ALWAYS

XXXIV

His legs were crossed as he was sitting… one of his hands was on the table, fingers were tapping it while his other arm was resting on top of the backrest of his seat… face was turned to the side as if he’s watching the view outside from the window… but in fact, eyes were straining from keeping his gaze to his side …

A slight smile curved on the side of his lips as he heard his wife hummed once again after she ate another spoon of her ice cream… he has been watching her for a while now… would gradually smile whenever he would see her eyes widen in delight… lips would curve into a smile after she would taste another spoon of her favorite vanilla ice cream…

She looked like a kid… which made him remember about his wife’s niece… he looked down a bit… thinking how’s little Soojin’s doing right now… and remembering about his promise to her… he nearly let out a laugh… but one thing he’s sure that he’ll be able to do now… and that is to not cause Rosé any more harm… at least… it’s close to taking care of her…

He turned his gaze back to his wife… how could she be so innocent in every of her actions…? Just a while ago… she was as quiet as the wind… but now, she looked so lost once again just because of a simple dessert… amazing as to how simple little things could bring her great happiness…

He didn’t realize, his head was already shifted… facing her now as he continuously watched her…

She stiffened after what she heard…crumpling his smooth suit as her hands were still gripping tight on his back…she lifted her face… facing his broad chest… still shivering a bit from crying earlier…

Mouth was half opened as she breathes… she couldn’t move a bit… too astonished of what she had heard from him… even thinking if she’s hearing things once again… was it still from the stress...? Or was it from her too much hope…?

“I can’t hurt you anymore…”

He said it again so clear that she felt reality hit her hard… it’s all true…his voice kept ringing inside his head, screaming that it’s really happening…

Her mouth was half opened… she looked up and finally met his eyes… lips quivered and tears filled her eyes once again…

The moment she’s been waiting for finally came true… all those sufferings… hopes… were now being rewarded… she never expected this day to happen… even setting herself to just hold on to those hopes… but now… it’s actually happening… it all came out directly from him… too overwhelmed to figure out how to react… she could only cry…

She buried her face back on his chest… bawling… while he caressed her back to make her calm… smiling to himself despite the tears she’s been pouring out…

Because he knew by then that… he finally did something right…

She then looked up… while he immediately shifted his gaze back to the window but would steal glances on her at the side of his eyes… saw her pouting at him… with a bit of vanilla ice cream at the side of her lips… his brows curled… heart started to pound fast once again… why is she looking at him…? He thought

“Aren’t you going to eat…?”

She finally let out that sweet voice of hers…

He turned to her wearing an innocent look on his face… pretending as if he didn’t hear her the first time she asked him…

“Their ice cream is really good… aren’t you going to eat…?”

She repeated… his gaze went to her lips and smiled… “I’m not a fan of desserts or anything that is sweet… “
He said before he reached for a napkin and leaned a bit forward to wipe off the side of her lips acting as if it’s the most casual thing in the world… her eyes widen and cheeks quickly flushed red… she even almost dropped her spoon…

Jungkook noticed it but didn’t bother feeling odd about his… why so…? She’s his wife after all… he pulled his hand back and placed the napkin back on the table while she stayed stiffened on her seat for a while until she cleared out her throat and looked down on her dessert.

“I mean… there’s no harm in trying… it’s really good… plus… it would nicer if I’m

not the only one eating…”

Her voice trailed off when she said her last words…

Jungkook sighed… which Rosé heard making her to look up at him…

“But if you really don’t want it’s fine… I won’t force you…j…just forget it…”

She waved her hands in front of her as she stuttered in speaking… her round eyes dilated for being so pushy around him… how could she be so absurd…? She thought…

Jungkook’s brows rose in surprise a bit before he let out a slight smile… he called one of the waiters asking for another spoon…

Rosé watched him and her eyes widen once again when her husband reached for her dessert and scooped a spoon of it without another word… eyes set to him and continued watching him as scooped for another one…

“Why aren’t you eating…? Want me to finish all of this..?” “Eh..?”
Jungkook pointed the bowl with his spoon… Rosé contemplated a bit… would it be okay…?

She looked at him first who now seemed busy eating the other side of her ice cream, she then bit her lower lip as she slowly took a spoonful of the other side… they ate in silence…her cheeks were as red as tomatoes, blushing like a high school girl having her first date with her crush… which she honestly admitted to herself that it’s greater on what she really feels right that moment…

She would steal glances at him… and would bow her head down whenever he would look up to her… after a while she just sat there… watching him as he eats… a warm smile slowly crept on her lips… such an overwhelming feeling upon seeing the changes in him…up until now she couldn’t help but to feel everything’s so surreal…

But as she watched him, the smile on her lips slowly vanished… gaze dropped as she realized something… never she felt this selfish before… but cant help even though she knows it’s bad…but for a day like this with him, she would stake the last pride she has in herself, just feeding that unrequited feelings for him… hoping for  the day not to end… hoping for the time to stop… hoping that he would not go back

to his lovers arms…hoping she could be like this with him ‘forever’…

And then again, apart from those selfish thoughts… she can’t help but to be afraid that this change in him would draw her feelings for him deeper… and that would mean more pain for her when reality hits back… when it’s time for them to part ways…

He noticed her sudden stillness which made him look up and saw her in a deep trance…

“What’s wrong…?”

His gentle voice rang inside her mind that instant which brought her back from her trance… she looked up to him and saw the curious look on his face…

He was a bit taken a back when she suddenly smiled at him… how could that simple act from her makes his insides quiver… could drive the bundle of nerves inside his chest thump fast and would leave him breathless yet asking for more… such a feeling that he knows he shouldn’t feel… yet can’t control his shameless self to like it…

She shook her head, still wearing that warm smile on her face… “Brain freeze…”
She faintly said, shyly looking at him upon seeing him looking straight at her… he could only just look at her… leaving himself still in awe… until after a while he managed to blink and look away... he suddenly laughed making her startled and looked at him in curiosity.

“Well then…no more ice cream for you…”

Her eyes widen and jaw dropped upon seeing him eating the remaining bits in the bowl…

“I thought you didn’t like it…?”

She pouted… looking at the now empty bowl… “Well… it’s good…”
“You ate it all…”

Her brows were curled in disappointment… still looking at the bowl in front of her…Jungkook’s brows were raised, surprised at her expression… she’s seriously disappointed by it…? He thought… he almost laugh… who could be shallower than her…?

“Yah… it’s bad to have too much you know…” “But…-“
“Arasso… I’ll just buy you again later when we go home…”

And just then, her face quickly lightened up… eyes became rounded and her pink lips curved into a wide smile once again… Jungkook could only watch her in amazement… almost forgetting that he’s with his wife, for all he could see is a little girl having one of her greatest time in her life…

“Really..? Wow… thank you Jungkook… it’s just that… I never had ice cream for such a long time… I really miss it you know… can we also buy a strawberry flavor…and-..”

She stopped, upon realizing what she’s doing… she looked up and saw her husband’s startled expression… she bit her lower lip before she sighed…

“I’m sorry…”

She was back again in playing with her fingers on top of her lap… looking down in shame for being so abrupt… only to look up after she heard him speak.

“Just make sure you won’t eat it all at once… it’s bad for the stomach if it’s too much…”

She blinked for a couple of times before she excitedly nodded her head… Jungkook could only let out a discreet smile as he slightly shook his head…

‘What are you doing to me Rosé…?’

--

They were inside his car… with her looking outside the window watching as the sun sets down… she sighed…

‘So, this is the end…?’

She thought… why is it time passes so quickly when you’re having fun…?

He watched her at the side of his eyes… a bit curious as to what she’s thinking right now…

She probably wants to go home right now… a sigh of relief for finally she’s done being with him… he knows a day is not enough for her to be comfortable with him that instant… there’s still some other time… even though he doesn’t know when would it be again… but he wouldn’t push more for now… for once, he would be sensitive about how she feels…

“Tomorrow…”

He started… earning her attention… turning her head to him… “No more skipping of class arasso…”
He saw the sudden distress on her face… and before she could speak, he beats her to it.

“Just ignore them all…you know what really happened so there’s no reason for you to be afraid of them…running away is like also telling them that you’re guilty of something...”

He then glanced to her and gave her that assuring smile… enough for her broken pride to regain itself back… and enough for her confidence to boost up.

“Don’t worry I’ll be there...”

And that settled it all… she wasn’t able to answer him back… too overwhelmed by his support… so it’s true… he really believes her… as long as he's there... she thought…

She looked away and set her gaze back to the window as she bit her upper lip… she really has no control of her emotions… especially when it comes to the guy beside him… better yet keep it to herself… her hand made its way to her eyes and quickly wiped off the forming tears inside her eyes… here she goes again with her tears… feeling herself lost whenever he would do a sudden act…and would take her a long time to regain herself back…

He smiled to himself as he continued driving… one of his hand pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and carefully gave it to her… she looked at him

wearing a surprised look on her face… as if he didn’t hear her sobs… he thought…

“T… thank you…” She weakly said… he just nodded and continued to drive… would gradually check on her…and after awhile saw her again wearing a smile on her face… just then he felt peace inside him…

--

As soon as they got home… a maid quickly ran up to them just right after he got out from his car…

Rosé was still in all smiles having Jungkook open the door for her and guided her out of his car…

“Bring the bags inside… her ice creams might melt…”

Jungkook told the maid as he walked his way inside their house but stopped upon noticing the uneasiness plastered on the maid’s face…

“What’s wrong…?”

Rosé looked back to them as she too stopped with her tracks… “Young master… Miss..-“
The maid was cut when another woman’s voice came between them, calling Jungkook… Rosé quickly turned her gaze towards the familiar voice, her eyes widen in surprise upon seeing who it is…

“Tzuyu-ah…”

Jungkook said in surprise upon seeing his lover inside their house looking at them with an obvious angry expression on her face…