[Recap: Jennie invited Jungkook and his friends to her birthday party. So here is the tea.]

Jungkook's  POV, 

I hated it when people make plans only to forget it later.

  "It was your idea to say yes to him when he said 'Birds of a feather should flock together'." Jimin aggressively flicked a pebble into the road as we made our way toward the nearby bus stop. I could clearly feel the annoyance that was hidden in his voice 50% for the person named Hoseok and the rest was for me. 

Hoseok had a bad habit of changing his mind at the last moment, still I agreed to go together to Jennie's house in his car because it was hell a lot far from our homestay. The time read 12.05 and that dumbass wasn't picking up his phone that had made Jimin mad.

  "He was the one insisting we should go together, not me." It was easy to blame others, but admitting someone's own mistake was like swallowing his own pride. "In fact if Jennie wasn't pushing it yesterday, I might have cancelled it."

  "Yeah I heard it from Tae how you were being pushed by a girl almost half your size." Jimin jested looking at Taehyung and back at me, making me scrunch my nose. "Bro, why give someone the wrong impression when you aren't even interested in them?"

  "I wasn't flirting," I tried to shrug off the topic. "I was just trying to be friendly."

  "You being friendly means trouble. You should not do something out of your character. If you're rude, act as one." 

What a great friend I had!

 "Thanks for reminding me. Now will you just shut up and call him again?" 

  "I'm tired of this shit." Jimin sounded defeated, leaning on the street lamppost like the leaning tower of Pisa; one hand inside his black slack's pocket, the other holding his phone.  "My poor stomach is weeping for those delicious snacks Jennie has on her table. Aish!" An open mouth sigh couldn't muffle that weep straight out of his empty stomach. Maybe Taehyung heard it too and made an offer of his cookies but Jimin rejected saying, "Who the hell eats cookies right before a party?"

  I hated the way Taehyung's smile dropped along with his hand that was holding the packet. "Bitch, please. He was just being nice." 

  "Woah! So I'm the bad guy here!" Jimin snarled at me. 

What's with this guy's attitude?

  "Stop being melodramatic." 

  "Sure. Who cares about old friends when you got a brand new one?" That was Jimin's jealousy talking.

  "Guys." Taehyung quickly grabbed the space between me and Jimin, holding each hand up at us like a pro wrestling referee, "Don't be like this? Please." 

  "At least someone has some sense of how to talk with friends." Jimin crossed his hand, eyes over the road. 

The mockery was for me but I wasn't in a mood to add gasoline to his temper as I saw Taehyung holding his soft eyes at me, calming my breathing. How beautiful he was looking in that off-white floral shirt, complimenting his blue hair which was covering most of his forehead, the cherry balm on his full lips enhanced the colour to his golden honey toned skin. 

I should not be looking at someone like that—my consciousness kicked my ass and I turned my eyes to the road. Still there was no sign of buses. 

  "Alright. I'm calling for a cab." I reached for my shorts pocket and pulled out my phone but Jimin's change of voice made my fingers halt over the screen. 

  "Look, it's Hobi! Ohh thank the lord of the rings!" Jimin held his arms outstretched to heaven looking at the four rings of the silver Audi stopped before us, but his excitement dried when he spotted the other men. 

  "Hey guys! See who I found on the way." Hoseok announced as he burst excitedly through the car's back door, wearing a nice pair of shorts, Changethin blue shirt and Rayban shades. 

  "Change of plan, when?" Jimin asked him as we resorted near the car. I glanced at Seokjin when he lowered the glass upto his nose level, and the man behind the wheels, Namjoon. We exchanged a simple Hi. 

  "It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way. Just grab the seat for now, huh." Hoseok got in first, making space for us and looked at Jimin with an inviting look. 

  "Not before you tell me why you ignored my calls all day." Jimin crossed his arms like a sulking wife, frowning at him. 

  "Jiminie you can beat the shit out of him later but don't let those tiny dust sit over my leathers before you do." Seokjin glared, lowering his sunglasses upto the tip of his nose, making Jimin an eye roll and sat beside hoseok.  Then the taller guy looked at me and said, "Darlo, should I have to send you the invitation veiled in a bouquet? What are you waiting for?"

  "Your backseat doesn't have enough space to fit four of us." After Hoseok and Jimin, there was only one seat left for a person to fit in. 

  "Don't shit about my car. Just get your fuckin ass in before the busses come." Kim Seokjin had always been possessive about his things and his cars but what he was implying was impossible. 

  "Sorry but we aren't preschoolers to fit inside the congested carpool."

  "Hey," Hoseok beamed when he came up with something, "If Jimin sits on my lap, it'll be done, right?" 

  "Are you kidding me?" Jimin frowned in distaste. 

  "Not in this situation." Hoseok was serious. 

Glancing my side I saw Taehyung's brown eyes drifting between me and everyone. He had a faint smile on his face. I guessed he hadn't got the gravity of this situation. 

I was planning to urge him into the car and make an excuse that I couldn't go but Seokjin's shout startling me made my gaze shift towards the road.

  "Oh shit, there's a bus coming right behind our back. Namjoon, move the car or it'll catch scratches." Seokjin screamed at the bus which was a couple of metres away but honked violently to move the vehicle from the bus stop. One of the two older passengers waiting for the bus yelled at us. 

  "Yeah," Namjoon lowered his neck to meet my eyes and said, "Get in, bro. I'mma have to accelerate right now."

This day was getting worse than I expected. 

Grabbing Taehyung's forearm, I sat at the end of the seat, pulling him with a light force to sit over my lap. A surprised gasp was heard before the car door closed beside us and wheels started running. 

  "It's fun right?" Seokjin asked as the car pulled into the highway. 

  "Fun for you. Not for me. I wasn't used to carrying grownups over my lap." 

Namjoon giggled, shaking his head, he changed gears and let the car fly on the streets. 

  "You're overreacting. Taehyung seems lightweight, and you're pretty muscular." Seokjin smirked, eyeing us through the rear view mirror. 

Seokjin had the skill of being obstinate. Sometimes I saw myself in him. An exact mirror version. He might talk a bit harshly, but he was softer inside. Never did he look at anyone with great interest other than people he liked. His voice was sweet but words were like burning charcoal. This was the thing I liked about him. Also this was the thing that ceased us from getting along. 

Five minutes passed with random talks. 

The radio playing 34+35 was kinda a distraction, 

.•♫•♬•'Baby, you might need a seatbelt when I ride it…….I'ma leave it open like a door, come inside it…...you can hit it like a side chick… …..' •♫•♬•.

No. Please stop.

I asked Seokjin to change the station but you know, democracy rules. 

I couldn't get over how awkward it felt. 

The car was fine, but it was over 80 kmph now and Taehyung kept slipping off my thighs.  He was trying to keep his entire body weight on his feet so he could maintain some distance from my body but that wasn't helping much. 

I clutched his waists to prevent him from slipping when the car took a drastic U-turn and made him lie back until his back pressing my abs,  realising instantly it was a bad idea as a low groan escaped through my mouth when his thick buttocks pressed dangerously over my clothed crotch. 

  "Sorry," he said as he sat straight holding the header of the front seat, being conscious of himself when I removed my hands off him. 

The scenery outside suddenly seemed pretty interesting, however it was hard to not let the mind travel to the place where our bodies were attached.

  "Tae, babe, are you comfortable?" Jimin asked.

How could someone stay comfortable when the tsunami was roaring against the door! Unless he was made of limestone. 

  "Uhm. Yes." How awkward his smile was but those brainless idiots couldn't get that hint. 

  "Oh that's good." Hoseok simpered. "We'll be there in thirty minutes." 

Thirty more minutes. Thirty minutes more.

  "Hobi," Jimin wasn't letting it go easily, "Care to  explain why the hell did you change the plan without telling us? It was supposed to be four of us in your car."

  "It was." He said, "But trust me, my car got some abnormal steering problem and mom told me to take it to the repair shop if I didn't want to go to the hospital. That's why I had to ask Namjin to help us as we were going to the same place."

  "Namjin?" Namjoon caught the word, "It's like some kind of a kpop ship name."

  Snorted Seokjin, "Stupid kpoppies and those stupid ships to make their fans engage. But Namjin sounds cute."

  "My creativity is legendary. Isn't it?" Hoseok chuckled. 

  "No doubt." 

The easy conversation with the boys made Taehyung loosen his stiffened body a bit. He was smiling freely like before although being conscious of us and the situation. I didn't want to admit to myself that the way his thick curves fit over my knob so well pulled some latent strings of my body's guitar which I didn't know existed. 

Fuck my single life.

.•♫•♬• '. I know all your favourite spots… .. …we can take it from the top…You such a dream come true…..make a bitch wanna hit snooze...'.•♬•♫•.

Who the hell came up with those lyrics? 

I tried to calm my nerves thinking about my crush but my body betrayed my mind and my heart kept on pounding. 

Suddenly there was another violent turn and my hands, out of instinct, grappled the soft flesh of his belly to keep him in place. He tried moving his back off my chest but this time I didn't let go. 

  "Don't move." My voice was low, like a command and I saw the thin blue hair over his neck rose with that. 

What could I say, there was a definite electricity playing in the tiny space that was left between us. 

I wondered what was going on in his mind. There were no personal spaces and maybe he was uncomfortable with that. The way his long fingers were digging the headboard of the front seat, the sharp intakes of breath, those slightly bigger ears that were becoming a darker shade of pink—maybe his cheeks too. He was a soft spoken guy that's why he wasn't complaining, but I knew he had so much to endure. 

  "Fuck. Slow down the car, we aren't in hotwheels." I yelled at Namjoon. 

  "We'll reach the last if we do that." He replied without turning. 

  "Is there a race going on?"

  "I get it." Hoseok smiled a tight lipped smile at me in response to my frown, "He must be enjoying this joyride."

  "Enjoying? In this position?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

  "Position, huh?" That evil smirk on his thin lips, "I know you aren't as innocent as you look." 

  "Shut up, you bitch!" I wanted to butt kick this guy so badly.

  "Oh just relax, Jungkook. Taehyung is a boy and you aren't gay." Jimin laughed and gave Hoseok a shove making him giggle. 

I could feel the change of my breathing. Could assume my face had morphed into something violent which made them laugh all over again.

Teasing a friend was fun but being the victim of this torment was hell of a punishment. 

I looked outside the car as I chose to stay silent for the time being. 

Like Jennie had told us before there were only a few people invited. Some of the students from her arts class, some old high school friends and the six of us. The pool she had mentioned was just beside the huge lawn almost the size of a tennis court.  There were some temporary sitting arrangements for the guests beside the pool, a table full of food items, and an island-like bar at the side of the lawn just where the swimming pool ended. Although there weren't any colourful balloons or big layer cakes that would make it look like a typical birthday party, everything looked well organised and classy. 

Jennie spotted us across the lawn, welcomed us with the biggest smile on her face. In a white cropped top and mini skirt exposing her thighs, she looked more like those models when she approached us. 

  "Thanks for coming baby," She took my hand, smiling, "I was waiting for you."

  "Oh really? Wow!" I slipped my hand back off her, glancing at the surroundings I said, "Your place is damn pretty."

  "More than me, hun?" She slowly curled a strand of her hair in her ear, without breaking eye contact. 

  "Of course not." I let out a toothy smile. Damn, if this was not the situation I tried to avoid all my life! 

Jimin was right, I suddenly remembered, I should never go out of my character. 

Hoseok cleared his throat to let her know of his presence and gave her the birthday gift we'd prepared for her: a Daegeum(flute) with a traditional bamboo case as she'd expressed her love for traditional music to us. 

Meanwhile Lalisa, her bestie, joined us wearing an oversized white tee, jean shorts and Jennie welcomed her with open arms. 

  "This is for me?" Jennie asked when lalisa gave her a big slim rectangular object covered in a brown sheet, 

  "Absolutely." 

  "I want to see it now. Can I? " Jennie asked her, making her shyly bite her lips. 

  "You could see it later, it's just a painting." 

 "Your artworks are my favourite." Jennie beamed at her, making her blush. 

If this wasn't romantic. 

We sat down on the benches by the pool.

  "Are you a thing?" Namjoon asked me when Jennie went to get drinks for us. "It sounded like a boyfriend girlfriend conversation."

  "Ab-solutely not." My tone held surety that made him end the discussion then and there.

Abruptly my eyes caught Lalisa passing a shy look to Taehyung who nodded with a smile. It was my instinct that told me Taehyung was more close to her than us. Since when did they get along so well? He was with me almost all the time—My depth of thoughts always defeated me in the crowd. 

  "Have we seen them before?" Jimin's voice swiped my attention at some kids around 16-17, splashing water, being louder than others, enjoying their youth at best. Each of them holding a can of chilled bear, sipping without making faces which was unusual to see. 

  "They aren't in our school, right?" Hoseok raised his shades to his head to have a better look. 

  "How can that be? They're minors." Seokjin answered. 

  "That's right." Jennie said as she came back with a waiter who served us piña colada with vodka, AKA Chi Chi as the welcome drink. "The boy in yellow shorts is my brother, and the others are his friends. He doesn't need any occasion to call them over or need anyone's permission to drink as he is spoiled enough. My mom and dad are on vacation right now. So you can guess..."

I simply couldn't get the obsession of breaking laws of these rich kids and their encouraging parents. The laws and the regulations were only for the poor. 

  Jennie asked for an excuse and made a beeline to attend her other guests. Lalisa followed her and joined a group of girls in bikinis who seemed like their high school friends. Six hot guys were undeniably irresistible but the way these girls were eying us since the moment we'd come here was impertinent in my opinion. 

  "Hey, let's have a toast." Hoseok raised his glass, and we mirrored the gesture, "To friends old and new, may our friendship always be true."

  "To the people who love us and to the people we adore." I added. 

With the gentle sound of clinking glasses, bursting of 'Cheers' made our mood livelier. 

I took the first sip, twirling the chilled tangy liquor inside my mouth and gulped slowly, and the first thought that came to mind was— I could have made it better. 

Only Taehyung refused to take a sip of the drink after asking about its ingredients. 

  "What's it bro?" Hoseok asked him, "Never had drank before?" 

  "I should not have alcohol as it contains ethanol. Indigestible for me." Taehyung bit the side of his lip, looking a bit sad and put the drink aside. 

  "Isn't alcohol made of alcohol?" Hoseok laughed at Taehyung which made my blood rush. "Don't worry. One sip won't make you drunk. In fact, one time is for experience."

  "Don't you understand Korean?" My voice was colder than the ice floating in my glass, "He said NO alcohol."

  Hoseok's expression changed from smile to sombre in a second, "Yeah got it. But he could at least have those coconuts over there wearing an umbrella right?" 

  Taehyung followed his gaze, "Yes I know, but never had this fruit before." 

  "Ok let me get you one." I went to the side of the bar counter where pineapple and other topical fruits were decorated, grabbed one green coconut in my hand, careful to not make contact with my white shirt as I'd heard it left unremovable stains on clothes. 

Taking the first sip, Taehyung nodded looking at me as he was pleased. I grabbed the seat beside him and continued watching him enjoying the fruit. The way his pink lips scrunched into a tiny pout around the umbrella straw when suckking the liquid, eyes became soft like the soft flesh of the coconut—he looked so cute that I didn't mind being that whipped guy staring at his friend without blinking in front of a group full of dramatic people.

The sun shone so bright today that my brown shades became semi transparent when I looked up at the sun. I was a sunshine person. Everything that burned my skin made me feel good. Now my urge to remove my shirt was getting wilder with the moment. 

  "Guys," Jimin wiped the little beads of sweat off his forehead and said, "Aren't we supposed to be in the pool? That's what pool parties are?"

  "Oh Jiminie you've just said my mind. Ever since we came here I've been dying to dive into the water" Hoseok took a long swig, emptying the remaining of his drink and stood up facing us, "Let's play a game there."

  "Uhmm pool volly?" Seokjin suggested.  

  "Why not? It'll be fun." Namjoon always agreed with him. 

  "Shall we divide our teams three and three?"  Said Jimin, "Singing team vs dancing team?"

  "I'm not in either team." Taehyung talked in a tiny voice. 

  I took the last sip, not looking at my glass but Taehyung. "You'll be with me. I mean us. As Jennie won't probably be playing."

  Taehyung seemed a little excited with my offer, "Oh-ok."

While removing my shirt, I could feel Taehyung's glance over my body. He was like a kid who didn't even try to hide his curiosity. I flexed my biceps while removing my jean shorts, slowly taking my time. Now only left with the swimming shorts I had underneath. Didn't give a fuck about those girls' horny gazes but Taehyung had his full attention on my body and that triggered the MAN inside me. 

The cold felt so good against my skin when I dived into the pool. The water sleck against my body. I did a backflip reaching the centre and looked behind directly at him, and saw that mesmerised expression on his face which I admit I was expecting to see. He barely blinked, lips parted slightly. Jimin gave him a shove, making him tear his gaze and sigh. 

He opened his shirt but refused to remove the white t-shirt underneath. Slowly, step by step he sank into the water and walked to us. I could guess he didn't know how to swim but the way he was splashing the water around, giggling, felt like he was really enjoying it. 

The match had a tie in the first two rounds. But the third round didn't go too well as Namjoon accidentally hit the ball on Seokjin's head and they both got engaged in a fight after that. 

  "They aren't stopping anytime soon." Hoseok said when the argument turned into spilling curses and private attacks. 

  "We were so close to winning." Jimin tsk-tsked eyeing the quarrelling step brothers, "What's with these two? It's embarrassing. Somebody stop them."

  "Why should we?" I returned the exact word Seokjin threw at me, "It's fun right?"

   Hoseok chuckled, "Let's go. Refill our glasses."

  "Yep."

We returned back to our previous seat where we put our clothes, phones and wallets. A new round of drinks with barbecues were served. Taehyung took a bowl of fish salad, steak with mixed fruit juice on the side. I tried Japchae with other meat items. I wasn't drunk so I chose to have a big mug of Pacific ale. However I didn't really like the taste, it paired nicely with the cut of barbequed meat. 

Jimin and Hoseok were talking the most. I and Taehyung were on the listening side though we weren't fully listening. I caught him stealing glances at me several times and looking away as if nothing happened. I found it absolutely funny the way he was trying so hard to look at my face and not on my bare chest everytime I spoke something. 

For a moment I was worried when I remembered the last time I saw him in wet clothes, he got a fever the next morning. 

  "Yah, take this."  I wrapped a towel around his shoulders, making him surprised, "You catch colds easily." 

  "Thank you." He said with that beautiful shy smile of his.

  "No problem." 

  "Woah woah! I'm also in wet clothes, but it seems like nobody cares." Jimin said with a mischievous smirk. 

  "You have someone to take care of." I sat crossing my legs. 

  "Who?" 

I didn't have to answer Jimin as the person straight up came to him holding a dry towel in his hand 

  "Here," Hoseok wrapped it on Jimin like a cocoon, and asked, "Jiminie, I want to go to the shower dance after this. Wanna be my partner?"

  "Sure." Jimin said. "Jungkook, let us all go together." 

  "I don't want to. Dancing is not my thing, you know." 

  "I knew it." Jimin sighed and turned at Taehyung,  "Babe, wanna go and shake the booty?" 

  Taehyung looked like he was about to say something, but gulped the words and said,  "Should I?" 

  "Of course. It'll be fun." Jimin dropped his spoon on his empty plate, and got up to go to the artificial rain dance that was going on at the other side of the pool. 

Taehyung looked at me. I blinked softly to agree. He was going to follow Jimin but as soon as he got on his feet, his legs trembled and he  grabbed my shoulder and leaned in to support his body weight. 

  "Hey," I caught his forearm, held him firmly on his feet, "What's wrong?"

  "Don't know. I'm feeling a bit of nausea. Like.." He coughed a little and looked at me.  The side of his cheeks were slightly red because of the heat and then I noticed goosebumps over his arm. 

  "Like?"

  "Vomiting."

  "Oh shit! Does this fruit juice have alcohol in it?" I screamed at a writer serving the other table. He nodded and said yes. 

  "Shit man! Why did you have to waste everything with hard drinks?" Jimin yelled at the waiter, came and held the other hand of Taehyung. 

Taehyung coughed before pressing his palm over his mouth. Looking at his face I assumed he was going to throw up soon. 

  "It's not their fault, Jiminie. You stay here, let me take care of this thing." Thankfully, I wasn't drunk by then and this kind of thing wasn't new to me so I knew what to do. "Jennie, where's the restroom?" I asked the birthday girl when she came to check on him. 
  

  "Oh Let me," Jennie offered to take him inside her house, which I thought wouldn't help much in this situation. 

  "You stay here. It's your party."

  "But-"

  "Don't worry. He'll be alright." 

  "I can't hold it anymore." Taehyung struggled to let words out, not the food he chewed a moment ago. 

  "Hold it in. You're not a child." I said bringing my arm around his waist and led him inside. 

  "Take him to my bedroom. Top right corner."

  "Fine." I had almost reached the door. 

The white chandelier hanging from the ceiling, paintings that had covered the walls, furniture with shining metal were left behind when we rushed to find the top right corner of this house. Cold linoleum under the feet, colder ceramic commode was where the job was done. 

I slowly ran my hand over his back until he raised from the floor. Mouthwash swirled in his mouth when the storm inside his stomach finally calmed. 

  "You alright?" I asked in a small, concerned voice.

He nodded looking through the mirror of the basin. His hair was like a banyan tree with messy spiral prop roots stuck in his forehead. His cheeks were on fire. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, inhaling deeply and exhaling heavily.

I made him sip water coming out of that bathroom. Asked him to sit on the couch, he refused saying,  "My clothes are wet. It can make the cushions dirty." 

He wasn't fully wested which was a relief. 

  "I'm gonna bring your clothes. Just stay here, ok?"

  He nodded tautly, "Ok."

I walked fast out of the hall, came back running with both of our clothes and found him the same as I left him. 

  "Get dressed quickly." 

  He caught the pieces of clothes thrown at him but shyly looked downward before speaking, "Uhm. Can you please turn around?"

I sighed but did what he said. 

  "What's your point of being so shy around me?" I said putting my shirt on, staring at the baby pink wall behind the giant flat screen connected with the sound system. "It's not like you've got some special features that I don't have."

  "I have."

  "What?" My hand paused over the second button. 

  He said, soft and low, "Some special features." 

  I couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah sure."

It took him almost a minute to change into his dry clothes. He cleared his throat which made me turn. His eyes were still on his bare feet beside his damp clothes. 

  "I think you shouldn't go out in the sun right now. Take some rest here in the shade." I made him settle on the couch with a blanket covering his cold body. "I'm going outside. If you need anything, call me. Ok?"

Suddenly he grabbed my hand from behind. His hand was cold. I turned,  saw him softly looking into my eyes. I sensed he wanted to say something so I asked, "Are you feeling hungry? You've thrown up the entire thing. Would you like to have light snacks while watching TV?" 

  "No" He hesitated only for a second before saying, "Can you stay here with me? I've something to tell you."

I took a step back to read his expression. Was there a thing that was bothering him? 

  "Alright." I got myself into the blanket beside him. He inched closer to me, thighs almost touching my thighs and I let him take my hands into his under the blanket. I looked at his eyes, "Tell me what you wanted to say." 

He took a moment to answer, like debating in his mind whether to open up or not. I pressed his hand lightly to encourage him. He licked his lips but stayed mute. 

Time was running fast, but it couldn't match up to my patience. Though inside my mind Elsa was singing…Let it go…Let it go! 

 "I had a dream," He said quietly, "But it felt so real to be a dream."

  "Oh!" It was all about a dream? 

  "I saw you beside me," He slowly guided my hands over his waist. My breath clouded inside my cage. "Holding me like this." His hand slid up to my shoulder and he brought our faces closer, staring at my lips, "Your lips were so, so close, as if we were sharing the same breath."

My memory immediately brought me to that day when he was hospitalised for bleeding  severely. How could I forget that moment when for the first and the last time I came intimate with someone!

  "I tried to hold your hand but you kept running away from me. I shouted your name, but my voice bounced back to me after hitting the empty wall of my dream. And then when I opened my eyes, you weren't there." His husky voice fogged my last brain cells, making me feel incredibly light and infinitely heavy. 

  "Was it just a  dream?" I breathed out. 

  "That's not important, but how could you leave me even in my dream? You left me alone there." He looked at me with that sulky pout that I found cute. 

  "I," Seriously didn't know what to say. My hands on his waist tightened. "Taehyung, look-"

  "Why do you always run away from me? Why are you so difficult to deal with? Why do I have to mind reading you all the time?"

  "Oh Tae," I sighed, closing my eyes. He was drunk unless he wouldn't be saying all this. But I wasn't and I should tell him the truth. I didn't leave him there in the hospital because I wanted to. 

I opened my eyes and found he's staring intensely at me. He spoke before I could, 

  "Jungkook."  The way he pronounced my name, giving each letter its own place, I forgot what I was even thinking, "Can you kiss me….please?"

Kiss what! 

The way my heart leaped to my throat, I scared it might come out of my mouth. 

   "I know it's a dumb idea." He said and I blinked, "But,"  His voice was barely audible at this moment that I leaned in to hear him clearly, "It was my first kiss. Why are you being my first at everything? I want you to to kiss me,"

I couldn't get the meaning, but the word 'First kiss' rang inside my mind.  I felt what I shouldn't feel in this situation: a selfish kind of happiness of being the first person to kiss a handsome man like him, and when he was eagerly asking for it, keeping his shyness aside. But all the things that ran through my mind came to a halt when he said,

  "Again." 

  "Whoa-what?" I pulled my head some centimetres away, "Why would you say that?  Never in my 20 years of life have I kissed anyone."

  He saw my face and sighed, "You don't remember it, I know."

We stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. 

  "Actually, there's a girl I like," I tried changing the topic from kiss to crush. 

  "I know." He said in his thicker voice. "And you wish to marry her someday."

  "Yeah but I don't know. She still treats me like a kid."

Jieun was still in my mind. I thought about this countless times: What if she hadn't been my teacher, and I were the same age as her? Would she see me as an adult and accept my feelings? What if she would reject me thinking I wasn't mature enough to give her all the security a girl needed in life? What would I do? Could I ever move on from her? 

Sometimes I thought, did I actually love her? Were the feelings that I had for her mere infatuation? Would it fade with time when she wouldn't be my priority? 

And there's this guy making me question my being. Making me think of him more than the hours we spend together in a day. I wish I could take him away from my thoughts. I wished I could ask him to get the hell out of my fucked life. I wished I didn't lose control of my body everytime we got closer. 

          'Taehyung is a boy and you aren't gay' Jimin's voice knocked at my mind for a second making me question myself all over again. 

  "I don't want to talk about your crush." The pout became prominent on Taehyung's lips and my eyes, betraying me, fell on that. "And I'm not asking you to marry me which is impossible even if you agreed to but can you," His hands traced along my jawline, other hand on the back of my neck raising goosebumps on my shoulder. 

I felt a thousand years old tree looking at a little kid playing hide and seek in my benches, inside the hollows of the trunk of mine but I was helpless to do anything. 

  "For the last time," he swallowed the last words as his eyes travelled to my lips again, "Kiss me?" 

I looked at his lips, soft and inviting. That would be an inhuman who would reject his invitation. I leaned in, slowly, slowly. His thumb touched my lower lip, slowly swiping it to the edge and I wanted him to do it again. He closed his eyes when my warm breath touched his lips, holding breath with a thumping heart. 

There were numerous possibilities of what could lead through with this innocent kiss. We won't be the same again. 

He was drunk but I wasn't. 

He was a good boy and I wasn't. 

He was engaged and I was not that guy.

I tore my eyes away from him along my hands. "We can't and we shouldn't."

  "That," He couldn't speak for a moment, shocked by the rejection. 

I hated the way his voice broke, I hated the way he pulled his hands looking down. I hated myself the most in this world. 

  "Sorry-"

  "Go away." He turned his head earnestly at the window, refusing to make eye contact. I wanted to hold his hand again, but I guessed there wasn't any second chance for me. "Why aren't you going?" He glanced at me a second later, tucking his chin up, "Can't you see I'm sulking? This is my first time being sulky. Let me do it properly."

  "Huh? OK." I didn't like the fact that he looked hurt and I wished I could give him everything he asked me, but that would only grow complications between us. 

  "I'm sorry if I've hurt you."

  "You don't say sorry to those kids after rejecting them."

  "You are not those kids." 

  "That's right. I'm different. Different than you can ever imagine. And I'm not telling you anything, because I am so, so angry with you." 

I didn't know what made me smile; his cuteness or his innocent heart. I wanted to ask him to come with me outside as it was almost time for us to go, then I heard some mixed noises coming from the other room. 

  "Did you hear that?" I asked. 

  "I can hear Jennie shouting." He replied with a sober voice. 

  "That's right. Something's going on. Let me go and check. Stay here for the time being, ok?" I came out of the blanket and again was going to tuck it under his hip, but Taehyung got up instantly. 

  "I'm going with you."

  "No. You're drunk and weak."

  "Not anymore."

________

How are you my babies? I missed you so much..

And please don't kill me the kissing part is going to come very soon ✌

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIE 🎉