Shadows Of Stardom

Chapter 37

“Taehyung, zip up,” I said, tilting my head back for a moment and letting my hair fall forward as he leaned in casually. I felt his warm hand gently slide onto my shoulders, brushing my hair aside before he pressed a kiss to my bare back, sending a flutter of excitement through my stomach.

If I hadn’t known what his parents were like, I might have stressed over my outfit, but thankfully, it didn’t seem worth the worry. I had asked Chanyeol to drop off the dress I intended to wear for dinner at Taehyung's parents' house but ofcourse he refused claiming he was a busy person not an errand boy for this three months older sister which was me.  Instead, Taehyung had his housekeeper pick out something for me. I also  had a few of my clothes here since I often stayed over, but I rarely wore them. Why would I when I had my boyfriend's hoodie, which smelled just as good as he did, hanging in the wardrobe?

So here I was, standing in front of the mirror in Taehyung's room, preparing for dinner with his family. I felt an odd urge to go, even though I wasn’t entirely sure I needed to be there.

“Thanks,” I said, finally turning to give Taehyung a quick kiss on the lips. His warm smile made my heart race. Just as our moment felt perfect, my phone began to ring. I hesitated, glancing at the nightstand where my phone was, and saw Jisoo's name lighting up the screen.

“It’s Jisoo,” I whispered to Taehyung, who was sitting on the edge of the bed tying his sneakers. He nodded, giving me the signal to answer.I sank onto the bed, slipping on a couple of bracelets, one of which was a gift from Taehyung.

“Hey, Jennie!” Jisoo greeted me with a warm yet slightly husky voice, making me smile.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I replied, trying to sound upbeat. Honestly, I had been feeling an unusual surge of happiness lately.

“Have you seen the news?” she asked, causing my stomach to twist. I shook my head, already sensing trouble. The way she spoke made me think it was related to the rumors about me and Kai following our performance yesterday. After all, we had sung a song about being in love as friends, and everyone knew that Kai and I had been close for years, so it was only natural for people to jump to conclusions. But why was she bringing it up now?

“Is it about the rumors regarding Kai and me?” I asked, already feeling a headache creeping in.

Jisoo hummed in agreement, confirming my fears. “Don’t worry too much; it will blow over soon…” I said, trying to reassure both her and myself. I glanced at Taehyung, who raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

“Taehyung and I are heading out,” I said calmly, but I could hear Jisoo hesitating on the other end. She seemed to be stammering but didn’t finish her thought.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Love you!” I blurted out, feeling the need to end the call before I could overthink things.

“Jenn… Jennie… it’s…” she stammered again, but before she could finish, I heard her let out a sigh. before she could finish her thought, I heard her give up. “Alright, I’ll talk to you later. Have fun!” she said quickly before ending the call.

I stared at the screen for a moment, puzzled by her sudden awkwardness. What was that all about?

“Is everything okay?” Taehyung asked, glancing my way with a look that combined concern and curiosity. I nodded and moved closer to him, feeling the warmth emanating from his body.

“Yeah, everything's fine. Just Jisoo being Jisoo,” I replied, trying to dismiss it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

I took one last look in the mirror to ensure my hair was just right before grabbing my purse.