ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴜɴɴʏ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ| Jikook

9

Jimin pov

The sound of the shower turning on made me relax slightly. The poor man needed help, and for a few seconds there, I was afraid I'd scare him away because I was being so weird. The last thing he needed was to be naked and alone in the woods again, or worse yet, stumbling upon my trigger-happy neighbor.

I thought back to Doc's comments and how awkward they were at the time, but now that I met the man, it sorta made sense. Doc knew people, and anyone who was confused enough to be naked in the woods was going to be on edge about getting help. Now I just needed to figure out how to get the man to visit Doc.

I padded off to my bedroom and looked for some clothing that might fit him. He was taller than me but not by much. His build, however, was completely different. He had long, lean muscles. Not that I was looking. Fine, I had been looking, but I felt guilty about it. My clothes would swim on him, so I fished out a pair of sweats and a random black top and called it good enough. Then I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs and socks, unsure if he would be willing to wear them given those weren't the kind of things people typically borrowed from strangers.

I hung everything up on the door of the bathroom and was about to knock when I heard him groan. Poor guy must be in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, that's not the message my body got. My lower brain took the groan as a call to arms. Stupid little head.

I knocked three times and called out that the clothes were on the doorknob then turned away to go start the grill.

I'd picked up some steaks at the store on my way home with the intention of having them for a couple of meals, but if he'd been without food and decent water for the past few days, he was likely low on iron. I got the grill going then walked to my car to grab the bag of groceries still waiting for me. Steak, store-bought potato salad, and bagged lettuce was the best I could do for my new guest.

I had the mismatched plates and utensils on the table by the time the door to the bathroom clicked open.

"I'm in the kitchen," I called. "But I'm going outside to check on the steaks."

"If you need help, I'm pretty good behind a grill." He stepped into the doorframe, his hair disheveled and a smile on his face. He looked exhausted, but other than that, he seemed to be okay.

"You can keep me company." Instinctively, I returned his smile. "They're not the best cuts, but it's what I've got."

"Anything sounds great right now." He followed me outside then sat on the stoop as I adjusted the flames on the grill.

"I tend to eat mine medium. How about you?" I peeked up at him over the lid of the grill.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He bit his lower lip and damn if I wasn't staring at it. "Why are you so nice?"

That snapped me out of my ogling because I was many things but nice wasn't one of them.

"Not nice, just doing what my grams would've wanted. This was her place, and I guess it's mine now. So, yeah...that's kind of how this place always has been. You met the three-legged cat and the pig and the bloody goose." I leaned a bit closer and whisper-shouted, "She drives me bonkers. The darn thing hisses more than the cat."

He chuckled at that, a rich deep sound that warmed me from the inside. What was it about this man?

Maybe it was the farm. Maybe there was just something magical here that had made it a refuge for all, including...shit, I didn't even know his name. "What should I call you?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Jungkook, and I was on my way to start a new job." He leaned to the side, his head resting on the column.

"Maybe after dinner you'll let me take you to Doc's. Grams trusted him which means I do too." I flipped the steaks over, wishing I'd had the foresight to buy some better ones.

"Yeah, maybe." His response was so soft I had to strain to hear him. One glance in his direction told me why. The poor guy was falling asleep on the stoop.

"These will be done in three minutes. How about we eat quickly and then I'll get you a place to sleep. Doc will be there in the morning."

He didn't answer, his eyes fully closed.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone to look up head injuries. I was trying to figure out if sleep was the best plan, but the more I read, the more uncertain I became. Maybe I needed to call Doc and have him come over now. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't going to call the sheriff-something about the way Deputy Ron referred to him made me think of him as a last resort.

Something told me Jungkook didn't bring danger with him, and as weird as his story had been, he gave me no indication that he was lying. No, he was someone who needed help, and if I did anything other than that, I'd be going against everything this place stood for.

"Wake up, sleepy head," I called to him softly as I plated up the steaks and turned off the grill. "Dinner is served."

He gave me a sleepy smile and my breath hitched. He was stunning like that. All relaxed and happy.

"If you want to sleep first, I can wrap this up for you and reheat it later."

He shook his head and stood up, stretching his arms out with a yawn. "I can eat. I guess I'm just more tired than I thought."

We went into the kitchen and ate in silence. Jungkook dug into his steak and potato salad like it was his job, but he left the lettuce completely untouched. I showed him to my room, and after a very brief attempt at turning down the offer, he climbed into my bed and curled into a ball, immediately closing his eyes.

I would set up Grams's room as a guest room in the morning. It wasn't healthy for me to leave it closed off the way I had, and maybe that was why this stranger showed up needing a place to stay and a warm meal. Grams always said this place was like a magnet for those who belonged here, and maybe for this brief period of time, Jungkook belonged here.

Gods, I missed her.

I looked down at Jungkoo, already sleeping soundly. He was so trusting. For all he knew, I could have been a cannibal or something.

When I was sure he was down for the count, I tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind me. I had animals to feed and a bunny to check on.

Then why is it so hard to leave the room, much less the house?

🙂 another update