✔️ Unconditionally [Book 2] | Jeon Jungkook

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"I have a crush on Noona."

Jungkook closed the door at the top of the stairs leading down to the family room before heading back down and sitting on the couch.

Just admitting his feelings made an eruption of butterflies burst in his stomach. The best kind of nervousness swept over him, making his face burn and palms perspire.

"This is good!" Taehyung said. "This is progress."

"It is?" Jungkook asked, wiping his hands on his jeans, his exhales shaky. Taehyung sounded so calm. Meanwhile, Jungkook could hear himself starting to wheeze.

"Yes, this is good," Taehyung chuckled. "Do you know how happy she'll be to hear that?"

The mere thought of her learning his true feelings morphed the tickle of butterfly wings into the painful twist of nausea. "Wait, what? I can't tell her that."

"Why not?"

"Because... hyung, please. I can't even look her in the eye right now."

"How else is she supposed to know?"

"I don't know. Can't she just, um... figure it out? She knows everything else about us? She's really smart," Jungkook reasoned.

"No, she can't just figure it out—"

"But she's in college."

"—And you shouldn't leave it up to her either. Just tell her you like her."

Jungkook leaned forward and put his head in his hand. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Jungkook, calm down," Taehyung chuckled. "You are overreacting."

He ignored Taehyung and sat straight up. "Shit. We live in the same house."

"That's even better. That gives you more opportunities to be around her."

"How am I supposed to do that now?"

"You've been doing it all this time," Taehyung said.

"That was before..."

Flashes of his earlier fantasy invaded his mind's eye. Images of her subtly controlling his movements by tilting his head to one side and pressing her pouty lips to his neck, igniting every nerve ending fortunate enough to be graced by her kiss. Images of her trailing those kisses up to his jawline before opening her mouth, extending her cute little pink tongue and—

"Before...what?" Taehyung asked.

Before The Rocket readied for launch right in front of her. "N-nothing. I just can't, ok?"

"Jungkook, the only way you're going to get comfortable being around her is to just be around her. Alone."

"I don't know..." Jungkook sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think I'm getting a migraine."