Under the Cherry Blossoms (Taejin/Kookjin)

Chapter 12. Breaking the Tension

AUTHOR'S POV

"It's good that we met again." Taehyung initiated the talk.

The tension was rapidly building up and the air surrounding them felt suffocating. If he will not break it, they would die under this thick blanket of silence and awkwardness. Most importantly, if he will not break the tension, his zipper would burst out as the growing bulge of desire underneath his pants is threatening for a supernova explosion.

Unknowing to Taehyung, Jin was also suffering the same slow torture. He was trying his best to maintain his poker face; but he was aware that if he kept this tension, he would snap and do something that would kill his dignity and sense of logic. So, he loosens up and goes along with the conversation.

"The feeling is mutual Tae"

"Do you know why it's good that we met again, Jinnie?"

Jinnie. The new nickname sounded so endearing for Jin. It surely made his heart flutter. But before he goes gaga for it, he controlled himself and not dwell so much with the feeling. He answered Tae's question with uncertainty, "... ummm.. because we get to talk about a lot of stuff?"

"Well, aside from that, I'm here for your debt. You owe me something. Actually, you need to pay me."

Shocked... complete bafflement. "What do you mean? Last time I checked; I did not ask you for any money. I don't owe you anything."

"Yes, you do. Your payment for rent is long overdue."

"Rent? I don't get it."

"You've been overstaying on my mind for four years. My mind is not free real estate, Jinnie." Taehyung smirked and winked.

It was a risky move, but Taehyung knew that he needed to let go of what was building up in his chest. A little flirty move would be a good start to relieve the torture.

Surprisingly, this simple flirty move broke the thick walls of tension. Jin's windshield wiper laugh overpowered the deafening silence and suffocating atmosphere. And most importantly, the lethal bulges underneath their pants relaxed.

"Ewww.. Taehyung-ah! That was so cheesy. I did not expect this side of you! Hahahahaha"

"Hey!!! I'm hurt." Taehyung pretended to whine like a kid. "I see, you think you can give a better pickup line?"

"Challenge accepted!" Jin displayed his brightest smile. "Do you know that I don't like apples?"

"No.. why don't you like them?"

"Because an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"Wait.. I don't get it..." Taehyung was puzzled. After some careful thought, he finally got it.

"Oh,, I get it. I'm a doctor. So, you don't want to keep me away? Smart move." Taehyung teases. Jin was blushing but was also enjoying the moment.

"So, you want to make this into a medical pickup line challenge? You won't win against me, Jinnie. I'm a doctor."

"Try me, Tae. I may not be a doctor, but I sure know a lot of stuff" Jin leaned on his chair, crossing his arms and taking up the challenge.

"Ok. My turn... Are you my appendix?.... because I feel like I should take you out."

"You don't look so good, Doctor Taehyung. You need a lot of Vitamin ME."

"Be careful with your heart, Jinnie. Organ transplants can be very dangerous... but then again, I'd give you my heart anytime."

"Doctor Tae, I don't think you can diagnose me... because there's no treatment for being madly in love."

They continued to throw medical pickup lines to each other. No one wanted to surrender in defeat. Despite the competition, both were enjoying every bit of it. Their hearts were fluttering with rainbows and butterflies. Their smiles were as bright as the sun. Their laughters were musical notes in a Disney soundtrack. The moment was beautiful. Falling in love is beautiful.

"I swear to God! The pickup lines are getting cheesier and cheesier. We should stop this. We're so bad at this." Jin was wiping the tears of joy in his eyes.

"I agree with you, Jinnie. I think it's time to talk about something else."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"First impressions. What was your first impression about me?"

The atmosphere turned a little bit serious, but it was not as tense as before. Jin pursed his lips and was in deep thought. He then smiled to Taehyung. The smile gave a hint of love and fondness, but his eyes showed an unexplainable feeling.

"Tae, you're my perfect knight and shining armor. You're always at the right place and at the right time. Whenever I feel down, you come to save me. You saved me at the bar. You saved me at the coffee shop when we first met. Just now, you saved me in my café. You support me in everything I do and say. You're my definition of perfect, something that I have never experienced... And I want to keep it that way." The last sentence sounded like a whisper.

Pride... that should have been Taehyung's feeling towards the compliments he heard from Jin. However, there is some kind of uneasiness and pressure that came with it. Perfect is such a very heavy word and Taehyung felt that. He wanted to refute, but could not find the right words to say... or maybe he just can't dare to argue with Jin. He is supposedly perfect.

"How about me, Tae? What was your first impression of me?"

"At first, I thought of you as someone sassy, gorgeous, strong and outspoken as you fought with that businessman that day. Later on, in the coffee shop, I learned that you are someone who is fond of destiny and fate. I thought you were simple-minded back then because everything that you do is just a product of fate. You don't have to think so much. However, the more I get to know you, the more I see that you are not just a pretty face and definitely not simple-minded. You hold so much mystery that it draws me towards you. I want to know you more. I want to understand what's the real story behind your beautiful eyes."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I can't tell yet. But whether it is good or bad, all I know is that I want to know you more. I want to be with you. There is something about you that is just so irresistible.  Remember, the kiss we had that night?"

"Yes..."

"I keep on thinking of that. Do you know that a kiss changes a lot of things, Jinnie?"

Unexpectedly, Jin exactly knew what Taehyung meant. He felt those changes but he asked anyway, "How? What changes?"

"Kissing causes a burst of oxytocin, the love hormone. It stirs up feelings of attachment and affection. But you know what's dangerous, Jin?"

"What?"

"A kiss also releases endorphins and dopamine that can make you feel high. So, it becomes addictive. It makes you want more."

Unconsciously, Taehyung was staring at Jin's lips while saying the last statement. A weird feeling was creeping on his chest. He slowly moved his stares to look at Jin's eyes. What he saw did not help relieve that strange feeling. Jin was not looking at him but was staring at his lips. With that, they knew that the tension, that they tried so hard to break, is back. It is thicker than before, engulfing the remaining logic and self-control.

They stood up hastily and crashed their lips. At first, it was slow and full of passion; the kind of kiss between two lovers entangled in a happy fairytale ending. As time passes, they became needier and hungrier. Fingers of one hand gripping each other's hair tightly. The other hand was exploring their pressed bodies. The temperature rises exponentially. From lovers, they became wolves, eating each other out with their tongues constrained in a deep, hard and hot open-mouthed kiss.

The fire has started. It was too late to stop.

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A/N:

Moral of the story: Think twice before you kiss hehe. 

This book has reached 1K reads. I did not expect that. I'm very happy. Thank you very much for reading. Honestly, I'm not into writing stories, but I do love writing poems. Next chapter is a bit intimate. So yeah, it will be challenging for me. English is also not my first language, so my vocabulary is a bit limited. But I promise I will still try my best. Thank you for the support.