Mirror | Jungkook

6 : Waves come Crashing in

Both the men looked at me waiting for me to pick my ride. This was awkward beyond words. I gathered all my courage and walked towards the bike.

"Ready? Hold on to me if you're scared", he said.

"Mhmm, thanks Jungkook", I replied.

"Wait! Before we begin..", he stopped to take out the spare helmet and started putting it on me while I sat on his parked bike. 

He was locking the helmet belt below my chin with such concentration that it made his lips pout. It was an amusing sight.

The weather was pleasantly cool, we were eight people on four hikes..with four long hours of journey ahead of us. We took pictures of each other when we first started out but the group eventually broke off after those first few miles — everyone driving at their own pace and convenience.

"Do you drive Sooyeon?", Jungkook asked me. I told him no, how it always scared me.

"You should try it. Driving liberates you! The wind in your face, the feeling of having control, the independence — It's beautiful", he said.

It didn't seem so bad the way he said it. What was he doing to me? Everything about him was so different than me. How did someone exactly my age live so carefree? I wanted to live like that. Why was I so confined in my approach to life? It felt like he was reaching out to me, putting out his hand.. waiting for me to hold his so he could take me to his world. Teach me how to breathe.. how to live. What in the world were these feelings?

We didn't talk much for the rest of the journey. It was beautiful though — the wide open roads, the trees, the calm. It had been a while since I had stepped out of the city. We reached the beach last but were relieved to find it almost empty, except for our friends waiting for us. It was like having a private beach for a few hours.

I got down and left the group to take a stroll by myself. I was in awe of the view - the dark sky, the sound of waves crashing, still somehow a calmness to it — a sign of what was happening inside me. After a few moments of solitude, I walked back to join the rest of them only to be welcomed by Jungkook holding his bike keys, pointing at me.

"C'mon", he said while walking towards his bike. 

"You can try driving here on the beach, its pretty empty", he pointed out. 

"W—what no please no. I have never done it. I'll fall one hundred percent", I made my fear clear.

"No you wont. I'am going to hold you when you drive", he smiled.

As I sat on his bike, my heart thumping out of my chest in nervousness, he sat behind me and put his hands on either sides of my waist. 

Okay, that just made it worse. 

"So now look, it's pretty basic. This is the accelerator and this is the break and obviously thats the horn. Got it?", he asked me.

I nodded. He started the bike for me and slowly we started moving. It took me a few seconds before I could lift my feet off the ground and balance them on the bike. The moment my feet left the ground, it felt like flying. It was slow but I was doing it, it was in my control. As we drove and I picked up a little speed, everything seemed to flow in slow motion and it hit me —

This passing moment. The sunset at this beautiful beach, the waves crashing in, the clouds, the birds flying, my friends in the distance. The wind in my hair that kept hitting Jungkook's face, who didn't complain even once. Jungkook. This beautiful man — this was all possible because of him. I could feel he had a smile on his face.