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19. BURGER AND FRIES バーガーとフライドポテト
LIA WATCHED MILKSHAKE travel up the straw and into her mouth with child-like interest. dipping a fry in ketchup, jungkook glanced at her and let out a small breathy chuckle. her gaze met his at the almost inaudible sound.
"what?" she queried curiously. he shook his head in reply even as the corners of his mouth lifted higher. "what?" she dragged out like a child, only making him smile wider. "do you always watch your drink go up the straw?"
the tips of her ears took on a crimson hue as she sat back. "you noticed?" she let out softly. his hair bounced with the bobbing of his head. "this is like the fourth time you're doing it since you got your drink." he told her.
her eyes rounded a fraction before returning to their normal size. "oh my god." she muttered in mortification. "it's a habit." she chuckled nervously when she saw his amusement remained.
"i tend to monitor my drink so it doesn't splash on my clothes. besides, i haven't had any major mortifying moment since chapter six so i'm on edge." she muttered the last bit under her breath. "what?" jungkook leaned forward when he didn't hear her. "nothing. don't mind me." she smiled awkwardly, glad he didn't hear her.
"it's kind of cute." he remarked with an almost nonchalant shrug. "what is?" her brows furrowed in confusion. "your habit." he responded with the ghost of a smile. she blinked, eyes on him for a long moment.
"what?" he asked when she just stared at him. "do i ever do anything that's not cute to you?" she asked, both brows moving higher on her face. he made a show of tapping his chin with his index finger. "nah," he shook his head, an adorable, playful grin tugging at his lips.
"even when i do this?" picking up her burger, she tried to stuff it in her mouth before taking a huge bite of it. jungkook snorted at the sight of her full puffed up cheeks that reminded him of a chipmunk. "even then."
her shoulders slumped and it seemed to only amuse him further, especially when she began to chew slowly with her cheeks puffed out. jungkook snorted, taking out his phone and sneaking a few pictures of her with her cheeks full.
her eyes widened as she realised what he was up to when he tried to take one more picture. the boy's features brightened at the fact that he was able to capture that moment. the corners of his eyes crinkling, he turned the screen towards her so she could see a wide-eyed, full cheeked her caught on camera.
her nose crinkled as she scowled at him, unable to speak because her mouth was full. he didn't show the slightest bit of guilt, his smile getting bigger at her expression. "i think this will be your new contact photo. it's too adorable, like a squirrel with a mouthful of nuts."
chewing faster, she swallowed and glared at him. "jungkook!" she yelled out. he pouted cutely. "no more cheesecake?" he blinked his large eyes at her. lia huffed in reply, turning away from him. chuckling softly, he leaned over the table to poke her cheek. she lightly smacked his hand away, eyes darting around the diner.
"are you shy?" his smile was smug, noticing the way she looked around. she huffed again, shoving a fry in her mouth. his lips parted to reveal bunny teeth, features softening. "are you going to ignore me for the rest of your lunch?"
lia stuck her nose in the air, eyes blinking haughtily. jungkook laughed at the gesture, watching her resume eating. picking up a fry, he dipped it in ketchup and smeared it on the tip of her nose. "stop ignoring me." he whined like a child. a gasp left lia's lips, surprised gaze moving to meet his.
without a thought, she grabbed a ketchup dipped fry off her plate, dragging it along his cheek and leaving a trail of red. jungkook pressed his lips together, eyes shutting briefly. "let's get it to match." she smeared more ketchup on his other cheek. "i deserved that." he mumbled out.
lia wiggled her brows, a self-satisfied smile curling her lips. once again, jungkook found himself chuckling. "at least you aren't giving me the silent treatment." their gazes met and held for a few seconds. she looked away first, awkwardly clearing her throat and reaching for her milkshake. he glanced down, the tips of his ears reddening, a small smile playing at his lips.
"so," she ventured, pulling his attention back to her as he wiped his cheeks. "have you slept in the past few days or has the insomnia still been raging strong?" she propped her elbow on the table, resting her cheek on her palm.
he assumed a similar position before shaking his head slightly. "i'm afraid it's option two." he answered softly. "i haven't slept since that night." he added meaningfully. "oh," her bottom lip juts out slightly, gaze moving down to her half-eaten burger.
"hey, don't look so down. i'm used to it." he reached over to bop her nose playfully. "that's a bad thing, jungkook." she replied seriously. he thinned his lips, heaving a sigh. "i know but the pills don't work so i've given up on that."
"what's worked then?" she asked, regarding him carefully. her worry showed in the creasing of her forehead, the furrowing of her brows and the downturn of her mouth. "you," he blurted, eyes rounding as he realised what he'd just said out loud.
lia's entire face took on a flushed hue, jungkook's matching hers. he cleared his throat repeatedly, rubbing the back of his neck shyly as he looked away from her. "um...uh..." he stuttered over his words, his face flaming up even more.
she pressed her palms to her cheeks in attempt to cool them. eyes moving to his face, she couldn't help but laugh softly. her mind moved to the teasing playful jungkook that had suddenly been replaced by a bumbling shy version. a duality she appreciated and related to.
"'can you be my plushy?'" she mimicked his words from their late night conversation a few nights ago, trying to turn the awkwardness around. his eyes instantly narrowed, face slowly cooling as he met her gaze. "sure, if you'll be mine." he chimed with a smile.
"hey, i wasn't asking!" she frowned. "really? sounded like a question to me." he replied playfully. she shook her head, letting out an audible sigh. jungkook's grin grew, more open and cheeky.
lia's heart skipped just a little bit. glancing down, she reached for her burger. she felt strange. taking a bite, she tried to distract herself from the fact that she actually considered taking his offer for a brief second there. oh, the girls would have a field day if they ever found out about it.
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another month, another update lmao. i really hope i can get another chapter out before the month runs out. sorry if this chapter is kind of a mess oof, my mind is kinda all over the place atm. hope you like it anyway! have a great day/night.
