House of Cards

Chapter 10

"Yeah, sorry I didn't answer your calls last night. I got distracted and didn't notice," you said into the phone, resisting the urge to poke Jungkook in the ribs when he squeezed you with the strong arm he'd got wrapped around your waist. Instead, you settled for an admonishing glare, one you knew was weakened by the giddiness that you felt in his company. It was enough to tone him down a notch, although not quite sufficient enough to stop him from planting a quick kiss against your temple. Yes, he was definitely the source of your distraction the previous night. Not that you had any complaints. Your legs still felt a little weakened from his powerful thrusts into you a few hours ago, and just one touch from him reminded you of how your body tingled in his arms all night. However, you needed to focus on this call. For everyone's sake.

Although you'd met up with Taehyung countless times before, it had been a while since you were the one to reach out to him to meet. This time, knowing that it wasn't for the purpose of releasing your sexual tension with him, but to end things, made the request much harder to express. "Can I see you?" Seemed simple enough, but the words were harder to get out of your throat than you'd hoped. You certainly wanted to hold back on telling him the purpose of meeting until you actually saw him; Taehyung had been one of the most important people in your life, the center of your universe at one point, and he deserved to hear it from you face to face, not over the phone.

With such a vague request, you couldn't blame him for assuming what you wanted. His enthusiasm only added to the heavy, nervous weight within you, but before you could come up with a denial he'd already informed you to meet at the hotel the two of you regularly visited later that day and excused himself. Shooting a helpless look at Jungkook, you explained to him that Taehyung had hung up before you could suggest another place to meet. Surprisingly, the younger man only smiled, a little tightly though, but he didn't seem as bothered with it as you'd expected.

"I trust you," he said, when you asked if he didn't mind that you were going to meet Taehyung there. "It's been really tough on you, hasn't it? I know that it's been a very hard decision to make for you. Now that you've made up your mind, do you want to change it and go back to the way everything was?" This time you had no trouble meeting his eyes as you shook your head resolutely. Still, it didn't lessen your nervousness. As smitten as you were with Jungkook now, you remembered with painful clarity the struggle you faced when you attempted to end things with Taehyung the first time. You were well aware of how weak you were to his pleas, the ease of which he could plant seeds of doubt into your mind. There was no way you could be swayed this time, but you were filled with trepidation nevertheless. Picking up on your silent cues, Jungkook pulled you closer to him. His warm breath against your temple was reassuring, as was his coming offer; "if you want, I'll get a room next to yours and wait for you there in case you need me."

There was nothing you'd like more, and that was how you ended up not wringing your hands with mounting dread as you waited for Taehyung to arrive several hours later. The knowledge that only a wall separated you and the hotel room that Jungkook was in gave you the ability to take deep breaths, although your heart rate was still slightly higher than normal. The hardest part was coming up, but you knew that it would be alright in the end. Already you were looking forward to returning to Jungkook's warm embrace, to feel secure and loved again.

Still, all the Jungkooks in the world wouldn't be able to slow your anxious heartbeat, counting down the minutes until Taehyung arrived. It was rare for you to wait for Taehyung at the hotel room instead of the other way around, but this was no ordinary occasion. This time it was you who booked the room, going there early with Jungkook so he could get a room right next to the one you'd meet Taehyung in. Hurrying to open the door when the doorbell rang, you were greeted by your gorgeous first love in his work suit. The stresses and fatigue that had taken a toll on him during the day melted away when his eyes landed on you, and if you hadn't had Jungkook, your resolve might have been shaken at the sight.