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30. FLOWERS 花
DARRYL, WHO HAD one foot up the stairs, was the first to hear it and instantly froze. slowly backing up, he pinned his sister with a questioning gaze. "cheesecake?" his voice was laced with incredulity, right brow arching almost menacingly.
"did you just–?" charlie didn't finish the question and let it hang in the air along with the awkwardness. "to jungkook?" valeria glanced between the two, her amusement evident on her face and in her voice. jungkook had his mouth open, ears turning beet red, feeling acutely aware of the eyes on him.
lia winced, not looking anyone in the eye. "write a freak lightning bolt straight into my heart, why don't you?" she muttered under her breath. letting out an awkward laugh that pulled her lips into more of a grimace than a grin, she shook her head. "oh, that!" another awkward laugh.
"quit laughing like an idiot and explain yourself." darryl's glare made her want to shrink away. "actually," jungkook started, calling everyone's attention to him. "i eat a lot of cheesecake that she thinks i'll turn into one soon. the joke kind of stuck." the boy held on to gillian's ankle when it felt like she was about to tip backwards, avoiding their gazes.
"is that so?" charlie dragged out the question, a cheeky expression on her face. "yeah! you should see how much cheesecake he buys, you'll pray for his blood sugar levels." lia scratched the back of her neck, avoiding her sisters' teasing looks.
darryl's narrowed gaze moved between the two. "i'm watching you two carefully." he pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at the two friends. his sisters rolled their eyes at him, muttering under their breaths.
lia simply shook her head in reply. "jungkook?" she turned to him expectantly. "oh," he looked up from steadying gabriel. "just water's fine, thanks." he smiled at her. nodding, she walked out of the living room.
"well, i'm going to call jamie." valeria announced, walking towards the stairs. "weren't you going upstairs too?" she glanced at her older brother. "or do you plan to glare at him all night?" her tone was teasing.
shooting a narrowed eyed look at jungkook, he followed her up the stairs. "by the way, this jamie, is it a boy or a girl?" he questioned, following her closely. "please don't start." valeria groaned, hurrying away from him to her bedroom.
"and i need to step out to the convenience store for more granola bars. will you be alright by yourself till yaya gets back, cheesecake?" charlie was on her feet, the teasing smile still on her face. jungkook nodded, cheeks turning a light pink and she grinned wide.
"see you in a bit." she waved, leaving the living room and heading for the front door. "i need to find a hiding space for my secret stash." he heard her mutter as she passed by him.
he chuckled, holding on to gabriel and gillian when they began to move around too much. "kookie," the seven-year-old girl leaned down to get a glimpse of his face. "hm?" he glanced up at her with big eyes. "do you like lia?" she whispered not so discreetly.
"mhm," he bobbed his head in a nod. "do you want her to be your girlfriend?" he glanced down at the little boy who'd asked the question. "will she want a boyfriend like me?" he replied. "yes! you give piggyback rides!" gillian threw her hands up.
he laughed softly. "does that mean i'll be a good boyfriend?" he wiggled her foot playfully. "if you give her flowers and tell her she's pretty and make her smile all the time." gabriel answered. jungkook lifted a brow curiously. "do you have a girlfriend?"
gabriel nodded his head, humming in affirmation. "really?" he drawled curiously, placing the boy back on his feet. "she's in my class!" gillian revealed as he picked her off his shoulders and placed her next to her brother who had already taken a seat on the floor. both jungkook and gillian mimicked his action.
"so you give her flowers?" jungkook asked the little boy who nodded. "she likes the yellow ones the most." he explained. "so i pick them from the garden." he giggled. "she must really like that." jungkook remarked with a nod of his head, looking very serious.
"does lia know?" he whispered, leaning forward. the seven-year-old shook his head. "it's a secret." his twin sister cupped her mouth with both hands before whispering. "how come you know?"
gabriel grabbed his sister by the shoulder, pulling her closer. "she's my best friend." he stated with a toothy grin. jungkook couldn't help but smile widely at that statement. "but you told me the secret too." he pointed at himself. "you're our new best friend." gillian simply explained. he was touched by her words, beaming brightly.
"what are you guys whispering about?" lia asked. the three looked up to find her watching them with narrowed eyes. "nothing!" all three of them chorused too loudly. "mhm," she hummed out in a disbelieving tone, fixing jungkook with her narrowed gaze as she approached.
"here's your water." she handed him a bottle. "thanks," he smiled gratefully. "you're already keeping secrets. i feel betrayed." she chimed, turning to her little siblings as she plopped down next to him. gillian giggled, patting her leg in comfort.
"you're really not going to tell me?" she glanced at jungkook with a doe-eyed expression. gaze flitting to the twins momentarily, he pressed his lips in a cheeky smile and shook his head. not even that adorable face was going to make him give in. "nope."
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an unedited update after 3 weeks oof. it's not much though :( and thank you for all the encouragement! though i can't really reply much, i see most of them and am really grateful 💛💛
