Amanda

Taehyung and I arrived at the restaurant that Jimin had made reservations at. Pulling up at the parking lot, I stole a quick kiss from my husband before stepping out of the car. He didn't expect it, and I sure did it to keep him on his toes throughout the dinner while I could constantly tease him and remind him at the same time to behave.

Smacking my ass, he gave it a light squeeze before ushering me inside the restaurant. His hands were stuffed inside the back pocket of my jeans, not bothering one bit about the nasty and awkward glances thrown our way by some of the older people who dined there. As I said, he never gave a damn about anyone ever, and he's hella hot for that.

Jimin was already at the table, and he waved to us before putting his phone aside. We waved back and gave him a hug each, which meant my husband had to remove his hand from my back pocket due to unavoidable circumstances.

"Sooya will be here soon..." Jimin informed us while we took our seats.

Taehyung nodded, taking a sip of water from his glass and pursing his lips together.

"I wish Jungkook was here, too," he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table with his hands clasped together.

"He'll be here for your awarding ceremony. And after that, he won't be leaving anywhere for a while," I reassured them about the fact that we all knew already.

In a few minutes, Jimin, who was busy talking and laughing, completely froze on the spot, and I didn't have to turn back to see the cause of his state. His reaction instantly reminded me of the very first time he did the same when he met Sooya for the first time, on her first day at college.

༺───※ ·❆· ※───༻

"I'll wait near the central library," I informed her as I jogged my way down the never-ending, almost empty hallways that led up to the central library. The entire third floor of the sprawling main block was dedicated to housing the central library.

"Alright, I'll be there," she said before ending the call.

Sooya and I had watched the campus walkthrough videos so many times that we didn't need any help in navigating through the maze of buildings that were actually fairly new to us. With my eyes fixed on my phone screen, I rounded the last corner to the library, only to bump into someone, causing them to drop a pile of books to the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't notice," I apologized and immediately crouched down to pick up the books from the floor.

"Mandy," called out a very familiar and deep male voice, and my gaze traveled up from the converse shoes of the person standing in front of me, trailing slowly up his slender form all the way up to his cherubic face, only to confirm that it was my senior, Yoongi.

He stood there with a fond smile on his thin lips, and the streaks of morning sunlight grazing his porcelain skin made him appear angelic. I blinked twice to make sure that I wasn't dead yet and seeing real angels—something that I had to do every time I saw him.

"I'll help," he smiled, crouching down to pick up a few other chunky books that were scattered on the floor.

I smiled back at him, and we proceeded to gather the heap of books, with half of it in his hands and the other half in mine.

"Where are you headed with so many books?" I quizzed him curiously.

"The librarian wanted to move the reference books from the anatomy section to the library annexe on the first floor. I was just helping out," he said, flicking his neck back; the movement causing his silky bangs to shuffle and shift on his forehead.

"Okay," I agreed.

We then began descending the stairs and headed straight to the smaller annexe library on the first floor. As we walked down the long corridor, I spotted Jungkook walking down the hallway towards us from the other end, with his head facing the floor.

He was so socially awkward to the point that he rarely ever raised his head to look at anyone, except the professors and, of course, me, and yesterday he looked at Taehyung, too.

I didn't want to call out to him loudly and make him panic. So I walked quietly until the distance between us was closed in. The annexe library was right next to his classroom, and, just when we neared him, I called out to him softly.

"Hey, Jungkook!"

He lifted his gaze from the floor to my eyes, and he then scanned Yoongi from top to toe before letting out a small smile.

"Hey, Amanda! Morning!" He said, walking up to me.

"Morning! Jungkook, this is Min Yoongi, our senior here," I turned to Yoongi, while still holding on to the huge pile of books in my hands and said, "Yoongi this is Jungkook, my friend."

They both greeted each other politely, and then Jungkook offered to carry the books for me while I decided to go back to the central library to meet Sooya there. I gladly handed the pile to Jungkook, who had very strong arms.

"I'll get going now. Sooya is joining today. I'm supposed to meet her near the central library," I informed Yoongi.

I mentioned Sooya to him on purpose since I knew very well that he had a soft spot for her right from school days, but not the crush kind. He always grew conscious and nervous around her and kept blushing and giggling when around her, whereas with everyone else he lived up to his bad boy image. With Sooya, Yoongi's protective older brother instincts always kicked in.

"Choi Sooya is joining today?" He asked with a ruby blush on his cheeks, and I failed to stifle my giggle. I only nodded since I knew fully well that he must have already gathered this information from somewhere.

"Alright! See you guys later. Thank you, Jungkook. Bye, guys!" I waved to them and jogged back to the central library.

Sooya seemed to have arrived a few minutes earlier. Once I spotted her, I literally ran up to her and hugged her tight from behind.

"Mandy!!!" She gasped and stumbled forward, and the noises we made attracted some unwanted attention.

"Sooya! I'm so thrilled to see you. Which batch are you in? Did you check with the administrative office?" I prodded her curiously.

"Yeah, I did. I'm in batch C. Not the same as yours." She pouted.

"Oh no!" I pouted, too. "But don't worry. I think there are some nice folks in batch C, too," I nodded and reassured her, mentally reminded of the guy Taehyung mentioned yesterday.

We both headed downstairs to our respective classrooms where I saw Taehyung chatting with a boy right outside our classroom. Taehyung waved to me and smiled his big square smile, causing the male facing him to whip around in our direction. The boy's eyes stayed on me for a mere few seconds before they riveted onto Sooya's form right next to me, and I bet his eyes forgot how to blink.

He turned around fully to face us, and I instantly became invisible to him.

Taehyung was quick to notice this and he cleared his throat to bring the boy back to earth.

"Amanda, this is Jimin, and Jimin this is Amanda," Taehyung said pointing to us both, and we exchanged bows.

"This is my friend Sooya," I introduced her to the guys, and they introduced themselves to her with handshakes.

Jimin didn't let go of her hand for minutes after the handshake was done. But was Sooya complaining? Not even remotely.

She seemed so comfortable as she just stood there holding his hand, and there was a lot of silence which they both seemed comfortable with. Whereas I suddenly felt like the uninvited third wheel.

'Not gonna lie, they look cute together. And the fact that they would both be in the same class...'

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"Mandy, Taehyung," Sooya pulled us together in a group hug and then pulled away slowly before settling down on the vacant seat next to Jimin. And the way he blushed made me wonder if either Taehyung or I do the same. But Taehyung is a daredevil, not much different from me. So I dismissed the thoughts of either of us blushing in public—public flirting sounded more like us.

Taehyung

Throughout dinner, we kept laughing and reminiscing a lot about our college days, making it evident that we were that typical gang of friends who were growing old and loved to talk again and again about the same old stuff that happened years ago. The blush on Jimin's cheeks didn't seem to disappear or fade at all.

We never see him laugh and blush so much, except when he was around Sooya—not even when Mandy shamelessly asks for a threesome. We all know she is just kidding, but if someone ever asked me that, I would blush red. Sooya making Jimin blush was something adorable, although I would never admit that to him, and, to be honest, they make a very cute couple.

They had to overcome a lot to get them to where they are today, and I felt more than happy and proud to see two of my best friends soon to be united in the sacred bond of marriage.

The very thought of the struggles we had to go through in the past suddenly made me a bit insecure. As always.

Mandy was unaware of my shift in emotions as she was busy laughing it out with the love birds. I quietly slipped my fingers through her long and slender ones and squeezed her hand slightly while stroking the wedding band on her finger with my thumb and glancing at my own band on my left hand. It was an assurance that no one can ever take her away from me, a promise we made to each other that we will be there for each other through thick and thin till our breaths ceased, a symbol of our love to show the world that she will always be mine and I will always be hers.

I rested our intertwined hands on my lap and leaned back in my seat as I suddenly missed my wife who was sitting right next to me. I felt like I wanted a tight and warm hug from her to wipe away my worries that I hid so well to the world, yet never to the woman I loved. Through the years, she has seen me and been with me in my most vulnerable states, and I would knock out every last brick in the walls of defense that I built around me to let her brighten my world.

Sensing my silence, Mandy turned to look at me already having my eyes fixed on her. Her eyes glimmered with worry, and she asked me softly, "You want to leave, baby?"

I shook my head with a small sad smile, still leaned back in my seat, holding on to her hand.

"Not until you want to." My voice was soft and quiet.

I didn't ever have to tell her that I was feeling off. She always sensed it like the radar, just like she did now. With a slight squeeze of my hand, she then turned to Jimin and Sooya.

"Guys, we'll get going now. Text Taehyung when you get back safe, okay?" She asked them and stood up from her seat, and I stood up, too.

We said our goodbyes and goodnights and headed to the car. Once inside, I buckled myself up, and Amanda buckled herself in the driver's seat. She didn't ask me any questions and make it awkward—she never would. She has always been the woman who would silently comfort me and make my worries melt away without me having to vocalize everything to her. My wife understands every word that my eyes speak and those my mouth doesn't. She is a gift I received—one that I want to hold on to and treasure for the rest of my life.

Occasionally, I placed a hand on her thigh, and she would turn to me and offer a soothing smile. I don't fold in to myself so often, yet today seemed like one of those days where my mind suddenly seemed to be caught up in an overthinking spiral, and she absolutely knew it better than me.

From the sudden loneliness I felt this afternoon after many years, to the fears from our past that kept coming back at me now and then—I knew today was one of the rough days that my mind was going through. The almost silent ride filled with just some vintage music ended as soon as we reached home, and I closed the iron gates behind us as Amanda drove into the garage.

I walked behind my wife who unlocked the front door and let me in before she stepped in and locked it behind her. After a drink of water, we both headed to the bedroom where I plopped down on the bed and massaged my forehead, nose bridge, and my eyes with the base of my palms. Amanda took off her accessories and came closer to me, gently taking my hand in hers. I opened my eyes to look at her smiling softly.

"I don't want you to scratch yourself in your sleep by wearing these," she said, gently removing my bracelets and watch and neatly replacing them inside my accessories box which she maintained meticulously.

Carefully putting her hair up in a pineapple bun, Mandy moved about our shared walk-in closet, and I leaned back resting my palms on the bed, watching her every move as she changed into nothing but an oversized T-shirt.

"Dr. Kim wants to sleep in his jeans today?" She quirked a brow and planted her hands on her hips. I got up and silently walked up to her while pulling my sweater and vest over my head and throwing them in a corner.

When I neared her, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me into a tight hug; her fingertips softly caressing my hair at the back of my head. I didn't have to tell her that I needed this, that I needed her. She could read me like an open book.

"Let's lie down?" She asked in an almost whisper, and I hummed into the crook of her neck.

She switched off the lights and laid down, and I took off my jeans and laid down beside her. Her eyes glistened in the darkness that my eyes were getting adjusted to. Amanda brought her hand to my cheek and cupped my jaw and slowly brushed away the bangs of hair that fell on my forehead.

I inched closer, and she swiftly removed the T-shirt that was covering her body and cuddled up to my chest, letting the warmth of her body sink into my skin. I snuggled closer and held her tight against my vibrating chest, and my eyes welled. I didn't know why, but I felt more insecure now than ever.

"Baby... You know I'm always here with you... For you," she whispered into my chest and planted a lingering kiss, softly stroking it thereafter.

"I know. It's just... I've been feeling off since this afternoon... no particular reason, but I just-...never mind. I don't want to bring it up again," I sighed and kissed the top of her head.

She raised her head slightly and looked up to meet my eyes.

"Taehyung... he will not come back." She stated confidently and patted my chest reassuringly.

As much as I keep telling myself that he may not come back, I could never brush it aside completely that he will not try his dirty tricks with us once again. I feel frustrated by the fact that the very thought of him makes me feel so insecure.

Of course, I trust my wife more than anyone else in this world, and I know it for a fact that he will never hurt her. But he never targetted her. All he ever wanted was to eliminate me. The first time he tried it a few years ago, we ended up in a mess, yet that was when Amanda and I entered a new phase in life.

I feel so less of a man when my panic attacks strike me. I feel so inadequate, and the fear that I may not be able to protect the woman in my life grips around my throat like a vice. The nightmares of that dreadful night sometimes haunt me to such an extent that I end up popping anti-anxiety pills to regain my composure.

"I know..." I breathed out. "I love you."

Amanda came up to my side and slowly but firmly captured my lips in hers—her way of affirming her strong love. Her warmth and love literally seemed to be wiping away my worries and reassuring me that everything would be fine. The softness of her skin and the firmness of her kiss healed me, and we soon fell asleep in each other's arms.

Your thoughts?

He's giving the puppy eyes. Please give him the world.
🤧
Published on : 09/26/2021