Closer Than This...(vsoo)

39.

As the car rolled down the serene road, the first drops of rain began to splatter against the windshield. The sky, once clear and star-filled, had darkened quickly, and soon the rain fell in a steady downpour.

Jisoo glanced at Taehyung, the soft glow of the dashboard lights illuminating his features, and noticed the way his jaw tightened, as if his mind was still trapped in the moments they had shared.

But before she could say anything, the car suddenly came to a halt with a jarring jerk. Taehyung cursed under his breath, trying to restart the engine, but it wouldn't budge.

"Of course," he muttered, looking out at the pitch-black road with a frown. "Great timing."

Jisoo could sense his frustration, but as the rain intensified, she found herself staring out at the road, wondering how they had ended up in such an awkward situation. She glanced over at him, wondering if the kiss was something that was playing on his mind too. The thought of it made her heart flutter in her chest.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, the car's engine now silent except for the sound of the rain beating against the roof. Ten minutes passed, neither of them speaking, both lost in the tension that still clung to them like the humidity in the air. Neither of them knew exactly what to say, how to break the silence after what had happened. But the pull between them was undeniable, stronger than the silence, stronger than the distance that had always existed between them.

Finally, unable to stand the stillness anymore, Jisoo turned toward Taehyung with a small, playful smile on her lips. "Well, no one's coming. What are we going to do now?" she asked, her voice light but filled with an undercurrent of mischief.

Taehyung turned to her, his gaze intense, but he said nothing. His lips parted as if to speak, but then, in a surprising move, Jisoo opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain, the water immediately soaking her dress. She laughed, throwing her head back as the rain drenched her from head to toe, completely carefree.

"Come on, Taehyung," she called, the rain dripping down her face, her hair sticking to her forehead. "You've got to live a little!"

He stared at her, momentarily stunned, before he shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. But his eyes...his eyes were still full of that intensity, that unspoken question that neither of them had answered.

Jisoo danced around in the rain, twirling and laughing, her carefree nature in full force as she splashed through the puddles. She glanced over at him, daring him with a playful grin. "Are you just going to sit there like a statue, or are you going to join me?"

There was a long pause, and then, to her surprise, Taehyung stepped out of the car, his perfectly tailored suit now completely ruined by the rain. But he didn't seem to care. He walked toward her, a wry smile forming on his lips. "You're impossible," he said, his voice tinged with amusement, but there was something else there, something deeper, something more charged.

Jisoo spun around, laughing even harder, the sound of her joy echoing in the night air. She stopped and stood there for a moment, looking at him with sparkling eyes, completely drenched. "This is perfect," she said, catching her breath. "Let's just forget about everything else for a while."

The rain seemed to wash away the distance between them, leaving them both drenched and vulnerable, yet somehow more connected than ever. They stood facing each other, the air heavy with the tension that had never fully dissipated.

As if drawn by an invisible force, they stepped closer, the space between them shrinking with every passing second. Jisoo's heart pounded in her chest as she met Taehyung's gaze. The way he looked at her, raw, unguarded, and so full of longing...made her pulse quicken.

And then, without thinking, she stepped forward, her hands reaching up to tug at his shirt, pulling him closer to her. The moment their lips met, the world seemed to fall away. The rain continued to pour around them, but it was like they were in their own world, lost in the kiss that had been building between them for so long.

But just as the kiss deepened, a rumble of thunder cracked through the air, and a sudden flash of lightning lit up the night sky. The storm had reached its full fury.

Taehyung pulled away reluctantly, his breathing heavy. "We should find shelter," he murmured, though neither of them seemed ready to pull away completely.

Jisoo nodded, her heart still racing as she gazed up at him. "Right. We'll keep going... just a little longer."

Without another word, they both turned, and Taehyung, always the protector, took her hand, guiding her down the road as the rain hits them. They walked for what felt like miles, the storm showing no signs of relenting, until they saw a small, run-down motel in the distance.

They hurried toward it, finally taking refuge inside, both of them drenched to the bone. The motel was quiet and dim, the only light coming from a flickering neon sign outside.

Inside, there was no more laughter, no more teasing. The storm continued to rage outside, but the air between them was thick with something else now, something undeniable, something they could no longer ignore.

They stood in the small, dim room, the tension between them mounting, the closeness of the space amplifying everything they felt. The attraction, the desire...it was all so palpable, so overwhelming.

Taehyung stepped closer to her, his expression unreadable yet filled with hunger. "Jisoo," he said quietly, his voice a low rasp, "what are we doing?"

Jisoo's heart fluttered as she looked up at him, her body trembling slightly. "I don't know," she whispered, "but it feels like it's meant to be."

And in that moment, as the storm raged outside, they both knew...no matter what happened next, they could no longer deny the connection, the pull that had been growing between them.

The night was theirs, the storm was theirs, and whatever came after... they would face it together.

Together.