PSYCHE-KSJ•JHS✔️

|81|

|THIRD|

Jania holds Mina against her in the kitchen as she eats her salad. She stabs a few pieces of lettuce, some chicken and an egg slice with Italian dressing on it before putting it into her mouth.

She chews as she watches the TV across the room. There's a commercial about a restaurant on television. They're showing the steak and chicken meals with vegetables and side dishes.

Her mouth waters and she stops eating her salad. She looks down at it and then back at the TV. She puts the fork down and FaceTimes Hoseok.

He's been back at work for two days. He wanted to stay out until Mina was two months but Jania knew that he also really wanted to go back to work. He loves his job, it's one of his passions and she isn't going to hold him back from that.

Plus, Mina is actually sleeping through most of the night. As long as she gets all of her good feedings in during the day, she sleeps from ten o'clock at night to about five or six in the morning.

That's around the time Hoseok gets up anyway for work now so he's the one that does her morning change, wipe down feeds her

He answers on the second ring and smiles at the phone. "Yes, baby?"

Her face heats up and she puts her phone down. Hoseok grins as he looks at the ceiling of his apartment. Jania fans her face and tries to collect herself. They way that her body just warmed from such a simple greeting annoys her.

She and Hoseok agreed to take things slow. But Jania didn't expect to feel so giddy about the simplest of things. When they agreed to start over, she didn't think that included blushing at terms of endearment and feeling like she's got a crush.

They've known each other for a year and some change. They've had sex multiple times. They have a baby for Christ's sake, why does she feel like this? It's so embarrassing to her.

Jania collects herself and picks up the phone again. Hoseok is looking at a computer screen, mumbling the words as he reads them to himself.

"I saw steak on a commercial and now I want some."

"For dinner? Do we have any at the house?"

"Yeah, for dinner and no. That's why I called. The house needs stuff too but I can't drive yet. The doctor said eight weeks because of the swelling.

"Damn. I can't leave yet and I'm not sending you in no damn Uber. Uhm.." he looks at the time and taps his fingers against the desk. "Is your friend busy?"

Jania raises an eyebrow and looks at him. "What friend?"

Hoseok rolls his eyes and looks at her. "The one with the OnlyFans."

"Tae?" Jania says, surprised that he's bringing him up.

"Never mind. You sound a little too excited to see this man."

Jania smacks her teeth and laughs. "Boy. I haven't seen him since Mina was born. I miss my friend. We still text and FaceTime but it's been like a month and a half."

"I'm trying to convince myself that there's a reason to like him and you're making it difficult now. Where my baby at?"

"I'm not making it difficult. Tae's a good guy and he's a really great friend to me. I don't want you to not like him because you think he likes me. He doesn't."

"I know that, Jania. But I need a minute to stop disliking him. I can't just reverse that. It takes time for me to mentally process the change. Give me a minute. I'm trying here."

"He didn't give you a reason to in the first place."

"I don't-. Where's my baby?" He cuts himself off to avoid getting annoyed.