3 Years Earlier
19-Years-Old

Yoongi waited in the small bar, constantly checking his phone. He was waiting to hear from Aera to see how her date with Hye had gone. He could've waited at his dorm, but he wanted to hear about it from Aera first. Her opinion, after all, was the one that mattered to him most.

The longer it took, the more anxious Yoongi got. This was not just Aera's first date with Hye; this was her first date ever, and he was so hoping that it was going well.

It took another hour before he finally got the much awaited text.

Aera I'm home.

Yoongi Come to the bar near that cafe we like.

Aera What? Why?

Yoongi Cause that's where I am.

Aera Why are you at a bar? Go home, weirdo.

Yoongi And hear about it from Hye? No thanks. I'm waiting for you.

Aera Ah, I see. Okay, I'll come, but no getting drunk.

Yoongi Okay, promise.

Yoongi shook his head with a chuckle. He had no doubt that they'd get at least a bit tipsy. And he knew that, in the back of her mind, Aera knew that as well.

Yoongi ordered himself another whiskey, and one of Aera's favorite beers as he waited for her. It took about 15 minutes, but she eventually turned up.

She joined him at the bar and smiled at her beer. "Thanks," she said.

"Cut the niceties, and tell me about the date."

Aera laughed out loud. "Right to the point, eh?"

"I'm waiting."

"It went really well," Aera said, a light blush creeping across her cheeks. Yoongi sighed in relief.

"Elaborate, please," he insisted.

"He was a gentleman," she explained. "Held the door open for me, let me order dinner first, walked me back to my dorm."

"And?"

"Jesus, Yoongs, you're relentless!"

"I have to go home and see him tonight! I need all the reasons to not beat him up!"

Aera laughed loudly. "You have no reason to, I promise!"

"Explain, then!"

Aera shook her head. "Good lord, Yoongs. Okay, so he picked me up from my dorm, then drove us to the restaurant. We had a really good time chatting and laughing over dinner. He's quite witty! Then we stopped at a bar near the restaurant for a couple of drinks. We talked some more, just getting to know each other. Then, he drove back to campus and walked me to my dorm."

"And..."

Aera rolled her eyes. "And he kissed me."

"Huzzah!" Yoongi threw his hands over his head and cheered. "Wait," he said, suddenly having another thought. "Was it a good kiss?"

Aera laughed. "Yes, yes it was."

"Huzzah!"

"You're ridiculous, Yoongs!"

"And so are you! Someday, this situation will be reversed and you'll act like this with me. Consider this payback in advance!"

Aera again laughed loudly. "You're so dumb!"

Yoongi didn't reply, but simply gestured to the bartender to bring them another round of drinks. Aera, however, shook her head.

"I already told you that I had a couple drinks already earlier. I don't need another one now."

Yoongi side-eyed her as he took another sip of his drink. She rolled her eyes.

"You're responsible for me now, you know that, right?"

Yoongi nodded, then pushed her beer a bit closer to her. She chuckled and picked it up.

"Again, Yoongs, you're relentless."

"Yet, you love me regardless."

"Well, sure."

They then began talking about other subjects, such as how school was going and if they liked their professors. Aera was adamant that she didn't need any more drinks, yet she kept drinking the ones placed in front of her.

"Yoongs," she slurred as he slid yet another beer her way. "We need to stop."

"Why? You a lightweight or something?" he teased.

"Shut up," she replied, smacking his arm. "Look at you! You were already nearly drunk when I got here! You've been drinking too much!"

"I was waiting hours for you to contact me! What else was I supposed to do?"

Aera scoffed. "You are so dramatic!"

"C'mon, A, it's a Friday night! Have some fun!"

"I already did!"

"Oh, so Hye is good enough company, but I'm not?"

"Oh, shut up!"

Yoongi began laughing, dodging another smack from Aera. "In all seriousness, do you really wanna go?"

Aera sighed. "Maybe a couple more rounds."

"That's my girl!"

Aera rolled her eyes. "You're paying for the next one."

Yoongi grinned. "Fine." He then gestured to the bartender to bring them each another drink. "On me," he said. The bartender nodded.

And thus began not a couple, but four more rounds. Both Yoongi and Aera were quite drunk at that point, but even Aera had let her inhibitions go and was laughing loudly with Yoongi. The bartender finally cut them off, but they were too drunk and exuberant to care.

"Let me call you guys a cab," the bartender said. "There's no way you can even walk home tonight, let alone drive."

"Okay!" Aera exclaimed.

"But we should walk!" Yoongi insisted. "It's not that far!"

Aera giggled. "You sure you can walk? You're drunker than me!"

"I wanna walk!"

"How many more times can we say 'walk'?"

They both burst into laughter. The bartender sighed. "I'm calling you a cab," he said as he walked away.

Yoongi slung his arm around Aera's shoulders. "You're crazy, you know that? I love you, though!"

Aera giggled. "Both feelings are mutual, dumbass."

Yoongi laughed. "I'm really happy for you, A. I'm glad we got to celebrate!"

"Me, too! Thanks for getting me out and listening about the date!"

"Of course! I never wouldn't!"

"Double negative!"

Both began laughing loudly again. Suddenly, the bartender appeared.

"Your cab is here," he told them. "Be careful and have a good night."

"Boo!" Yoongi exclaimed. "I still wanted to walk."

"Thank you!" Aera told the bartender. "Sorry about this idiot!" The bartender offered a half smile before walking away. Aera then began pulling Yoongi toward the door. "C'mon, we gotta get going."

The ride back to the university was a loud one, with both Yoongi and Aera continuing their raucous conversations. The cab driver kept glancing back at them in the rearview mirror, but seemed amused. By the time they finally reached the dorms, however, both had begun to get sleepy.

Yoongi paid, then helped Aera out of the cab. Their rooms were in different buildings, and Yoongi insisted on walking Aera to her door. As they were walking, Aera took Yoongi's hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you so much," she mumbled.

Yoongi smiled. "I love you so much, too."

"Thank you for everything, Yoongs."

"Like what?"

"For being excited for me. For walking me to the dorm. For loving me, and taking care of me."

Yoongi paused, pulling Aera back slightly as she'd kept on walking. "What?" she asked.

"You know I'll always be here for you, right?"

"Yes."

"No, I mean it, A. It doesn't matter what happens in the future. You'll always be my best friend. And I'll always want and need you in my life."

Aera smiled. "Same here."

Yoongi then held up his free hand and presented his pinky to her. She giggled before hooking hers around his.

"You're the best," they both said at the same time.