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They waited for the vet for over half an hour.  At one point, Hyejin turned towards Jungkook, “Did you call your friends and tell them you’re missing their ‘meeting’?”

He nodded.

“How’d they take it?”

“I called Namjoon.  He understood.  He just asked me to come back home whenever we’re done.  He said he would fill me in on what I missed.”

“So, you think they’re going to surprise you at home?”

“The guys, at least.  My other friends will probably miss it.”

“Are you disappointed?” She still felt bad.  If she had just acted more responsibly…placed that chocolate higher up on a shelf…Oh, no!  What about the truffles?  Did Twenty-two eat them?

Jungkook was watching her face.  “What’s wrong?”

“I bought you two gifts.  They were both chocolate.  I didn’t look to see if he ate the other one!”

Jungkook’s gaze sharpened.  “Were they Belgian chocolate too?”

She was shaking her head.  “No.  They were dark chocolate.  I need to go home to see.”

“How many were there?”

“Six.  It was about three more ounces of chocolate.”  Her heart was pounding in fear now.  What if he’d ingested more chocolate than they’d thought?

“Twenty-two,” the receptionist called.

Jungkook’s ears perked up.  He leaned over and picked up the large puppy.  “Come on,” he smiled at her.  “Let’s go talk to the doctor.”

—

A few minutes later, Jungkook and Hyejin were taking a taxi back to her house.  The vet needed to know if the dog had eaten the truffles before he gave a remedy.  Hyejin burst through her front door and ran to the table.  

Phew.  The truffles were still there!  She dialed the vet’s office and reported to the receptionist.  After a few moments, the woman told her that the doctor said Twenty-two wouldn’t require any interventions from the little bit of chocolate he’d eaten.  They could come get him.  She was told simply to keep an eye on him that evening.  Hyejin breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up the phone.

She picked the box of truffles up off the table and turned towards Jungkook.

“Happy Birthday,” she intoned, weak with the release of all her anxiety over that silly dog.  “You get a birthday present after all.”

He smiled, reaching out to receive the candies before pocketing them, then he pulled her up against him, cradling her in his arms.  He rested his chin on her head.  She was the best birthday present of all.

“He’s gonna be just fine, isn’t he?”

She nodded.  “We need to go get him and bring him home.”  

She could hear the tears in her voice.  That dumb dog meant too much to her!  He was nothing but trouble most of the time and always more than she could handle.  But somehow, he had wiggled his cute, little way into her heart before he’d become the size of a behemoth.  And today his bulkiness had saved his life.  The vet had said a much smaller dog would have died from the amount of chocolate he’d eaten.

Jungkook had heard the tears in her voice too.  So, he simply held her for several minutes.  And enjoyed the steady rhythm of her breathing.  Occasionally, he planted a stealthy kiss amidst her sable hairs.

—

After the three of them had returned from the vet’s, Hyejin encouraged him to head home so he could at least enjoy the tail end of his party.  He shook his head.

“We have a grave responsibility.  We’re dog watching tonight.”  Then he grinned from ear to ear as he turned towards Twenty-two.  “How are you feeling, buddy?”

The dog sat up and its tail switched back and forth.  

“Do you want a treat?”

Twenty-two raised his head eagerly.  His tail began to thump the floor with enthusiasm.

Hyejin went to get the dog treats out of the cabinet.  She handed one to Jungkook.

“Here you go!  Catch, 22!”  

Jungkook tossed the doggie treat into the air.  Twenty-two lunged and caught the little morsel in his gigantic mouth.  He chomped it down while looking expectantly towards Jungkook.

“Why is it that when you call my dog, his name sounds like it’s spelled ‘22’ like the number?  But when I say it, it’s Twenty-two spelled out like words?”

Jungkook looked at her, mystified.  Confused in Korean.  Weren’t they the same thing?

He ignored the question and moved on to something more pertinent.  “Want to order a pizza?”

“Sure!  It’ll be my treat for your birthday!”

After they’d ordered the pizza, all three of them sat down on the couch to watch a movie.  Twenty-two had planted himself firmly in Jungkook’s lap, leaving Hyejin a small spot to sit on the other side of Jungkook.  They spent the evening eating pizza and popcorn while they watched two movies.  

Towards the end of the night, Jungkook was dozing on the couch.  Hyejin turned to study his beautiful face.  His head was tilted back, exposing his strong throat to her view.  She sighed.  How could even his throat be gorgeous?  Her eyes slid over his Adam’s apple where it protruded.  He swallowed, sending it bobbing up and down.  Her gaze traveled upward over the smooth curve of his chin to linger on the mole hiding just beneath his lower lip.  Then those lovely lips captured her attention.  She really wondered how they would feel beneath her own.  Feeling her heart beginning to race, she leaned towards him, craving the sensation of Jungkook’s lips touching hers.  Maybe just one little kiss wouldn’t hurt, even between just “friends”?

Jungkook was awoken by a gentle movement against his lips.  He parted them and welcomed a wet kiss that instantly roused him from slumber.  A moist tongue slid into his mouth, showering him with devotion.  As it flicked about inside of him, he sat up abruptly.

Instantly revolted, he spit it out violently.  “22!” he yelled in frustration.  

Upon first waking, he’d thought Hyejin was kissing him!  But Twenty-two had beaten her to the goal.  Thinking he wouldn’t see much action tonight, Jungkook had finally gotten a birthday kiss after all.  Unfortunately, it hadn’t been from a gorgeous girl but from an overly enthusiastic, too-big-for-his-own-good, adorable puppy.  Jungkook grinned lopsidedly as he picked up a piece of popcorn and tossed it into the air toward the lips that had just kissed him.

“Catch, 22!”