Exchange student - one year ᵗᵃᵉᵏᵒᵒᵏ

28

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Two weeks had passed since that evening. Two weeks in which Jungkook and Taehyung hadn't seen each other more than necessary. They hadn't exchanged a glance or even a word with each other for two weeks.

By the time he got home, it was usually late at night. He spent his time with Yeji and just had his fun, as if to convince himself that he didn't mind Jungkook's absence and that this was all he needed.

He continued the lifestyle he had already led in Korea, as if he was clinging to old patterns in order not to lose his grip completely. Sex, parties and alcohol. Only the woman and the people around him had changed, but his lifestyle remained the same, wild and unattached.

Jungkook also increasingly sought to get away during this time and rarely spent time in the shared house. Instead, he spent most of his time with Jimin or Taemin, as if he wanted to run away from something.

He had apologized to his pink-haired friend. His remorse and regret about his behavior at the party were clearly written on his face.

Jungkook tried everything to comfort him over the pain and loss of his separation from Jisoo. He knew that words alone were not enough to close the gap in Jimin's heart. So he made plans to take Jimin's mind off things. They went shopping together, laughed at the outlandish clothes in the shop windows and tried on the craziest clothes in town. They went on trips or spent their evenings on the couch, wrapped up in warm blankets and engrossed in a marathon of their favorite shows. Jungkook did everything he could to put a smile on Jimin's face and banish the sadness in his eyes. The fact that it was also a balm for his own battered soul was a small but welcome consolation prize.

And then there was Taemin. The blond felt his heart begin to beat again for his ex-boyfriend and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. It wasn't the exciting tingling sensation often associated with being freshly in love, but rather a warm, familiar feeling that spread through his chest. It felt like he was falling in love with his ex-boyfriend for the first time.

Every free minute that Jungkook didn't spend at college or with his friend Jimin, he devoted to Taemin. There was something magnetic about the boy with black hair streaked with blond strands, something that captivated Jungkook and made him feel special. He felt desired and loved, as if he was the center of Taemin's world. Taemin let Jungkook's every wish slip from his lips, just like back then, and that made his heart overflow with gratitude and affection.

When Jungkook was near Taemin, his heart began to beat a wild beat and his hormones went crazy. He felt alive, desired and loved, and that was a feeling he didn't want to miss.

Maybe it was just his imagination, maybe he was just trying to fool himself, but the more he convinced himself of these feelings, the more real they became for him. And as long as it helped him to suppress the negative feelings he had for Taehyung, he was ready to receive this fantasy with a kiss. And it worked, because the blond rarely wasted a thought on the dark-haired man anymore.

Instead, he focused on Taemin, on the love they had once shared and which was now blossoming again.

Jungkook began to lose himself more and more in Taemin's presence. He loved how Taemin gave him his full attention, how he looked at him with those warm brown eyes, as if Jungkook was the most precious gift in the world. He enjoyed the small, gentle touches or the innocent kisses they exchanged.

He began to look forward to their meetings. They took trips down memory lane and visited places where they had made wonderful memories in their relationship eight months ago. They walked hand in hand on the beach in Santa Monica, dined at the fanciest restaurants or spent evenings in love on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and illuminated by the soft glow of the TV.