One Night

24. Completely Melted

"What's next?"

I groan, leaning on the cart, letting it pull me down the aisle as Jungkook tugs on it. "Check your own damn phone."

Jungkook grins, stopping the cart abruptly, and I glare at the metal digs into my stomach. "Asshole."

"Come on, we're so close to being done."

"I hate grocery shopping."

"But you like me." Jungkook unlocks his phone, glancing at the list Jin sent to him. "Ice cream, that's what we were forgetting. Jin would beat my ass if I forgot ice cream."

"Why am I here again?"

Jungkook grins at me, tugging on the cart, and I walk behind it, following him down the aisles. "We already established that it's because you like me."

"Yeah, you keep trying and maybe someday you'll be right."

He laughs, stopping the cart in front of the freezer. "What kind do you think they'll want?"

"How an I supposed to know?" I move to stand beside him, glancing into the freezer case. "Ice cream flavors are complex beings."

He throws his head back laughing, and I almost smile at how happy he is, catching myself before I do.

"Plain vanilla it is."

I wrinkle my nose as he reaches into the case, a blast of cold air blowing my hair out of my face. "Boring much?"

Jungkook grins, setting the carton in the cart. "Vanilla is basic, not boring." He reaches out as if he's going to touch my cheek then presses both his handd against my face, and I let out a squeak at how cold his hands are, my eyes widening.

"You - " I lunge for him and he dodges me, laughing, pulling the cart after him as he hurries down the aisle away from me.

"Jeon Jungkook," I huff, following him, and he slows so I can catch up.

"I had to."

"Liar." I grin up at him and he chuckles, slowing even more so he's walking next to me, and his hand brushes mine for a second before he slips his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together, and I'm holding hands with Jungkook in the grocery store.

Jungkook grins as I don't pull away, and he squeezes my fingers slightly, and I can't speak for fear of sounding as flustered as I am.

"You want to stay out a bit longer after this? We could get drinks or something."

I clear my throat, pretending I'm not holding his hand, that he's not so close to me. "Your ice cream will melt."

"Damn it, you're right." Jungkook shrugs as we reach the register, letting go of my hand to start transferring the groceries from the cart to the conveyor belt. "Curse Jin and his perishable foods."

I laugh, helping unload the cart. After he pays we each take a few bags, and Jungkook pauses, turning to me and holding out his hand, and it takes me a minute to realize what he's doing, offering to hold my hand again, a conscious choice this time.

I glance at him, unable to meet his eyes as I slip my fingers into his, and I can hear the grin in his voice. "You're pink."

"Nope."

He laughs, leading the way out of the store, and it's dark out, later than I thought it was, and we're quiet on the walk to the car, setting the groceries in the trunk and getting in.

"We could still grab drinks or something, if you want," Jungkook brushes his hair out of his eyes, the glow of the streetlight making his skin glow even more golden than normal. "I can tell Jin I got lost on the way home."

I grin slightly, my eyes on the way he's turning to look at me, leaning his elbow on the steering wheel. "I should probably get home," I say quietly, and his mouth pulls down in a frown.

"Yeah, I figured."

We're both quiet for a minute, then Jungkook flashes me a grin. "We'll go out for drinks next week."

"Bold of you to assume I want to see you next week."

"This was only the first date, they get better as you go," he grins at me and I open my mouth to reply, then blink at him.

"First date, huh?"

He shrugs, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly. "Unless you were serious about not liking me."

"I wasn't serious," I look away from him, my face heating slightly. "I...I do like you."

"You finally said it." I can hear his smile in his voice, and I swallow, turning toward him again, meeting his eyes in the darkness of the car, illuminated only by the streetlight above us.

I give him a tiny smile and Jungkook reaches out to brush my hair out of my face, his hand lingering, eyes still on mine, and he leans forward to kiss me, softly, increasing in intensity as I relax into the kiss, letting him pull me closer, my fingers coming up to knit in his wavy hair, and I can feel him grin against my lips, breathing the words between kisses.

"See," his tongue presses its way into my mouth, briefly, and he pulls away, his teeth catching my bottom lip. "You do have a hair pulling kink."

I grin, shaking my head, and he laughs softly as he catches my mouth with his again, his hands finding my waist, slipping under my shirt to trail over my bare skin, and I lean into his touch, a soft breath leaving my lips as I smile at the feeling of his warm skin, his soft mouth, his gentle kisses, finally pulling back for breath.

Jungkook leans his forehead on mine, giving me a tiny grin, his eyes crinkling happily at me. "You know..." He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, smiling against me, his tongue darting out to taste my skin. "I think we have time for a make out session in the backseat."

I laugh, slightly breathless, my voice soft. "You're a dork, you know that?"

"And you like it." He grins, pressing another soft, chaste kiss to my lips, pulling away too soon. "Shall we move this to the backseat, my lady?" He holds out an arm and I can't help my laugh, shaking my head at him as I climb over the center console into the backseat.

"The things I do for you."

Jungkook grins, somehow managing to get over the center console even with his long legs, and he sits on the seat next to me, the glow from the streetlight making him almost unearthly. "You know, I never said you had to climb back here. We could have gotten out and used the car doors."

I laugh slightly, shaking my head at him. "Just shut up and kiss me already."

"All right, all right."

And he encloses my mouth with his again, pressing me back against the seat.

After a while the streetlight goes out, and we can't stop laughing as I search for where my shirt disappeared, and he teases me about how fogged up the windows are, about how there's no way that ice cream isn't melted completely, helping me over the center console to my seat again, and I can't breathe for laughing when he gets stuck climbing into his seat, one leg wedged into the backseat, and it's incredibly late as we finally reach my apartment and Jungkook makes fun of my inside-out shirt before kissing me deeply as goodbye, and I slip into the apartment, a smile lingering on my lips as I drift off into a sleep full of soft grins and fingers intertwined and lips against mine.

~

A DOUBLE UPDATE? Who am I and what have I done with Tae's Girl?!

Honestly, I'm crazy proud of myself for writing this much haha. Fair warning, though, I'll likely not post this week because there will be a lot going on.

Love y'all!!! 💜💜💜