Still With You | JK ff

Chapter 13 - The Luxury of Normalcy

His fingers uncurled around yours as he reached for the door and ushered you out into the corridor. You gazed down at his hand as it aimlessly hung loose, down by his side, while he pulled his hat over his brow. There was an apparent distance between you as you walked towards the elevator – an aloofness that seemed like a solid block separating you from him. You couldn't help the worry that furrowed your brow in search for a sign of something you might have done wrong that had caused the sudden shift, only to find his face now completely obscured behind his sunglasses, mask and hat. All the time you had spent with him inside your apartment since your confession, albeit just under fifteen minutes, he had subconsciously remained in physical contact with you in some way or the other. Whether it was your shoulders rubbing against each other while you made coffee, or your thighs grazing against each other while you sat side by side on the couch, talking in between shy glimpses at one another. He had followed you around the apartment, clutching your T-shirt from behind or placing a hand on the small of your back, while you gathered your things off the floor and shoved the usual necessities in your bag. Spotting the large yellow contract envelope scattered near your bed, he had asked you to take them with you and after a brief call, he had grabbed your hand gently and led you towards the door only to let it go immediately as it opened. The sharp contrast of having his undivided attention to the sudden space that he consciously created between you and him felt jarring and hurtful, but you chided yourself internally for being too sensitive.

Only when you stepped into the elevator with two other people already inside, did it dawn upon you that this was the first time that you had stepped out into the world with Jungkook in broad daylight. He slipped into the far corner at the back of the lift, moving past the occupants as inconspicuously as he could manage, while you observed their eyes and mouths gape involuntarily at his impressive presence, despite his effort against it. You took the opposite corner, remaining near the doors as they slid shut, trying to stifle a laugh. Jungkook wasn't meant to be invisible, he wasn't meant to blend in, and watching him obliviously fail at it was quite amusing. How ignorant it was of you to not have realized earlier, that dating Jungkook would involve avoiding the public eye like the plague. While you wanted nothing more than to remain hidden in the shadows, you felt a lingering sadness for him as you recalled how he had pleaded to Sooyoung that night in the alley behind the bar that he just wanted to feel normal sometimes.

'It's the price for being special,' you sighed stepping out of the lift as it opened on the ground floor and made your way out to the street without glancing back at him.

You could hear his distinct footsteps behind you, matching their pace with yours to maintain the gap between you as you stepped out of the gate of the building and scanned the street. You spotted a luxury SUV in a rare midnight blue color parked across the street and immediately recognized it as his, despite it being different from the car he had dropped you off in, the last time. As you crossed the street and walked up to it, a well-built man emerged from the other side and shot an alarming glare in your direction before bowing courteously to Jungkook, who had caught up with you quickly. The car unlocked with a beep as Jungkook flung the key towards the man, before opening a door for you. The man caught the keys mid-air and shot a wary look in your direction at the sight of you hopping into the car.

"You're better at this than I could have ever expected," Jungkook giggled as he shut the door behind him and peeled the mask off his face with a sigh of relief. "For a moment I thought you forgot about me."

"How could I ever forget you?" you pulled his cheek lightly, grinding your teeth at his cuteness and then shrugged. "I just caught on quickly."

"It must be weird for you right – all this sneaking around and pretentiousness?" he sighed. "I'm sorry," he peered at you with sincerely guilty eyes.