(Bella) 

I got up early on Sunday to have breakfast with my parents before they drove home. Of course, my mother had a million questions about Jin. I answered as noncommittally as I could. I didn't want them to get the impression that he was my boyfriend, which I imagined they already had. Even my father was talking about Jin as if he were a celebrity. Before they left, they made me promise to invite Jin over for the holidays. I nodded and waved and made no comment.

The rest of the day, Cindy kept pestering me to tell her what happened with Jin. She knew that Jimin had hobbled on crutches into our apartment Saturday night. Tae was actually at our apartment when Jimin came over and helped him back home a little later. I did not want to say anything about what happened with Jin only that he had asked if he could paint me.

"Only if it's in the nude," Cindy said. "Or maybe if he is nude. That man looks incredible with his clothes on, but I'm sure he looks better without them."

"Stop with that," I replied. "I don't think he really feels that way about me. I mean, it was a mistake."

"What was?" she asked immediately, her eyes round.

I looked up at the ceiling. "Ah, it's no big deal. It's embarrassing, really." I got up. "I should really go study."

Cindy's arm snaked out and pulled me back onto the chair. "Oh, no, young lady. You are not excused from this table until you tell me just what mistake you are talking about." She rested her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. "Spill."

"Before I knew about the painting thing, I thought, well, I thought that what he wanted to do was, uh..."

"What?" Cindy asked breathlessly. "The horizontal mambo?"

I grimaced. "No, you maniac! I thought he wanted to kiss me."

"Where?" she asked, her light brown eyes shining with indecent thoughts.

"Eww! You need help," I admonished her. "You are worrying me."

She let out a screeching laugh. "I told you. It's that drop of Latin blood again, but those lips of his make me think, oh, such impure and delicious thoughts! Can you imagine those luscious lips on your body?" She leaned toward me and grabbed my arm. "Oh, my God, you sly one! You're blushing! Did he kiss you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Oh," she said and let me go.

"I sort of kissed him."

I was sure that all our neighbors heard her scream. "Oh, my freaking God, Bella! You? Ahhh! Please tell me you kissed him somewhere interesting!"

"I swear, Cindy, you are in desperate need of psychiatric and religious help." I was not ready to tell her everything, so I just said, "It was just a quick peck. On the lips. I think I shocked him. I told you it was embarrassing."

"Embarrassing or not," she began, "guys are always ready to go beyond kissing if you ask them. I'm sure Seokjin is no exception. I think you've danced around the issue long enough. There's no reason to wait." She gave me a wide grin.

"I don't know if he'll call or anything."

"Oh, he will," she said confidently. "If you offer it up, he'll take it. Believe me. With some guys, you don't even have to ask. I think you could blink at Jimin, and he'd be all over you. Did anything happen with him?"

"Of course not! We're not together," I said indignantly.

"Well, he's a jerk, but a very sexy jerk. Be careful," she said. "If you want to play in Seokjin's sheets, you'll need to stay away from Jimin and his...," she bit her lip and did some body rolls, "ahh, ahh, ahh."

"That's it! I'm leaving, you psycho!" I exclaimed and rushed to my room.

I sat at my small desk by the window to study when I spotted the silver bracelet on the corner of the desk. I still wondered if it belonged to some other girl who had visited his apartment. Hm! I was sure lots of girls had been there. I picked up the bracelet and examined the inscription again. La mia bella Bella. Was that some Italian girlfriend of his? He had spouted some Italian nonsense the first time I met him, probably learned it from some Italian exchange student. Probably voluptuous. With huge breasts. I frowned with jealousy.  I knew that I had not left this bracelet in his apartment. It was exquisite and looked expensive. I owned nothing as fine as this.

But I did not just want to 'play in his sheets,' the way Cindy had put it. Was that what he expected? The bracelet looked costly, but was it supposed to influence me in some way? I recalled when we joked about buying me dinner. Was this bracelet upping the ante?  Was he indicating that he wanted to sleep with me? He hadn't said he loved or even liked me. What if after all this time, he only wanted to have sex? I frowned and placed it back down. Men!