her hand around her wine glass. It hummed, but she wasn't listening.
Why was she even here, anyways? She hadn't been to this restaurant since Jimin and Y/N's honeymoon; when she crashed the dinner party between Jimin, Y/N, and Jungkook.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Kookie."
"How many times - no, how many years - do I need to tell you to stop calling me that?"
"I only call you that because you hate it."
She smirked. It had been awhile since she had seen anyone. There was no reason to interfere now. No reason to see him anymore.
She sipped from her glass, wondering if he had even thought of her.
"Hanna! Imagine finding you here!"
Hanna turned to Jin's bright smile. Eyes wide, she smiled back.
"Jin! What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "We've been doing a lot of traveling these days."
"We?"
Jin looked over his shoulder towards the door. The light shifted as a tall figure walked through the entrance. Hanna's heart dropped to her stomach.
"Jungkook!" Jin yelled. "Look who I found!"
Jungkook stopped as his eyes met hers. He looked away before she could read his expression.
"Do you mind if we join you?" Jin asked.
Who could refuse Jin?
She nodded.
They ordered a round of drinks, Jin doing most of the talking. And the jokes.
"Did you know the first French fries weren't actually cooked in France?" he asked. "They were cooked in Greece!"
He laughed at his own joke, slapping his leg. The joke wasn't funny, but his own reaction was. Hanna couldn't help but laugh too. Jungkook rolled his eyes and smiled.
Hanna's heart fluttered. It had been so long since she had seen that smile.
"Ah, I just remembered," Jin said, sitting straight suddenly, "I have a private phone call I need to return. It could take awhile. Jungkook, you'll keep Hanna company while I take care of this, won't you? Of course you will. Thank you."
Jungkook opened his mouth as Jin walked off, no sound coming out. Without another word, Jin was gone, leaving silence to drift between them. They both looked at their drinks.
"You've been gone for two months." Jungkook finally said.
Hanna nodded. "Busy. My parents were trying to set me up."
Jungkook's eyes shot wide open. "Marriage?"
She nodded and shrugged. "I refused, of course. Come on, Kookie. Do you think for a minute I would agree to that kind of thing?"
He slumped back in his chair, hissing through his nose. "You wouldn't, would you?"
"What have you been doing these days?" she asked.
"Jin's been dragging me around all kinds of places. Teaching me policies, history, and law..."
Hanna frowned. "So how did you end up here?"
He put his tongue in his cheek. "I'm wondering that myself."
There was a long pause. The question bubbled in Hanna's mind, but she wasn't sure if it was proper to bring up the elephant in the room.
"Are you... over it?"
Jungkook sucked on his bottom lip. "I've accepted the reality."
"That doesn't sound very hopeful."
"It's better than the denial I was living in."
He sipped his drink.
"I've always wished you happiness," Hanna said. "I hope you know that."
"Hard to tell when you were always being a pain in the ass."
"I could say the same for you."
They smiled at each other, another pause between them.
"But," Jungkook said, breaking the silence. "There were a lot of times I deserved it. There were many times... back then and in high school, too... where you stepped in and told me off when I needed it."
Hanna looked down into her drink.
He stood from his seat. Hanna looked up as he stepped forward towards her and leaned down., his face coming closer to hers. Against her better judgement, she shut her eyes.
His lips touched her cheek.
"Thank you," he whispered. "For always being there."
She opened her eyes, meeting his. His face was so close.
It was her only chance.
She leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She pulled back, afraid to do anything more than a peck.
"I can keep being there for you," she said. "If you want."
He looked down, his mouth slightly open and eyes darting around. Her heart clenched with the silence.
"I shouldn't have asked." she said, shaking her head.
She bolted from the chair, practically running from the restaurant. The cool air and the dim light of the sunset hit her as she walked onto the beach in front of the restaurant.
Don't you have any pride? She asked herself. When will you stop doing things without thinking?
The humiliation tugged at her stomach.
Then something tugged on her arm.
She spun to face Jungkook, his hand firmly on her arm.
"What?" was the only thing she could think to say.
"First off," he said, "You didn't pay for your drink. You owe me $7."
She grunted, reaching for her pocket. He jerked her arm up, stopping her.
"And second," he continued, "You didn't even give me a chance to answer."
"You said everything when you said nothing."
He threw his head back. "Ugh, women. We men say the wrong thing, and you get mad. We try to think of the right thing to say so you don't get mad at us, and you end up getting mad because we don't respond fast enough. Pick one or the other, you can't have both."
She glanced at his hand on her arm. "What's your verdict then?"
He searched her face for a moment, then released her arm. His hand slid to her wrist and he gripped her hand in his.
"Remember senior year? Prom?"
Hanna nodded. "A little bit. I got a little drunk towards the end of it."
"It was the first time you ever got drunk." Jungkook confirmed. "I had to carry you from the dance floor to the nurse's office."
Hanna's eyes shot open. "That was you?! I thought Taeyong did that."
Jungkook scoffed. "Your perverted boyfriend was a playboy and you never should have never dated him in the first place. Anyways, I carried you." He squeezed her hand. "You don't remember kissing me, do you?"
She stepped back. "I did what now?"
He smirked. "You told me you wished I was your boyfriend instead. Then you grabbed me by the neck and kissed me."
Hanna stared at him, not blinking. "And you're just telling me this now?"
He shrugged looking down at their hands together. "You know... after all this time, I still haven't been able to get rid of you. I've tried for years."
She frowned. "Gee, thanks for that encouraging thought."
He looked back up at her, his eyes sparkling. "I think it's time I just accept my fate. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be rid of you."
She gripped her hands into fists. "Well, if I bo—"
He cut her off, swooping his head down and capturing her lips in his. She froze. His hands reached down and grabbed her waist, pulling her in closer. After a moment, he pulled away. He laughed at her wide eyes and gaping mouth.
"Look at that. I finally figured out how to shut you up." he whispered.
He pulled her back in again, meeting his lips with hers. With slow, soft kisses she melted into his arms.
After a few moments they pulled away from each other.
She wasn't sure what to say next.
"Do you want to get a table?" he asked, his hands traveling her arms. "They have really good oysters here. That's your favorite, right? At least... it was in high school."
He smirked as if he owned the world.
A smile danced across her lips. She nodded. "That sounds good, Kookie."
He took her hand in his, and they walked back towards the restaurant.
"But for real," Jungkook said. "Seven dollars."
She shoved him into the sand.
For better or worse, some things changed. And for better or worse, some things didn't.
THE END