"I cried, as in waterworks, the lot" I covered my face, Bronte's laughs filled the air as she lay looking up at the sky, the sun rays hitting her tanned skin.
Groaning I laid back against the sun bed that sat next to her, closing my eyes, hoping I would soak up some Vitamin D. I had so far avoided Kim Min Jae for at least two weeks since the incident. My phone consistently blowing up with messages checking if I was okay from him.
"It really can't get much worse than that...can it?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair tilting my head ever so slightly to face her.
"I have no clue" she giggled "but Astra seriously you need to stop becoming depressed and all about your life in New York...you are in Seoul now"
I sighed deeply as I watched the clouds flow elegantly through the sky.
"the only way you can make it better is by telling him why you got so upset and move on" she said "he won't hate you for that, everyone has their flaws"
"I can't do that, NO WAY" I sat up and looked over at her, as she shook her head. The advice she had given me clearly not making a difference. Lucas and Ariana looked up and over at us diverting their attention from the sand pit.
"What is Astra not doing to do?" Ariana skipped over and sat at the end of the sunbed, before Bronte added another layer of sun lotion to her face.
"Don't worry, adult stuff" Bronte ruffled the top of her head before she skipped back over to Lucas.
Bronte looked over at me before lifting her sunglasses away from her eyes "you have to do something, you can't leave it like that"
I groaned loudly this time before leaning back against the bed and rolling away from facing her.
"Just imagine how he must have felt thinking he did something wrong"
"I told him it wasn't him that caused me to cry" I said as she got up off the sun bed and made her way around to my side, now looking at my face.
"Yet he doesn't know why you did" she shook her head in disappointment "you need to tell him before I do myself"
I tutted as she disappeared out my view, leaving me to rethink all my actions through.
-
Jungkook POV:
It was currently 2am. The alarm clock blaring the light at me as I lay back into the bed, hoping that if I closed my eyes and slept a bit longer, time would go faster. That didn't really make much difference as I rolled back over to stare at the clock again. 2:01am. I groaned into my hands before peering over my shoulder at Ella who was sleeping soundly beside me. Her breath rising and falling as her hair curved around her face and her mouth opened slightly. I needed to move. I leaned upwards slowly before moving off the bed, the frame creaking before I took one look back. She still hadn't moved. Throwing on my tracksuit I scribbled a quick note leaving it beside the bed and making my way out the apartment and down the stairs. A jog of a good 10 minutes and I had arrived at Rita's apartment. I needed to clear the air. Desperately. I peered up at the fifth floor of the apartment building and saw the light still on from within Rita's living area. She was definitely awake. I buzzed the buzzer to her apartment as her voice came through.
"Yes?" She questioned probably wondering who was wanting to access her apartment at a ridiculous time in the morning,
"It's Jungkook" I replied, a deep sigh sounding her end "it's not a bad time is it?"
"The doors open" she muttered as I heard the lock open on the building doors before I pushed them open.
The door to Rita's apartment opened after I had knocked twice. A yawning Rita welcoming me in before she flicked the coffee machine on and turned the television volume down. I looked over towards Rita as she poured two cups of coffee, adding cinnamon to the top. She handed me the mug before sitting herself back down on the couch, looking at me as I stood awkwardly on the other end of the room.
"Sit" she said as I sat lamely on the other end of the couch, cradling the mug in between my hands,
"I couldn't sleep" I said as she sipped the coffee, before placing it down on her coffee table and leaning back,
"Neither...a lot on my mind"
It was blunt.
"Like what?"
"Astra, mainly"
Astra. I hadn't probably sat to think about her for what, at least a month now? Her name now sending me into some kind of shock.
"Part of me is so happy that she got to go back to Seoul and be away from here for a bit you know?" she said taking a small pause "but there's that selfish part of me that is like, why? Because the whole dynamics between all of us has changed"
"Have you spoken to her recently?" I pushed my coffee aside, the taste now not to my liking as the conversation had taken a bitter side
"Yes, the other day" she picked up her mug again "why?"
"This is probably a question at a stretch but has she mentioned me at all?"
"Yes, a couple of times. Wondered how you were, what you were up to" she smiled weakly "I hate to be on the one to say it but she's met someone, and honestly she seems happy"
That stung. Really badly stung.
"Did you tell her about...you know..."
"Yes" she tipped back the last of her coffee "and she's happy for you, and took it better than expected"
I didn't respond, not really knowing what else to say. Rita stood up from the couch and took both mugs before she busied herself once again washing them and placing them back into the cupboards.
"Jungkook?" she mumbled "are you happy?"
I gulped looking over at her as she dried her hands on a towel "happy as in life or my relationship?"
"Your relationship...you know, with Ella?"
"Yes I'm happy" I shrugged "I mean sometimes, but who is always happy all the time?"
She sat back down next to me again, the distance not to so far now "but you're in a relationship, a new one. One where you should be literally floating on air...do you not get those feelings?"
I sighed deeply "am I stupid to be moving on?"
Rita looked down at her hands, breaking the eye contact knowing that whatever she wanted to say now was probably most likely going to hurt me.
"Honestly, I don't know" she muttered "I think you should know if you're stupid or not because you know yourself better than anyone"
"I feel like I am"
She looked up from her hands now, giving me that knowing look "well, then, that's your answer"
"I just feel like I'm always making mistakes"
"Everyone has to Jungkook, in order to get it right. The mistakes we make shape us and we learn from them"
"So you honestly believe me being with Ella is a bad idea"
"I'm not giving you relationship advice, I don't want to be to blame if you take actions in the future that change things" she shook her head "all I'm saying is that there's a chance with Astra, there always has been. It's just a matter of timing. Yes it went wrong the first time, yes again the second time, but third time is a charm as I always say"
I raised my eyebrow now looking at her as she looked back at me, her face turning into a smile "what?"
"That was relationship advice" I teased as she pulled the cushion from behind her and hit me across the head,
"Just forget what I said okay?" She laughed "you will figure it out in your own time, and so will she"
"Mhm okay" I gave her a smirk as she 'tsked' before taking a look at her phone.
"Anyways, I need my sleep now so shoo, go back home" she said as she got off the couch, and led me towards the door "last thing, don't ever come back to mine at this time again, it's a one off okay?"
"F-fine" I sighed as she stood in the doorway leaning her head against the door "thank you for the coffee"
"You're more than welcome" she smiled "see you around"
And with that she shut the door before I slowly made my way back down the stairs and out into the New York City air once again.
-
*Ding*
I pushed the door open, as those same gazes fell upon my face once again of customers chewing away enthusiastically at their meals. I pushed the sunglasses up and out the way of my eyes, now leaving them sat on the top of my head before making my way towards the cashier point. There Kim Min Jae stood, giving me a small smirk as I sheepishly now stood face to face with him.
"How can I help?" He questioned as I sighed before beginning,
"I wanted to apologise, and don't talk yet because I want to explain myself"
He continued to look at me, listening intently "I'm sorry for crying the other day and leaving you at the beach when you probably had no idea what my problem was. You didn't make me cry. It was the fact I had left what I knew for the last 18 years and ended up back here once again now knowing what the hell I am doing. I took that Polaroid on the beach and it brought back the memories of what I knew and the guy who drove me insane and to the brink of tears all the time"
He went to reply as I shushed him "and you remind me of him so so much, and that's not your fault. It just triggered me that's all"
He went to get another word in again "AND...I am sorry, really sorry"
"So that is why you've been avoiding me?" He smirked cheekily as I bit my lip, nodding "aish, I didn't even think for minute that I had made you cry, I was just worried that was all"
"Wait so you didn't have any guilt?" I asked as he shook his head,
"No, I just wanted to know you were fine" he smiled "and I forgive you"
"You do?" I gasped "I really thought you'd hate me forever"
"Of course not" he smiled "but, you do owe me another lunch after what happened, because that date was cut short"
"You're very smooth with it" I teased "but, yes, fine, I do owe you another date"
"And she admitted to a date everyone" he shouted as I covered my face, the embarrassment as everyone turned to look over at us.
"I hate you" I whined before I turned around to apologise to the gentleman that stood waiting patiently behind me.
"Oh before you leave, can I get you anything?" I turned to look back at him,
"Mandu*" I smiled "they have to be free though, as I have coupons" I held the coupons up and smiled as he rolled his eyes.
"Free mandu coming your way" he ripped the ticket off the side and handed it to me as I gave him a quick smirk before waiting in line.
*Mandu = dumplings :)