Stirring The Soul

Chapter 9

You know that if he carries on, this euphoric feeling will be almost too much for you to bear. You quickly take away your arm.

"Noona, did I do something wrong?" he asks, worriedly. "I knew this piece was too difficult for me, I should pick something else."

"No, no, JK, not at all," you quickly say, and then continue to bluff, "I've just realised the time and if you play the whole Sonata in one go, then the hour will pass and you'll be exhausted. Let's work through some of the first movement, although to be honest there isn't a lot for you to improve on."

You smile at him encouragingly and he shyly looks down whilst fiddling with the edges of the piano keys. He then gets ready to start again. This time you tentatively bring your chair closer so that you can show exactly where he needs to tweak his technique. He plays a bit more slowly this time so you can listen carefully. For the next 20 minutes, you are both so focused on working on the first movement that you pay no heed to underlying feelings. Once you finish going through the improvements, you get up and reach across Jungkook to take the book, but before you return to your seat, you pause at a couple of inches in front of his face and realise that he's looking straight at you. Your eyes scan his smooth olive skin and drop momentarily on his pink lips, but you quickly sit back down.

"Ok, why don't we end our session here JK. I think that's plenty for you to get on with, don't you?" you speak so fast that you can't even remember now what you just said.

He's still looking at you as he says, "Sure Noona, you're right. This has been a great session. I love the way you dissect every part of the movement to draw out its full potential. Mr Brown was right, you are special. Er, I mean, he said you have a special way of bringing out the best in others."

You laugh a bit awkwardly.

"Have you had dinner? I can order some takeaway?" he suddenly asks.

You reply, "No I'm alright JK, I had a quick bite before coming here. But what about you? Have you eaten?"

"Oh don't worry about me Noona, I eat whenever I'm hungry, which you'll remember is all the time," he jokes.

You suddenly have an idea, "Hey, why don't I make you my infamous hot chocolate or maybe you call it hot cocoa? It's guaranteed to hit the spot. I remember Mark used to...." you stop mid-sentence as you realise what you've just said. Recovering quickly, you say, "I mean everyone loves my hot choc. One try and you won't want to go back to anything else." Are you still talking about hot chocolate?

"Sure," he replies, "that sounds fab, I'd love to try some. I usually like flavoured milk, so this is essentially the same thing, right?"

You laugh as you head to the kitchen and search for the required ingredients. You find everything you need, mixing them and then stirring them in the warming milk. You coyly say, "Ok, it's not my best work, but it should still be ok." You pour the mixture into a mug and hand it to an expectant Jungkook. "Careful, it's hot."

His eyes widen as he smells the aroma coming from the mug, "Mmm, smells so good Noona!" He carefully takes a few sips and says, "Holy sh.., I mean cow. Noona, is this your own recipe? It's so amazing. I don't think I'll be able to drink anything else ever from now on, you'll have to make this for me all the time," he says cheekily.

"I don't think my hot choc has ever had that reaction before and excuse me, 'all the time'?" you tease. You watch him as he continues to drink it in between blowing on the surface to cool it down. You haven't felt this happy and content in a long time, and damn, the way he stirs things in you. The last person who did that.......Your thoughts are interrupted by a question from Jungkook.

"Noona, I hope you don't mind, but you mentioned someone called Mark. Is he your husband?" He points at the ring which you can never bring yourself to take off. You stay silent for a long time as you stare at and fiddle with the ring on your finger. When was the last time you talked about Mark? People who knew you knew not to ask you about him. Was now the right time to talk about Mark with Jungkook? You decide that it is. "No, he's not. He......we were engaged to be married about 5 years ago, but Mark, he," you take a deep breath in to continue, "he was fighting liver cancer for a long time, but didn't survive."

Jungkook, who has been looking at you the whole time, now looks at his mug. He whispers, "Noona, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I asked you about it. It must still be painful for you to bear." He suddenly gets up and gives you a tight hug. His strong arms wrap around you, completely engulfing you so that your face and damp eyes are on his chest. You start to sob and push away from him gently, to wipe your eyes. "I'm ok Jungkook, really. I haven't spoken about Mark for a long time, so I'm a bit emotional, but it's ok. Don't worry about asking, I wanted you to know."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me Noona, I won't tell anyone else," he assures you. He's holding onto your forearms now and the tension is palpable. You're beginning to wonder whether your feelings are still one-sided, as you originally thought. You gently pull your arms away and start to gather your things. "I'd better get going JK, it's getting late," you say.

"Of course, but I'm definitely calling you a taxi home. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer this time." He taps an app on his phone and says, "right it'll be here in 3 minutes."

You are quiet, not really knowing what to say. Jungkook feels less like a student and more like a trusted friend right now. A hot, sexy, sweet, considerate friend who is confusing the hell out of you.