“Something is wrong.”
“What?” Jungkook glanced sharply at Tae.
“Something is wrong with Tia. I don’t know what it is. But there’s this wall that she’s thrown up, a wall I couldn’t scale. I mean, I know I hurt her by ignoring her after Paris. But it was understandable, right? We lived on two different continents separated by two oceans. But she’s lived here for three weeks, and if she really liked me as much as I think she did, as much as the photographs say she did, then why would she run away from me? Something else must be going on. Don’t you think?”
Jungkook’s rare dimples appeared as he pressed his lips together hard. He nodded. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Jungkookie…how am I going to figure out the truth?”
Jungkook’s obsidian orbs grew wide, lending him a boyish air as he responded, “Why don’t you just ask her what’s wrong?”
Tae pursed his lips. “That’s an idea…” Then his mind momentarily flew elsewhere as his eyes fell upon the photograph in Jungkook’s hand. “So…” he began, a twinkle in his dark eyes. “Have you kissed that girl yet?”
Jungkook turned pink.
Tae laughed at how cute his friend was.
Jungkook, studiously ignoring Tae, was staring down intently at the picture of him and Hyejin.
“Really? You haven’t kissed her yet? It’s been nearly four months since you met her, right?”
Jungkook lifted his eyes to meet Tae’s. “Nearly exactly four months. How did you know?”
“You’ve been ‘jogging’ for that long.”
Jungkook grinned and glanced back down at Hyejin’s face.
“You really love her, huh?” Tae whispered, a little in awe of the look that crossed Jungkook’s face every time he looked at her picture.
Jungkook met his eyes for a moment, then his gaze shifted towards his window. He stared blankly out it, not responding to Tae’s question. But Tae knew his friend well enough to know that expression was an affirmation of his sweet suspicion.
—
As Tae wandered back to his bedroom, he realized that he’d never finished his earlier conversation with Julieta, nor had he clued her in to his plan nor asked for her assistance. He dialed her number, but she didn’t pick up. So he texted her, asking if she could make certain Tia ventured into the park tomorrow around nine in the morning.
He was still waiting for her reply two hours later. He finally gave up and went to bed. If he was going to be up early enough to meet Tia at the park, he needed to go to sleep.
