Chapter Text
You glanced at your phone screen for what must have been the thousandth time in the past ten minutes.
31st August, 11:58 p.m.
You closed your eyes and sighed. Two minutes. You had to wait for just two more minutes.
You could swear that time wasn’t passing normally though. Every second felt like a minute, every minute felt like an hour and the agonising wait was starting to feel like it was never going to end.
Frantic fingers tapping against the surface of your desk and restless leg bouncing up and down, you tried to focus on your breathing as you waited impatiently for the clock to strike midnight.
The moment of truth was so close that you could almost taste it. You didn’t know how long you’d been waiting for this day. Two years? Or was it three?
Looking back on it now, you weren’t even sure when it had happened or when you’d fully realised that it had. Your feelings for Jungkook…they had been slow and gradual, like a wave building steadily, getting stronger and higher before it crashed against the shore and washed over you, nearly knocking you over and leaving you completely drenched.
Your life was like a badly written rom-com, as much as it pained you to admit; cliché and unoriginal and so awfully predictable, with overused plot devices and an even more overused storyline. You’d known Jungkook literally your whole life, ever since the two of you had been in diapers. He was your next door neighbour and not only was his house close to yours, but your families had always been just as close too. Your fathers had been friends since college and by freakish coincidence, your mothers had gotten pregnant with both of you around the same time too; Jungkook had been born first and you’d followed three days later, even though you weren’t supposed to arrive until the first week of October.
It was no surprise that you and Jungkook had naturally grown up together, joined at the hip and super glued at the side. You’d experienced every single milestone of your lives with each other, every happy memory, every sad one, every high and every low and everything in between.
Jungkook had been there when you’d fallen off your bicycle and broken your arm when you both were seven. You’d been there when his mother had a miscarriage when you both were nine. He’d been there when you’d had your first piano recital when you both were ten. You’d been there when he’d had surgery to get his tonsils removed when you both were twelve. He’d been there when your pet dog Nugget had passed away from old age when you both were fourteen. You’d been there when he’d won his first game as the captain of the football team when you both were sixteen.
Throughout your lives, wherever you were, Jungkook was; and wherever Jungkook was, you were.
He was your best friend in the whole wide world. Your personalities and your interests had developed to be vastly different but nobody on Earth knew you and understood you like he did. You knew you shouldn’t be – especially not when you didn’t even know whether he was the one destined for you – but you couldn’t help it. You knew you wouldn't have been able to help it even if you'd tried.
He was your other half and he always had been; soulmate or not, that was something that wouldn't change. And you were so in love with him – head over heels and heart in his hands – that it hurt.
It hurt because you didn't know what you would do if it turned out that he wasn't the one made to love you.
You checked the time on your phone screen again.
1st September, 12:01 a.m.
You inhaled sharply.
You were a minute late, but it was finally time. It was finally Jungkook’s eighteenth birthday.
He would finally be able to hear his soulmate now.
You’d been waiting for this moment for so long and you’d imagined it so many different times. You’d prepared what to say and practised it over and over again too, but now that it was here...now that it was finally here, you found yourself at a complete loss for words.
Feeling like you were going to throw up or pass out or maybe even both, you stood up and went to your window, peering outside at Jungkook's bedroom window which was directly adjacent to yours, about fifteen feet away.
You took a deep breath, heart pounding so hard and so loud in your ears that it was a surprise that it hadn't bounced out of its cavity yet.
"Hey, I’m – I don’t know if you can hear me…and I won’t be able to hear you for another three days but...I hope that you can hear my voice."
You exhaled shakily once you were done, not even sure whether you’d done it right or not. You'd been taught several times over the years that to speak in soulspeak, you had to think of your soulmate and then speak with your inside voice in your mind, as if you were talking to yourself. You'd done just that but maybe you hadn't focused as much as you needed to? Or maybe you hadn't articulated well enough?
You continued to stare at Jungkook's window, hoping for something...anything. Some kind of movement, some kind of sign of life; ideally a dramatic sweep of his curtains that would bring him face-to-face with you and settle your restless heart down.
You'd also imagined what the aftermath of speaking in soulspeak for the first time would be like so many different times, what Jungkook's reaction would be like, what he'd do and what he'd say, how you'd respond. Your daydreams and fantasies had never gone like this though.
You'd never actually let yourself imagine a reality where Jungkook couldn't hear your voice.
Believing that you might have done it wrong the first time as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, you decided to give it another try.
"I...I hope that every wish I’ve made at that wishing fountain outside the park comes true. Every single time, I wished that the boy of my dreams would turn out to be my soulmate."
You waited for a few seconds with bated breath but just like before, nothing at all happened.
Damn those blackout curtains Jungkook loved so much. You could never see anything at all past them, you couldn't even tell whether his room light was switched on or not.
Maybe he was asleep already? It was a school night after all…although he didn’t usually let that stop him from gaming with Taehyung and Jimin until at least 1 a.m. (even though he’d horribly regret it the next morning every single time). Coach Lee had been making the football team stay back after school for extra practice ahead of the big game against Riverwood High though, and maybe it was catching up to him and he'd called it a night earlier than he typically would?
You also knew that Jungkook didn't get as excited about birthdays as you did, he didn't eagerly count down to midnight until his phone exploded with texts and tags like you either, but still...it was his eighteenth birthday. The big birthday. There was a solid chance that if his soulmate was someone who was already in his life, they'd try to speak to him today and he'd hear them. And you were very well aware of the fact that you weren't the only one who hoped that he'd hear you. You weren't the only person who was going to be trying their luck and their fate today.
You weren't the only one who wanted to be his.
You waited at your window sill for another couple of minutes, your nerves calming down a little and the adrenaline slowly starting to fade away, but that sense of anticipation still remained. You weren't quite sure how you felt - disappointed? Sad? Worried? Afraid? But you were still quite hopeful. Just because he’ hadn't heard you now didn't automatically mean that he couldn't hear you at all.
You would try again tomorrow and then you would find out once and for all. You would try again when you were with him and would be able to see his face and his reaction.
You got in your bed and wrapped yourself like a burrito in your blankets, unlocking your phone.
you [12:09 a.m]: happiest birthday JK…now you don't have to steal drinks from your dad's secret stash or hide your illegal tattoos from your mom <3 ily, see you in a few hours!!
You put your phone down with a sigh, knowing sleep wouldn't come easy tonight. After tossing and turning for absolute ages, mind ceasing to stop buzzing and feelings scattered all over the place, your body eventually gave in and you finally fell asleep.
***
jungkook [07:16 a.m] : thank you :) and yes lol thank god
jungkook [07:17 a.m.]: also, had to come to school early for practice…i’ll see you in lunch
you [08:19 a.m.]: okay birthday boy, see you when i do :)
On the way to school, you studied those texts from Jungkook again, probably for the seventh or eighth time that morning. You couldn’t decide whether you were relieved or upset about the fact that you wouldn’t get to see him until the middle of the day. You were torn between wanting to avoid him and this entire situation for as long as you possibly could and needing to know whether he was your soulmate or not once and for all.
You were getting tired of feeling like a live wire, way too charged up and on edge, that sickly feeling in your stomach not having budged since last night. Looking at Jungkook, talking to him, simply being in his presence would normally always put you at ease; but how were you supposed to feel at ease around him now?
Your mom parked the car outside your school gates and you felt another wave of nausea roll over you. You ignored the urge to ask her to do a U-turn and take you back home, instead thanking her for the ride and grabbing your bag.
Before you could jump out of the car and be on your way though, her voice stopped you in your tracks.
“Honey?”
You glanced back at your mom, “Yeah?”
She stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if she was looking for the right words, “What’s meant to be…will happen, alright? And you’ll be okay no matter what happens too. I know it might not seem like it right now, but everything will be fine,”
She gave you a knowing smile, gently patting your shoulder. You found yourself suddenly fighting tears. Of course your mom knew. She always did, sometimes even before you yourself did.
You nodded, biting down on the inside of your cheek to hold yourself together, “Yeah…thanks Mom,”
Your mom ran a hand over your hair, smoothing it down affectionately, “I love you and I’m here no matter what happens,"
You smiled weakly, “Love you too, see you later."
***
Walking down the hallway to your locker, you felt like everyone around you was staring at you, all of their attention focused on the prime candidate for the most desirable senior's soulmate. You knew that probably wasn’t the case but you couldn’t help but feel like you were under scrutiny, like everyone was just dying to know.
“Morning bestie,” Lara chirped, leaning against the locker next to you, “Guess what?”
“What?”
“Dad finally allowed me to come for Jungkook’s birthday thing tonight!” your friend grinned excitedly.
You squealed, “Lara! That’s great!”
She grabbed the books you were trying to juggle so that you could close your locker properly, “He said I need to be home by 9:30 latest, but that’s okay, it’s way better than nothing. Gosh, I can't wait to find my soulmate so that my dad can actually let me live my life,"
“I'm so happy you'll be there! And it's a school night, so it'll wrap up early-ish anyway,"
“You know I’m going to crush you guys at bowling, right?”
You snickered, “As if Jungkook and Jimin would ever let you,”
The two of you chatted animatedly about tonight’s plans and what you were going to wear and what you were going to eat afterwards as you made your way to your first class of the morning (Double History, yuck), which luckily happened to be a class you both shared.
“Have you decided what you want to do for your birthday?” Lara asked as you both sat down at your desks with a few minutes to go before the bell rang, “Can we go for karaoke please? That new place’s opened in town and it looks really good…cheap too,”
“Ooh yeah, I’d be down for that. Remember when we set up that karaoke machine at Jimin’s and –“
“There she is, the girl of the hour!”
You closed your eyes and cursed mentally. You'd actually managed to forget about everything for the past ten minutes, but here it was again once more.
You looked up to see Ruby (aka the bane of your entire existence) sauntering over to you. You already knew exactly where this was going…and you really didn’t want it to go anywhere near there.
“What do you want?” you asked bravely instead, looking her square in the eye although you felt the imperative need to flip your desk over and run.
Her lips spread into a Cheshire grin, “Oh, you know exactly what I’m going to ask, no need to play dumb. As much as I hate to ask you this myself, have you tried speaking to Jungkook in soulspeak? Did he hear you?”
Your stomach dipped. The classroom had been full of chatter but a hush suddenly fell over it and you were acutely aware that this time, everyone was actually staring at you.
“What makes you think I’m going to answer that?”
Ruby shrugged, “It’s not a secret, is it? We’ll all find out eventually,”
If there was anyone else who wanted Jungkook to be their soulmate as much as you did, it was Ruby. You hated to admit it but she was basically Jungkook’s female counterpart. She was an academic overachiever, the captain of the girls’ swimming team and treasurer of the student council. She was ridiculously (and annoyingly) good at most things, plus she was pretty and popular and well-liked; except by you.
The two of you had never been able to get along, mainly because she had this weird jealousy-fuelled grudge against you because you were Jungkook’s best friend and he spent so much of his time with you. She had never tried to hide the fact that she had a massive crush on him, even though it was still kind of taboo to be so open about your feelings for someone before the age of eighteen; before you could confirm whether they were your soulmate or not. She wasn’t a bully or a downright awful person or anything, and she’d never really crossed any lines with you. She was just irritating and infuriating and her attitude towards you drove you right up the wall.
But you firmly believed that the universe would’ve fucked up big time if she turned out to be Jungkook’s soulmate.
Personal feelings aside, of course.
“Well...I’m still not going to answer that,”
“Oh come on, just tell us already,” one of Ruby’s friends, Mari, piped up from the other side of the classroom.
Ruby’s eyes slowly lit up, “Wait a second…did he not hear you?”
God, where even was the damn teacher?
You clenched your fists under the table and she sniggered when you remained silent, “Oh my god, did you speak in soulspeak and he didn’t hear you? No way, is he actually not your soulmate? Poor –“
“I haven’t tried yet,” you blurted out suddenly, surprising yourself as well as everyone else. You tried to school your expression despite the fact that you were screaming bloody murder in your mind, your face so uncomfortably hot that it felt like a fucking furnace, “I’m going to wait till my birthday,”
Ruby rolled her eyes, “Why wait like an idiot when you can just know now –“
With the most miraculous timing, Miss Song walked into the classroom, the bell ringing a second after she closed the door behind her, “Good morning class, settle down please!”
Thank fuck.
“Hey, are you okay?” Lara whispered after Ruby all but stomped to her seat.
You nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine,”
“Are you sure? That –“
“Yes Lara, I’m perfectly fine,” you repeated, the edge of finality and mild irritation in your voice making it clear that you didn’t want to talk about this further.
Lara didn’t look convinced at all but she decided to drop it for your sake, glancing at you worriedly one more time before turning to the front.
Miss Song began the lesson but if somebody asked you about what she’d covered in those 120 minutes, you wouldn’t be able to answer. You hadn’t been able to concentrate for even a single second. You didn’t even know why you’d lied to Ruby (and Lara and everyone else in the room). Ruby wasn’t letting it go and she was pushing all of your buttons and the possibility of her words being true had freaked the fuck out of you. You hadn’t even been able to stop the lie before it went flying past your lips. You’d felt cornered and it seemed like the best option in the situation compared to (a) having a meltdown in the middle of the History classroom or (b) punching Ruby’s annoying face and telling her to leave you alone.
“So about what you said to Ruby,” Lara started again on the way to Chemistry and you held back a groan, “How come –“
“Hello my loves!” Maia chirped, wedging herself between you and Lara, interlocking her arms with you both, “Don’t know whose bright idea it was to put double Physics and double Chemistry back-to-back on my timetable on a Tuesday morning this semester but I am ready to kill them,”
“Double History and double Chemistry isn’t much better, you know,” Lara pointed out, “And it’s your own fault for choosing Physics as one of your classes…disgusting,”
“True,” Maia whined before she turned to you. Never one to have any sort of filter, she went straight for the kill, “Anyways, are you and Jungkook officially soulmates yet?”
You were conveniently taking a sip from your water bottle at that moment and nearly choked.
“She’s not going to try to find out until her birthday,” Lara said, eyeing you warily.
Maia gaped at you in shock, “What? Why?”
“I just…” you trailed off, absolutely hating yourself for getting caught in the web of your own lie, “I don’t know, I thought it’d be better if I could be 100% sure,”
“But…you can be 100% sure now too?” Maia frowned, “Just speak in soulspeak and if Jungkook hears your voice, bam, confirmed. If I was you and the person I wanted to be my soulmate had just turned eighteen, I’d be dying of curiosity…I don’t know how you’re being so calm about this,”
You almost snorted. You were anything and everything but calm.
And damn, had you always been so obvious to your friends? You'd never even mentioned the words 'soulmate' and 'Jungkook' in the same sentence to both of them before yet they seemed to know exactly how much you thought about those two words in the same sentence.
“It’s only a matter of three days,”
“…I really don’t get you,”
“You don’t have to,” you mumbled.
Maia was about to reply but Lara grabbed her elbow, stopping her before she could say something that would make the situation worse and turn this into an unnecessary argument.
Lara decided to change the topic and the mood, “I’m coming for bowling tonight, by the way,”
“Really? Your dad said yes? That’s amazing!” Maia gushed.
You shot Lara a grateful smile before you made your way towards your seat, which happened to be towards the back of the classroom. You put your bag and books down and collapsed in a heap on the chair, plopping your head down on the desk and wanting nothing more than for this school day to be over.
“You look especially rough this morning,” Taehyung commented, putting his head down on his desk too so that could face you.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night and then Ruby decided to be Ruby,” you grumbled.
“Ah yes, I heard about the Ruby thing,”
Your head shot up off your desk, “Already? Has Jungkook heard about it too?” you whisper-yelled.
Taehyung raised an eyebrow, “Does it matter if it has or hasn’t?”
You’d told Ruby that you were going to wait till your own birthday before speaking to Jungkook in soulspeak. That implied that you were going to try. That you wanted to try. That you wanted him to be your soulmate.
If Jungkook heard about this, and you didn’t turn out to be his soulmate…how would you even face him after that?
“Has he…uh, heard anyone’s voice yet?”
You weren’t sure if you were ready for the answer to that question or not.
“Nope. Loads of people have been trying this morning but he's told everyone that’s asked that he couldn't hear them,"
Mild relief flooded your features, “Oh…good,”
“Good?” Taehyung smirked.
"Shut up, Taehyung,"
"I didn't even say anything!"
You were thankful that Taehyung didn't grill you further or try to force any of his thoughts or opinions on you. That’s the kind of friend he was, and you cherished it very much. He was never one to press or push, happy to sit next to you and let you take things at your own pace.
If you wanted to talk, he was there; and if you didn’t want to talk, he was there too.
***
You could vaguely hear Maia and Taehyung having a (rather passionate) debate about whether rabbits made better pets or guinea pigs when your gaze fell on Jungkook as he entered the dining hall.
He had the tendency to instantly command all of the attention in any room he walked into, the world his runway and all eyes following his every move. He was so effortlessly captivating, it was like everything else faded into nothingness and he was all that you could see.
He’d always taken your breath away.
"Here comes the birthday boy!" Maia cheered when Jungkook and Jimin were within earshot of the rest of your group in the lunch queue. Before Jungkook could even respond, she grabbed him in a chokehold and ruffled his hair with all of her might. After Maia's very enthusiastic birthday greeting, Lara gave him a quick hug and then it was finally your turn.
"Happy birthday," you smiled up at him, suddenly feeling a little shy and awkward; two things you weren't used to feeling around him.
You were about to go in for a hug but before you could even move, Jungkook had already engulfed you in his arms.
"Thank you," he whispered into the crook of your neck, squeezing your frame ever so gently.
You tried to not tear up, suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of being in his embrace. Your senses were absolutely full of him, from the smell of his fruity shower gel to the warmth of his firm body pressed tightly against yours, and you wanted to cry because you absolutely loved the feeling of being held by him like this and you didn’t know if you could feel this safe and cared for if you were to ever be held by anyone else.
After a few seconds, you reluctantly pulled back although every atom in your body screamed in protest. Taehyung dragged Jungkook and Jimin into the pet debate and it was still going strong even after you'd gotten your food and sat down.
"Listen, can we all just agree that - oh god, here we fucking go," Maia muttered, and all of you (not so subtly) followed her displeased gaze to see Ruby inching towards your table.
"Happy birthday, Jungkook," she said sweetly once she was standing in front of him (and you, because you were sitting right next to him as usual), "I just wanted to know...have you heard anyone's voice yet?"
Jungkook heaved out a tired sigh, "I'm sorry Ruby, you're not my soulmate. I can't hear you,"
Her face fell, and you almost, almost felt sorry for her, "You haven't heard anything from any of us this morning?"
Suddenly, you were holding your breath too.
Jungkook shook his head, "Nope,"
And once again, your hopes were dashed just as quickly as they'd risen.
"Nothing at all?" Ruby pressed on, “Nothing…from me?”
"Can you hear my voice, I wonder? Are you listening to me?"
Not even a single muscle on his face flinched while you spoke in soulspeak and your heart sank all the way to your feet.
"Nothing," Jungkook answered, calm and impassive.
Did he...could he not hear your voice?
Ruby breathed out an 'okay' before she spun around on her heels and left without another word.
"All of her dreams have been shattered now, poor girl," Maia tutted as you all watched Ruby run out of the dining hall.
"You might as well write 'I can't fucking hear anything' on your forehead in capital letters," Jimin snorted, hitting Maia's hand with his chopsticks as she tried to steal a maki roll from his plate.
Maia turned to Jungkook, "I tried talking to you in soulspeak too you know, although the thought of you hearing me made me want to throw up. No offence,"
"None taken. I just wish everyone would stop asking me about it already, I'm so sick of it," Jungkook frowned as he shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth, cheeks puffing up like an angry hamster.
"Don’t worry bro, it'll die down...it took about three days until everyone got bored of asking me and nobody even bothers now," Jimin patted Jungkook’s shoulder, but the pain he tried his best to hide at not having heard his soulmate even though it had nearly been a whole year since his eighteenth birthday was visible to all of you.
"How was the soulblocker this morning?” Lara asked Jungkook, “Did you have any side effects?"
Of course. How could you have forgotten? Jungkook had a Maths test this morning and it was mandatory for all students who were eighteen to have a soulblocker before every test or exam to prevent them from taking any unfair advantages of being able to hear their soulmates.
Although the effects of the soulblocker dosage used in high schools and universities was pretty mild and typically tended to last for only 2 hours or so, this was Jungkook's first time having a soulblocker. For some people, the effects of soulblockers could last much longer than intended the first few times they as their bodies tried to get used to them.
And maybe that's why Jungkook hadn't heard you just now. Maybe the effects of the soulblocker he had this morning still hadn’t worn off.
Maybe all was not lost quite just yet.
Jungkook nodded, "I felt a little weird but otherwise it was okay, not too bad,"
"Remember when Jimin had his first soulblocker and puked all over Val's desk and then passed out right after?"
Jimin glowered at Maia, hitting her hand with his chopsticks again, "Will you ever let that fucking go?"
"Nope,” Maia replied with a shit-eating grin on her face, “I can't wait to tell your soulmate that story,"
You drowned out your friends’ bickering again, too lost in your own head. Your uncharacteristic quietness didn’t escape Jungkook though. He nudged you in the side, stirring you out of your thoughts, "You okay?" he whispered, "You're really quiet and you've barely eaten,"
Obviously, he would’ve noticed that you were a bit out of your element today. He was always observant, always a watcher more than a doer and a listener more than a talker, but he was especially tuned in to you, never failing to pick up even the smallest changes in your frequency.
For the first time in your life, you found yourself wishing that Jungkook didn’t know you as well as he did.
And you also wished that he didn’t look at you like he did, with so much tenderness that it sometimes made you wonder whether he carried the same kind of love for you that you did for him.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired…I didn’t sleep too well last night,"
Jungkook didn’t look too satisfied with your reply and you were sure the questions weren’t going to end there, but Jimin called his name and starting talking to him about this morning’s football practice, letting you off the hook.
Before you knew it, lunch was over (without further interrogation from Jungkook, much to your relief). Much to your chagrin though, you and Jungkook were in the same classes for the rest of the afternoon, and you hated yourself for not being to enjoy your Tuesday afternoons together like you usually did.
He had realised that you weren’t having the best day, and he’d thankfully kept the conversation minimal and let you be. You hadn’t missed the concern in his gaze every time he glanced at you, and it made you really hate yourself for taking it out on him; you were the one who was working yourself into a frenzy and struggling to cope with your emotions after all.
At the end of the day, Jungkook had walked you to your locker and asked you how you were planning on going home. Your dad didn’t finish work until much later and your mom had a meeting with a client today, so you told him you would be getting the bus.
He leaned against the locker next to yours, watching you put your books inside, "We’ll leave together for the bowling alley at 6:30?”
You shook your head, the thought of being alone in a car with Jungkook making your stomach lurch, "No, that's okay...I'll come with Lara and Maia, we're going to get ready together and stuff,"
He looked almost disappointed, but didn’t say anything, "I'll see you tonight then,"
"Have fun at practice, captain," you said, giving him the biggest smile you could muster.
He groaned at the thought, "Make sure you text me when you get home, okay?"
***
You’d (surprisingly) managed to push all of your worries to the back of your mind and that nauseous feeling out of your stomach for a few hours and had genuinely enjoyed Jungkook’s birthday; and you were glad, because he deserved that much from you. And from what you could see, he’d had the best birthday too. He’d destroyed all of you at bowling, laughed so hard at one of Taehyung’s jokes that he’d spewed his banana milkshake all over Jimin’s hair and gushed when his parents gifted him the guitar he’d been eyeing for ages.
Happiness looked amazing on Jungkook, and you wished that there would never be a reason for that gorgeous smile to fall off his face.
You were sitting next to him in Biology the next morning, pretending to listen to Mrs. Meyers drone on about mitosis while your mind remained stuck on the boy next to you like the hands of a broken clock.
You knew it couldn’t go on like this any longer. You’d avoided it for as long as you possibly could’ve. You couldn’t run away anymore. You couldn’t let this hang over your head and consume you and your life any longer. You wanted the wait to be over.
You knew that Jungkook hadn’t had any soulblockers today, and it had been more than 24 hours since he’d had one yesterday. That meant that there was absolutely no chance that the effects were still lingering.
He would be able to hear his soulmate loud and clear.
You gulped, knowing that you needed to rip it off like a band-aid now so with one final silent prayer and a lot of panicked internal screaming, you just…went for it.
“If I lay here…if I just lay here,"
You stole a glance at him after you sang those words in soulspeak, cold and heavy dread starting to seep into your bones when he continued to write notes in his book, looking completely unbothered and unaffected.
“Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"
You blinked once, twice. Thrice. But nothing happened. Nothing changed.
And that’s when it hit you like a bucket of icy of water being dumped over your head, splashing all over you and freezing your soul over.
It wasn’t. The wait wasn’t over after all.
Because he wasn’t the one you were waiting for.
He hadn’t heard your voice.
Jungkook wasn’t your soulmate.
You couldn’t hear anything – couldn’t feel anything – anymore, Mrs. Meyers’ explanation about anaphase falling on completely deaf ears. Your mind went numb and your body went into autopilot and you immediately raised your hand, asking to go to the bathroom in the steadiest voice you could muster.
You don’t even remember how you did it or how you made it to the bathroom without imploding, but when you made it inside the stall, an excruciating pain ripped through you and you couldn’t breathe.
He hadn’t heard your voice.
You pushed down the lid of the toilet and near enough collapsed on top of it, fishing your phone out of your pocket with trembling hands. Your fingers were shaking so much that it took you a while to unlock it and get to your contacts.
Jungkook wasn’t your soulmate.
Your call was answered on the third ring.
“Hello? _____?”
You don’t know what it was or why, but hearing your mom’s voice made every single dam inside you collapse, sheer panic flooding all of your senses.
“Mom – I need to – please, can you –“
The concern in your mom’s voice was palpable, “Honey, are you okay?”
“No, I…can you pick me up from school please?”
“Now? Did something happen?” your mom asked.
You felt like the walls of the stall were closing up on you, like the ceiling was caving in, “I can’t stay here – I need to – I can’t,” you hiccupped, the lump in your throat starting to grow so big that you were sure it was going to suffocate you.
“Okay honey, I’m coming. Where are you right now?”
“In the bathroom,” you answered, closing your eyes because you were starting to feel dizzy, everything around you starting to spin.
“Okay, I need you to be my strong girl now. This is what we’re going to do…are you listening to me?”
You nodded weakly, gripping onto the hem of your skirt with all of your strength as you fought to stay grounded, to not spiral, to breathe, “Yeah – yeah, I am,”
“Go to the school office and tell them that you have a doctor’s appointment in twenty minutes, and if they ask why I haven’t called to let them know, tell them I was supposed to and forgot. I’ll be there in ten minutes and I’ll take it from there. I need you to try your best to stay calm, okay? I just need you to hang on for a few more minutes.”
***
Again, you didn’t know how you’d pulled yourself together enough to pick yourself up and make it to the school office, or how you’d managed to feed the receptionist the cover story your mom had come up with so convincingly. Your voice hadn’t wobbled even once, and not a single tear had escaped your eyes while you waited. True to her word, your mom had gotten there within ten minutes and whisked you away after that.
The car ride had been silent. You hadn’t known where your mom was taking you and you didn’t ask either. Since you’d walked out of the school office, your mom hadn’t said a word to you. She hadn’t asked you any questions, she hadn’t pushed you to explain.
After a few minutes of quiet driving, you realised that the car had stopped moving, and looking around, you saw the beach in front of you.
“Watching the sea always brings me peace, so I thought it might be able to bring you some too,” your mom said when you looked at her questioningly.
The two of you walked closer to the shore and sat down next to each other on the soft sand. Because it was nine thirty in the morning, the beach was empty, not a single soul in sight since everyone was either at work or at school.
Your mom was right. The sound of the waves, the smell of the sea…it really was peaceful.
But you felt anything but peaceful.
"He's not my soulmate, Mom,” you spoke up finally, “Jungkook, he - he's not my soulmate. He didn't hear my voice. I spoke in soulspeak but he didn’t hear any of it. I love him so much but he's not my soulmate, Mom...he can't hear me," you choked on a sob, roughly wiping at your eyes with the back of your sleeve.
Your mom immediately took you in her arms, "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry," she rubbed comforting circles on your back and you completely crumbled, all of your emotions from the past 48 hours pouring out of you like water out of a faucet.
"There's something you need to know,” your mom said a couple of minutes later, once you had finished letting it all out and staining her shirt with your snot and tears, "Your father and I...we're not soulmates,"
You lifted your head from her shoulder so fast that you nearly got whiplash.
"Wh - what?"
"Have you never wondered why we always use the phone to talk to each other? Or why we use our real voices to have conversations all the time?"
How many times was the ground going to be pulled from beneath your feet today?
"I just...I thought you did that to make me and Bug feel included,"
Your mom shook her head, "We can't speak to each other in soulspeak, honey. We married each other without any kind of soulmate bond between us,"
There was no way any of this was true. Surely, your mom was playing a prank on you or trying to make you feel better or something.
Your mom and dad…you’d grown up witnessing how much they loved each other. Even twenty years and two kids down the line, the love they had for each other hadn’t wavered, and it always made you so happy to see them basking in it. You’d idolised the kind of love they shared; you’d dreamed of having a love like that with Jungkook your soulmate someday.
And now…your mom was telling you that they weren’t soulmates? That they didn’t share a soulmate bond?
That they’d never been able to hear each other’s voices?
"I've never heard a voice inside my mind…I have no idea what that feels like,” your mom continued, absent-mindedly drawing figures in the sand with her finger, “I don't know who my soulmate is, or whether they're dead or alive...but I've made peace with not knowing now. Your father...his soulmate wanted nothing to do with him. And after she rejected him, he wanted nothing to do with her either. He has soulblockers every day just so that he won’t be able to hear her if she ever tries to reach out to him again,"
You honestly couldn’t believe it. You were actually speechless. Never knowing their soulmate, being rejected by their soulmate; you couldn’t even begin to imagine how much your parents had been through, and it made your chest ache.
It also threw all of the perceptions you'd had about soulmates until now straight out of the window. It was a harsh wake-up call, a reminder that soulmate bonds didn’t always work out. Having a soulmate wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t always all rainbows and sunshine and perfect happily ever after’s. Like everything else, there was a dark side, a bitter second face of the coin. Soulmates could bring you happiness, but they could also bring you pain. They could love you, but they could also hurt you.
You’d been so busy living in your idyllic fantasy land, your head so lost in the clouds of your dreams and desires, that you’d forgotten that – or failed to acknowledge it.
"We might not be soulmates and we might not be able to hear each other's voices, we might not be bound in what's supposed to be this cosmic, magical soulmate bond...but that doesn't change the fact that your father is the love of my life,” your mom smiled, eyes glistening and voice tender, and you couldn’t help but smile too, “Me and him, we chose to be with each other, to love each other...and yes, I'm sure a soulmate bond must be amazing, but I've never felt like our love and our lives are any lesser. Even without a soulmate bond between us, I feel like I was destined to be with him,"
Your mom looked at you, "Do you get what I'm trying to say, honey? Sometimes, the universe doesn't quite get it right. It makes mistakes sometimes. But that's okay, you know. You can always write your own fate, form your own bond...ultimately, the power to choose your happiness lies with you. The universe gives you a little nudge and boost, but it's you who really decides in the end,"
Your mom’s words knocked the air out of your lungs.
Finding out that Jungkook wasn’t your soulmate had shifted your world on its axis…but what your mom said just now? Everything you thought you knew, everything you believed about soulmates, love, the future, all of your plans and ideas and expectations – everything had just gone up in flames.
You didn’t know what to do or what to think anymore.
Could you still hope? Could you still dream?
Could you really write your own fate and choose your own happiness?
Your mom could see the internal battle playing out on your face as clear as day. She put her hand on your arm, "With that being said...you're still really young. I know everything is confusing right now, but it would be unfair to not give your soulmate a chance and write them off so early, don't you think? It may not have worked out for your father and I, but that doesn't mean you can't be optimistic. If you're lucky enough to be bonded to someone who wants to be with you, you shouldn't close your mind and push them away without even giving it a go...who knows, your soulmate may be the perfect one for you and you could end up missing out on something beautiful if you decide to give up before it even starts,"
You hugged your knees against your chest, chin tucked between your legs, "Mom, I get what you mean, but I’m scared because I - I don't think I could feel for anyone else like I feel for Jungkook,” you whispered, voicing out your biggest fear, “He is everything I want and I can't imagine ever wanting someone else like that. It...it terrifies me, what if I can't move on? What if I keep looking for Jungkook in them?” you sucked in a sharp breath, new tears stinging the back of your eyes as you quickly blinked them back, “What if I can't…love my soulmate?"
Your mom sighed, patting your shoulder, "Just give yourself some time, okay? Don't dwell on the things you can't change or focus on the things you don't know about...you don't even know what's going to happen or how things will unfold, it doesn't make sense to worry about them already. And don't pressure yourself into anything either...let yourself feel how you do and just let everything take its course. You don't need to make any decisions right now, there's no rush. You'll be okay, honey. Everything will fall into its place, everything will be okay,”
You were grateful for your mom and you genuinely appreciated all of her advice and everything she’d said and shared with you. However, you couldn’t help but wonder how you could ever be okay when you felt like your heart had shattered into a million pieces that could never be glued together again.
***
jungkook [09:26 a.m.] : this is one very long bathroom break…
jungkook [09:32 a.m.] : _____ where the heck are you
jungkook [09:37 a.m.] : mrs. meyers sent willow to look for you – you had a doctor’s appointment? you didn’t mention that earlier?
jungkook [10:06 a.m.] : are you not coming back to school?
jungkook [10:47 a.m.]: looks like you aren’t…
jungkook [11:26 a.m.] : is everything okay?
jungkook [12:18 a.m.] : text me when you see this?
you [4:16 p.m.]: sorry for not answering, i had my appointment (only a routine check-up, all good) and then just crashed…haven’t been feeling too well today. mom told me you dropped by, thanks for coming to check up on me!!
jungkook [4:17 p.m.]: hey, yeah, your mom told me - i hope you get well soon. guessing you’re not up for visitors?
you [4:17 p.m.]: these cramps are kicking my ass…i’ll see you tomorrow?
jungkook [4:18 p.m.]: yikes. okay, rest up and take care – and feel better soon
You were tucked in your bed, warm and cosy and totally engrossed in the episode of the thriller series you’d started a few hours ago to try and momentarily forget everything that had happened in the morning. So far, it was working and you were totally invested.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the door to your room open and your little sister’s head pop in the doorway. You paused the episode and took an earbud out of your ear, raising an eyebrow in question.
“I knocked but you didn’t hear so I just came in,” Bug explained, coming inside and closing the door behind her, “Here,” she held a plastic bag out to you.
You sat up, curious, “What’s this?”
“Kookie just came, he told me to give this to you,”
You took the bag from her and when you saw what was inside, you melted into a puddle of warm goo.
Ice-cream from Coco’s Creamery. Three scoops of chocolate brownie fudge with extra chocolate chips, just like you loved it. Also your treat of choice during your period (and other super sucky times in your life).
If Jungkook continued being so sweet to you, so thoughtful and so attentive, how on Earth were you supposed to start overcoming the fact that he wasn’t your soulmate? How could you even consider the thought of getting over him and giving your heart to somebody else?
“He got some for me too, it’s in the freezer because Mom said I can’t have it until I finish all of my Maths homework,” Bug said, sitting down on your bed, “I told him to come in, but he said he’d come over another time,”
You took the lid off the cup and dug your spoon inside, releasing a happy sigh as soon as the chocolatey goodness hit your taste buds. God, this is exactly what you’d needed.
“You’re avoiding Kookie,” Bug said a few moments later, like it was a fact and not a question. You looked up in alarm but didn’t say anything, and she took your silence as her cue to continue, “He seems to think you’re feeling ill, which you’re not. He got you ice-cream because you told him you had bad period cramps, but I know you were on your period last week. You came home from school early too…and you look sad. Why are you avoiding him?”
Damn, when did your fourteen-year-old sister become so wise and so observant?
You chewed on your bottom lip, “It’s…complicated,”
“Well, you know you can’t avoid him forever,” Bug shrugged, “Just talk to him about whatever it is…you know he’ll understand. It’s Kookie out of all people. He’s your best friend,” she said before she left your room.
You really wished it was that simple.
you [5:25 p.m.]: thank you for the ice-cream <3 you really didn’t have to
jungkook [5:25 p.m.]: no prob…anything and everything for you :)
***
“Can I…stay home from school today?” you asked your parents at the breakfast table the next morning.
Your mom and dad exchanged glances, “Bug, let’s go have a look at your bike, you said something was wrong with the chain yesterday?” your dad said, grabbing his half-eaten slice of toast and standing up.
Bug looked up from her cereal in confusion, “Right now?”
“Yes sweetheart, I’ll see if it’s something I can fix,” your dad said, taking Bug’s arm and dragging her away before she could ask any more questions or protest.
Your mom turned to you once your dad and your sister had left the room, “I know how you’re feeling, but you can’t just skip school,”
“Please, Mom? I don’t want to go…I really don’t want to face Jungkook,” you mumbled, “I don’t think I can do that yet,”
“It’s something you’ll definitely have to do, whether it’s sooner or later,” she pointed out.
You groaned, shoving your toast into your mouth unhappily, “Mom, I don’t think I can go to school and act like everything’s fine in front of my friends. I feel like I’ll look at Jungkook and just…he’ll know something’s wrong. And then he’ll want to find out what it is and…and if I tell him, I’ll be mortified and it’ll ruin everything between and our friendship will be over forever,”
“Honey, relax. You’ll be okay, just take each moment as it comes. And I think you need to give Jungkook some more credit, I don’t think he’d want your friendship to be over. I think he’ll understand, and you never know, he might…feel the same,”
“Mom! He won’t…he can’t! I’m not his soulmate, remember?” you grumbled, nearly rolling your eyes at the awfully absurd thought.
“Did you even listen to everything I said to you yesterday?” your mom said with a smile. Before she could say anything else, her gaze fell on the wall clock behind you and she jumped up from her chair, “God, look at the time. We need to get going or you’ll be late!”
***
Your attempt of trying to skip school may have failed, but your attempt at acting normal around your friends had been much more successful. When you’d laid your eyes on Jungkook, it had felt like you’d been sucker punched in the gut, but you’d put in every effort to not let it show on your face or in your voice.
Much to your dismay, Mr. Verma had chosen soulmates as the theme of this week’s Philosophy lessons. You were sick to death of the s-word and everything associated with it, but it looked like the universe really had it in for you this week.
“We’re going to be doing a quiz today – no, not that kind of quiz,” Mr. Verma was quick to clarify as he walked around the classroom and handed out answer sheets. Jungkook took two sheets from him and passed one over to you, “It’s more like a personality quiz. It’ll consist of a bunch of closed questions but you don’t need to tell me your answers or anything, this is more of a reflective exercise. Just tick either ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘I don’t know’ for each question and then we’ll score it at the end and have a discussion,”
“Question one. Do you believe in the soulmate bond?” Mr. Verma called out.
Obvious answer. Yes, of course you did.
“Question two. Do you think a soulmate bond is always stronger than a chosen bond?”
You might’ve answered Yes a couple of days ago, but as your mind travelled to your parents, you answered No.
“Question three. Before the age of eighteen, did you ever have feelings for anyone?”
Another obvious answer. Yes, you very recklessly did.
“Question four. For those of you in the class who are already eighteen, have you ever had feelings for a person that you know isn’t your soulmate?”
A question that didn’t necessarily apply to you because you weren’t eighteen just yet, but you did actually have an answer for it.
You were playing with your eraser and waiting for Mr. Verma to announce the next question when suddenly, a thought struck you. You knew it was wrong to invade Jungkook’s privacy – but it would do no harm to him if you saw his answer, would it? Surely, he wouldn’t mind; you were his best friend after all. That meant it was okay to look, right?
You discretely snuck a peek at what he’d answered, which wasn’t very hard because he wasn’t trying to cover his answers or anything.
No.
You were on the verge of disappointment, but then it dawned on you – Jungkook didn’t know that you weren’t his soulmate yet, right? You hadn’t told him that you’d tried speaking to him in soulspeak, which meant that he wasn’t aware that it hadn’t worked and his soulmate wasn’t you.
That meant that there was still a chance, right?
“Question five. Would you ever consider being with someone who isn’t your soulmate?”
You didn’t even have to think before you answered that one. Yes.
You glanced at Jungkook again. You knew it was wrong, but you couldn’t help it. This was one you really needed to know his thoughts about.
You snuck another peek at his answer sheet.
No.
That confirmed it. Jungkook wanted a future with his soulmate.
He didn’t want a future with you.
Pain bloomed in your chest and you clenched your jaw tightly in a desperate bid to hold yourself together. And those stupid tears, God, you were so sick of them and how quick they were to pool in your eyes again.
Your mom had been wrong. You didn’t have the power to choose your own happiness; because your happiness didn’t want to choose you.
You felt foolish for letting that seed of hope sprout inside you. You should have squashed it as soon as it started to grow; in fact, you should’ve never even planted it in your heart yesterday.
You furiously bit down the sobs that were crawling up your throat, trying your best to appear like you were perfectly fine and focus on answering the rest of the questions. You wanted to run away again, flee and hide in a place where nobody could ever find you so that you could let yourself break once more; but how long could you keep doing that? How long could you keep fighting your fate and your reality?
You tried to appear as calm and composed as you didn’t feel for the rest of the day. You put your feelings and your bleeding heart on the backburner and went through all of the motions – talking with your friends at lunch, participating in all of your classes, doing your work – as if your entire world hadn’t been uprooted yet again.
And you must have done a seriously good job because nobody questioned it or said a single thing.
***
You stared up at the ceiling of your bedroom, at the stars plastered across it messily that were glowing brightly in the dark. It was your birthday tomorrow and you hated yourself for not being more excited about it. You had been looking forward to it so much – and for so long – but now, you just wanted to make some kind of excuse up, call off the plans you had made with your friends and stay home in your pyjamas on the couch.
You didn’t know whether you were sad or mad about the hand that fate had dealt you. In your whole entire life, there was just one thing you’d ever wanted so desperately, only one thing you’d ever wished for; had it been too much for the universe to just listen, to give in, to let you have it?
It was too early and the wound was too raw for you to think of some kind of divine reasoning or see any kind of bright side. Maybe someday in the future, you’d be able to look back and feel grateful when you realised that everything had worked out for the better after all. The rational part of you knew you’d have to pick yourself up eventually, that there was happiness waiting for you out there no matter how much of an impossibility it seemed like right now – but for now, you decided to be kind to yourself.
You knew that the hole in your chest would eventually heal until it was all but a dull ache, but today, you decided to let yourself feel, to cry, to be hurt. To grieve and to mourn your dream that would never come true.
Looking up at the Orion constellation that nine-year-old Jungkook had helped you stick on your ceiling, you let yourself love him for a little while longer before you would have to let go.
You sighed, turning over to your side and closing your eyes, wishing sleep would come easy tonight but knowing it most probably wouldn’t and you’d –
“Wise men say only fools rush in…."
Your blood froze in your veins when you heard a voice singing in your mind.
“But I can't help falling in love with you,”
You threw the covers off yourself and sat up as fast as lightning, grabbing your phone and checking your lockscreen.
4th September, 12:00 a.m.
“Oh, shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?”
Without another thought, you ran out of your room and bolted down the stairs of your sleeping house, your heartbeat roaring in your eardrums.
“Like a river flows surely to the sea...”
You snatched a particular set of keys from the key rack next to the front door before slipping out of your house.
“Darling, so it goes…some things are meant to be,”
Tears blurred your vision as you hurried across the front yard and then headed down to the back, using the keys to unlock the back door.
“Take my hand, take my whole life too,”
You were welcomed by darkness when you made it to your destination, and you quietly but impatiently sprinted up the stairs.
“For I can't help falling in love with you,”
You gripped the door knob of room on the left and pushed the door open without a single second of hesitation.
"Jesus, fuck –" Jungkook’s eyes widened astronomically at the sight of you standing in his doorway, two tiny moons full of shock as he stared at you from where he was perched on top of his bed, "_____, what are you –“
You closed the door behind you before striding inside and dropping yourself onto his lap, “Do it again,”
His palms almost instinctively found a home on your waist to steady you, his expression still full of surprise, "What –“
"I said do it again!” you nearly yelled, trying to keep your voice down because you knew his parents were asleep, “Say something in soulspeak again," you demanded, effectively shutting him up.
You felt him take in a deep breath and relax under you, his eyes never leaving yours.
"All of your wishes at the fountain came true...and so did mine."
Your breath caught in your throat and you gaped at Jungkook in complete and utter disbelief.
"What the fuck, Jungkook. What the actual fuck," you punched his shoulder, hard enough to express your anger but soft enough to not seriously injure him, "Why? Why did you lie? Why did you lie to me all this time?" you punched his shoulder with every question.
He took hold of your wrist, stopping you in your painful tracks and wrapping his hand over your fist, "_____, you're hurting me,"
"I'm hurting you?" you laughed incredulously, and you couldn’t help the tears that dampened your waterline, "Do you know how hurt I've been for the past three days? Do you have any idea of the pain I've felt? Do you?"
His gaze softened, "I never lied to you,"
"Yes, you did!” you nearly yelled, almost hysterical, “You told Ruby that you hadn't heard anything –“
He shook his head, "She asked if I'd heard anything from any of them, which I hadn't. And she asked if I'd heard anything 'this morning', which I also hadn't. I heard my soulmate loud and clear at midnight,” he explained, lips curling into a grin.
You opened and closed your mouth like a fish as every piece of the puzzle fell into place, "Why…why didn't you tell me? I thought - I thought –“
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before...I wanted it to be special for you, exactly the way you’d always wanted to find out about your soulmate. Two Bodies, One Soul style,"
Your eyebrows furrowed as you thought about it for a moment, and then you groaned, looking away from him.
"God, why did you have to remember that?"
The two of you had been fifteen when you’d watched Two Bodies, One Soul together; more like you’d dragged Jungkook to the cinema and he’d begrudgingly obliged (well, not really begrudgingly; he’d never been able to say no to you).
The movie had been about a rich heiress and her housekeeper’s son, and the unexpected soulmate bond between them. The housekeeper’s son had always admired the heiress from afar, but they’d only really interacted a couple of times, and each encounter hadn’t lasted longer than a few seconds. The housekeeper’s son had been born mute but when the clock struck midnight on the heiress’ eighteenth birthday, she heard a voice in her mind; it had been the housekeeper’s son’s voice, and she was the first – and only – person to ever hear it.
It was still your absolute favourite movie and you knew it always would be. You hadn’t even remembered that you’d said it to Jungkook until now, but on the way out of the cinema, during your post-movie high, you’d gushed to him about how lovely and romantic (and incredibly fortunate) it would be to hear your soulmate’s voice in your mind as soon as you turned eighteen like that, and how you could only wish that something as crazy as that could happen to you too.
It had been a casual comment you’d made in passing, probably the one and only time you’d actually said anything in front of him about soulmates in direct relation to yourself; and you’d never thought it was something he would remember or take so seriously.
“Of course I remember. You’ve made me re-watch that movie at least five times and every time, you literally light up like a spark at that scene. You did the same thing for me too and it was the best feeling in the world...I probably should’ve told you straightaway, but I wanted you to have that experience you’d wished for,”
“I don’t know if you’re cute or if you’re an idiot, Jungkook,” you sighed, but there was no real anger or malice in your voice. Just a bit of awe at his sweet thoughtfulness; even if it had resulted in the most nightmarish couple of days for you. You knew you should've been mad at him. You should've been absolutely furious. But honestly, you couldn’t find it in yourself to be.
Not when there were so many other things to feel. Happiness. Relief. Gratitude. Bliss.
Jungkook lifted a hand up to your chin, tilting your head so that you were finally looking at him again. His eyes were brimming with fondness as he gazed at you, "There's nobody else it could've been but you. How could it have been? You're my best friend...you're the only person I could ever want. Ever since I was old enough to understand what a soulmate was, I wanted it to be you...and there has never been a moment in my life where I haven't wanted you to be mine,"
Your tears spilled over when he beamed at you with the brilliance of a thousand suns.
"I was so scared when I thought you weren't my soulmate, you know," you let out a small, shaky laugh, trying your best to not sob, emotion welling in your throat, "I was so scared that you'd never love me like I love you, that I'd have to lose you to somebody else...lose you without even having you,"
He shook his head and pulled you into him, wrapping two strong, affectionate arms around you as he held you against his chest, "You've always had me. I'm yours, and I've always been yours. Every inch of me, from my heart to my soul...it's always been yours, pretty girl. I gave all of it to you a long time ago," he murmured into your hair.
“You’re…mine,” you whispered into his shirt, as if you still couldn’t believe it.
He withdrew from the embrace and his hands came to cradle your face like you were his most precious treasure in the world, “All yours, baby girl,” he affirmed, the smile on his face brighter than the stars in his eyes, and you swear you nearly died at the term of endearment, "I was made to love you and that's all I want to do for the rest of my life. And I'd decided that even before I knew you were my soulmate. You make me…me, you always make me feel content and grounded and at ease...and a soulmate bond - or lack of it - wouldn't have changed that,"
There were tears streaming down your face but your heart fell so full you thought it was going to burst.
Jungkook leaned in, warm breath tickling your face as he kissed every tear away, and when he’d caught every single one, he pressed his lips against yours, setting every single nerve ending of yours alight.
And then your heart did burst – into the most spectacular fireworks – and all of the love and happiness you felt in that moment poured out of it and coloured the air around you.
"I still can't believe this,” you giggled, leaning your forehead against Jungkook’s, “I can't believe you!"
He laughed, but then his expression became more serious, "I'm really, really sorry I hurt you, _____,” he said, brushing his thumb over your cheekbone, “Trust me, that wasn't my intention...there were several moments where I nearly dropped the idea but then I remembered how much you loved that movie scene and how much I loved hearing your voice at midnight on my birthday and I powered through,"
You planted a kiss on his nose, "I probably shouldn’t forgive you this easily, but you’re actually so cute,"
He smiled in that heart-stopping, stomach-pounding, swoon-worthy way of his that made you fall in love with him all over again, "Glad I’m not an idiot then. Honestly, I thought I'd need to grovel a bit more,"
"Oh, you're more than welcome to,"
“Also, I really like your pyjamas…not sure how I’d feel if someone else saw my soulmate looking this ravishing though,”
You looked down at what you were wearing – a baby pink strappy tank top and the skimpiest matching silk shorts – and blushed so violently that you were sure it would’ve been possible to spot your red face all the way from Mars.
He chuckled before stealing another kiss from you, and another one after that; and all you could think about was how you were so glad that the universe had got it right this time.
You were so glad that he could hear your voice.