From Reluctance to Desire: A Mafia Story [JJK]

✨UNDER THE STARS✨

Jungkook POV:

The plan was set, but the air felt thick with anticipation.

My mind was sharp, calculating, but my heart...

It ached. Something unexpected bloomed there—something close to tenderness, something I hadn't allowed myself to feel in a long time.

I stood on the balcony, my eyes fixed on the stars above, lost in their cold, distant light.

The night was cool, a gentle breeze brushing my skin, a reminder of how far we'd come.

How far I had come.

She was here, with me.

And for the first time in a long while, I let myself think it might be enough.

I heard her shift beside me, and instinctively, I turned.

Her eyes met mine, glowing faintly in the dim light.

She was quiet, but there was something in her gaze—something heavy, something that spoke of all the weight she carried.

The weight we carried together.

She spoke first, her voice soft but steady. It tugged at something deep inside me.

"Hey."

My words felt unfamiliar on my tongue, raw and real.

"I'm proud of you. You've shown so much strength, and it inspires me."

Her eyes softened, her lips parting as if she was searching for the right words.

But what she said wasn't what I expected.

"I wouldn't have found that strength without you."

Her words struck me hard.

It wasn't just the compliment—it was the way she said it, like we were pieces of a puzzle, each incomplete without the other.

My chest tightened at the truth of it.

I stepped closer to her, almost involuntarily, feeling the magnetic pull between us.

Our bodies were inches apart, the heat of her seeping into me, impossible to ignore.

I didn't speak; I just looked at her, trying to read the storm inside her.

"I just want to keep you safe," I murmured, my words quiet, almost too vulnerable for someone like me.

"I'll do whatever it takes."

Her gaze locked onto mine, and for a fleeting moment, I swore I saw something in her eyes—trust.

I wasn't sure if it was the weight of everything we'd been through or something deeper, but in that moment, it hit me how much she had come to mean to me.

More than anything. More than I ever allowed myself to believe.

"I know you will," she whispered back, her voice full of sincerity.

"And I'll do the same for you."

I didn't need anything more than that. Not in this moment.

I leaned in, closing the distance, and kissed her.

Under the stars, with the world fading away, it was a promise.

A promise not just of love, but of resilience—of something real and undeniable between us.

The kiss started slow, tender, like we were both trying to understand this fragile space we'd created.

My heart pounded against my chest, matching the intensity of her breath against my lips.