A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 22

The entire group were sat in the Istanbul living room at the end of their European journey, their bags packed and ready for the cars to arrive to take them to the airport. They'd asked for the house to be cleared of any staff and there were no cameras on. So knowing that they would be very much in the public's eye for the next 20 hours or so, Reader was slumped against Jungkook's chest, scrolling through her phone and enjoying the occasional press of his lips to her temple.

Their bags were completely ready and so while the others sat or wandered around them getting their final bits together, they remained still and close, both privately wishing they could return back to her bed and enjoy another hour together. They'd settle for the sofa!

"Can I ask you something?" Said Reader, still inspecting her phone.

"Nea." He murmured, yes in Korean.

"Are you sure you and Tae aren't in love?" She asked, supressing a smile.

"Sorry. Don't understand." He said. She was fairly sure he did.

"You, and Taehyung. There's a lot of really good video evidence that you're a couple." She explained, twisting a little in his arms and scrolling through a raft of YouTube thumbnails of 'Taekook' shippers' videos for him to see.

"Oh, Taekook." He responded blandly.

"Yes. You can tell me you know." She continued sympathetically, reaching back to run her hands through his hair.

"They love Taekook. We don't know why." He answered, referring to ARMY, and rolled his head back into her hand.

She laughed. "Because, there are about a thousand videos of you touching each other. You actually kiss him in this one."

Laura who was wandering through the living room with a flask in her hand sank down into a chair opposite and entered the conversation. "Don't go down that rabbit hole. Believe me!"

Jungkook was scrutinising the video she'd begun to play for him. "No kiss!" He protested, "We just go behind Suga for a moment!"

Unhelpfully for him and his argument, at that moment, Tae came over and quickly bent down to kiss Jungkook's cheek. Reader squeaked with laughter while Jungkook batted at his cheek with mock disgust.

"It's only in the west that people think they're together. In Korea, no one would think it." Put in Laura rolling her eyes.

Reader, who'd let Jungkook up to go and chase after Tae, leant forward and said, "Well, you can see why! Look at this one of them sleeping together." And she pouted at how adorable they were.

Laura grinned, "If you're getting jealous then it must be getting serious." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "You know, the big jeal' for the big L!"

Reader rolled her eyes. "You know I don't actually think there's anything happening between Tae and Kook right."

"That's not my point and you know it." Murmured Laura sitting back and blowing the steam off her tea. "Oh! And I know what I was going to talk to you about!"

She leaned forward and made no effort to keep her voice down. "Isn't it your birthday next week?"

"SShhh!" Reader hushed her. "Yes, it is but I don't want to make a big thing about it."

Laura looked around for others listening in. "Why?"

"Because it's the start of the Asia leg and the guys are getting more and more tired and I don't want anything to throw them off. Besides, then Kook would be all stressed about doing something and I think it's just unnecessary."