Hobi and I spent a little less alone time together after that night. I could never be sure if it was because of his guilt over what happened or that moment when, at least on my side, there was something more.

He seemed to be focusing on Gabby, joining her family for a short vacation and spending every dime he made working at the movie theater by smothering her with gifts and dates. It was during the week he was away that Jimin and I grew closer in our relationship.

We sat underneath my window while he shared the deepest parts of himself. Jimin told me about the difficulty of his parent's separation and the anger he felt toward his father for moving into another relationship so quickly. It was hard to identify with his experience, but when I saw the pained look in his eyes I knew that the best support I could offer was my attention.

I didn't see myself as having much to share or contribute, grateful that there hadn't been any significantly difficult moments of my life so far and sad that he had.

"It all kind of changed my view of relationships. Growing up, a relationship like my parent's was everything I dreamed of. I thought they were soulmates, that they'd be together forever." He confessed, letting out a shaky laugh. "Sorry that probably sounds really dumb." He looked down with his apology.

I squeezed his hand. "It's not. Do you think it's real? Soulmates, I mean."

He laughed. "I don't really know. How does anyone ever know something like that for sure?" He asked.

I shrugged. "You're right. Sometimes I wish there was some sort of proof or map that could just point me in the right direction." I sighed, giving a subtle hint toward the thing I'd been trying to find for half of my life.

"That would take all of the fun out of it," he smirked, kissing my cheek, "but for the record, I've never felt the same about anyone as I have for you. It was actually a little weird."

"Weird?" I wondered.

His brow pulled together in thought. "Yeah, like I felt something for you when you first opened your door the day I moved in, more than any other girl I've liked and even more than with the girl I dated for an entire year." He seemed almost confused by the feeling.

"Is that a bad thing?" I questioned further, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"It's just hard to understand or know what it means." He described, looking over for my reaction and clarifying. "But it's not a bad feeling."

He'd started setting an alarm on his phone to stop us before we lost track of time after several occasions where it seemed like we blinked and the sun would start rising. I groaned at the sound, wrapping my arm around his in an attempt to keep him from leaving.

"Don't do that, you've already yawned three times in the last twenty minutes so I know you're sleepy." He chuckled, kissing the top of my head.

"Sleep with me." I whined, my voice slow and tired.

The way he smiled at me wasn't helping, making me want to fight against sleep forever to look at him. "Your mom would literally kill me."

"Please, I'll sneak you out before she wakes up." I tried my best to pull him in with a pleading look in my eyes. I kissed him to seal the deal, both of us standing and moving as quietly as possible to climb through my window. I had to shush him as he accidentally stepped on one of the plushies that sat on my floor, holding his hands over his mouth as he laughed at the squeaky sound it made.

I peeked out of my door to make sure the house was still completely quiet and dark, able to hear the rumble of my dad's snoring in the hallway. When I turned back around Jimin was kicking off his shoes at the end of my bed.

He turned around for me to change into the t-shirt I slept in, having to cover his mouth again to stifle the sheepish laugh he let out when I caught him looking over his shoulder at me from the mirror. We laid next to each other in my small bed, making out like the teenagers we were. I recorded to my memory the glow of his face from the tiny piece of light that cast through my window and that his lips were even softer than the feel of my favorite worn in lounge pants.

"If soulmates are real, I think it would feel exactly like this." He whispered, holding me so close that there wasn't a centimeter of space between us. The feelings I had for him were inflamed and taking over everything in me, solidifying a bond I didn't think would ever end.

I woke Jimin early, before the sun could rise, and rushed him out of my open window, giggling as he turned back to kiss me from the other side. We developed a system from then on, the bulk of our summer nights spent in each other's arms.

The start of our senior year felt like this sort of picturesque scene you'd see in young adult films. Decorations covered the line of lockers on our class's hallway, the school's most well known athletes celebrating the start of the year by running through the crowd of people, slinging water bottles and spraying silly string.

Jimin held onto my hand and Hobi walked on the other side of me with his in Gabby's. In some ways, things changed over the summer, Hobi's relationship with Gabby and mine with Jimin growing stronger. Hobi and I still maintained our friendship through horror movie nights and the long talks we vowed to have three times per week in one of our bedrooms or over coffee.

Sometimes I thought Hobi and Jimin had an even stronger connection than I had with either of them, based in the thing they loved most, dance.

It started with them dancing together on the sidewalk outside of our houses, transforming into elaborate routines they made up. Eventually some of the parents in our neighborhood noticed, leading to them starting some dance lessons with kids that lived nearby.

Of course, it wasn't all fun, as we drew up our college interest lists and prepped for sending out applications. The entire process made us so nervous that when Hobi put his first application in the mail, he vomited on the grass next to his mailbox.

Again, it wasn't all fun, but the hard parts were so little compared to the rest, that everything was damn near perfect.

Even my mom couldn't help but warm up to Jimin. He started coming over to watch basketball with my dad during the last season and by the time it was over, he'd charmed her to the point that she started to call him ChimChim.

Time flew with so much going on, every good moment breezing by and making it feel like a time in my life that I would remember as wonderful, but that would ultimately seem like a blur.

There was a small part of me that worried, remembering Jimin's confession that his parent's separation changed his view of relationships. Seeing the anger in his eyes when was forced to spend the holiday break with his father and the look of resentment on his face upon his return didn't help. Something about him was hardened, and he held up the emotional wall until New Year's Eve, when it finally crumbled.

With my parents out at a celebration of the year at a neighbor's house, Jimin, Hobi, Gabby, and I gathered in my living room, watching performances that would lead into the countdown and munching on pizza.

It may have been corny, but I always imagined what it would be like to kiss someone as we rang in the New Year, disappointed when Jimin barely pecked the corner of my lips, turning his attention back to the plate of food in his lap quickly.

I tried to hide my disappointment, but there was one person who knew me better than anyone, Hobi, joining me in the kitchen while I cleaned up.

"What's going on?" He asked, leaning against the counter while I washed dishes.

I shrugged, knowing I couldn't hide from him. "I think he's going through some family stuff, but he won't talk about it."

He released a heavy sigh. "Even if he is, he shouldn't take it out on you." He covered my soapy hand with his. I closed my eyes, frustrated with the feeling that showed up right in the middle of my chest, the little spark that wanted to turn into a flame.

The click of Gabby's heels interrupted our conversation as she sauntered into the kitchen, wrapping her hands around Hobi's waist as I jerked my hand back into the water. "Can you take me back to my house?" She asked, sure he would and not waiting for an answer before she turned to me. "Thanks for having us, Seline."

The house was almost completely silent once they were gone, the only sound coming from the clinking of the last few dishes I finished while trying to think about what to say to Jimin once I did.

I rejoined him on the couch, catching his attention by waving a hand between his eyes and his phone. He blinked a couple of times, the little bags under his eyes another hint that he was struggling with something.

"Can we talk about what's going on with you?" I was nervous to ask him about it, wanting to avoid making him feel pressured to disclose but knowing I needed to since it was affecting our relationship.

He let out a breath, the words spilling out of him like they'd finally boiled over. "I've just been thinking about my parent's split. Things seemed perfect to me so I never saw it coming. He got with this other woman like two seconds after he left us, now they're supposed to be having a baby." I put my hand in his and he shook his head, slowing down. "It all makes me wonder if even being in a relationship is worth it."

"I'm sorry—" I started to speak but he cut me off.

"I don't want you to be sorry for me." His tone was harsh.

My instinct was to snap back at him, but I knew it wouldn't help and I didn't want to argue when he was hurting. "That's not what I was saying, just let me finish. I'm sorry that you were going through all of that alone." I turned, cuing him to face me so that I could hug him. He always gave the best, most comforting hugs, but now it was my turn. His trembled breath and the sniffle by my ear indicated that he was crying so I held him there, making room for the pain that left his body and filled the room.

My heart raced with the heaviness of it all. That, and the worth of our bond.