From Reluctance to Desire: A Mafia Story [JJK]

✨SOFTENING EDGES✨

Jungkook's fingers lingered on my cheek, his touch gentle yet electrifying. We stood there, suspended in a charged silence, until a faint sound broke the spell. It was the distant chiming of a clock, reminding us that time was moving, even if we seemed frozen in this moment.

Jungkook was the first to pull away, his hand dropping to his side. His expression shifted from something raw and open to guarded and unreadable in the blink of an eye. The sudden change left me feeling cold like a door had been slammed shut between us.

"Well," he started, his voice a bit rougher now, "I should get going. Work to do." He turned away as if to leave, but for some reason, his quick departure rubbed me the wrong way. After everything that had just happened, the way he could shift gears so quickly was maddening.

"Oh, so that's it? You're just going to act like nothing happened?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I was more embarrassed by my outburst than anything else, but I couldn't take it back now.

Jungkook turned back to face me, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "What exactly did happen, Y/N? You stood in front of me like a statue, and I touched your cheek. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff." His voice was teasing, but there was a hint of something more behind it—a challenge, maybe.

My eyes narrowed at him. "Don't act like you weren't trying to say something just now. And stop smirking like that!" I could feel my face heating up, and his infuriating smirk only made it worse.

He took a step closer, crossing his arms over his chest. "Smirking? Oh, you mean this?" He exaggerated the expression, turning it into a ridiculous, cartoonish grin. It was so over-the-top that I almost choked on a laugh. "Am I doing it right? I read somewhere that this is what makes people 'charming.'"

"Ugh, you're impossible," I muttered, turning to walk away before I said something I'd regret.

But before I could make my escape, he grabbed my wrist gently, pulling me back. "Hold on a second," he said, his tone serious now. "Why are you getting so worked up? You're acting like... like..."

"Like what?" I challenged, facing him again, my cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"Like a kid who's been caught sneaking cookies," he teased, his lips twitching in a barely suppressed grin. "Is that what this is, Y/N? Did you sneak a peek into something you weren't supposed to?"

His words caught me off guard, and I stumbled over my response. "No! I mean... I don't know what you're talking about. You're the one acting all weird."

"Weird?" His eyes widened in mock offense. "I'm not the one sneaking around gardens and getting flustered over a little touch."

"Flustered?" I scoffed, crossing my arms defensively. "I was not flustered. I was... caught off guard, that's all."

He took another step toward me, closing the distance again, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Caught off guard, huh? So, if I do this again—" He reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek lightly. "—you won't get all... flustered?"

I swatted his hand away, feeling my face heat up even more. "Stop that! You're being ridiculous." I turned my head, trying to hide the smile threatening to break through.

Jungkook chuckled, and for the first time since our marriage, I saw him laugh. Not just a smirk or a mocking smile, but a genuine laugh. It was the kind of laugh that came from deep within, the kind that brought out the crinkles around his eyes and made him look so much younger. And damn it, he was cute when he laughed. He had a cute bunny smile.