----Chapter Nineteen----

It's almost a week later when they both have a free day that overlaps.

She's in a frenzy as each day passes slower than the previous one. Her members get a little annoyed at her lethargic attitude around the dorm as she wanders almost moonstruck, lost in her daydreams and refusing to join them in any activity they propose.

She even burned the blueberry muffins she was baking, spreading an awful smell all over the dorm that lasted for hours.

It's really a blessing for everyone when the long-awaited day finally comes, the girls practically shoving her out of the dorm.

As she sneaks off to his place once more, she silently promises to bring them back a gift as an apology for her terrible company.

Also maybe it's the excitement of seeing Jimin again fooling her, but Chaeyoung thinks she's getting the hang of sneaking off successfully.

Even though it's only her second time. And it really shouldn't become a habit.

She should be scared of getting caught by one of their managers, or anyone else watching with malevolent eyes, but she's strangely serene, from the moment she steps a foot outside their dorm, all the way to his.

This time, Jung Hoseok opens the door and offers to her to Jimin's -and his- room, all the while chattering about random things, like Jimin eating the cereals he prepared for him, and how he blackmailed him into cleaning their room before she arrived.

By the time he playfully curtsies at the entrance of their room, Chaeyoung feels like an old friend of his and smiles gratefully at him before stepping inside the room.

Jimin greets her with a hug -and a glare at Hoseok before shutting the door in his face– which she returns fiercely.

They texted and talked on the phone all week, but it's nothing compared to seeing him in person. Even more when she's had another meeting with the prosecutors, and they only seem to get worse with time. Added to her numerous sessions with her therapist, she feels like all her free time is spent talking about the trial and her kidnapper, two bleak subjects that she'd rather avoid like a contagious disease.

A part of her can't wait for the trial to be over, so she can finally move on with her life, but obviously, another part wishes that day never comes. She's never going to feel ready no matter how many times she 'prepares'.

"I missed you," she breathes out, her nose buried in his neck as she tries to pull him closer, his proximity immediately cleansing her haunted mind.

"Same," he answers croakily, his hand resting on the back of her head while his other arm encircles her waist. He sways their bodies softly to an imaginary slow song, their feet barely moving, but soon speeds up as he hums a faster beat.

She's laughing as he twirls her around, a smile filled with such happiness illuminating his face that she doesn't want him to stop even if she can barely admire him with the spinning around she's doing. 

He eventually stops when he notices her uncoordinated feet stumbling from dizziness, but he doesn't let her go and she happily obliges, stepping closer to him until their bodies touch.

His finger taps her cheek. "That's better. You looked too gloomy when you arrived."

She strikes her tongue out, and because she doesn't want to dwell on the subject damping her mood, removes any space between them. With her eyes closed, her lips meet his in hopes of distracting him.

And maybe herself.

Chaeyoung kisses him with urgency, as if her life depends on it, her lips moving with a hunger they've never felt before.

His hands go to her waist as he answers the kiss with the same amount of desperation, clinging to her as if they haven't seen each other in months.

Her hands slide around his back to grip his shoulders as their tongues meet in a languorous dance to taste one another, and she moans at the addicting sensation of his tongue on hers.

Mouths still attached, Jimin moves them backward with clumsy baby steps and they fall on his bed, Chaeyoung on top on him.

Before she can dwell on how delicious his body feels under hers, his hands slide under her shirt, her skin tingling everywhere he touches. She keeps on kissing him, lost into the barrel of emotions he invokes in her.

Lying on top of him is really driving her crazy, and if she could, she would stay there forever.

His fingers move up until they reach the fabric of her bra, then hesitantly linger under the band before slowly sliding to the front while his other hand drops from her waist to her , squeezing gently.

His mouth leaves hers to leave trails of wet kisses along her jaw, neck, collarbone. Her body is on fire, her heart thumping so loud against his chest she's embarrassed that he's perfectly aware of how much to his touch affects her.

But she also wants him to react the same way to her as she does to him; she doesn't want to stay passive. Determined, Chaeyoung's hands shyly move to his waist, slowly raising his shirt up. She almost loses her mind when her fingers come in contact with his bare skin, so hot under her touch.

His hands suddenly leave her body to grab hers, stopping her exploration before she has the chance to even begin. Confused, she raises her eyes to stare at him. His head is thrown back on the bed, his breathing heavy. ". As much as I want your hands all over me, we should stop."

She drops her head on his chest, a little frustrated, but as much as she wants to continue, maybe he's right to stop their make-out session which escalated like a raging forest fire. She's not in her right state of mind right now and things intensified way too fast for her mind to follow.

Still, the adventurous side of her wishes he hadn't stopped them.

Because Chaeyoung does want to take their relationship to the next level, but they just started and with all her issues, maybe he's worried about going further. She wants to tell him that it's not necessary, but she's learned how stubborn he can be. Plus, it's infinitely sweet of him to take in consideration her situation to this extent.

It makes her like him even more. But with every little thing he does for her, her feelings for him flourish. So really at this point, how much more likes does it takes until it turns into love?

Not quite ready for her thoughts to head that way, Chaeyoung bits her lips and rolls off him, lying on her back next to him, and links her arm with his. She craves physical closeness, any sort