A/N: 5/10/2024- I'm listening to 12 Notes by Alec Benjamin while editing this, and I would 100% kill to hear Jungkook cover this song!! T.T It would fit his voice perfectly I swear...
::
In an attempt to avoid Jungkook for as long as humanly possible, I spent a few extra minutes driving aimlessly through town. A small part of me considered staying out all evening, at least until both Jungkook and Taehyung went to bed. That would quickly result in concerned calls from Taehyung. As much as I didn't want to see Jungkook, I also didn't want to feel like explaining my avoidance.
There was a chance he already knew the kind of mood I'd be in. I don't know what he and Jungkook talk about in their free time.
I stalled in front of my door for a few moments, second guessing myself with a deep frown on my face. I could just call Tae and pretend like I was hanging out with Chaeyoung, and he wouldn't know the difference. There was no need to subject myself to his company.
A louder part of me told me to suck it up. You can't just avoid him every time he does something to piss you off. Taehyung is inside, too. You will be fine.
I forced my keys in the lock and clicked it open, immediately met with the two friends sitting in the living room with controllers in their hands. They'd unhooked the Wii in order to plug an Xbox to the TV, and I didn't linger long enough to see what they were playing. Several piles of trash littered their space as if they'd both been there for hours. Jungkook hadn't been here longer than thirty minutes!
Taehyung looked up from the game as I closed the door. He sent a smile my way. "Hey Ari," his eyes followed me as I headed straight down the hallway, intent on ignoring the mess. His voice called after me. "How was work?"
"Fine," I called back as I hit the end of the hall and pushed my door open. My room welcomed me, nice and tidy just how I left it, and I swung my door closed with a little more ferocity than intended. A soft groan left my throat, and I knew Taehyung was on his way to check on me. Some days, I wish he was a worse, far less caring, older brother.
"Ari?" I heard him knock on my door before opening it slightly, "What's wrong?"
I sat down on the edge of my bed and took a deep breath. I didn't want to bother Taehyung, or spend any more time thinking about what Jungkook said to me, and I certainly didn't want Jungkook to gravitate to this conversation.
"Nothing. I didn't mean to slam the door," I lied as I stepped into my closet, "I'm going to change. You go have fun with your game."
Taehyung remained silent as I pretended to rifle through my clothes. I took a few deep breaths to keep my emotions at bay until he finally left.
"Okay," he responded, "tell me about it when you're ready to, then."
My door closed as I felt my heart twist in my chest. I didn't want to pester him over Jungkook every day, rehashing the same few complaints and grievances, but it also sucked to hide anything from him. I wanted to talk his ear off about the horrible day I'd just had, but Jungkook was his best friend. It wasn't like my past toxic friendships or crushes that he didn't know, anyway. I didn't like the fact that I wasn't talking Taehyung's ear off like I would have been if Jungkook weren't here.
I was not going to just let myself sit in my room and sulk over the fact that Jungkook had been slowly ruining my life. To think that my last roommate, the one who flushed tampons down the toilet and had a new guy over every weekend, was someone I would miss. At least she picked up after herself and didn't clutter the fridge with a million different forms of protein.
I could hear Jungkook and Taehyung laughing in the living room as I took a deep breath. I would kill to be the one laughing and having fun with my brother in the other room. The fact that he could be so carefree while I stewed in all my negativity only enraged me more.
I feel like a petty child when Jungkook's around. Why does he bring out such an immature side of me? Does he just know how to push all the wrong buttons? Was I really that much of a pushover that I'm just going to quietly sit by while they have fun?
I took a deep breath and felt sudden confidence and determination hit me. Jungkook and Taehyung had been here less than a week, and I was not going to let this misery continue. I was going to force myself around them and try my hardest to have fun.
I found myself opening my door as I walked down the hall slowly, as if weights were tied to my ankles. Taehyung was sitting on the larger couch, similar to last night, and Jungkook sat on the other end. I stared down at the trash again, jaw tightening, and managed to step around it and sit on the smaller couch.
I could feel Jungkook's gaze on me, sending chill down my spine, but I refused to look at him. He turned back to the shooter they were playing when I didn't meet his eyes. Taehyung's attention didn't break from the TV as his grip on the controller tightened.
I got myself in a comfortable position, body facing the TV as I tucked my knees to lay on my side. I fit on the couch a little better than Jungkook, but it was still too small. I pretended to watch the screen as if I knew what was going on or which game they were playing. There were too many shooters for me to keep up, and I was never good enough at them to enjoy playing.
Taehyung yelled in anger as Jungkook shouted in excitement.
"How did you know I was there?!" Taehyung cried as he turned to Jungkook and knocked him in the shoulder. Jungkook just shrugged and laughed, not saying a word in reply.
"You're screen cheating," Taehyung accused as Jungkook shook his head in defense.
"Where's your proof?" he raised his eyebrows as Taehyung just sighed and popped his neck.
"Oh you're on, Jeon."
I felt myself smiling at how serious Taehyung took the ordeal. I may have not been involved, but it felt better than sitting in my room. I just had to ignore the mess they'd made, and this night wasn't that bad.
"Gotcha!" Taehyung laughed in excitement as he dropped his controller on the couch and wrapped an arm around Jungkook's neck, "I can definitely cheat better than you can."
"Debatable," Jungkook laughed as I noticed his eyes glance my way for a few seconds. I tore my eyes away from him as he continued. "Should we play something else?"
Something stirred in me as I shifted my gaze back to him. He was still looking at me, as if the question was directed my way. I turned my attention toward Taehyung and pretended I wasn't listening.
Taehyung sighed and stood up from the couch. He dropped his controller on the coffee table, right on top of an empty bag of chips, and I flinched. His attention turned to me before glancing back down at the trash, gathering the empty contents without so much as a word. He walked off to the kitchen with the bulk of the mess, and his voice called out to me. "Do you want to play Ari?"
"Oh, no," I shook my head as Jungkook shifted on the couch to put his controller down. He didn't take his eyes off of me, and I was a few seconds away from telling him to knock it off. Taehyung walked back into the room, and I looked at him with a forced smile. "I'm fine, Tae."
"Suit yourself," Taehyung spoke as he pulled out his selection of games, "Jungkook, did you forget to put Overwatch in here?"
"Uh, yeah," Jungkook grimaced as Taehyung groaned. "It's in a bag... somewhere."
"Well shoot," he mumbled, "Any idea which bag? I'll help you look."
The two of them walked off to Jungkook's room, and I shot back up from the couch. I picked a few crumbs out of the couch and carpet, found a rouge corner of a chip bag, and picked a few hairs from the cushions with a scrunched nose. Once the items were in the trash, and I was back in the space to admire my newly clean living room, I caught a whiff of the dreaded cologne I found irritatingly intoxicating.
Jungkook leaned over me and pointed to a spot on the carpet, and I shifted away from him. My gaze followed his finger as he shamelessly tossed an empty bottle in the designated spot. I spun around to stare at him, a new fury building in me. Unbelievable.
"You missed a spot."
...
I holed myself up in the kitchen, angrily pulling out pots and pans to throw together a simple dinner for the three of us—spaghetti. I was very tempted to spit in the portion I'd set out for Jungkook, but my rational side won out. The two of them continued playing their games in the living room until we all migrated to the dining room to eat.
The table was mostly silent until Jungkook spoke. "What you said earlier about your co-workers," his eyes were on Taehyung as I looked between them in confusion. "You're still working with Jennie?"
I jumped in before Taehyung could respond. "I didn't know you started back today. Why didn't you tell me?"
Taehyung finished chewing and took a sip of his water before replying. "I didn't have the chance, Ari. You're always in your room."
I shoveled a bite of food a little too aggressively. I didn't miss the soft huff that left Jungkook's nose, and my eyes snapped to him. He was looking at me with an infuriatingly smug smirk on his face. It's not too late to spit in his food.
"But to answer your question, Kook. Yes, she's actually the assistant manager," Taehyung pulled the conversation back on track. I tried to rack my brain to remember who on earth Jennie was. Of all Taehyung's past relationships and friends, it didn't sound familiar.
"Mm. Did you talk to her much?" Jungkook continued to press. His fixation on her wasn't lost on me.
"Who's Jennie?" I jumped in. Taehyung's brows furrowed as he looked my way again.
"You don't remember her? She started at the coffee shop the same day as me when we were in high school," Taehyung explained. It still didn't ring a bell. "We even hung out outside work a few times after..." he paused to glance at Jungkook. "...she and Jungkook broke up."
My interest was piqued. "An ex?" I flicked my eyes to Jungkook as he shoveled more food into his mouth. "Of yours? Hm."
His eyes tore into mine, and I couldn't stop myself.
"Is Jungkook hung up on a girl?" I taunted. That seemed to strike a chord. "The tin man has a heart?"
"Ari," Taehyung chimed in, tone strong with warning.
"No," Jungkook snapped, dropping his fork to his plate. "Is there something wrong with being concerned with a girl's wellbeing?"
"It's that it's you who is concerned," my anger flared. "Don't you have a laundry list of exes and one night stands? I know firsthand you don't keep tabs on all of them."
Jungkook scoffed and shoved his plate away from himself. "My motives don't concern you. At all."
"Motives," I spat back, dropping my fork and leaning over my food, "What, are you wanting to reconnect with her? Break her heart again?"
"Ari," Taehyung jumped in again. I turned my attention to him, and the pained look in his eyes kept me quiet. "Really, tone it down."
I tried not to get angry, as Taehyung was far more willing to take Jungkook's side than he was to take mine, but I shut up. It was clear that I'd crossed a line if the intense looks amongst the two were any indication.
"She broke up with him."
I took a deep breath and picked my fork back up. With another bite of food, I shrunk down into my seat. The heat in my cheeks increased by the second.
"It's been years, anyway," Jungkook's eyes tore into me, and I refused to look. "Hell, Tae, you can date her if you want."
"What?" Taehyung laughed nervously. "No... that's..."
I bit my lip to stop my comments from flying out. I'd made things tense enough.
"I really don't care," Jungkook's stare was intent on Taehyung. "I'm over what happened. Between us."
My resolve instantly crumbled. I couldn't listen to this in silence. "I wouldn't date her," I shook my head and looked up at my brother. Genuine concern filled my words. "Or any of his exes for that matter."
Taehyung looked surprised, and Jungkook just scoffed. A smile of disbelief played on Jungkook's face before a string of irritated words shot at me. "The hell? Stay out of this."
"It's messy," I pressed. "You two are friends. She will have... been with both of you."
The air suddenly felt tense. Taehyung refused to look at me, and Jungkook's irritation flared.
"And?" Jungkook's eyebrows raised. His chest puffed out in annoyance, eyes intense and jaw tensed, but I couldn't let him scare me. I was saying all of this for Taehyung's sake.
"You never know," I narrowed my eyes at Jungkook before turning to face Taehyung. He refused to look at me. "You know his reputation."
Jungkook stood up from his chair, shoving his plate of spaghetti across the table to knock into mine. Some of the noodles spilled onto the table, and I shot my eyes up to him. He pointed to the food and stepped away from the table.
"You can have the rest of mine," he snapped. "I can only eat so much of this before I puke. It's like eating noodles bathed in tomato water. No meat, cheese, or seasonings. Did you even use spaghetti sauce, or is this plain tomato sauce?"
I stared back down at the plate, cheeks heating in anger. I stood up along with him as he ran off to the kitchen.
"I'd rather eat a raw tomato and uncooked noodles."
"I-" my fists clenched at my sides. "It does not taste that bad! There was supposed to be meat in the jar of sauce, you just didn't get much of it!" I turned my attention back to Taehyung, and he spun a few noodles onto his fork. "It's not bad. I think it tastes fine."
Taehyung stayed quiet as my jaw dropped. The spaghetti tasted fine! What was their problem?!
"Do you want to split a frozen pizza with me, Tae? I'm not hungry enough to eat the whole thing." Jungkook called from the kitchen. I stared down at Taehyung and held my breath. He looked up at me for a few seconds before turning to glance behind me.
"Yeah, I'll eat some."
I swallowed and grabbed my plate, fork nearly sliding off the side as I marched to the living room and sat on the couch. I shoveled more of the food into my mouth, and I didn't understand. It wasn't gourmet by any means, but it tasted just fine!
"Ari," Taehyung called, but I refused to look at him. Instead, I grabbed the remote to the TV and started to flip through Netflix again. I could hear Jungkook preheating the oven, and I turned the volume up as the obnoxious trailers started to play.
"I'm sorry, Ari. It's not bad, it's just-"
I turned the volume up even more, and Taehyung left me alone. This is the last time I make dinner for the two of them.
...
By the time I had cleaned up the mess from the dinner no one enjoyed, Jungkook and Taehyung were back to having a great time in the living room. I stared at them from the entrance to the kitchen, dull emotions flowing through my head as Jungkook smiled and gave Taehyung a light punch.
Jungkook reached to boot up one of the games they were playing earlier, and Taehyung shifted his attention toward me. When our eyes locked, I took a deep breath and finalized my decision.
"I'm heading to bed. Goodnight, Tae." I turned toward my bedroom as Taehyung jumped up off the couch and followed behind me.
"Before that... can we talk for a sec?"
I readied a denial before turning back to glance at him. His eyes were pleading, impossible to reject, and a defeated sigh left my lips. "Just for a minute."
The two of use entered my bedroom as Taehyung crossed my room and dropped into my desk chair. I rested on the edge of my bed, and he spun to face me. I worried that he was going to rehash what happened at dinner until his next words filled the room.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Jungkook was working with you today."
My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You knew?" I could feel the fire lit behind my eyes as all the raw emotions from today were pulled back to the forefront. "You let him apply to my workplace?!"
"He already had the job when he told me," Taehyung kept his voice calm and his expression apologetic. "I just... At first I thought it could be a good thing. That maybe it would help the two of you get along."
I closed my eyes, a new headache forming behind my eyes. I would have rather this been about my Jennie comments.
"I can tell it just made everything worse." He moved his chair closer, but I still refused to look at him. "Really, Ari. Jungkook's not a bad guy if you give him a chance."
"You-" I snapped my head up and shook my head, "Sure, you weren't there today at work. But you saw him earlier at the table!"
Taehyung's brows raised as he leaned back in the chair. "And you were Mother Theresa?"
"That's besides the point," I shook my head, but Taehyung wasn't done.
"I just want the two of you to get along," he pleaded. "Or at the very least, to be civil."
I huffed, pulling my knees up into my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I wanted that too, or best case scenario, for Jungkook to just disappear.
"But now I have no escape," I managed, tone completely defeated. "He is literally everywhere I go."
Taehyung swallowed and glanced at the door in silence. I buried my forehead in my knees, an attempt to curl into myself to hide from the realty crashing down on me. He really was everywhere. I could only ask that our shifts at work were split enough that it would give me some reprieve.
"Just..." Taehyung's voice broke through the silence, and I didn't look up. "Damn. I don't know. I'd rather this..."
I lifted my head to look at him curiously. "You want us to fight like this?"
"No," he corrected, eyes flickering with a foreign panic. I sat up straight as he continued. "I'd rather you two be at odds than date."
"Date?" I couldn't stop the incredulous laugh from leaving my throat. "Date? Have you lost your mind?"
The longer I stared at Taehyung, his eyes serious and desperate, I felt my defenses build up. He swallowed and shifted his eyes to the floor as I dropped my arms and crossed my legs.
"I really don't think you have to worry about that." I leaned forward. The look in his eyes was starting to freak me out. "Seriously, Tae. Did you forget what just happened?"
"I know what happened," he sat up defensively. "I know."
"Great," I nodded as my eyes also flickered to the door. "So... should I sign a contract? Or do you trust me?"
Taehyung took a deep breath and forced a laugh. The chair slid back away from my bed as he stood up and made his way toward my bedroom door. "No contracts. I'm not as worried about you."
I felt my face sour at the implication. "Yeah. I'm not gonna be another notch in his belt." I hadn't so much as had my first kiss yet. Even if Jungkook were to get desperate enough to flock to me of all people, I'm not the type.
"Yeah," Taehyung parroted as he made his way to my door, turning to give me another weirdly melancholy smile. "Goodnight, Ari."
::
The next morning was incredibly silent as none of us said anything to each other. To my luck, both Jungkook and I landed 6:00 shifts for the night. To make matters better, Taehyung had a morning shift, and would be gone most of the day.
Jungkook managed to steal the shower before I made it to the bathroom for the morning, so Taehyung and I hung around the kitchen drinking coffee until it was time for him to leave. My eyes pleaded for him to stay, to ditch his literal second shift back to work, but he walked out the door with a couple cheeky comments about Jungkook and I.
"Please don't kill each other today!"
Not long after Taehyung abandoned me in the lion's den, I stood at the sink to hand wash our mugs. The more I kept my hands busy, the less I had to think about the looming presence in the apartment.
Once I finished up and stepped out of the kitchen, the door to the bathroom on my left pulled open. Jungkook stepped out of it, wet hair hanging in his face and right to his eyes before he brushed them back out. A towel rested around his shoulders, along with his usual white t-shirt and sweatpants.
His eyes met mine before shamelessly scanning over my body head to toe as I felt my cheeks burn. Did he just check me out? Completely blatant and noticeable? Shame must not be in his vocabulary.
"Do your neighbors see you walking around like this?" He asked. "Would you walk to the mailbox wearing that?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm inside my own home." My lounge shorts and tank top suddenly felt like they were shrinking around me. "I will change if I want to go outside."
"You don't live alone," he quipped back.
I couldn't stop the laugh of disbelief that fell from my mouth. "What are you trying to say?" I raised an eyebrow, "Does something about this scream sexy to you? I thought you found me revolting."
"I do," he scoffed and slid his towel off his shoulders. The wet material flew in my direction, and I stopped it from hitting my face. A whiff of his cologne and shampoo graced my senses before his words made my mood plunge. "I don't want to see that much of you."
My face flushed. "Be careful, Jeon," I took a step closer as he kept his eyes locked on mine. "Insult me one more time and I'll strip down to my underwear." I whirled the towel back at him as he effortlessly caught it against his chest. I noticed him stiffen, eyes trailing back down my exposed skin for a moment before snapping back up. His face started to flush to match mine before he tightened his grip on the towel.
He turned in one fluid motion to storm off into his room. I barely caught the words he mumbled out. "Please don't bother me."
I stood in the hallway, stunned and speechless. Great. Now I've put thoughts in his head that I would kill him for having thought of on his own. I'll take "Things I'd like to unsay" for $500, Alex.
In an attempt to forget the altercation and it's awkward conclusion, I stepped into the bathroom he'd just left. His scents mixed throughout the room, annoyingly intoxicating my thoughts further. I really just said I'd walk around naked in front of him. Jeon Jungkook. The very guy I've coined as a playboy who would sleep with any willing girl.
And evidently, Taehyung doesn't trust Jungkook enough to keep his dick in his pants around me.
I shook my head and turned around to look at myself in the mirror. There's nothing wrong with the way I look... It wasn't particularly flattering. My entire appearance was a mess, from my hair to my face, and the loungewear just tied the whole bedhead look together.
"Just," I closed my eyes and knocked my fist into my forehead. "Stop thinking about it."
...
I opened the door to the bathroom after getting ready for the day, a squeak of surprise leaving my throat. Right on the other side stood Jungkook, mid-step on his way toward the living room. Our eyes locked for a couple seconds before I took a deep breath and looked away. I could feel the tension between us thickening more each second. I brushed past him to walk into the kitchen in search for something to satiate my sudden appetite.
Jungkook walked past the kitchen and I heard him plop down on one of the couches in the living room. He turned on the TV, navigating through the menus, and eventually heard the Wii menu music echo through the space. I furrowed my eyebrows and stepped back out of the kitchen to confirm what I heard.
I jumped as Jungkook's eyes caught mine. He was turned, like he was ready for me to poke my head around the corner. My skepticism only grew.
"Where you wanting to play?" His eyebrows raised. He was taunting me, and I couldn't figure out what kind of satisfaction he got from this.
"I'm just surprised is all," I mumbled before turning back to my food hunt. If he was trying some cheap tactics to play a cruel trick on me, I wasn't about to walk straight into it.
I grabbed one of my ready-made salad trays from the fridge, along with a water bottle, before walking back out to the dining table. I tried my best to ignore Jungkook's antics, but hearing the Wii Sports theme from the TV made it impossible. Did Taehyung tell him that I liked playing Wii Sports?
I watched him from the corner of my eye as he started a solo game of bowling. Okay. This is definitely bait.
Jungkook looked my way every once in a while; and every time, he caught me staring. I couldn't stop my curiosity. If he was really that good in real life, what was his score in the silly Wii simulation of it?
"If you want to play, just say so," Jungkook slightly smirked as I took a deep breath and angrily shoveled some lettuce into my mouth. I didn't justify him with a response as he just looked back at the TV and continued smiling.
"Yes!" He cheered as I snapped my head in the direction of the TV. He had gotten a strike on his second frame. His attention quickly shot my way, catching me red handed once again. His smirk hadn't fully gone away, and I glared at him. I shoveled the biggest bite of lettuce I could manage before standing up from the table. I furiously chewed it and swallowed, following with a swig of water. I walked past Jungkook and grabbed my usual Wiimote as his eyes followed me.
"Put me in."
Jungkook laughed, immediately quitting the game he'd just started to add me in. I took another sip of my water, and his laughs only increased. "What has you so worked up?"
"I just want to prove that I can beat you," I responded before glancing at Jungkook from the corner of my eye.
"I don't know about that," Jungkook remarked with an amused smile. I quickly selected my mii with the bowling pro status, and my eyes trailed to him with a confidant smile.
"Still think you'll beat me?" I taunted. The sparkling bowling ball built up my conviction as Jungkook rolled his eyes.
"I'm terrified," he deadpanned, starting the game without wasting another second. He was the first one to go as I made sure to watch how he bowled. Not only did he have the perfect stance even for just playing a video game, but he lucked out on getting a strike on his first frame.
"Good luck," Jungkook winked at me as I scoffed. One frame wasn't going to rattle me.
"I don't need it," I retorted as I swung the remote, watching the virtual sparkling ball travel down the alley. A satisfied smile played on my face as I also got a strike. "Looks like you've got yourself some competition."
Jungkook's eyes narrowed as our eyes locked. He took his turn once again, finishing off his second frame with another strike. His trademark smirk reappeared full force.
"Right back at you."
...
I swallowed nervously as I looked at the last frame. Jungkook had just finished his last frame with a score of 207. In order for me to beat his score, I would have to get at least two strikes and hit at least 7 pins on the very last frame. I could feel my nerves taking over me as I realized my undefeated record was seriously on the line. No one had come this close to beating me.
Granted, I didn't play a very good game this time. Just when I was here to defend my title and save my pride, I was choking.
I held my breath and took my first shot...
Strike!
I took a deep breath as I felt Jungkook's eyes studying me. I tried not to let him to my head, eyes narrowing at the screen in focus. With a silent prayer and a swing, we both watch the ball travel down the alley and knock into the pins at a decent angle.
The pins slowly fell, one after another, and the final number stared back at me like a taunt.
"No!" I cried as Jungkook started laughing. Nine?! The last one couldn't have just fallen over like the rest of them? This wasn't funny! I lost! Even if I get a spare, he still got 4 more points than me!
Did I really just lose? I just lost to Jeon Jungkook?
I finished out the game with a spare, but I still lost.
"You're not that bad," he spoke, but I refused to look his way. I was getting more and more upset over this stupid situation. It was just a stupid video game. There was no need for me to feel genuinely upset over it.
Even if it was my first loss. And Jungkook was the one to tear me down. How fitting.
"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled as I struggled to get the safety band of the Wiimote off my wrist. When it finally slid off, I dropped the controller on the couch and turned around to grab my unfinished salad.
"You don't want a rematch?" He asked. I could tell that he was so proud of himself based on his tone. I didn't want to be in this room with him any longer.
"And lose again? No thanks." I snapped.
"So you already know that I'd beat you again?"
I spun around and glared at Jungkook, and he just looked as smug as ever.
"I mean, why wouldn't you feel that way? I do get an average score of 230 when I go bowling for real. I'd just beat you over and over." he crossed his arms across his chest as I just stood there and glared at him. I couldn't let his petty taunts get to me.
We stood in mutual silence as Jungkook eyed me carefully. I couldn't figure out if I wanted to run at him and punch him in the gut or just walk away and eat my salad in self pity.
"You know what? Fine," I snapped as I stormed back toward the living room. This time, I stood as close to the middle of the TV as possible, shoving Jungkook over a little with my upper arm. Jungkook stood in this spot most of our last game, and I firmly believe it gave him an advantage. He slightly stiffened at our contact, but he didn't move further away.
"If you stand any closer to me, I'll hit you when it's my turn to bowl," Jungkook mumbled. I turned to face him, staring him right in the eyes, and his stiffness rubbed off on me. I didn't look away as we both took a step back.
"Fine, then we'll take turns standing here." I looked away before starting the rematch
...
The game finished out with Jungkook at 221 and my final score was...
"230 baby!" I cheered as Jungkook stayed silent on the edge of the loveseat. I turned to him and smirked, placing both my hands on my hips. "Suck on that, Jeon."
"Don't get such a big head," Jungkook grumbled, eyes refusing to meet mine. His mood didn't trample over mine. He continued, "You still lost the first game."
"I don't care," I took a step closer to him, "In this game I scored higher than the both of us did on the last game. My score trumps your winning score!" The sting of my first loss suddenly felt numb.
"Let's see how you do in actual bowling, then," Jungkook remarked as the smile on my face faltered.
"I never claimed to be good at real bowling," I took the Wiimote off of my wrist again and placed it on the coffee table, "I've actually never... been."
Jungkook stayed silent as I sat down on the couch and turned the Wii off using the button on my controller. I looked over to him in light of his silence, and he just stared at me. All at once, he stood up from the loveseat and shifted to the same couch as me. He still sat a comfortable distance away, but the smell of his cologne was much harder to ignore right now. It was almost suffocating me, and the more I smelled it, the more I liked it. I'll have to sneak through his stuff to find out what he uses for future reference.
"Taehyung and I are taking you bowling before this week is over," he stated with a serious look on his face, "It should be a crime that Tae never took you if you guys played this all the time."
"It's not that big a deal," I looked away from him. I almost didn't catch what he said in the fog of my cologne centered thoughts. So Taehyung did mention my love for Wii Sports to Jungkook. Was this Jungkook's subtle way of getting to know me? To bait me into playing games with him like this?
"You could bring a few friends. It could be fun," He slightly nudged my elbow with his as I took a deep breath. I almost forgot what we were talking about.
"I don't know," I shook my head, but I wasn't fully opposed. I could bring Chaeyoung and maybe even Yoongi...
"Think about it," he looked my way as I found myself looking in his direction. Our gazes met, and the smell of his cologne once more overtook me. My stomach churned uncomfortably before I finally responded.
"Maybe it doesn't sound so bad..." I mumbled. Jungkook smiled and reached up, placing a hand on top of my head as my eyes widened and breathing halted. My heart leapt into my throat as his smile grew.
His hand knocked my head to the right and away from his before he stood up and walked in the direction of the kitchen. "You were getting way too close."
"Excuse me? You're the one who sat down next to me!" I defended myself as I stood up and followed behind him, "I didn't get any closer to you than you got to me."
"Oh please," Jungkook shook his head and opened the fridge, "You moved even closer and practically pressed up against me."
"You sat there in the first place!" I continued to defend.
"Why would I do that?"
I stomped up to Jungkook and grabbed his shirt by the back of his collar. He spun around and closed the fridge to glare at me, but I didn't cower away.
"Why are you lying? There's no point in lying to me about something we were both there for." I glared, intentionally lifting to my tiptoes to close in the distance.
We both stalled, faces now far closer than they'd been in the instance that started the argument. I swallowed and pressed my finger into his chest, words flowing before I could stop them. "You can pin this on me."
Jungkook's eyes filled with panic, flicking down toward my mouth as I stood still. My brain slowly caught up to the implications of my taunt. My eyes widened to reflect his, and I dropped back down to the pads of my feet to step away.
"Anyway," I cleared my throat, and Jungkook just watched me in silence. "I'll be in my room. See you at work tonight."
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A/N: Thank you for reading! <3