Kiss
Love Again“I think that Jungkook kid likes you,” Namjoon says as we make our way through the dark school. The others had gone back earlier but Namjoon stayed back with me as I cramped another couple of chapters of study.
“I know.” Leading the way, I walk towards the back gate.
“You seem pretty sure of it,” he mumbles, “and are we headed for where I think we’re heading?”
I look up at him. “He confessed to me before. And yes, we’re leaving through the back gate.”
“Wait, what?” Namjoon tugs on my arm and turns me to face him. “When did that happen?”
“A few months back. Why?” I raise an eyebrow at him. “You can’t possibly be jealous now, are you?”
Namjoon rolls his eyes. “Jealous? Me? Of that kid? Ha! You should stay away from him.”
“I’d say that’s being jealous, Jjun. I’ve already made it clear to him that he’s just a cute junior of mine. Besides, there isn’t anyone in the school now who doesn’t know we’re attached.”
“Cute junior, huh.” Namjoon drops my arm and walks ahead.
“Jjun!” Catching up to his long strides, I link my arm with his. “So he’s not cute. You’re the cutest, okay? My Namjoonie is the cutest person ever. Are you mad? Jjun!” I blink my wide eyes at him and put my lips in a slight pout.
Namjoon an eyebrow at me. “Are you trying to aegyo your way out of this now?”
“I hate you,” I huff out, pushing past him as I hurry off.
We stand on the inside of the locked gate in silence. Then, sliding my backpack off, I climb the first few bars of the gate and throw my bag over to the other side.
“Be careful,” Namjoon repeats for the fourth time in the past five minutes. With his taller build, he has already reached the top and is waiting for me. He manages to watch me while still keeping a lookout on our bags below us.
“Shouldn’t you be down there waiting to catch me if I fall?” I ask. I’m not expecting an answer so I’m not disappointed when he ignores me.
Pushing myself up on the final notch, I heave myself over the gate and continue climbing down halfway before jumping off. Now, I stare up at Namjoon from the bottom. He shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. But unlike me, he chooses to just jump the whole way down from the top of the gate. To my surprise, he lands gracefully without breaking his ankle like I thought he might.
“What?” Namjoon questions my wide-mouthed expression. “I’ve done my share of climbing around, too.”
The ghost of a smile plays on my lips as I pick up my bag and toss Namjoon his. My phone tells me it’s well past nine o’clock but I don’t feel like going home just yet. After all that studying I just did, I need fresh air to stop my brain from overheating. I would love for some company but I know Namjoon is deadbeat even if he’s not showing it. He’s swallowing his yawns and his eyes are rolling in his socket as he tries to keep them open.
Well, we’d have to pass by Namjoon’s house before getting to mine so it would make sense to drop him off first, right? I can just reroute after sending him home.
“What’s rolling in your head?” Namjoon asks, his voice drained of energy as the day’s activities are catching up with him.
I shake my head. “It’s nothing. Let’s get you home before you pass out here.”
He doesn’t say anything when I slip my hand into his. In response, he intertwines our fingers and lets me lead him towards his apartment. As we walk, I take a quick glance at the path across the road that would lead me on my detour to our hideout. There is also the option of the shortcut but I’m not sure I dare to walk that way, not in the dark and definitely not alone. I look away almost immediately but when I do, I meet the soft gaze of Namjoon looking down at me.
“I’ll go with you,” he says as if he’d read my mind.
“What are you talking about?” I feign ignorance. “We’re almost there. Hang on for a bit more.”
“Ser,” Namjoon stops walking and doesn’t budge when I tug on his arm. “I can read you like an open book. It’s late, and I’m not letting you go there alone.”
I consider this for a moment. “Then I’m not going. Come on.”
Namjoon sighs and does the unexpected. With more strength in his grip now, he pulls me along as he leads me off track. We cross the road and take the shortcut through a small alley, bringing us to our destination in a significantly shorter time than I’d planned.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I say as we stroll towards the tree. Namjoon releases my hand to pull out the stash of blankets and it is now that I feel the sharp cold of the wind on my fingers. He lays out a blanket just by the tree and takes out another couple of them. Settling down on one half of the blanket, he pats the other side for me to join him. Quietly I put my bag down and huddle up beside him. He wraps a blanket snugly around me before covering himself up with another. He takes a look at me and despite the cold I think I might melt under his warm gaze.
“Wake me up when you’re done,” he tells me. Leaning back against the trunk, he closes his eyes and tries to even out his breathing. But knowing him, there’s no way he can fall asleep in any position that is not lying down no matter how tired he is.
I tap on his arm crossed over his chest under the blanket. He looks at me through one open eye. Patting my lap, I tell him to lie down. A sneaky grin spreads across his face and I almost regret my decision but as soon as his head touches my lap, he falls asleep. He turns to lie on his side and curls his legs up as his chest continues to rise and fall in a consistent pattern. Reaching over without moving my lower body, I want to pull his blanket snug to his chin but I realise it might be a tad too short for his long legs. I think about how I’d come to sit in the cold anyway so I pull my blanket off and lay it over him. I tighten my jacket around myself in case. When I’m comfortable with my position, I let my fingers absentmindedly through Namjoon’s hair as my brain does its work of sorting daily data.
My phone lights up with a text message and looking over, I realise that we’ve been out here for a little over an hour. The message is from my mum asking about my whereabouts. I type in a quick reply to let her know I’ll be back soon. I know she won’t bother reading my message but I hit the send button anyway. Then, gently, I wake Namjoon.
“Hmm… what time is it?” He asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Half past eleven.”
He blinks a couple of times before yawning again. He stretches his arms up and nearly misses my nose in the process. With a deep exhale, he looks like he’s about to get up but he only turns to lie on his back so he’s now facing up.
“That was one good nap,” he says, flashing his dimply smile at me. “But why is your blanket on me?”
I shrug. “You would do this for me too if our positions were swapped now, wouldn’t you?”
“Point taken. But still…”
“Alright,” I cut him short, “let’s go home.”
Namjoon shakes his head. “I’m comfortable here.” He pulls the blanket right up to his nose and smiles at me cutely.
I shake my legs to irritate him.
“Stop that!” Namjoon pouts, putting pressure under his head like it would stop me from moving. I laugh, he laughs, and it’s like the earth stops spinning for that moment. The laughter fades away as time ticks on but a smile remains on my face.
“Jjun,” I call his name softly, to thank him, but I don’t get to say a word. Catching me off guard, Namjoon tugs on my arm to bring me closer to him. Once within reach, he cups another hand at the back of my neck. Without losing another second, he pulls me down as he works his abs to lift his head and torso off the ground. We meet halfway as he presses his lips to mine and almost as once, my mind blanks. Suddenly, fireworks explode in my brain as I realise what I’m doing, what we’re doing.
Relishing in the moment, I let my eyes flutter shut. My toes curl up in my shoes as a spark courses through my veins. Besides my own whirlwind of emotions, I also feel the outburst of Namjoon’s in the hotness of his lips on mine.
This is a kiss, my senses scream in my head. A kiss! I don’t know what snapped in me but I push Namjoon away. I blame my survival instincts – I was running out of breath. Fog escapes my tingling lips as I try to calm my rapidly breathing heart.
Namjoon shifts into a cross-legged position as he continues to fix his gaze on me. He lets out a long breath. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to do that.”
“We haven’t met each other for very long yet,” I say thoughtfully. Not since we grew up anyway.
He raises an eyebrow at me. “That day at kindergarten when that kid stole your first kiss and bragged to everyone that your lips tasted like strawberries? I’ve been curious ever since.”
“Grapes, actually,” I say defensively. “I’d just eaten a whole bunch of grapes. But that was ages ago, Jjun.”
“Goes to show how long I’ve waited.”
“Whatever.” I push myself up and dust my skirt off. Following me, Namjoon too stands and we start folding the blankets to keep back into the cabinet. That done, he picks up my bag and holds out his other hand to me. I take it without hesitation and interlace our fingers together like he usually initiates.
I don’t miss the soft twinkle of his eyes as he brings our intertwined hands up to his lips. He lays a peck on the back of my hand. I don’t know if he can see it in the dark but I’m sure my face is a glowing shade of pink. Drawing me close, he sighs a contented sigh.
“If only we can stay in this moment forever.” His voice is soft but it echoes in the quiet night.
I nudge him with my shoulder and when I get his attention I smile at him. “There will be better moments to come.”
“I’ll make sure of it,” he promises and in that moment, I really do want it to pause there forever.
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A/N: I think I missed updating last week, but I've been pretty out of it these days. I don't know how this story will end yet, but I'm not sure I want to drag this any longer. How's everyone feeling about the story so far?
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