Starting Over •JJK• ✔️

Four

Dinner was a success and everyone was beyond full. The boys were all scattered around and music was coming through Hobi's phone. I started gathering the dirty dishes and bringing them to the sink.

"Nope. You know the rules." Hobi took the plates from my hands and bumped his hip against mine to playfully push me out of the kitchen. "The chef doesn't do the cleaning. That's our job."

At Hobi's words, everyone else made their way over to start helping with the cleanup. I plopped down onto the couch with a sigh as I watched seven men flitter around. One washed the dishes, another dried them, a third would put them away, and the rest would wipe down the countertops. They were like a well-oiled machine, all while bopping around to the music.

My eyes suddenly got very heavy and I yawned. This was when I realized that I hadn't fully allowed myself to relax since the morning. Joon mentioned it earlier but I didn't actually feel it until my body sank into the soft cushions. I curled my arm on the armrest and laid my head down.

Five minutes wouldn't hurt.

The sound of the water running, dishes lightly clinking together, and the music all seemed to form a faint background noise. I felt Yeontan jump up to join me and he curled up into a ball against my stomach.

When I slowly opened my eyes again, the world was quiet. The room was dark minus the flickering of the muted television. I was now lying on my back with a pillow under my head and a blanket covering me. I rubbed my eyes and went to stretch when I felt something underneath my legs. I lifted my head to look around and saw a silhouette sitting next to me, facing the TV. I felt a hand gently resting on my knee with a thumb slowly moving back and forth. Yeontan stirred at my side but fell right back to sleep.

He stayed. Everyone else left, as I'm sure they had things to do, but he stayed.

"Kookie?"

He turned to face me as I sat up. "Hey." His voice slightly more than a whisper and I could see his grin thanks to the soft light from the television. "The guys all say goodnight and thank you for dinner." He reached over to tame some of my hair, which I'm sure was looking a little wild. "I thought you would be out for the rest of the night."

I swung my legs off of his lap and turned to properly stretch, melting back against the couch again. "What time is it? I'm surprised you're still here."

JK checked his phone. "It's a little past 1am. I'd probably be doing the same thing alone in my room while everyone else was off doing their thing. At least I'd have company here, even if she's sleeping." He shrugged. "But I can leave."

"No. Stay." I slumped against his arm and looked up at him. "I must have been passed the hell out if you got me all comfy with a pillow and everything."

JK chuckled as he rested his arm around my shoulders, allowing me to nestle closer against him. "You fought it a little bit but quickly fell back to sleep."

It wasn't unusual for us to snuggle like this. Popping some popcorn, curling up under a blanket, and finding a terrible B-rated horror movie to laugh at wasn't out of the norm, especially at the end of a long and tiring day.

But why could I feel his heart beating a little faster than normal? And why was mine?

We both yawned as we watched the muted infomercial on the television. His fingers found a chunk of my hair and started twirling it between them.

"Do you want to stay?" My voice was quiet, and I didn't look at him as I asked. "I mean, since you're already here."

JK's body lightly shook when he nodded. "Yeah, sure."

I stood up with another stretch and picked up a sleeping Yeontan. I started walking towards the short hallway that led to my room, expecting JK to be behind me, but I heard rustling on the couch instead. He was grabbing the pillow and blanket, getting ready to stretch himself out along the cushions. "What are you doing?" I pointed in the direction of my bedroom. "I have a huge king sized bed in there. I'm not about to have you sleep on the couch, you weirdo."

JK froze for a second before standing up. "I didn't want to assume..."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Come on." I heard his footsteps behind me after he shut the television off, and he walked into my bedroom as I flicked on the lamp on my nightstand. I set Yeontan down at the foot of the bed before pulling the comforter down. I sat on the edge to take off my rings and earrings, feeling the slight movement of the mattress as JK got himself settled in.

I went into my adjoining bathroom to change into a pair of comfy shorts and an oversized t-shirt, stopping to look at myself in the mirror. I sighed. What the hell was going on? Why did everything about tonight feel so normal yet so new?

I'd caught myself thinking about him quite often lately. More often than I would even admit to myself. But why? He's my friend, just like the six other guys who live a few floors above me. He hasn't started treating me any differently than he always has. Nothing's changed.

I shook my head and splashed some cold water on my face. I can't let this happen again. I can't allow myself to turn back into the vulnerable person I once was. I'm not that person anymore.

I walked back into my room to find JK fast asleep. He was lying on his side with one hand tucked under the pillow. His breathing was slow and steady, and his bottom lip was a little pouty, the way it always was when he'd be asleep.

I clicked this image off in my head to always remember.