Ashes | JENO

Chapter 17

Jeno was not expecting Soojung to be that close when he turned his head towards her.

It made his heart skip a beat as he looked into Soojung's eyes, which were filled with concern. He gulped, not knowing what to do, being stuck in a trance as he stared at the girl beside him.

Soojung's eyes were focused somewhere else as her hand slid down his arm before meeting his at the bottom, lacing their fingers.

The small action made sparks shoot through Jeno's entire body as the girl whispered softly to him.

"That sounds terrible, Jeno. My heart breaks for you. I don't blame you for denying love and believing that it ends in tragedy now."

With those few words, Jeno knew that Soojung was different.

Everyone around him would always call him stubborn or childish for having those thoughts, trying to convince him that love really did exist. They made him feel like he was a boy with a broken heart that was still living in the past with a grudge.

But Soojung, she didn't see him like that. She had made the effort to understand him, learn where he was coming from. And, the best part, was that she accepted him for who he was.

That was probably what made Jeno break all the rules that he had ever set for himself, reaching his free hand out to tilt the girl's face towards him, eyes focused on her lips.

He leaned forward slightly, waiting for the girl's permission.

When he felt Soojung let go of his hand to bring hers up to his face, moving closer to him, Jeno knew that he had gotten the permission he was looking for, slowly closing the space between them.

...

Soojung knew she was going against everything Jaemin had warned her about when she found herself straddling Jeno in his lap as they kissed.

She had seen him with other girls but this, this felt different. It seemed like Jeno wasn't his usual self, the playboy that everyone saw, but the soft, loving, caring Jeno that would freeze to death just to make sure the three street cats wouldn't.

The kiss was soft and gentle, unlike what Soojung had expect with Jeno. She could tell Jeno was a complete gentleman, making sure he wasn't crossing any lines with everything that he did.

Soojung loved the way Jeno gave her a small smile as they broke apart for air, out of breath. "Are you okay?"

No, my heart feels like it's going to explode, Soojung thought but still gave Jeno a reassuring nod.

She felt shivers run down her spine as Jeno pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, wrapping the girl in his arms.

Soojung rested her head over Jeno's shoulder as she hugged him, still in disbelief as to what had just happened.

Jeno seemed perfectly calm though as he gave her a gentle back rub, humming softly.

Soojung wasn't that type of girl, the one that slept with guys without thinking twice about it. So when the thought enter her head, she had to debate for a long time before letting it escape her lips.

"It's late, do you want to um..." Soojung whispered but with her lips brushing Jeno's ear, she knew he had heard it.

"Asking me to stay over after our first kiss?" She heard Jeno say with a chuckle. "I didn't expect you to be like that."

Soojung felt embarrassed as she moved back, avoiding his eyes as she felt absolutely ridiculous.

"Yeah, never mind, it was stupid. You don't have to if you-"