A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 12

Back in Seoul and the tremendous energy that had pulsed through their group seemed to leach away like a jetlag that went on and on. The boys hadn't shown their fatigue, other than their tendency to nap in the hair and makeup chairs, while the tour was still on. Now though, with no cameras on them and nothing on their scheduled for the next 10 days, everyone in their flat went into a sort of hibernation. They were a house of moping.

Tae and Yoongi moped around the living room in their pyjamas while Hobi and Namjoon moped in their rooms. Jimin moped in the kitchen and Jungkook moped in the gym. Jin and Laura were to be found mostly wherever the other was not; Jin genuinely avoiding Laura and Laura wanting to give the appearance of avoiding Jin. For Reader's part she recovered quickly form the exertions of the tour and set about helping her flat mates. Four or five times a day she'd make food and tea and bring plates loaded with fruit or dumplings out into the living room for anyone to dip into to. There was a constant hum of Korean content emanating from the television which she'd occasionally realise no was watching and turn off.

She lovingly draped blankets over anyone who was sleeping on the sofa. Against her better judgement, she lingered to tuck Jungkook's slightly more snuggly around his sleeping form.

Whether from exhaustion or from the chagrin that constant rejection had brought him, Jungkook behaved less and less obsequiously towards her since their return. Like the rest of the boys, he seemed to be sleeping ,or at any rate lying down, for 15 hours a day and this left little time for paying Reader special attention. Of course, the loss of his shadowing left her mooning and morose for her own reasons.

One morning, she quietly entered the living room to make herself a drink and found Jungkook sleeping on the sofa. He was covered in a quilt and looked like he'd been there all night. She crouched down next to his head, unable to stop staring at the flawless plane of his skin from his ear to his lips. Wondering if she should wake him to suggest he move to his bed, she pulled at the blanket that had slipped from his shoulder. Unable to help herself, her fingers brushed against him as she reset his covers. God, she missed him.

He roused a little at her touch and she stood instantly, afraid of him catching her. She walked swiftly to the kitchen and set about making her drink as quietly as she could. A few moments later, he staggered in and saw that it was her. She looked away from him shyly, hoping he hadn't realised she had touched him and that his sleep-addled head was stopping him from speculating.

"You okay?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

She gave a little nod without meeting his eye. The colour of her cheeks was rising as she waited for him to ask what the hell she thought she was doing.

"You want anything?" He tried again, coming to a little more.

He looked so soft. He'd fallen asleep in his jeans, she now realised, and a sweatshirt which seemed to live communally in lots of the boys' possession. His hair was long and fluffy and his face was puffy with sleep. She was seized with a mad idea, that she could go to him. She could dart across the room and fold herself into his arms. She could push her face into the hollow of his neck and inhale his warm, musty scent.

She wanted to scold him for spending the night on the sofa. She would lead him back to him room and peel him out of yesterday's clothes. She'd lie down next to him. In this particular fantasy, of which there were many, she didn't think too much about his body, she didn't even think about kissing him and touching him. Right now, she just wanted to care for him. She wanted to be beside him and stroke his hair, to caress his cheek and to lay a soft kiss on his temple until he was soothed back to sleep.

These thoughts were irresistible to her. Dreams of a similar or considerably more adult-nature plagued her mind each and every day. But they were toxic. They were going to get her in trouble. She knew that as soon as they all got back to work, things would be easier. But it was too hard when he was with her all day, and at his absolute most adorable.