Jackpot

Min Jun clenched the steering wheel and tried to block out the racket coming from Luke and Hong Gi. Listening to hose two argue was like listening to a phone call with a bad connection. The twins only shared partial sentences with the rest of the world, but he had no doubt they understood each other perfectly. Jessie's name came up several times, as did sarang and idiot. He wondered if they were saying he was an idiot for loving Jessie or Luke was an idiot for trying to stand in the way of his love for Jessie. Considering Hong Gi used the word idiot the most, along with dumbass and fate, Luke was the idiot and not him.

MJ didn't need to hear more. In the rearview mirror, Luke's brows were furrowed. Stubborn as always. In the passenger seat, Hong Gi remained stoic, like he was most of the time unless he was gaming or on stage.

Headlights from oncoming traffic had him blinking to clear his vision as he went over what happened between him and Jessie. He knew he had been pressing her pretty hard. The decision to give her the lead had been a conscious decision. His way wasn't working, so a change of tactics was in order. And it had been working too until Jessie had gotten into a dark place in her head. The woman was so easy to read. He knew the moment he had lost her. What he didn't know was why.

Instinct told him whatever the reason, he could help her overcome it. Most importantly, it didn't matter. He still wanted her. He had told her the truth. One of the hardest things he had ever done was to stand still while she explored his body with soft hands and even more delicate lips. When she sucked on his earlobe, he had almost taken over and wrapped her legs around him right there. But his real undoing was her tongue licking a trail down his chest. Even now, his underwear was damp from all the precum she had finessed out of him without ever touching him there.

He wanted more.

As MJ saw it, the only way to have more was to break through the walls that separated her from him. The first step to that was learning what made up those walls.

Knowledge was power. It would help him gain her trust and, hopefully, her love. He wanted her love.

Min Jun pulled into his parking spot and put the car into park. The twins piled out and were halfway to the door before they appeared to realize MJ was still in the car. They turned back as Min Jun started the car and backed out of the parking spot. As much as he cared about Luke and Hong Gi, he needed some space.

No, he needed Jessie. He would settle for space. At least for now.

He drove around with no plan until he pulled into The Buzzed Bee parking lot. He knew better than to approach her tonight. She needed space too, but he needed to see her. He parked in the far back corner of the lot and waited for her to come out after the bar closed.

Jessie walked out with Max. The two women looked tired; their postures slumped. Jessie rolled her shoulders and tipped her head from side to side.

Min Jun wished she were coming to him. He would work those kinks out and make sure she slept safe and secure by his side. He knew that was a dream for now, but he had a plan.

He waited for Jessie to get into her car before sending her a text.

MJ: How was your night?

Her headlights came on. Min Jun was afraid he would have to wait until she got home to respond. Or she wouldn't respond at all. If that happened, he would kill Luke or at least make him wish he were dead.

Jessie: Busy. Glad to be done.

MJ: I bet ur tired.

Jessie: Yeah.

MJ: Going home?

Jessie: Yes.

MJ: Can I call for two minutes first?

Jessie: How do you know I'm not home?

MJ searched for a good story. If she knew he was here, she wouldn't even listen.

MJ: Jackson.

Jessie: Ah.

MJ: So can I call?

Jessie: Two minutes.

Jessie picked up on the first ring.

"About tonight," Min Jun started.

"I don't want to talk about it?"

"You don't have to. I just had an idea about how we can take a step back and ease into it. You know how I committed to picking up my orders every day?"

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do, but that is beside the point. What I am proposing is every day we share a truth. It can be anything. Favorite color, what was for lunch, feelings, memories, whatever we feel comfortable sharing."

"You mean face to face?"

"Face to face, text, phone call, whatever works for you."

"I don't have time for games."

"It's not a game, Jessie, and it doesn't have to be time consuming. How long does it take to say I like chocolate ice cream?"

"Two weeks. I'll try it for two weeks if you get Luke to apologize."

"Done."

The line went dead. Min Jun smiled at the dial tone as if it signaled a jackpot win.