"I don't have something specific in mind. I don't know this town anyways," Rain answered J-hope's question about where she wanted to go. 

"Ok then, left or right?" He looked at her before they exited on the highway. 

"Is there a beach close?" she asked, looking at the signs, trying to decide when the need to feel close to an open ocean jumped into her mind.

"There is a beach, but it's one and a half-hour away," he said, implying this was not an option.

"So what? This car is fast, and I bet we can be there in forty minutes tops!" She turned herself on the seat facing him. "Afraid of a little speed?"

"You are not afraid?" he narrowed his eyes and smiled with disbelief. 

"As if!" She turned back facing forward and turned the volume up on the radio. "Come on, speed up." 

"Your funeral, your majesty," he said, smiling at her ordering tone and changed the gears, making Rain plaster on her seat from the force. 

 Her hair was floating around from the wind, and she grabbed them on a ponytail, revealing her 20 mm gauges that J-hope hadn't noticed before. 

 They were passing the other cars like they were not there, and Rain was looking at the city's scenery they were leaving behind. Only half hour before sunset, the sky was painted in a mixture of purple and orange. 

As the skyscrapers were getting smaller behind them, J-hope enjoyed the fast drive, ignoring the nagging feeling his thoughts were producing.

What if... 

She acts all flirty and smiles like she's into me, but she most probably does that with everyone. 

Obviously, a player.

He took a glimpse at her, and she was looking towards the road with excitement. 

She seemed happy. Content. Well, who wouldn't be happy to get out after being kidnapped? 

Then another nagging thought jumped into his mind—RM's words.

No one touches her.

The shore appeared as they were driving parallel to the beach, and then they stopped and parked the car. They went to a kiosk to buy something to drink. 

"What do you want to drink?" J-hope took an energy drink out of the refrigerator and then noticed Rain to a refrigerator next to him, getting two beers.

"What? I'm not driving," she grinned without the slightest amount of guilt, lifting a shoulder.

"Were you locked up in a church or something before we got to you? First asking for tequila and now attacking the beers?" He murmured as he paid.

"I said that I hate tequila," She sneered back at him.

They walked through the sandy beach to sit at some rocks at the end of the shore. The sun was already down, but there was still light. 

The reds and blues of the sky had intensified, all reflecting on the sea. 

"Now what?" J-hope sighed and looked at the sky, trying to avoid looking at her. 

"Wanna play never have I ever?" Rain said as she lay back on the rock. 

"Sure, cause we fifteen," he said and rolled his eyes. "That's the most boring game."

"Only for those who have nothing to say."

 Rain smirked to provoke him and passed him the second beer. 

"You have to drink to play, though," and raised her eyebrows expecting him to refuse. 

He took it hesitantly as he murmured, "you are a pain in the ass," loudly enough to hear him. 

"I'll start. Never have I ever drove in a car race." She said, smiling and looking up like missing her past, and took a sip of her beer. 

He turned to look at her raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She raised one too. 

Fact: he just stayed like that, staring at her, trying to decipher if she had actually driven in a race, or she just figured out that he had -multiple times- and said it only to make him drink.

"Drink." A slow smirk formed on her lips, one that confirmed the latter yet didn't revoke the former.

"Your turn," she said after he took a long sip, his narrowed eyes never leaving hers.

He wanted to find something -anything- equally impressive to say. If only it were that simple.

"I can't think of something," he said, redirecting his eyes to the sea, running a hand through his messed from see-breeze hair.

Except you.

"Try something embarrassing,"  she smirked playfully.

Is she fucking actually reading my thoughts?

Suddenly, the image of her yesterday saying to him that she wasn't going to wear any underwear from now on until someone goes to buy her jumped into his mind. 

He ignored the tingling feel on his cheeks. Probably red as Jimin's hair.

Fuck, she is wearing a skirt.  

 Is she trying to torture me? 

Of course, she is.

Somehow everything Rain did always seemed so calculated, like playing a strategic chess game. But he is not the opponent. He is a pawn.

"This game is stupid," he said. "We should head back soon" He stood up, tugging his t-shirt down, trying to avoid the uncomfortable situation she was putting him into. 

Rain sighed with disappointment and looked him in the eyes.

 "Sit," she nudged next to her. 

 "The game was mostly an icebreaker, sorry if it was too boring," she lowered her eyes.  

J-hope felt that she was playing sad to manipulate him into staying, but he gave in anyway, wanting to see how she will play it now. 

"Kay, the truth? I might have tried tricking you into drinking," she said, looking at the stars that had taken the place of the previously colorful sky. "Also might have thought that if it worked, I can steal your car and drive away."

"Realized that one beer won't have me down?" He raised an eyebrow, tempted to chuckle, staring at the sky as well.

She smiled after another sip. "You know, everyone hates this game. I, however, find it liberating. A small confession for a sip. Any truth could be concealed with the assumption that the other said it on purpose to make the other drink,"

"What's your liberating confession for tonight?" 

"This is the first time I drink after a year," she longingly smiled at the stars. "I was taking medication that mustn't be mixed with alcohol. I stopped taking it when you kidnapped me, and I passed out in the shower from the withdrawal." 

Still smiling at the stars, but her eyes were shiny. 

"That's why RM agreed to let you go out?"J-hope said in a tone so low, almost whispering, looking at her completely still, wanting to know more.

She took her beer, closed her eyes, with a soft smile, and before taking a sip, she said with low but clear words,

"Never have I ever tried to kill myself."

How?

Why?

But before he could get a word out of his mouth, Rain stood and started walking away.

"Let's go," She said, the soft smile still on her cherry lips. "It's getting late."

They went back in the car,  Rain sitting back comfortably.

In a few minutes, they were back on the highway. 

Why?

He turned to ask the question only to find her half-asleep. It turned out that the drive relaxed her, after all. Also the lights of the cars at night. The lights of the buildings, the lights of the street...

"Don't be like that," She murmured with her eyes closed, feeling J-hope's stare on her.

"Like what?" 

"Don't act differently because of what I said. I talked to you because I thought you could handle it," she said while opening her eyes. "No one wants a pity party,"

"So that's why RM allowed me to go out, why he has you babysitting me 24-7. The one reason, at least. The other he promised that I would find out tonight," a smirk of anticipation drew on her face. 

"So he knows it? " J-hope glanced at her.

"Yes. When I said I need to go out, I meant it," she chuckled softly. "So I guess you guys care."

J-Hope chose not to comment on that.

They didn't say anything more for the remaining ride back.

 J-hope turned into the dark alley they previously left and led the car into the garage, which opened as everything in this whole building, with a card key.

They got off the car and walked to the elevator which he called, using the same card key to operate.

 He pressed the 3rd floor, on which Rains room was on. He closed his eyes the same time the doors closed, taking a long inhale, then an even longer exhale.

"Are you ok?" Rain asked narrowing her eyes.

"Yes..." He said in a tone that sounded exactly the opposite, opening his eyes and focusing on the elevator ceiling. 

"No. Fuck..." 

He murmured, grabbed her ponytail with his left hand, and held her jaw with the right as he pulled her towards him to kiss her soft full lips without a breath.

 His heart was beating rapidly but he wanted to do this so bad. 

He held himself the whole time, and now was his last chance, totally ignoring RM's warning.

What took him by a pleasant surprise was that he felt Rains lips forming a smile behind his and then moving. Kissing him back. 

For one second only because the elevator's doors opened to the third floor.

She turned and exited the elevator to walk towards her room. "You are coming or what?" She turned and said as he stood there frozen.

 He got out and followed her to her room which she waited outside for him to unlock the door.

A green post-it was plastered on the huge tv screen.

" I'll be late, sorry.

 I still have a lot to do. Please wait up. 

RM" 

J-hope didn't ask what it was. 

He probably knew already. He was answering some texts on his phone. 

Then, like that, he walked to the door.

 "I have something to do," he said and left. 

The minute he locked the door behind him, he called someone on the phone, but the muffled words were clear enough for Rain to hear.

"We have to talk. It's worse than I thought." 

She's off-limits, for that matter.

No one touches her.