Welcome to Your Last Race (Street Racers #3)

3. Wooshik

No one's in a rush now. We slept until 11, ordered room service and made a nest out of our bed. We've finished all the food, only the coffee's left. While the plans have been extensive, now I don't feel like moving out of the bed. My hips are still tired, and my sleep is halved. (Worth it, though). Staying in the room with Taehyung (probably Jungkook and Yeeun later on) sounds like a dream.

Today finally feels like everything is cooling off. The Japan Race was a wild fucking ride, and I'm honestly glad it's over. Not only is it over, it's slaughtered. Taehyung with all his modesty won't admit it, or maybe he doesn't realize it, but he's brought this race back to life. While I was obsessed with the Japan Race when I was a teen, in the past few years it almost died. The racers were great, otherwise they wouldn't crush everyone else until they won. But they were forgettable. I cannot tell who won two years ago for shit.

People will be comparing everyone who signs up for the next Japan Races to Taehyung for years. He made the Japan Race what it used to be and gave it the old hype. Which is also to say, racers from all over the world will know him. Recognize him. Things will change, his name will become bigger, he'll probably get even better.

All of that got me thinking about us.

Way to start a day. We should do nothing but relax today, think about nothing, and my mind's already diving into the deep stuff.

"A marathon of Japanese home décor shows," Taehyung says, jumping through channels. "Sounds good to me."

"On one condition," I say.

"Which is?"

"We'll shower together first, then you'll let me do your hair, then we'll get more food, then we'll spend the day in bed."

"That's a really elaborate condition. But I agree."

So for the next hour, we get ready to not move for the rest of the day. Finishing the coffees, we get into the shower, getting into a water fight halfway through. Then, in fresh clothes – because we slept in no clothes – he sits between my legs as I dry and brush his hair. I've loved doing this since the first time. A home décor show is already on.

It's not that something should be different. Because whether Taehyung grows or not, what we have is perfect. Whatever we have is perfect, honestly. I'm happy as long as we're together, but... The 'but'. The never satiated need for having more, but being scared of moving too fast.

I was just like that before asking him to move in with me, after I moved to Seoul.

And I'm still not the one to care for titles. But 'boyfriends'? Really? It does not reflect how I feel about him. About us. It's not enough.

At some point, Taehyung gets invested in the show, so I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder. He holds one of my hands, and I can briefly imagine how it would feel if he had a ring on his finger.

I can feel it, both on my skin and in my tightening chest, and I have to bite my tongue. Come on. That's not it. If I am to propose, it's not going to be like this.

I feel just like I did with the whole moving in together thing, the tear between keeping things slow and not bothering with time constraints, but this time, I'm already leaning in one direction.

"I want more coffee," Taehyung says.

And I have an idea. "How about I go out and get coffee and food?"

"Didn't you want to stay in the room all day?"

"I still do. But it'll be better with a proper gas station coffee and, well, better food."