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12

I could barely breathe under his intense gaze. His words echoed in my mind—he knew me.

Inside and out?

It felt like my world had tipped off balance, like he was seeing parts of me I wasn’t ready for anyone to see. We stared at each other, a shared look of understanding and something more hanging in the air.

He held up the keys again, a soft grin playing on his lips. “So come with me.”

I raised an eyebrow, sarcasm slipping back into my voice to shield myself from the intensity of the moment.

“And what? This’ll be like one of those movie scenes, right? Either your bike will break down in the middle of nowhere or worse, you’ll damage it on purpose just to get an excuse to take advantage of me in the dark.”

Jungkook burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking as he tried to compose himself. “A movie scene, huh?” he said through his chuckles.

“We’re playing one already, aren’t we? But I give you my word, my darling. I won’t damage the bike just to take advantage of you.”

I gasped dramatically, holding a hand to my chest. “Oh, wow, how noble of you,” I teased. “But let’s say, hypothetically, we get stuck in a bad weather. We somehow make it to a hotel in the middle of nowhere, and—guess what—there’s only one room left. I’m telling you right now, I’m not sharing it with you.”

Jungkook grinned wider, leaning back a little as if pondering the situation. “Okay, fine. Don’t share the room with me. I’ll just sleep on my diva then.”

I blinked. “Diva? Who’s your diva?”

He rolled his eyes, clearly enjoying this far too much. “You. Obviously.”

My cheeks heated instantly, and I was about to yank his ear for teasing me when he burst out laughing, raising his hands in mock surrender. “No, no! Not you! I meant my Kawasaki, not you idiot.”

I scowled, smacking him lightly on the arm, though my lips were twitching up into a smile. “Jerk.”

He grinned. “I know.”

I crossed my arms again, still trying to look annoyed, but the truth was, I wasn’t mad. Not really. The banter, the teasing—it was what I had missed. What we had always been so good at. But I wasn’t going to let him off that easy.

“But still,” I said, my voice softening slightly, “you didn’t ask me properly. You didn’t woo me.”

Jungkook sighed dramatically, but then his expression shifted. His playful smirk melted away, replaced by something more serious. He dropped to one knee, a hand over his chest as he looked up at me, his eyes sparkling with mock sincerity.

“My lady,” he began, his voice taking on an exaggerated, posh accent that made me want to laugh, “it would be the greatest honor of my life if you would grant me the privilege of taking you on the finest steed in all the land. The great Kawasaki Ninja, fast and faithful, to whisk you away under the moonlight.”

I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing at his ridiculous attempt at sounding like he’d stepped out of a Regency-era novel. He looked so serious, so over-the-top with his knee bent like some old-fashioned gentleman proposing to a queen.

“Oh my god, Kookoo, stop!” I laughed, covering my face with my hands as he stayed in position, his expression unwavering.

“I shall not rise until you have granted me your favor, my dearest,” he continued, eyes twinkling with amusement.

I sighed dramatically, placing a hand on my chest as I played along. “Oh, fine, Sir. You may rise and take me on this ride you so gallantly speak of.”