"Take this blindfold on." Nia spoke, reaching a cloth towards Jungkook.

"I literally drove us here, you want me to put on a blindfold now?" Jungkook spoke confused while Nia was already unbuckling her seatbelt and on her way out of the car.

"Don't be such a downer." She spoke before closing the car door behind her, leaving Jungkook alone in the car.

He could literally see the pink petals flying in the air, coming from the large cherry blossom trees which were surrounded by all sorts of Japanese plants from the inside of the car.

What was the blindfold even for?

But the way the keen girl leaped from the other side of the car to the side he was on, made Jungkook do as she had said and put on the blindfold. 

He'd do anything to make her smile just for a little while longer.

And it worked. Even though he couldn't see it, Nia was smiling brightly as she got him out of the car and saw he wore the blindfold. 

She was so excited to show him this place.

This Japanese garden was a special place to the girl.

It almost made her tear up just standing in front of the gate, still with the biggest smile on her face because this place was her comfort.

Showing him this, opening up to him in this way, Nia hoped that he would open up a bit about himself too. 

Sometimes, it was as if he didn't even mean anything to himself.

He never talked about himself with her. But she wanted him to. She wanted to show him that it was not dangerous to do so, and if she could, so could he.

"You know, in movies it's always the man who takes the girl out, not vice versa." Jungkook spoke from behind Nia and it woke her from her mind wandering.

It also made her realize that she was grabbing tightly onto Jungkook's hand and she immediately loosened the grip and moved to his wrist, blushing. But of course, Jungkook couldn't see her red tinted cheeks.

"Does this make you feel less manly?" The girl chuckled.

"No. It's refreshing." His lips curved into a smile, showing off his pearly white teeth. The tiny praise made Nia's heart pounder.

It was refreshing.

She liked the fact that she had stunned him.

While Nia was busy staring at the boy in front of her and after a short moment of silence, Jungkook broke it, "Can I take these off now?" He spoke and motioned to the cloth before his eyes.

"Oh yeah, of course, I'm sorry." The girl spoke and got behind him to undo the knot.

The two of them walked around the garden, enjoying each others company, talking and laughing as if it was natural being together. A few sakura petals fell down onto the gravel path they were walking on and every now and then landing on Nia's or Jungkook's head.

The ponds were filled with Japanese carps of all kinds, a few water lilies resting on the water surface. Tiny ripples in the water spread into bigger circles when the carps went to the surface to get some air, and the ripples quickly disappeared again. The birds were chirping and put a peaceful melody over the garden.

It all made it seem like they were in a movie. It felt magical, without being too cliché.

And that's what Nia loved about this place.

But something was different about being here with a boy she liked. It put a fresh glint on the garden in the girl's eyes.

Is this even real? She thought to herself, looking at Jungkook who was walking at a bit faster pace and a few steps in front of her.

All that, until a child ran past the two excitedly screaming and, what seemed to be the mother following the noisy child.

"That's one feisty kid." Jungkook followed the family as they ran up the path Jungkook and Nia had come from.

Nia rolled her eyes and grabbed Jungkook's wrist, "Follow me."

The girl knew this garden inside out. There was no hidden place for her and she knew one place people usually didn't go to.

As Nia stopped pulling, they were at the edge of the pond with a small wooden bench, painted red to match the pink flowers dominating the garden. The small hideout was mostly hidden away by the bushes around it and people usually didn't go there due to the narrow path you had to follow to get there.

Nia reached in her pocket for some fish feed she grabbed a bit earlier and started throwing the food to the fish in the pond. Again the ripples in the water spread in circles as the fish rushed to the surface to claim the food.

"You're really into the romantic stuff huh?" Jungkook teased, recalling her film choice Titanic. He took a step towards her but stopped at that. 

He so wanted to just take the last step and wrap his arms around her waist, leaning his chin on her shoulder and hugging her body tight to his. 

But she was not his, and it was stupid of him to think that for even a second. He was not for love and love was not for him.

Nia hummed as a reply and kept feeding the fish.

"Like reallyyyy into it." Jungkook tilted his head with a smile, hoping to provoke her a bit in a sweet way.

She always looked cute when she was trying to act mad.

"Yeah and so what? You don't like it?" 

The girl turned around, a single tear sliding down her cheek and taking Jungkook by surprise.

"You're crying? Why what's wrong?" The immediate change in Jungkook's voice showcased his worry.

"This is a special place to me. That's why I took you."

Jungkook now regretted teasing her, cause deep down he had really enjoyed this day so far. Whatever they were doing, he would always love spending time with her.

He gulped before understandably speaking, "I see..."

"But if you don't like it, we can go..." 

The girl wasn't crying, but her saddened expression was facing the ground.

"No no, I just love teasing you. You have the cutest pout." The boy grabbed the shorter girl's shoulders and tilted his head to look at her while imitating her pouting face.

It made Nia let out a small chuckle and Jungkook wiped away the tear from her cheek, "I think this is nice, I really like it." He smiled assuringly while holding eye contact before he pulled her in for a hug.

The feeling of Nia's warm breath against his chest, and her arms slowly and hesitantly making their way around his waist made his heart pound like crazy.

They had never hugged like this before.

"Thank you for taking me." He pulled her in a little tighter, enjoying the feeling she gave him and the feeling he might make her feel.

Nia was smiling into his chest, blushing but not minding it. She felt safe.

"My grandmother was Japanese." The girl broke the silence.

Jungkook pulled away from the hug, but still grabbing her shoulders making sure she was okay as he waited for her to continue.

"She used to take me here every now and then. She missed her country and she always told me coming here with me was like showing me her home."

Nia couldn't keep her smile back, reminiscing about a few years back when she and her grandmother were standing in this very spot. It was a hidden place in the garden that she had shown her.

Jungkook was looking at the girl's sparkling eyes in awe. 

He wanted to know what she was thinking as her eyes sparkled this way and her lips smiled that way. He wanted to know everything.

"She sounds like a kind person... definitely not related to you." Jungkook joked and made the girl laugh a little.

Nia had recently found out that it was quite easy for the boy to make her laugh. She cherished that.

"Hey I'm the kindest one here!" Nia nudged Jungkook's arm hard.

A sudden silence occurred, Jungkook staring at Nia and Nia staring back.

"And the most stunning."

The words caught her by surprise and as she looked up at him the butterflies started fluttering inside her. They were close and she didn't even realize until now.

Nervously, Nia was biting her lip and her eyes lowered down to his, his lip ring sparkling in the sunlight.

His hands on Nia's shoulders moved one down to her waist and the other slid behind her head and before she knew it Jungkook pulled her in for a kiss.

It took Nia by surprise, but she melted at his touch right away and followed his moves. 

His lips were soft and warm, the metal ring in his lip contrasting with a cold feeling that sent chills down her spine.

The birds' chirping around the two silenced, Nia's mind going wild and her knees weakening by the feeling she had only imagined until now.

Jungkook's hands both made their way to the girl's cheeks, holding them and making the feeling in Nia's body unbearably good.

Slowly, still cupping her face, Jungkook broke the kiss, their lips still brushing each other and their breaths mingling.

"Who's Hoseok?" Jungkook whispered suddenly, the breath tickling Nia's lips but it not having any effect as she pulled away from his grip.

"What?" The girl looked at the taller boy with a frown, the butterflies fading at the minute he ruined their moment.

"Your mother mentioned him... your dad too." Jungkook spoke shrugging, poking his tongue in his cheek.

"He's my best friend." Nia scoffed, looking away.

"Nothing more?" 

"No, ew."

The answer left Jungkook relieved and he reached out to pull her in for another hug, but as he reached out she moved away.

"Are you mad now?" Jungkook asked with an uncomprehending tone in his voice.

Nia sighed, "I just didn't expect that was the first thing you would say after we had our first kiss."

This wasn't exactly the atmosphere she had imagined after her first kiss with the guy she'd liked for month now.

Jungkook stayed quiet for a while, looking at the pouting girl in front of him.

"It may be the first... but it won't be the last." 

Again the boy reached out to pull Nia in for a hug and this time she let him embrace her. It was hard to be mad at him after he had just swept her off her feet.

"You're an idiot." The girl mumbled into Jungkook's chest.

"I can live with that."

"You're unbelievable. Sometimes I really don't understand you."

But that was really what span her back to him always.

For a while they stood there in the tiny hidden place in the Japanese garden, embracing each other tightly. Jungkook slowly slid his hands down the side of Nia's arms making chills appear on her skin, before intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Do you by the way have a Spanish grandfather I haven't heard of yet?" Jungkook teased her international family, again ruining the moment, but this time in a way Nia liked it.

"Do you by the way have a turn off switch?"

"As long as you're here, no." Jungkook spoke quick-witted and bluntly. 

Their fingers still tangled together, he pinned her hands behind her back and pulled her closer to him by the waist so their bodies clung together.

Nia felt the heat rush to her head, thinking her heart was about to explode.

"I'm always turned on around you." 

"Jungkook!" Nia wriggled out of his grip and slapped his shoulder, breaking the hug and went up the narrow path back to the main garden. 

"I'm joking." Jungkook yelled after her, his nose growing longer as if he was Pinocchio.

That pout did turn him on.

au.n.

Am I the only one OBSESSED with Japanese gardens? Like I visit one at least once a year here where I live, cause I love the vibe and it's so peaceful. Literally one of my favorite places to be. I wish I could go there more often, but it's quite far😭

How do you like this story so far?