CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN // Jungkook.xlsx

                                    

                                          
"I think Eun-ju underestimated you." Jungkook commented happily as he changed lanes. He kept one hand on the wheel and the other firmly on my thigh.
I was doing my best to not stare at him. The cut of his jaw, his beauty marks, the corded muscles on his forearms, the shine in his eyes, the delicious mess of his hair after our activities on the back seat...
I'd been sitting completely out of my comfort zone for the last 24 hours, but this view reminded me why I was turning my life upside down.
"Ah, I think I was a bit too demanding. She seemed happy with the changes, but maybe she was just being polite..." My eyes dropped to where his thumb was absent-mindedly massaging circles into my skin.
"Trust me, she'll bring you perfect outfits for the trip now. I'm proud of you for letting your own strength shine through."
He pulled to a stop at a light, peering out the windshield across the intersection. I couldn't take my eyes off him, curled up as I was in the passenger seat.
His words rang within me, a glowing light inside my heart. He was proud of me. 
In all honesty, I was proud of me too. I'd felt so out of control lately, swept along with the madness, and he had helped me get a little of myself back after a long day of being passed from place to place.
"Thank you."
"For what?" he chirped, pulling out and turning towards HYBE.
"For everything." I bit back a smile and tore my eyes away from him to gaze out the window at the night lights of the city.
We were soon at the parking garage under HYBE HQ. With a skill that I should have come to expect from him by now, Jungkook reversed into the space, palm spinning on the wheel, and cut the engine as he put the beautiful Mercedes into park.
He kept facing ahead, only his silhouette visible to me in the darkness of the garage.
"I think I should be the one thanking you," There was a quiet huskiness to his voice that surprised me, after the upbeat enthusiasm of the car journey across the city. "You've already gone through so much, for me...for us."
I shifted in the seat to face him before reaching over and brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. He leant his head into my touch, closing his eyes, letting my fingertips brush his temple.
My hand dropped into my lap.
"I would live this day a thousand times over to keep being a part of your world, Jungkook."
His head suddenly turned and his eyes, black and piercing, snapped open and fixed on me.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Come home with me. Don't go up to your room, stay with me tonight."
I bit my lip and sighed. I wanted nothing more than to let him drive me back out into the night and throw me into his bed, but I had already made my mind up. 
Despite his glittering eyes, his slightly quivering lip, the energy that was coiled up in his body, I had to lay some boundaries.
"As tempting as that sounds, I should probably get some actual rest. It's been a long day."
He smiled, leaning over and kissing me gently on the head.
"It was worth a try."
***
Anna stabbed her milk tea lid with more force than I thought was completely necessary.
"And your visa issues, my God, you'd think you were born in the North."