It definitely wasn’t the wisest idea to say yes to a bowling date. Yeah sure, your crush of more than two years finally asked you out and you would have been an idiot to turn him down… But bowling? You had absolutely no idea about it. Yet, you were too delighted to care about sweet little nothings like this when he walked up to you after art class and asked if you are free on Friday and if you liked bowling. Your response was immediate, you didn’t even think until it hit home: you will go bowling with Jeon freaking Jungkook, the class’ ace and most popular boy. And you will probably humiliate yourself while trying to act like you know how to play because your chatty mouth said that you loved bowling very much.
Is it too late to turn back now? you wonder and your steps halt in the middle of a busy street in Hongdae.

Jungkook even offered to pick you up but your mother would probably get a heart attack if she saw you get on a motorbike with someone. In the end you agreed to meet at the bowling centrum which is now in front of you in all its glory. Based on its shiny, trendy colours alongside with the modern architecture it must be a popular place among high schoolers. Maybe it won’t be that bad. You fidget with the end of your shirt and brush a reckless lock behind your ear while texting Jungkook that you arrived. It makes your heart flutter that he answers right away: come in, i’m at the reception!

You take a huge breath trying to calm down your rattling heart and you walk up to the entrance on trembling legs. Just as you want to push the glass door, someone opens it wide for you and said someone welcomes you with a heart-warming smile.

“Hi! I’m glad you could make it.” Jungkook ushers you in while holding the door for you You thank his chivalry with a shy nod as you quickly make your way inside.

“This way,” he beckons you towards the playing area and you guess he’d already booked a lane for you.

While walking next to him, your breath hitches in your throat when you take a proper look at him. You rarely see him in anything but the school uniform and you are taken aback how good he really looks. Of course, he looks dashing in plain button-ups and the boring grey jacket you have at school but this is different. Good different. You feel your heart skip a beat at the sight of him in a simple black t-shirt tucked into his ripped jeans. His tan skin glows under the neon lights and a strand of dark fringe is peeking out from under his beanie. You aren’t even aware you’re staring until he catches you red-handed in the act. You look away bashfully but you’re not the only one blushing.

“Do you want anything to drink? I can grab us something while you change,” he offers like a gentleman but you panic for a moment and almost choke on your own saliva.

“Ch-change?”

You didn’t know bowling requires any special equipment or outfit. You decided on something nice but comfortable when you chose your white A-line skirt and a pretty light blue blouse. Maybe it’s not the most appropriate outfit for a date with sport activities but you wanted to leave a good impression. Your skirt reaches your knees anyway so you should be okay. Unless you were supposed to bring something to change into. Which you didn’t do because you had no idea.

“Your shoes,” Jungkook explains with a confused frown while pointing at your feet and you visibly gulp.

“Oh yeah…” you giggle nervously, a part of you already wishing the ground to swallow you up before you make an even bigger fool out of yourself. You add in a quiet mutter. “ How could I forget?”

You glance around quickly and feel relieved when you catch a glimpse of the shoe rental station in one corner. It would have been way too awkward to admit you don’t even have bowling shoes to begin with. You snap out of your momentary trance by his sweet voice calling your name and you look up at him. God, he’s so tall and handsome. Like a Greek statue sculpted by one of the finest artists of its era.

“So do you?”

“Do I what?” you blink at him still dazed. What did he ask again?

“Want a drink?” he flashes you his signature wide smile. Luckily he seems rather amused than annoyed by your slow-witted reactions. You clear your throat as you try to get a hold of yourself.

“Uh… yes, a Coke will be fine,” you manage to get out and sigh while you watch him turning his back to you, heading to the bar to get your drinks. You bury your face into your hands with a groan and overcome the urge to stamp your feet on the ground at your helplessness.

You’re already here, you shouldn’t screw up now, you remind yourself and walk over to the guy in the corner asking for a shoe in your size. It’s an understatement to say that you are dumbfounded by the poor design. It looks straight out of a 1960’ American movie but you don’t comment on it and thank the employee for his help. You quickly return to your and Jungkook’s booth and manage to put both shoes on successfully before the boy arrives with two bottles of Coke. Only then you notice that he wears the exact same kind of shoes as you. Even though you know probably everyone here has the same brand, you can’t help those nasty butterflies in your stomach at the thought of your couple look.

“Are you ready?” Jungkook turns to you excitedly and does some weird warming-up ritual with a few squats and hand gestures. You shyly imitate him and look at the long bowling lane in fear.

“Well, it’s been a while since I last played so I will be quite rusty,” you warn him trying to sound confident while praying that beginner’s luck will be on your side today.

“Me, too. I might have lost my touch,” Jungkook says with a reassuring smile and steps to the machine to start a new game. He stops at the step which requires the addition of players’ names in order. You’re about to tell him that he should go first when he speaks up: “Do you want me to go ahead?”

“Yes, please,” you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. He must have sensed your insecurity but he doesn’t tease you about it. For that you can’t be grateful enough.

You take a sip of your drink while you watch Jungkook choosing from the neon coloured balls and settling with a purple one. You try not to stare too obviously as your gaze follows the graceful motion of his body as he releases the ball and knocks down eight pins under one try.

“Wow! It’s you out of practice? Then how are you at your best?” you exclaim in awe and clap eagerly when his second shot leaves the alley with no pins standing and apparently it’s a thing called spare.

Jungkook just shrugs shyly and then the machine signals that it’s your turn. Your blood turns cold as you walk up to the balls. You only hesitate a little before picking up a pretty pink that caught your eyes. However, it barely budges as you try to lift it.

“Woah,” you groan frustrated. You haven’t expected it to be so much heavier than a regular ball.

“Check out the weight first! I usually play with the one that weighs thirteen pounds,” Jungkook comes to your rescue again and you laugh at yourself when you realize you tried to lift up the ball that had the number 15 printed on it.

“I know, I just wanted to try it,” you lie and you hope it isn’t as transparent as you think so. You go for the nine pounds ball and fortunately it’s much lighter than the former one. You are confused because of the three holes in it but since you try to look totally in control, you experimentally stuck in random three of your fingers. You try to copy Jungkook’s fluid movements but you almost end up falling forward when you reach the line but forget to release the ball. When it eventually drops out of your hand, it goes straight into one of the two semi-cylindrical channels on both sides of the lane. It earns you zero points that’s called gutter according to the screen showing your results.

“Oops,” you try to mask your awkwardness by being funny about it and based on Jungkook’s light chuckle, it’s working.

“Don’t be disheartened. You just have to keep trying,” Jungkook encourages you when your second ball ends up in the gutter, too. He’s way too nice and considerate.

After a while your constant failures can’t be blamed on being out of practice. Especially because when you do hit a pin or two, you literally throw a celebration way too happy for somebody who has played this before. But you have Jungkook to cheer you on and he even offers to help you improve your technique and posture.

“Let me help you. You are too stiff,” he declares at one point probably having enough of watching your miserable attempts. He walks up behind you and put his hands gently on your waist. You freeze immediately, not knowing what to do. You can feel his warmth close to your own and his breath keeps hitting your neck.

“Here like this, you should bend your knees and lean a little forward while you give a push to your ball,” he explains in a serious tone demonstrating by guiding your arm back and forth while you stare straight ahead targeting the pins that stand stubbornly after you successfully knocked down three of them. “Make sure not to spin it by turning your wrist. Okay, so four small steps and then do it like I showed.”

He lets you go and you do as he advised. Your ball is rolling in a straight line unlike your previous ones and you can’t do anything but gape when you miraculously manage to hit all the remaining pins in one go.

“Oh my god!” you squeal loudly and before you could stop yourself, you jump into Jungkook’s arms. He tenses up for a second, clearly not expecting your sudden outburst but recovers smoothly by patting your back a few times before you step back hesitantly.

“Uh… sorry,” you offer lamely. It’s so freaking embarrassing, you can’t even look him in the eye.

“No-no, it’s okay,” Jungkook coughs and you’re a little late to realize he does it to mask his own shyness. It’s cute. Just like the way he acted all sweet the whole evening and it helps you loosen up a bit. Bowling is actually quite fun once you get the hang of it. You enjoy taking turns, cheering for each other and chatting about literally everything - school, art projects, songs, video games, yourselves - while you’re at it. In the end, your time runs out way too quickly.

“You didn’t even have to try so hard. You would have won anyway,” you comment while you’re packing preparing to leave after two hours of playing. It was harder than you imagined, it physically tired you but you’re still all hyped up.

“I just wanted to impress you,” Jungkook shrugs next to you and freezes when you stop mid-action to look at him. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Yeah, you did,” you answer with a nod and find yourself smiling. Happiness blossoms in your chest as he stares at you like a bunny caught in highlights. Maybe it’s time for you to be honest with him, too. Without sincerity, there’s really no point of this, no matter how much you’d like to get on his good side. You have watched him for two years from afar, you’ll be fine even if he decides he doesn’t like the real you.

“Jungkook… I have to tell you something…” you begin while biting your lip nervously and intertwining your fingers in front of you.

“Let me guess:  you have no idea how bowling works,” he cuts in with an evident smirk on his handsome face and you gape at him.

“You knew?”

“I figured it out pretty quickly but you were too cute trying so I didn’t say a word,” he seems genuine when he compliments you and you find yourself blushing even harder when he continues: “By the way, you are really pretty tonight. Not that you look bad on other days, you’re beautiful no matter what, I just… Ahh, I didn’t said it earlier because I wanted to seem cool but I guess I’m ruining it now…”

“Thanks,” you interrupt him before he could say more because you’re already so flustered, you feel on the verge of combusting. Nobody has ever told you anything like this before.

However, Jungkook still looks a little uncomfortable, the way he tucks his hands into his jeans’ pockets and looks anywhere but you gives him away.

“Didn’t I disappoint you, though? I know my reputation is more…” he pauses for a moment to search for the right word. “…interesting.”

Oh. A bad boy with a motorbike, they say but even since you took the same art class and you watched him working so diligently at every lesson, you knew it’s bull. You didn’t fall for the rumours about him but the boy with doe eyes.

“No, you are way more interesting. Perfect,” you blurt out before you could stop yourself but the beaming smile on his face worth it.

“So are you up for another date?”

“Absolutely!” you reply without hesitation but this time you are smarter than saying yes to anything. “But not bowling.”

Jungkook pouts.

“Why not?” he looks at you with pleading eyes and you nudge him for his childishness. “I’m kidding. I’m fine with whatever. Though, I’d be happy to properly teach you bowling one day.”

“Okay. One day,” you promise because you have a feeling you’ll have lots of time to go on dates in the future. And maybe someday, you’ll let him take you to a bowling date again.