BLACK ON BLACK | TK

Chapter Nineteen

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"It feels like there's oceans
Between me and you once again
We hide our emotions
Under the surface and tryin' to pretend
But it feels like there's oceans
Between you and me."

Once he reached the table, Taehyung was urged by Jimin to sit next to him, his best friend telling him he had specifically kept the chair by his side empty for him. Taehyung thanked him as he took off his coat and the scarf that was still around his neck, but he couldn't help but glance at Jeongguk's approaching figure and he wondered why he felt the need to suddenly sit by his side and feel the warmth of his body. Still, he didn't act on his desired, taking the seat by Jimin's side instead and watching as Jeongguk sat next to Namjoon, right across from Taehyung. The man looked lost in his own thoughts but Taehyung tried to ignore that detail so as not to start overthinking his actions and his previous words, then turned to Jimin when his friend pinched his arm, making him jolt in his seat.

"What?" Taehyung whispered once he noticed Jimin's raised eyebrows and the mocking smile on his face.

Tilting his head to the side, towards the opposite part of the table, where Jeongguk was seated, Jimin simply smiled and squinted his eyes at his friend. "Don't you have something to tell me?" He asked. "You two looked suspiciously close out there."

Taehyung shook his head, letting a sigh fall past his lips as he felt his shoulders drop. In reality, he didn't know what he and Jeongguk were doing. Not long ago, Jeongguk used to act like he didn't enjoy Taehyung's company but now everything seemed different. They hung out, talked on the phone, ate together and did things that Taehyung's never imagined himself doing—especially not with Jeongguk, who had seemed unapproachable. They shared a bond that certainly was deeper than a bond between normal friends but Taehyung wasn't sure if that was just his imagination or wether Jeongguk could feel it too. He was quite sure Jeongguk didn't hold his other friends' hands and he was sure he certainly didn't look at them the way he looked at Taehyung—with hidden messages and unspoken emotions locked behind his irises.

Peeking at the man, Taehyung found himself entranced by Jeongguk once again—he seemed to do that a lot lately. He was talking to Namjoon, his head turned sideways so that Taehyung could fully see the piercing in his right eyebrow and the tattoo on his neck. His lips were curled into a smile as he spoke and Taehyung swore smiles were never supposed to look that ethereal and yet, Jeongguk's smile seemed to be the most beautiful one Taehyung's ever seen. Whenever he smiled, his eyes crinkled, billions of lights glittering in his irises and making him look so much joyful—younger. The scrunch of his nose whenever he laughed was something Taehyung's recently noticed because, before, Jeongguk didn't use to laugh a lot.

He thought laughing suited him. Happiness looked amazing on Jeongguk and Taehyung truly hoped he would be able to see more of that.

When Jeongguk let out a melodic laugh that made Taehyung's mind spin, the artist suddenly remembered Jimin's question and the fact he hadn't yet answered it. When he turned towards his friend, Jimin was already looking at him with his eyebrows lowered into a frown, lips no longer curled upwards. That was the look he had whenever he figured something out and Taehyung mentally slapped himself for being so entranced by Jeongguk in front of Jimin out of all people.

Jimin, who knew him better than anyone. Jimin, who could probably tell what thoughts swirled in his mind as he stared at Jeongguk. Jimin, who had probably noticed the smile on his lips and the emotions in his eyes.

Jimin, who squinted his eyes and tilted his head to the side, lips parting as if to say something but Taehyung interrupted him before he could even voice out his doubts.