Books×Bikes [KTH] ✔️

Ch 32.☘︎ ݁˖

જ⁀➴🖤⃝🤍𓆰♕𓆪
Taehyung's POV:

It's a peculiar thing, longing for someone who doesn't reciprocate your feelings. Jude doesn't like me and that fact shouldn't sting much. But it does. It hurts like a persistent ache that refuses to dissipate.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I started harboring these feelings for Jude.

The day I first laid eyes on her, sitting so serenely in the library, completely immersed in her own world. Her face concentrated, her burnette hair tied back in a ponytail, hands half-buried in the sleeves of her hoodie. In that moment, she exuded a sense of peace that I had never experienced before.

Then the second time, I witnessed her being dragged away by an exuberant Jules who had taken it upon herself to protect Jude after she had shown kindness to her. In Jules' eyes, that act of kindness warranted protection. And that was the first time I found myself standing close to her, feeling the warmth of her presence enveloping me.

Subsequent encounters only deepened my admiration for her. I observed her quietly engrossed in her books, seeking solace in their pages, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world around her.

One such instance was when I caught her engrossed in a not so innocent book, far removed from the prying eyes of others. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she devoured the pages as if she were indulging in a guilty pleasure.

Despite her attempts to conceal it, Jude's that side intrigued me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. And then there was the unexpected encounter, when she snuck up on me that day on streets, catching me off guard with a quick peck on the lips. It was a fleeting moment but it left an indelible mark on my heart.

It seemed that wherever I turned, she was there. And in each of these instances, Jude embodied a sense of peace that seemed to elude me at every turn.

Her presence brought a newfound sense of calm into my chaotic existence. For that, I couldn't help but be drawn to her, even if she didn't feel the same way about me.

Liking someone is right but it is wrong to force someone into a relationship, to disregard their feelings and autonomy in favor of your own desires. And that's what I did, I knew this deep down.

I fucked up bad. I know.

When I stood there, hand in hand with Jude in front of the entire college, claiming her as my girlfriend, it felt like the right thing to do. I had convinced myself that by claiming her publicly, I was staking my claim and warding off any potential rivals.

But now after Jude's outburst, I reflected on my actions once again, I realized how misguided and selfish I had been with her. Jude deserved better than to be treated like a prize to be won or a possession to be guarded. She is a human with her own thoughts and feelings, and I had no right to dictate the course of her life or relationships.