LUMINESCENCE | K.NJ ✓

XII - LOVE LIES

CHAPTER TWELVE - LOVE LIES

THE ATMOSPHERE IN her father's car wasn't exactly tense, but Nouri could tell that something was a bit off with his facial expression and posture.

Or perhaps she was just projecting her own emotions onto him.

Either way, neither of them spoke during the ride home aside from the few words of greeting that were exchanged when she had hopped in. She stared out the window, her mind racing at a much faster rate than the car as it drove through the city.

She thought about Namjoon.

She thought about the kiss.

She wondered why he hadn't said anything about it afterwards, but frankly, she was glad that he chosen not to, whatever his reasoning may have been.

The kiss had been fake; a stage set up for safety. He had simply been doing his best to keep both of them protected. She knew that.

And that was what hurt.

It was an odd and unwelcome feeling to her. She wasn't heartbroken or devastated – it was more like a small, sick feeling in her stomach. And for the first time in a while, it had nothing to do with Seokjin.

Hoseok's words to her earlier in the day rushed in, filling her mind.

"The way he looks at you . . ."

But did Namjoon really look at her any differently than he looked at everyone else? She couldn't understand where Hoseok had gotten such an idea from, and pegged it as a side effect of his exhaustively jubilant personality.

There was no way that Namjoon held any feelings towards her that were anything but platonic. She was sure of it.

Which was what made that kiss so difficult.

It was strange because she wasn't sure why the memory upset her so much. She wasn't angry at Namjoon – he had been protecting her.

So why was she in so much inner turmoil? What was she feeling?

Although her mind didn't give her much rest from her thoughts when she reached her apartment, she forced a smile towards her father as they rode the elevator up to their floor. He smiled back, but it wasn't very genuine.

This wasn't new to Nouri. It still made her heart hurt.

"Hey, you two!" Nouri smiled at the sound of her mother's voice as she and her father entered the small apartment. Coming home was always a huge relief as she got to drop the Korean and speak English with her parents once again, giving her brain a much needed break.

She kicked off her sneakers, sending them tumbling across the stained carpet. Her father sighed and shook his head in disapproval, but didn't say anything as he slid his work shoes off and stepped into his slippers.

"Hey mom." She sighed as she walked into the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the air – her mother was busy at the stove cooking. Nouri saw an empty box of pancake mix on the counter beside of a bowl filled with batter.

"Are you making my favorite meal for any specific reason?" She couldn't help but smile when she asked this. One of the things that Nouri missed the most about living in the States was the food. She enjoyed Korean cuisine, but sometimes she really ached for the salty tastes of bacon and eggs paired with her favorite chocolate chip pancakes; even if she was eating them for dinner rather than breakfast.

Her mom smiled over her shoulder. "Well, it's rare these days for all three of us to be at home together for a meal, so . . ."

Nouri grinned. She leaned forward and kissed her mom on the cheek. "You're the best."