Between Chances And Choices

Chapter 13

With his hair blowing with the wind and his arm sticking out of the opened car window, Jungkook whistled with his eyes closed as they drove amidst the view of the mountain and the sea. Taehyung carefully managed the wheel while occasionally glancing to the side, towards his bright-looking, fresh-faced husband.

"Are you happy?" He asked the nth time he caught a glimpse of him.

The younger man hummed and nodded with his eyes still closed. Taehyung looked ahead, feeling utmost satisfaction. There's a certain lightness in his chest that seemingly rises up to irrepressibly lift his cheeks. He's happy. He's happy that Jungkook is happy. He finally unloaded a huge weight that has burdened him for so long.

"Where should we go first?"

Jungkook's tone was laced with utter excitement.

"You said you're hungry."

So they went to eat first and foremost.

"Do you know how to make sashimi? I watched videos on the internet so I can skillfully skin and debone salmon. I even bought a good knife for it."

Taehyung attentively listened to Jungkook's chatter while deboning a fish for him. He placed the meat on top of his rice while the other enumerated the steps on how to skin and bone chronologically. He has no need for the knowledge but he still indulged him, all while helping him peel fermented leaves whenever he needed it.

They checked into their hotel after their meal and rested for a few hours before driving off again to go kart racing. As always, Jungkook was competitive and initiated a contest. Taehyung contemplated on letting him win. But before he could even decide on doing it, the younger seemed to have read his mind and convinced him to play fair. He won't like winning that way after all.

So they went against each other with everything they have with one winning and the other losing or ending in a tie. But it wasn't like competing at all. It was playing together. Having fun together. Jungkook realized that it isn't that bad to lose. But is it just because it's Taehyung? He felt like he won either way.

A day filled with fun and enjoyment went by quickly. It's already the second and sadly their last day on vacation. Jungkook woke up, feeling tired but extremely happy. After go-karting, they went to the theme park where he persuaded and occasionally forced Taehyung to face his fear of heights. They stayed there and enjoyed every single ride all day.

He turned to his side and saw the older still sound asleep. He's surely worn out but hopefully satisfied, like him. His eyes lingered on his face, mindlessly committing its details to his memory. Even though, by now, he already had it memorized. Funny, he used to snort whenever he remembered that very same face. Now, staring at it is always a welcome sight for him every morning. Unknowingly, Taehyung has become the start and the end of his every day.

He curled in, feeling a flutter in his stomach. He realized that he's also in between. How many times has he missed asking himself if he has already eaten? None. He wonders every single time whenever he's not with him. He pouted, trying not to admit even to himself, how often he counts the hours until he could go home so he could count the hours until Taehyung is home with him.

"I need to wake up."

He hastily got off and went to the bathroom to wash his face and the thoughts out of his head. He found out that it's already past nine in the morning so instead of just rinsing his face, he went directly to the shower to take a bath.

Taehyung woke up alone.

"Honey?"

He looked around the room and did not see Jungkook anywhere. But his phone was on the bedside table so he knew that he didn't go out by himself. He rose and walked to the bathroom. His upper half was naked. He's only wearing his loungewear bottoms.