IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR ABSENCE

CHAPTER 6

YN'S POV

Suddenly, I felt Taehyung shift beside me. I turned to look at him, and before I could react, his lips brushed softly against mine. My breath caught in my throat. The kiss was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It was tender and warm, and for a moment, the world around us disappeared. The crackling of the fire, the sound of Jungkook's singing, the laughter of our classmates—it all faded into the background.

When Taehyung pulled away, I saw the surprise on his face mirrored in mine. I blinked, trying to process what had just happened. He smiled at me, his eyes soft and filled with something I couldn't quite describe. I found myself smiling back, even though my heart was racing for entirely different reasons.

But then, reality rushed back, and my gaze instinctively drifted to Jungkook. He was still singing, his voice unwavering, but there was something in the way he held himself—tighter, more closed off. I wondered if he had seen. Part of me felt guilty, like I had crossed some invisible line between our past and the present. But another part of me knew that this was what had to happen.

Taehyung and I—there was something growing between us, something I wasn't ready to fully understand yet. And Jungkook, as much as we shared, wasn't a part of that anymore. It was time to let go.

As Jungkook finished his song, the crowd erupted in applause, and I clapped along, but my mind was elsewhere. The kiss had changed something—something between Taehyung and me, but also something between me and Jungkook. I wasn't sure what that meant, but in that moment, under the light of the bonfire, I knew things would never be the same.

JUNGKOOK'S POV

I watched as everyone around the bonfire cheered for Y/N and Taehyung after their kiss. It stung more than I expected, but I told myself it was okay. It had to be. This was their moment, not mine anymore. I forced a small smile, pretending like it didn't affect me as much as it did.

As the evening wore on, students started drifting away from the fire. Y/N, Taehyung, and even Lisa had disappeared at some point, and suddenly, the space felt empty. The laughter and warmth of the night seemed to fade, replaced by a hollow ache inside me. I decided to head back to my room, wanting to be alone with my thoughts.

I walked in the dim light, the cool air brushing against my skin. But as I approached the path near the tree, I noticed two familiar figures. My heart sank as I got closer, unable to stop myself from looking.

There they were—Taehyung and Y/N—kissing again. But this time, it wasn't just a brief moment. It was passionate, intimate, the kind of kiss that spoke volumes about where they stood with each other. My breath hitched, and I felt the ground give way beneath me. This time, it was too much.

Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. They streamed down my cheeks as I stood there, frozen, watching the scene unfold in front of me. I wanted to look away, to turn and walk away from the pain, but I couldn't. My heart was breaking, piece by piece, and it felt like there was no escape.

As I wiped the tears from my face, I suddenly felt a pair of hands cover my eyes from behind. Startled, I turned around, and there she was—Lisa. Her expression softened as she looked at me, understanding immediately what I was going through. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. She just pulled me into a hug.

I collapsed into her arms, the weight of the night finally crashing down on me. Lisa was the only one who truly understood what I was feeling right now, the only one who knew how much I had loved Y/N, and how much it hurt to watch her move on with someone else.

"It's okay, Jungkook. Let it out," she whispered, her voice soothing as she held me tighter.

For the first time that night, I let myself cry—really cry. And in that moment, as the tears fell, I realized that maybe this was what I needed. To finally let go.

Y/N'S POV

The night was quiet, the stars above us twinkling softly as Taehyung and I stood under the tree, far from the laughter and chatter of our classmates. There was something different in the air tonight, something unspoken hanging between us. I could feel it in the way Taehyung looked at me—more serious, more intense.

He took a step closer, his expression soft but determined. "Y/N," he began, his voice barely above a whisper, but the weight of his words was clear, "I've been holding this in for too long." My heart skipped a beat as I tried to prepare myself for what he was about to say.

"I care about you," he continued, his hands gently taking mine. "More than I've ever cared about anyone. And I want to be with you. For real. Not just moments like these, but every moment from here on. Will you be with me?"

His eyes were full of hope, and in that moment, time seemed to stand still. I could feel the sincerity in his words, the way his feelings for me had grown over time. My mind raced, but before I could even process my own thoughts, Taehyung leaned in and kissed me.

It wasn't just any kiss—it was tender and full of emotion, a kiss that carried with it a promise. His hands held me gently, and for a moment, everything else in the world seemed to disappear. The confusion, the uncertainty, even my complicated feelings about Jungkook. All of it faded as Taehyung's warmth enveloped me, and I kissed him back, allowing myself to be present in this moment with him.

When he pulled away, his eyes searched mine, waiting for an answer.

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding. "Yes," I whispered. "I want to be with you, Taehyung."

His face lit up, and the way he looked at me—so full of joy—made my own heart soar. We smiled at each other, and in that moment, everything felt right.

Wrapped up in each other, I forgot about everything else. The world outside of this kiss didn't exist. Neither of us noticed anyone else around—certainly not Jungkook. It was just the two of us, and the quiet rhythm of our hearts.

In that moment, Taehyung's proposal and the kiss felt like the start of something new. Something I wasn't quite ready for, but something I couldn't deny.

To Be Continued.....

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