Closer than Ever

Chapter 33 - Jungshook

"You really are the sweetest," I tell Taehyung, my hands smoothing his wet hair back and my eyes raking over his face. "You know that I would love you just as much if you didn't give me wonderful excursions and presents, though, right? I would love you madly if you were a starving artist and just gave me a single rose or a candy bar from a convenience store for my birthday."

"I know," he says, his voice husky. "I know that you're not really into material stuff, but I just like pretty things and I want you to have them. Speaking of which, what are you going to name your horse?"

I laugh. "Don't we need to meet the horses before we name them?"

"No," he says. "We can name them in advance."

I giggle and kiss his shoulder. "OK, then mine is going to be named Bucky. What about yours?"

"Mine will be called Subak."

I crack up. "Watermelon? Is your horse going to be round and green?"

Taehyung gives me an offended look. "Of course not! It's just a good name."

I smirk at him. "If we ever have any kids, I get to name them."

"WHAT?! No way! I have great ideas for names already!"

"Oh, I know! I've watched Run BTS. No baby of mine is going to be named Kim Chi is Delicious!" I tickle his side and he tickles me back, which devolves into a splash fight.

"OK, OK, we should probably get out and get ready for the massage," Tae laughs, shaking his head to get water out of his ear.

I step out, almost slipping on the wet floor. "Hey, who splashed all this water on the floor?" I holler, giggling. I throw my towel down to mop up the mess.

Tae gingerly steps out of the tub and pretends to slip, grabbing my waist with one hand and my breast with the other to "catch" himself. "YAH!" I yell. "Watch where you're grabbing, bub!"

"Oh, Birdie, thank goodness you were there! I could have broken my neck!" he says, laughing. I scoff and shake my head at him.

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The massage hurts a lot, particularly when the masseuse is working on my butt and thighs. Tae and I hold hands from our respective massage tables, and I can tell that he's really sore, too, by the way his grip tightens from time to time. Definitely not the most relaxing massage I've ever had, but I am able to walk without wincing when it's over.

I throw together some quick bulgogi and rice for dinner, with a green salad on the side. We eat standing up at the island, and Tae brings out a beautiful birthday cake covered in raspberries that I pretend I didn't see in the refrigerator. We have slices of cake and ice cream, and Taehyung sings the birthday song to me in English. I veto his idea of a birthday smack on my sore ass, and then stand and chat with him while he washes the dishes. We are just getting ready to lie on our stomachs on the couch and watch a movie when Tae's notifications ping.

"Oh, damn. Jungkook-ie is on his way over to play games and drink," he says, looking at me with concern. "Should I tell him I'm not home?"

"No, no, you guys can play games. I'll hide in the bedroom and read a book." I smile at him. "You two haven't hung out in ages, right?"

"Are you sure it's OK? It's your birthday," he asks.

"Of course I don't mind. I've had you to myself all day, babe. And you've spoiled me rotten!" I pull his face down so I can dot it with kisses, and give the room a quick scan for any items that might give away my presence. Grabbing my shoes and purse from the entryway, I go back to the bedroom and close the door almost all the way, in case JK has to walk by to use the guest bathroom. I put on one of my cotton nightgowns, flop down on my stomach on the bed, and open Becoming Wild by Carl Safina.