Previously on Platonic...

"Where's your girl?"Taehyung asks distractedly as he locked eyes with one of the girls in passing, smirking over the candy stick. 

"Huh? My who?" he asks obliviously. Taehyung cuts him a sideward glance, showing very little patience in his gaze as he shook his head.

"Oop...Okaay Yoongi..." Alesha yells and Jimin smirks at the way Yoongi stifles the grimace as he swallowed down the mouthful of straight clear.

"Wanna dance?" He mouths, licking the remnants of alcohol from his lips.

"Sure...If you can keep up..."  Alana  smirks back and Yoongi raises his brows softly in surprise.

~*~

"Bro...you straight?" Seokjin's frat murmurs beside him with a knowing grin.

"Yeah...hold this.." he mutters as he passed his beer to the male smirking beside him as he cuts through the crowd to follow Demi.

You hiding from me?"

Demi flinches in surprise at the voice in her ear, and she whips around to find none other than the man she'd been avoiding all night behind her.

You would think that." she denies and Seokjin smirks.

"maybe for just tonight...we call a truce. I'm not Seokjin the Gamma and you're not Demi the Theta. Just normal Jin and Demi..living in the moment in Costa Rica. Come on. Stop being like that...we can go to the third level where the view is even better, with less noise. Zero smoke...and we can just talk."

"Just talk?" Demi manages to ask and Seokjin nods slightly.

"Just talk. Promise."

The next morning...

"Oh god....oh god oh god oh god..." Demi mutters, clutching the blanket that covered her breasts as if it would protect her from reality.

"Where are my clothes?" She asks and Seokjin shrugs his shoulder.

"What makes you think I know? I woke up naked just like you." He chuckles and Demi narrows her eyes at him.

"For what it's worth, I enjoyed your company last night. I always enjoyed your company. And I hope you know I respect you. Immensely. Even if things got away from us and we drank a little more than necessary.......I have no regrets."

~*~

"Whoa...you straight?" Yoongi frowns over at Alana and she smiles weakly as she shook her head, immediately regretting the action when the room tilted on its axis.

"I'm ok staying out here for a little while...if you are," Alana says.

"I'm cool out here too," Yoongi smirks.

"I guess I gotta get you drunk to open up more.." she teases and Yoongi chuckles lightly

"Naw...You ain't gotta get me drunk. I like talking to you," he says softly.

~*~

"Alright. Enough about me. I wanna hear about your night with Mr.Big Bawdy..."

"Ok, everyone! Gather around and take your seats! We're about to begin. Welcome to this month's "Painting With a Twist".

"Last night was...really nice. It was needed..."

"So when's the next date? Oops, I mean 'outing'?" Demi asks sarcastically,

Jordan glances up at Demi, the tiny dimple in her cheek deepening as she smirked.

"Shut up."

~*~

"You're sexy...mmm...Curly..straight...bald...I don't give a fuck.." he trails off to lick over the mark he was working just below her ear.

Alesha mewls when she feels his teeth pulling at her skin teasingly before pulling away.

"You got some condoms?" she leans in to ask in his ear and he nods.

"Duh..you tryna get outta here?" he asks in response.

"Wait, We can't leave Alana.." she exhales

"She's with Yoongi ain't she? She can ride with him."

"Jimin.." Alesha's soft voice drops into a reprimanding tone and Jimin sighs.

"Joking...Fuck it, let's just go upstairs" he says and Alesha nods and stands immediately

Later

"Jimin? It's me. Jeanee...from Contemporary.."

"I'm sorry. I really don't remember you..maybe you've got me confused with someone else," Jimin suggests only to be met by simultaneous scoffs from both Alesha and Jeanee.

"Alright...this is ghetto. Ima let yall have this..." Alesha grunts in amusement as she turns away, rolling her eye.

"Ugh...excuse me.." Alesha huffs as she's finally free of the heat and noise of the party after she squeezes through the group of 2 Live Crew looking ass dudes blocking the front door.

"This is why you don't get attached, Alesha."

"Um..Hi." he greets her, looking around awkwardly a few times.

"Jungkook?"

~*~

"Aye...Who's that?" Taehyung mouths and Gabe follows his line of sight, squinting to see but not understanding where Taehyung was looking.

"Aw that's TJ," he answers, picking up a ping pong ball to take his shot.

Later on...

"Tae just walk away...I'm fine.." Jade insists and TJ looks Taehyung up and down with distaste and expectancy.

"Yeah...she's fine." He repeats, causing Taehyung to scoff at his arrogance.

"Not from where I'm standing...Seems to me like people have an issue with keeping their hands to themselves." Taehyung rebuttals.

"You ain't hear shit..." TJ waves a dismissive hand in Taehyung's face, making him go tense.

"Watch yourself.." he warns in a cold tone. Jade huffs in frustration.

"Pssssht...Yo soft ass ain't finna do shit..pussy.." TJ smirks as he lifts the SOLO cup he's had in his hand to his mouth. Before his lips touch the rim, Taehyung slaps the cup from his fingers, spilling its contents all over the front of TJ's jersey.

"Oh hell.." Jade grimaces.

"ON GOD I BET NOT EVER CATCH YO ASS ON CAMP N*GGA! IT'S ON SIGHT!"

"CATCH ME NOW, PUSSY! CATCH ME NOW...FUCK OUTTA HERE.." he slurs, his belligerence fading into the music as Yoongi dragged him back into the party.

On the drive back...

"What's your real issue with me Yoongi?" Taehyung says, sitting up in his seat and folding his arms over his chest.

"Well..to put it plainly. You're a big egotistical, selfish, impulsive, inconsiderate ass bitch who doesn't know how to just shut the fuck up and take an L. That's my issue with you..." Yoongi responds.

"Pull over bro.." he says calmly at first, letting the seatbelt snap back into place. Jimin glanced back at Taehyung with a frown.

"Say the fuck less.." Yoongi grunts, turning into a dimly lit residential street that led straight towards the area where the dorms were.

"Tae just wait..we're like minutes away from the dorms...." Jimin attempts to reason with him but to no avail.

"Man, Jimin...Let his dumb ass walk..." Yoongi mutters and without another word, Taehyung steps out and slams the door so hard that it shakes the car.

~*~

Beans Dad🙄:
Hey! You free to talk?

Jordan:
Not really. Whats up tho?

Beans Dad🙄:
Can I call please?
Im driving and
its too much to text.

Jordan:
Well just text me when
youre not driving

Beans Dad🙄:
Jordan...

Jordan:
Nate.

Beans Dad🙄:
come on man.
Dont be like that.
Lets act like adults
and have an
adult conversation.

Jordan:
....

Beans Dad🙄:
Aight. I just wanted to
apologize for last night.
If I made shit awkward
for you and your friend, I'm sorry.

Jordan:
No need.
Everythings cool.

Beans Dad🙄:
Well i felt bad. I should
have just minded my business.

Jordan:
Its cool.
No worries.

Beans Dad🙄:
Aight. coo..

Beans Dad🙄:
You looked good tho.

Jordan:
😒

Beans Dad🙄:
Damn! I can't give
you a compliment?

Jordan:
Its just not
appropriate Nate

Beans Dad🙄:
Not appropriate?🙄 aight.
So we're acting funny now. Bet

Beans Dad🙄:
So wassup with you and dude?
How long have you
known him and is it serious ?

Jordan:
Goodnight Nate

Beans Dad🙄:
Damn i cant ask relevant
questions either?!
That nigga looked
serious from how he
was standing by
you all stiff and shit.
Im just tryna see
who you got around..

Jordan:
See what? Who I see has
nothing to do with you.
Same as how what you
do isnt my business right?
That's what you've said

Beans Dad🙄:
It does if you bring
him around my son.

Jordan:
Oh please.

Beans Dad🙄:
Im just saying. Let a nigga
know something.

Jordan:
When something actually
concerns you, you'll be the
first to know. Hows that?

Beans Dad🙄:
There you go being a smart ass..

Jordan:
Was that all you
wanted to discuss?

Beans Dad🙄:
Naw actually.
I also needed to tell you
that I won't be able to
pay for this month of daycare so...

Jordan:
Youre killing me Nate.

Jordan:
You didnt pay last month!
Whats going on to
where you cant this month?

Beans Dad🙄:
Im broke Jordan! Damn...
Im not rich and privileged
with a family in the
suburbs like you.
Im not out here
getting help from
the government or
extra money back in taxes.

Jordan:
How could you be broke
when you were just in
Vegas last week?

Beans Dad🙄:
See how you just
told me to mind my
business? And youre
asking about irrelevant shit.
Look, im sorry.
I'll try to be able to
pay the next month.
But this month, i just aint got it.

Beans Dad🙄:
YOU wanted to have a kid. Not me.
So just remember that.

Jordan:
You know what?
Whatever. Ok. Bye Nate.

Jordan tosses her phone aside frustratedly and it bounces against her bed a few times before landing on its face. She exhales heavily, running her hand over her face heavily to dispel the mounting stress that all interactions with her child's father induced.

It never failed.

Every time his name came across her screen, she knew it was bullshit.

Where you at?

Wyd?

You busy?

I cant...

I wont be able to...

I cant pay for...

The most consistent he was was in how inconsistent he always turned out to be. Even with seeing their son.

The visits were always scattered. One month here. Two to three months there. He'd call him maybe once a week just to make promises he knew he wouldn't keep, always getting Jael's little hopes up for nothing.

Nate's efforts were subpar but it was Jordan always making it up to their son because he was the one affected the most.

But there's always a tiny voice in the back of her head that keeps her from shutting him out completely. Most likely the voice of those who accuse her of being uncooperative or difficult when it came to him and his effort to be active in their son's life. Which was minuscule at best.

It never ceased to amaze her how low the bar is set for men when it comes to parenting.

Anywho...

She releases one more exasperated sigh before sitting up in her bed and glances around her room thoughtfully. Jael was asleep or pretending to be since she hadn't heard a peep from him in a few minutes and she wasn't going to risk the noise to check.

So she plops back against the bed and stares at the ceiling fan, it's clicking metronome setting a soothing rhythm to allow her thoughts to drift.

Soothing notes of a saxophone and bass swirl through her mind as the memory of tart citrus and alcohol simmer on the back of her tongue.

Last night was heavy on her brain for more reasons than one.

She felt sexy.

A rare occurrence when your usual look is as low maintenance and comfortable as possible. The time she took to scrub her skin and layer scents was well worth the effort and a major part of her wished she'd been bold enough to invite Namjoon back to her place.

Even if just to talk in person for a bit longer.

Jordan bites her lip at the thought and unconsciously presses her thighs together with the realization that that choice would have led to things she knows her body would have appreciated.

But her conscious would not have.

That man looked too good.
Smelled too good.

It was best she left it where it was.

At least for that night...

But despite her thoughts, an imaginary force pulls her eyes from the ceiling to
fall toward the discarded phone at the end of her bed. She chews her lip in contemplation for a few seconds before leaning up to reach for it.

Meanwhile...

Settling back into the seat at the border of Yoongi's living room, Hoseok snickers mischievously at the closing door that seals Yoongi and Alana's exit. The atmosphere they'd interrupted lingered in the room with the sweet scent of Alana's hair products and after a shared look of knowing with Hoseok, Namjoon follows suit with a soft chuckle as he stepped between the couches.

"Those two..." He shakes his head and Hoseok tilts his head toward him curiously.

"Wassup with them anyway?" Hoseok asks, nodding towards the door and Namjoon shrugs.

"Maaan, I don't know. It's been brewing for a lil second though," he responds with a yawn. Hoseok wrinkles his chin with a hum as Namjoon continued.

"My guess though? Lana's shy and Yoongi's scared. Cute but not a productive combo." he groans as he plopped back into the couch, glancing over the cushions for the remote. Hoseok pouts, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh...kinda like you and your girl," he states too casually to be snide and Namjoon's sharp eyes cut in his direction.

"Im gonna regret ever telling you about her, aren't I?" He perks his brow and Hoseok smirks.

"Maybe. Just like you should regret not making some type of move last night."

Namjoon nearly barks out a laugh of amazement.

" What move would there be to make?? You just be saying shit don't you? First thing that pops in your head. No thought or logic behind it..." Namjoon trails off and Hoseok snorts in amusement.

"And you didn't deny shit so there must be some truth to it.." he shrugs and Namjoon sighs.

"I'm not scared of anything nor do I have any regrets about how our evening went. I'm not like you....."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hoseok tuts and Namjoon regards him as if he should already know the answer.

"You and Eva fucked within like 2 hours of meeting each other" he deadpans and Hoseok crinkles his nose.

"It wasn't no fucking 2 hours..stall me out" he swats at Namjoon, who sits up to scoot to the edge of his seat.

"Aw, my bad. 2 and a half...."

"5." Hoseok purses his lips and Namjoon rolls his eyes.

"What difference does it make? Fucking miscreant..." he relents with a huff, leaning back into the couch comfortably with his legs spread wide and swaying. Hoseok looks Namjoon up and down incredulously for a moment before sucking his teeth.

"First off, I don't even know what that is. Second...You see where me and Eva are now so..." he trails off and Namjoon grunts in amusement as he begins surfing through the channels on Yoongi's TV.

" Yeah. Horny and insufferable. A Dream. Anyway..Jordan isn't like any woman I've ever been around. So, cautious? Maybe. Scared? No." he concedes distractedly and Hoseok stares at him blankly as he kept his eyes on the screen ahead.

"You gon leave me right? Im a MAN Gina. Ima be aight! This is CHILDISH! I want you OUT, Iont even know why you still here. Step...I wa..STEP!..."

*Audience ooohs and awe's as Gina turns to leave*

"GINA GINAGINAGINAA!!"

"You won...YOU WON BABE?"

"I What?

"YOU WON! DAMN!"

Namjoon chuckles softly at the classic banter as he settled deeper into the couch. He clenches his jaw with his smile slightly as if something obvious was on his mind and Hoseok furrows his brow at him.

"It's because she has a kid huh..?" he asks out of nowhere and Namjoon shakes his head in denial, still watching TV now with a conflicted scowl. He pauses to cut the TV off, the nostalgic sitcom too distracting to even allow it to be background noise and he rests his head on the back of the couch to watch the ceiling fan spin.

"Naw... I mean I've never talked to anyone with a kid but that doesn't mean shit to me. I like kids and her kid is cool as hell. It's obvious he's well taken care of, which is attractive. She's just different, ya know? Calm and mature. And smart as hell. Not arrogantly smart but intellectual. I can actually have a conversation with her about anything and even if she has no idea what I'm talking about, I can't tell. She's just...real."

Hoseok says nothing for once and just watches the way Namjoon's stone expression softens the longer he stares at the ceiling. He considers following his gaze for a moment but he knows better than anyone that Namjoon wasn't seeing the twirling blades for what they were when he was speaking about her...

"But?" Hoseok says after a beat of silence and Namjoon lolls his head toward him briefly before looking back up at the ceiling.

He shrugs.

"But...That girl has a guard up the size of Everest. I can tell there's a lot going on with her that I'll probably never piece together."

"So she's damaged.." Hoseok shrugs carelessly and Namjoon is about to respond defensively as Hoseok continues.

" Who isn't fucking damaged these days man? Me personally? I like mine a lil damaged."

Namjoon scoffs and shakes his head at Hoseok's callous words.

" Google the word miscreant right now.." Namjoon lifts his brows and points sharply towards Hoseok's pocketed phone and he laughs.

"Just hear me out. Damage isn't bad. She's just not someone who will make shit easy, that's all. She's careful and probably extremely...repressed sexually. No disrespect.." He lifts his hand as if it were a white flag and Namjoon allows it with a stiff and unbothered chuckle.

His jaw slacks and his tongue licks over the roof of his mouth as he considered the fact. Every part of Jordan screamed sexy to Namjoon. Subtly and unsubtly. Her voice. Her style. Her smell. He skin. Even the placement of her tattoos. If she was sexually repressed, then what the hell was he?

"Man...I just know that I like her. More than I thought I would this fast and I'm always afraid I'm gonna scare her off if I say or do the wrong thing by being too forward. And that's a different kind of feeling for me. " Namjoon admits and the sigh that followed carried the fear and stress he harbored. Hoseok shifts in his seat, running his hand through his silky tresses and scratching his scalp as he considered his friend's predicament.

"Hmm...So as I said. You scared.." he says seriously at first but his sly smirk has Namjoon smirking in defeat.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'm trying not to make it that deep though..." He trails off just as he gets a notification on his phone. Hoseok watches silently as he leans over slightly to retrieve his phone from his pocket, smirking devilishly at how Namjoon attempts to bite back the smile the moment his screen comes alight. Her name dances over his screen and he was embarrassed at how his heart stuttered at the fact that she was calling him this late.

Namjoon rises from the couch like a man possessed, his thumb hovering over the answer bar with Hoseok grinning keenly up at him.

"Look atcho cheesy ass... it's her, isn't it?" he teases and Namjoon shoots him the finger on his other hand as he swiped his screen to answer.

"Hello?" 

Butterflies slice at his ribs just as they had that morning and Namjoon has to bite back his melting smile since Hoseok was watching his every move like a hawk.

"Hey.." he responds, his voice deep and amusing to his best friend a few feet away.

"What you doing? I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I? " Jordan asks, sounding as if she were in bed from the shuffling sounds of her pillows.

"Not a damn thang. You?" he shakes his head ironically as he watches Hoseok's smile fade as if he was offended. He places a hand on his chest to further sell it and Namjoon rolls his eyes as he stepped sideways between the couch and the table.

Jordan rolls on her tummy with a soft sigh that shouldn't have sounded as suggestive as it did but Namjoon dismisses it for the sake of his sanity.

"Ooh, nothing. I figured I'd check in with you to let you know I survived my toddler today. I deserve a cookie..." she sighs triumphantly and Namjoon smirks.

"What kind?"

"What do you mean what kind?" Jordan lifts her head with a smile in her voice and Namjoon snorts.

"I mean what kind of cookie do you want? I got you. I'm headed to the caf now.." he shrugs and Jordan sucks her teeth at the idea as she rested her head back against her pillows.

"Aw naw..Don't nobody want them commissary door stop cookies," she responds with a soft chuckle, remembering the caf's sad excuse for a dessert bar all too well. Namjoon knew better but he loved hearing the sound of her amusement more than anything.

"Damn..You right. Well, it's other places that have cookies you know.." He retorts and lathers his flirtatious tone on like butter as he made his way past Hoseok.

As he did, he mushes him against the head playfully, and without missing a beat, Hoseok lets out the loudest and most obnoxious pornhub-sounding moan his voice could manage, making both Namjoon and Jordan's eyes widen from the other side of the phone.

"Um..." she stammers, stifling her laughter and the sound of heavy-handed slaps could be heard from Namjoon's end of the call. A muffled 'BITCH' and 'STUPID ASS' are also audible along with a distinctly distressed yelp of agony that decrescendos as Namjoon put some distance between himself and his victim.

"Sorry bout that..." he huffs and Jordan's bitten lip spreads into a humored smile.

"It's fine. You alright over there?" she giggles.

"Aw, yea Im good!" Namjoon huffs haughtily with one more swift glance back at Hoseok, who despite just being slapped is grinning ear to ear. It falters with a cough as he rubbed his chest, whispering an emphatic 'YOU BIG BODIED BITCH" in Namjoon's direction. It was reciprocated by Namjoon's silent 'fuck you'  and a shake of the head as he reached for the front door handle.

Seconds later, Hoseok finds himself alone in Yoongi's dorm and the quiet surrounding him is almost suffocating. The fridge hummed softly, the ceiling fan creaked as it spun and the kitchen faucet dripped rhythmically as he turns around in the seat, exhaling loudly as he settled back into the cushions with his legs spreading beneath his loose gym shorts.

He zones out for a moment when a little smirk lifts the corner of his mouth at the thought of someone he hadn't heard from almost all day. All this talk about women and feelings had him missing his girl and the fact that he hadn't heard from her since that morning was odd.

He lifts his hips to retrieve his phone from under him and quickly navigates to his most recent calls.

After only 2 rings, it's declined and Hoseok rears his head back curiously before attempting the call again.

Declined again.

His frown deepens as the call log returns to his screen, mocking his failed attempts to reach her.

She never ignores him, let alone declines his call unless something was wrong. Which was rare.

Just as he considers making a third attempt, Eva's face fills his screen.

Hoseok lifts the phone to his ear immediately after swiping to answer.

"Hey, Baby.." Eva greets him first, her high-pitched voice combatting the booming bass of music playing loudly in the background. Hoseok furrows his brow.

"Hey. You ok?" He asks, sounding more perturbed than intended but after her declining him twice, he couldn't help it. He softens his tone halfway through but he holds his breath in anticipation. Not that it mattered since Eva couldn't hear him anyway.

"Huh?" She says and Hoseok sighs.

"I said are you.." he begins, finding himself almost yelling into the phone.

"Hold on, let me go outside.." Eva interrupts him and the obnoxiously loud music fades as she excused herself from whatever ruckus she was near. Hoseok sits quietly with a frustrated scowl that deepens when the sound of the wind and passing cars replaces the chaos.

"Ok..." Eva exhales as if she had to fight her way out of wherever she was. She shuffles a bit through some crunching grass before speaking.

"Sorry about that. Hey Baby... what's up?" She says too casually and Hoseok scoffs humorously.

"Shidd..You tell me. I guess I see why you ignored my call twice.." he huffs playfully and Eva sucks her teeth, feigning annoyance.

"Aw yea..my bad babe. I was.. talking to my mom.." she replies and Hoseok's brow twitches at her pause.

"In the middle of all that noise in the background?" he asks and she doesn't answer immediately, only giggling as if he'd made a joke. Her silence is almost awkward, almost as if she didn't know how to respond and it makes something churn in Hoseok's chest.

"You at a party or something?" he follows up and Eva giggles again, almost nervously.

"Um... Naw...just at my cousin's, kicking back".

There's a questionable shrill in her voice that Hoseok had never heard before, as if she were out of breath or caught off guard.

"Kickn back, huh?.." he says and Eva nods against the phone as if he could see her.

"Yeah. Just chilln." She shrugs, glancing over her shoulder at the house behind her and Hoseok tilts his head curiously.

"Which cousin?"

"Hmm?" She hums against the receiver and Hoseok narrows his gaze.

"Which cousin's house are you at? I'll pull up.." he says, flat and even-toned.

"Pull up?" Eva asks obliviously again as if she were stalling and Hoseok has to mentally grip his patience despite his volume.

"Yeah!"

"Right now?" Eva almost squeaks and Hoseok chuckles darkly.

"Whatchu mean? I ain't talked to you all day and I wanna see you. Is that a problem?"  Hoseok smiles confusedly and Eva hesitates on the other line, the sound of her feet crunching through the grass filling the silence. Hoseok's smirk fades. He sits up in the seat fully and traces the inside of his cheek with his tongue as he awaited her response.

"Aw babe, You don't have to pull up. You don't know this cousin so you wouldn't know where to go. But it's cool cuz I was just about to leave anyway.."

Hoseok exhales sharply through his nose in another short incredulous laugh.

"So now you're leaving, huh? " he asks, sounding more suspicious but Eva seems nonplussed and ignorant to how off she was sounding.

Hoseok couldn't put his finger on it, but something was most definitely off. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions though.

"Yeah, nothing worth staying here for. I can just come to you if you want." She says sweetly, the effect of her offer already making Hoseok's heart flutter. He resented it sometimes but he still got butterflies at the prospect of seeing her, even after over 1 year and 3 months of dating.

He felt uneasy at the beginning of the call but it fades quickly as he settles back into the comfort of the loveseat, spreading his legs and letting on sway casually.

"Aight...you hungry? I was gonna hit the caf but we can go get something else if you want." He suggests.

"Thats cool. Im gonna go home and shower before I come over. I smell like smoke..." she whines and Hoseok could just about see her adorable pout. He couldn't wait to squeeze her.

"Yeah yeah just hurry that ass up.." he smiles and the two end their call as they always did, with air smooches and I love you's that would rot a tooth to its core.

"Ok see you soon baby..." Eva smiles and Hoseok mirrors her as she hung up.

He sighs, dropping the phone in his lap before running his hands over his face tiredly. He then sits up, vaguely wondering if Yoongi had his keys with him since he was going to end up leaving his dorm unattended.

As that thought occurred, another one is born from deep in the back of his mind.

A tiny voice, barely a whisper, nags at him regarding the unsettled feeling he had when he spoke with Eva seconds ago.

But he shakes it off immediately, not wanting to sour the mild excitement already building at the fact that he would be most likely spending the night with her.

Sure, it was weird for her to be out this late on a Sunday night after not saying much to him all day.

And sure the fact that she didn't even bother telling him exactly where she was and which cousin's house she was at didn't sit right with him at first but...

Hoseok stands and stretches his back and limbs dramatically before unlocking his phone to text Namjoon and Yoongi that he was skipping the caf and would get at them later, ignoring the little nagging voice as he made his way for the door.

"About that cookie though..." Namjoon switches back to the previous part of the conversation as he strolls purposefully away from Yoongi's doorstep and he squints as his eyes adjust to the orangish glow of the lanterns lighting the stoops as he passed them.

Jordan's mattress bowed and groaned as she sat up to stand, mindful of how much noise she made in case Jael was sleeping lightly.  She peeks out into the hallway, paralleling Namjoon as he scanned the sidewalks before stepping down from a short set of steps.

"You still on that?" she almost whispers as she confirmed that her son was indeed sleeping and she tip-toed near his door to pull it an inch from being closed.

Namjoon shrugs against the slight chill of the night as he stuffs his free hand in the pocket of his sweats, settling into a comfy stroll towards the parking lot.

"I mean, not a literal cookie but if you want one, I got you. I think Ima skip the caf for my health's sake..." he says with not an ounce of sarcasm. Jordan pads down the hallway, glancing at the darkened living room before entering her kitchen.

"I definitely wouldn't advise against it. You'd be better off hitting Jack in The Box or Taco Bell or something. That's what I did when I was in the dorms." Jordan mutters the suggestion blankly as she rubbed at her soft flat tummy mindlessly. Breaking into a little trot, Namjoon crosses the yard of grass and reaches the curb, where his car is parked at the far end.

"Jack in the mufuckn crack... that's not a bad idea. And it's close..." he says and his tone makes Jordan chuckle softly.

"You're welcome." she smiles as the glow of her fridge casts over her when she opens it.

The thought of a taco or sammich had it rumbling suddenly and her lip pouts at the uninspiring contents of her fridge.

Namjoon hears her solemn sighing along with the telltale clanking of a fridge door closing and his brow perks up.

"You....want me to get you something?" He asks tentatively, the jingle of his car keys now audible. Jordan's brow sets rigidly at his question.

"Huh? Me?...." she asks and Namjoon laughs at the tiny squeak in her voice.

"Yeah you! All that heavy breathing over there. You sound like me when I'm hungry." he chuffs, looking back over his shoulder just as he reached his car.

Jordan, who was now leaning against the counter adjacent to the fridge with her head leaned against the side of it, bites her lip bashfully in the darkness of her kitchen and rests her arm over her growling stomach as if he could hear it.

"Shut up. I was not breathing heavy." she denies with a shake of her head against the cool magnetic surface.

Namjoon's car door opens swiftly and he hops in his seat with his ceremonious sigh.

"Kinda was but it's all good. It's cute. But for real, are you hungry though? Because I can get you something and bring it to you..." Namjoon says distractedly as he shuffled to get situated in his car.

Jordan doesn't respond immediately and the sound of it rumbling to life fills the silence as her smile fades slowly.

Her bottom lip droops as she glanced towards the mounted microwave on the other side of the kitchen, taking note of the time.

It was almost 10, which was pretty late for her on a Sunday, and the thought of letting Namjoon know where she lived had her conflicted.

Since moving there a little before Jael turned 2, Jordan considered her apartment a safe zone.

Only her mother, Aunt Eve, and sister knew had been over there. Even Nate hadn't had the pleasure of knowing where she'd moved and it has been quite the task evading his attempts at finding out.

So it goes without saying that inviting any man she'd been talking to over had been the last thing she'd done or even wanted to do.

Even if it was to the door, she was always careful.

But Namjoon didn't seem like someone she had to be so careful with, and the fact that her guard was coming down made her nervous.

Among other things...

"Hello?" Namjoon says, now fully immersed in the evening traffic and on his way to fulfill the craving Jordan inspired. She blinks and lifts her head from the fridge, not realizing she'd gone quiet for a second.

"Oh..my bad. I was....thinking," she says and Namjoon notes her hesitance through the phone. He narrows his eyes at his rearview briefly, getting over soon after.

"Or not...It's cool." he chuckles to mask the awkwardness in her assumably declining his offer. He resumes ahead with his phone in his lap and Jordan rolls her eyes at herself for sounding doubtful.

"I mean, I am hungry. It's just kinda late and I'd hate for you to go out of your way..." she half lies, chewing her bottom lip as she trailed off.

The Jack in The Box moniker glows from far in the distance on the long strip of painted lines and brake lights. Namjoon sets his sights on it but his eyes fall to his lap briefly as if to confirm the call was still active.

"I wouldn't mind. Plus, I have no idea where you stay so...We don't really know what's out of my way yet do we?" he says cutely.

Jordan's bottom lip had little teeth-shaped dents in it from how fiercely she chewed on the skin and after a few quick seconds of contemplation, she opts to throw a little bit of caution to the wind.

She leans up from the counter.

"You know where Indigo Park is?" she asks with a tentative grimace nothing but silence follows. Her shoulders drop at his pause and she's about to ask if he's there just as he chuckles.

"So, you stay in Indigo Park?" he asks, almost in disbelief and Jordan glances around the kitchen with wide eyes.

"Um...Yeah..."

"No, you don't." Namjoon counters with another little laugh that makes Jordan's nose crinkle as she smiled.

"Huh? How you gon tell me where I live?" she laughs and Namjoon shakes his head in denial as he switched hands on the wheel.

"I stay in Indigo Park," he states flatly with an attractive smile in his voice that Jordan could just about see for herself in her mind.

Now it was her turn to laugh in disbelief.

"Namjoon...stop playing. No, you don't."

"Woman...How you gon tell me where I live?"  Namjoon mocks Jordan's response playfully as he taps his turn signal, looking back before getting over.

Jordan narrowed her eyes at the view of her living room window beyond the sink and bar of her kitchen.

"Which building then?" she quizzes him and Namjoon snatches the phone from his lap to lift the receiving end to his lips.

"Building E, towards the back...Miss. 'I know where everybody lives'.."

"Building E?" She verifies and Namjoon hums. From what she could recall of the complex's setup, there were 6 buildings set up in two rows. From A to F, the order is set in a zig-zag pattern.

Which meant...

"Your building is right behind mine." Jordan deadpans and Namjoon makes a noise between his teeth.

"No, it's not."

"Im in C. So it is." Jordan confirms and Namjoon lets out another amused sound along the lines of a snort.

"Well damn.." he exhales and Jordan shuffles out of the kitchen and quickly approaches the window she was gazing at curiously.

"Is your apartment facing the back or is it facing my side of the building?" She asks as she parted the thin blinds with her fingers.

"I guess facing you. If you can see it..my unit is the one towards the middle with all the p.."

"Plants on the balcony....damn." she finishes, already knowing which apartment he was referring to because it was the one directly across from hers.

This particular unit had no patio furniture on its ledge, only an array of plants of varying styles and sizes cluttering the balcony and dangling from the railing. Jordan had spent many mornings leaning against hers, drinking tea, and getting her mind prepared for the day. Daydreaming, she found herself staring at the apartment across from hers, curious about this neighbor and their impressive collection.

She never caught them outside when the plants were being tended to but from the looks of all the green, they were healthy and well-managed. She always wondered what the inside of their apartment looked like and bet it was a vibe.

"Damn.." she mutters as she let the blinds snap back into place, officially dumbfounded at the discovery of Namjoon being her damn neighbor.

"Damn indeed..." Namjoon chuckles as he approached a light, easing on the brakes.

What were the fucking odds?

"Wait wait wait... So you mean to tell me when I drove home last night, you were behind me the whole time?" She asks and Namjoon snorts.

"I wish.." he says to himself, imagining her in that backless knit halter with her tattoos and pretty skin on full display.

"Ehh...I doubt it. I got gas before I went home but even then, I probably wouldn't have noticed we were heading in the same direction.." he lies.

He would have totally noticed.

"How long have you been here?" Jordan asks. Namjoon puffs air between his lips as he thought back to when he first moved in.

"Uuuh...I think it's been 2 years?" He responds distractedly as he turns and Jordan lifts her brows.

"So longer than me. I moved in back in February." She says more to herself than to him and Namjoon mutters something explicit to the car ahead of him for not moving.

"That's crazy. I'm surprised I've never seen you. Though I don't pay much attention to my neighbors..." He says as if he were admonishing himself.

"Right. Me either" Jordan smirks at the thought. She didn't pay much attention to her neighbors either, let alone the ones in the next building over. But she would have for sure noticed Namjoon's big ass if she'd seen him.

"Damn...Damn.." Jordan repeats in her mind silently as she trails off, her gaze chasing a thought across the kitchen floor.

"Aint this bout a big backed bitch..This man. This fine-ass man been living behind me this whole damn time and I've just been outside prolly looking crazy, yelling at Jael and some more shit...lord. I be out there in a bonnet with no bra... socks with holes in em..he can't see my socks from over there but still.." she trails off in her mind, not noticing the faint sound of a fast food employee enthusiastically asking Namjoon if he was interested in trying a pumpkin spice oreo shake today. He makes a face at the speaker.

"No thank you. Can I have a second?" He says away from the phone and the employee mumbles something in response before Namjoon directs his voice back to Jordan. She forgot how close Jack In the Box was to the dorms and had barely made her decision by the time he pulled up.

"Ok, I'm here now so wassup? You want me to bring you some food or what?" He asks in a playfully urgent voice and Jordan is back to gnawing at her lip as she turned around and glanced towards the hallway, thinking of her sleeping toddler at the end of it.

She should say no. At least that's what her brain was saying. The super damaged and cautious part of it that's been telling her to ghost Namjoon and spare herself the potential heartache. She barely knew him and he already seemed too good to be true.

"But it's just food Jordan, damn!" her stomach answers for her, growling against her ribs.

She sighs.

"Yeah...yeah get me the spicy chicken sammich..number 10 I think. I can cash app you if you tell me how much it is.."She says quickly before changing her mind.

"I ain't ask you for no cash app....what size?" Namjoon mutters as he squinted at the brightly lit menu.

"Small is fine." She smiles, biting her lip.

"Aaaiight...drink?" He asks.

"Sprite. No ice. Please." she tacks on after remembering her manners and Namjoon begins repeating her order along with his to the speaker beyond his window.

Jordan stands by quietly, eventually easing over the armrest of her couch until she falls into the cushions in the dimmed living room.

As Namjoon spoke with the employee, a smirk crosses her face. How charismatic Namjoon was in even the way he ordered his food was amusing.

His voice was so deep and had this raspy undertone that she found herself enjoying more than she was actually listening to what he was saying.

Like now.

"Hmm?" She snaps out of her thoughts when Namjoon called her name. He chuckles breathily as his engine purrs while easing forward in the drive-thru line.

"I said...text your apartment number, crazy. I'll be around that way in a lil bit."

Although she knew it was inevitable, the idea of Namjoon being at her doorstep made her heart drop into her stomach. She was in her night clothes, which usually consisted of some random big ass t-shirt with shorts so small, it looked like she wasn't wearing them.

Her hair was in two big twists and was wrapped in a satin scarf and her thick-lensed glasses sat high on the bridge of her nose.
Part of her was eager to see him but...

"Um...."

"What now woman..." Namjoon huffs and Jordan couldn't help but laugh at how annoyed he probably was with all of her hesitating.

"Ok...Were you expecting to come inside? I would love to invite you in but I look crazy and it's late and Jael is sleeping and me and you are still getting to know each other and.."

"Jordan." Namjoon interrupts and she goes silent at his serious tone.

"I don't want you to overthink this. I didn't offer to get you food with that expectation at all." He states, sounding genuine.

Why did he have to be like this?

"I wasn't overthinking. I just didn't want to offend you." Jordan shrugs, ignoring the blush filling her cheeks as she rested her elbows on her knees.

"Offend me how?" He chuckles.

"Iont know. By only meeting you at the door like you were Uber Eats or something." She looks down at her painted toes bashfully with her response and she could hear Namjoon sucking his teeth at her.

"Naw...Im just tryna feed you, love. Don't worry." He replies distractedly as he pulled up to the window to pay. Although he probably didn't intend for his words to come across as sexual, they had an effect on the place tucked between her thighs that she pressed together reflexively.

"Ok.." is all she can manage once she knew Namjoon was listening. He'd since paid and was reaching back to retrieve the rustling bag of food to set in the passenger seat.

"Ok then..." he says in a placating tone that has an effect similar to the feel of a weighted blanket snuffing out the anxiety in Jordan's body.

She resented it.
But she also kinda loved it...

Namjoon pulls away from the drive-thru slowly, focusing on making sure he had the right of way to re-enter traffic. As he did, he spares the phone in his lap a glance before speaking again.

"So? Your apartment number? I'll just leave it at the door and text you when Im gone if you'd like..." he says, not one bit of bitterness, sarcasm, or disappointment in his tone.

Jordan bites her lip as she considered her options quickly.

1. Tell him the apartment number, then run into the bathroom and make herself decent before he got there.

Or.

2. Just let him leave it at the door.

She releases her lip.

"3C. I'll meet you at the door so just text me when you're here. Cool?"

Namjoon's dimples deepened with his smile at her answer and he visibly relaxes a smidge in his seat as he drove in the direction of his home.

And hers.

"Bet. See you in a lil bit...." He says before the end of the call.