Tomorrow • A Jungkook X Reader Fanfiction

#5.2

When I wake up again, after several hours of not being able to fall asleep, sunlight falls through the curtains in an oblique angle and lights up some dust particles in the air. A glance at the clock shocks me for a moment. It's already 1:40pm, the second hand ticking unstoppable forward to the meeting with Jungkook. Oh god.

It feels good to have slept more than for only an hour, I discover. A glance in the mirror over the sink in my tiny bathroom shows that the shadows under my eyes that are normally glued to my face are hard to even be noticed. Wow. Sleep. The cure for everything.

I leave an hour early, to prevent a panic attack again, and though stepping out on the street yesterday was horrible, today is good. At least for my circumstances. It's strange how my days range from absolute panic, heart racing and tears to wandering through nighttime streets, smiling, even without music. The city sounds so different with no headphones, as if someone increased the volume by hundred percent. Now I catch snippets of conversations in Korean, hear the golden leaves of the trees lining the road whispering in the wind. I feel alive, and it's amazing. How did I miss this until now?

The coffee shop is empty again as I enter, except for a guy who's probably not much older than me, maybe a senior in college, who stands behind the counter, taking my order and watching me with toxic glances, either because I'm disturbing him sleeping while working or because I'm a foreigner - I can't tell.

When Jungkook enters I don't notice him at first, because I'm too caught up in my book, like I sometimes am if the story is really good. 
His "Hi" as he pulls back the chair, what makes a funny sound on the floor, makes me jump. I stumble "hi" in response.

He laughs at my disoriented face. "That book must be good."

"It is." I smile back and take my time to watch him. His confident sitting position and the way he carries himself contrast to his shy, sheepish smile and tired eyes that reveal he probably hasn't slept properly in days. 
At my glance his cheeks turn slightly red, which makes my face burn in respond and I look away.

"Well, I'm sorry that I haven't contacted you in such a long time, but work was quite time-consuming."
At the sight of the shadows under his eyes I believe him instantly.

"It's okay... I guess." Questions about his job burn on my tongue once again, and the fact that talking about it makes him this uncomfortable just makes me more curious, but I keep my mouth shut. Instead I skip to asking him questions about Korean grammar, which he seems way happier answering.
Not long after Jungkook showed up, two girls, maybe a few years younger than us enter the café in a burst of laughter and loud, fast Korean conversation. I can't tell if they're drunk from drinks they got in a bar or drunk on the feeling of being reckless and young that you get on a night out with friends. Probably both.
They take a seat two tables from us and one's gaze catches Jungkook, staring in a way I couldn't describe. It's more than a simple "that guy's hella cute" glance, but it doesn't seem like they know each other. She nudges her friend with her elbow, whose eyes wide surprised at the sight of him, giving the other girl a gesture that seems to propose to go to us.
It makes me feel on edge, actually. Jungkook frowns when he realizes the girls are watching us, or rather him.

"Should we go for a walk?", he asks me, his voice changing to a more serious tone, accompanied by nervousness. "It's, er... quite boring in here, isn't it?"

I just nod in relieve and follow him to the door, the glances of the two girls burning on my back. This whole bizarre situation makes my anxiety come up again, and not even the cool night air outside can blow it away wholly.
Jungkook burries his hands in the pockets of his black jeans, hunching his shoulders, looking around hesitant.

Sliently we walk down the street, him being caught up in his thoughts, me trying to get my anxiety back down, while I attempt not to breathe too fast, to seem normal.
Seems like it doesn't work, because Jungkook looks at me with worried eyes, asking me if I'm okay.
I force a smile on my face that hopefully doesn't look as fake as it feels and nod, not finding the right words to say nor trusting my voice to be convincing. I can't panic right now. I can't destroy this. I can't burden Jungkook with all that mess.