Jimin had told Namjoon and Aera to head out and wait for him there, making up an excuse that he had to grab something. The truth was, his knee was killing him again. The pain was so intense that he literally had to stop shortly and wait for it to subside, only this time it persisted way longer than usual.

It looked like the pills Jin had given him weren't going to work after all, at least not if he didn't increase the dosage as much as he didn't want to do that. He couldn't tell Namjoon about it, because then he'd get worried and he'd stop him from fulfilling his duty. He'd keep him away from Aera.

Finally, when the pain decreased to a point where he could walk again, Jimin shuffled to the hotel foyer, desperately trying to keep up a steady gait so it wasn't obvious he had difficulties walking. His gaze pinned to the ground, he was unaware of his surroundings and winced when someone shouldered him brusquely aside.

"There you are," a deep, husky voice reached his ears before he could turn around to see its owner. "I was looking for you. Where's your lil' bossy boss?" ruffled raven black bangs draped his forehead and fell over his night black hues with pupils a little bit too dilated for this time of day. A lip ring sparkled on his lower lip and his short sleeves revealed the numerous tattoos gracing his toned arms from his broad shoulders to his fingertips, including one on the left side of his neck. Dressed in black from head to toe, he was wearing baggy and oversized clothes which gave him an unkempt and shaggy look, preventing him to fit in in the lavish luxurious hotel foyer. He certainly didn't belong there.

Jimin knit his eyebrows together, obviously recognizing him. "Who let you in here?"

The stranger let out a huff. "Listen man, I don't need any more bad blood between us. I just need my money and since your lil' princess isn't giving it to me, I'm here to collect them myself. So tell me now, where is she?" his hand shot to his pocket to pull out a small hand knife.

Jimin remained unbothered by the gesture. "You sure have a lot of gut to come here but just so you know, I can throw you out just like I did the last time you were here. So I'm asking you nicely now, please leave and get back to the streets where you belong," he mumbled in a flat, monotone voice.

The man pursed his lips, shrugging nonchalantly. "See, dude, I knew you'd say that. I'll get to her one way or another, you know. Whoever buys from me always pays up, no matter if they're a beggar or a word-class millionaire. And you should know, she's not as innocent as she seems. I know things about her that will make the hair on your head stand up," he gave a forced grin, revealing a set of white teeth, the canines seemingly a little bit sharper than normal.

"Get the hell out of here before I break most of your bones," Jimin grumbled, already on the edge of his patience. Just as he was about to stomp past the stranger, he felt a solid grip around his upper-arm. His eyesight went blurry and his pulse rate spiked, his breath caught up in his throat as an alarming flush spilled over his cheeks. A rush of rising panic shot through his body when he felt something in his pants swell.

"What the fuck," Jimin hissed under his breath. Upon yanking off his arm abruptly, the bizarre sensations subsided as quickly as they had appeared, leaving him to stare jaw-slacked at the man in front of him that observed him wordlessly. "How much?" Jimin snapped, still as shellshocked while rummaging through his pockets for his wallet.

The man smirked. "Three hundred."

"There are four hundred here," Jimin muttered, handing over the cash as an insurmountable urge to walk away as soon as possible overwhelmed him. "Now get out of my face and if I ever see you around here again, you'd be collecting your teeth from the floor."

"See, I knew you were reasonable." obvious satisfaction spilled over the man's face, his eyes sparkling at the sight of the money.

Jimin didn't even leave him time to count it before he rushed past him, still a little bit freaked out by the weird sensation that had overwhelmed him a minute ago. He didn't let his mind dwell too much on the thought. There were more important matters at hand for him now.

***

"I've never been here," Aera took a deep breath in upon removing the helmet from her head. She hopped off the motorcycle, her boots sinking into the sand. "Truthfully, I rarely ever get to leave the penthouse."

A melancholic feeling took over her as she realized how true the words were. Everyone always worrying about her safety had more or less stood in the way of her living her life to the fullest, putting her in an imaginary golden cage.

Jimin slid off his gloves and put them in the pocket of his leather jacket. "It's nothing special, really." he gave a crooked smile, taking a few steps to stand next to Aera.

"For me it is," bright-eyed, she spun on her heel, glowing as she offered him a face-splitting grin. "Jimin, I want to thank you for today. It really managed to take my mind off things." she inhaled sharply as her gaze gravitated towards the ground, marveling at the golden sand.

"It's no problem," Jimin simply said, blond locks ruffled by the light ocean breeze as the midnight sky reflected in his amber orbs. His plump lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something, but gave up eventually.

Aera took a step towards him, chest heaving as her breathing deepened. "Jimin, I felt it. I really did. I'm not lying. Something was burning in my room today," her expression suddenly became serious, eyes glistening with sincerity. "Something strange is going on. You have to believe me. I'm not delusional as Hyukjae said. I'm not... I'm not making this up-" her words were cut short as a stifled sob forced its way up her throat, her eyes throbbing from the desperation that washed over her.

"Hey," Jimin hushed her, his hands darting to her shoulders, squeezing them lightly. "I believe you. I really do," he lowered his face to look at her, searching her eyes until he finally found them. "I have an odd feeling too. I can't exactly pin-point it, it's like... like something's hovering in the air. Does this make sense? Today was really weird," so close to her, his silky voice felt like dripping dark chocolate.

Mouth agape, Aera gazed off into his earthy hues as they creased into little crescent moons when he gave her a small smile. As shaken as she was, she was grateful to be met with such gentle understanding from his side. He got her, he really did. All she'd say would be a single world and he'd know exactly what she meant to say.

"I think it would be for the best if we just forget about it. Just for tonight," Jimin smiled. "Actually, I have an idea about how we could do that," he announced before taking his jacket off and going back to put it on the Harley. Bewildered, Aera observed him silently, confusion evident on her face.

"Come on," he waved at her before breaking out into a light sprint towards the desolate beach. Slowly, she shuffled after him, reluctantly at first but soon enough, her excitement grew from his contagious smile.

Aera nearly choked when she saw him take his shirt off and toss it on the sand. The sound from the waves hitting the shore reverberated in her head as she felt her heart start to hammer vigorously in her chest upon seeing his toned muscular chest, and the way his abdominal muscles formed a perfect "V" pointing down towards his crotch.

Never having seen him like this, she was completely stupefied. Her cheeks felt as though someone had pressed hot coal on them and she set free an audible gasp upon witnessing Jimin's hands dart to his belt and unbuckle it. She knew she had to look away but suddenly her body didn't listen to her commands so she ended up observing him sliding his jeans off.

Left in nothing but his boxers, he took a couple of steps to the ocean before glancing over his shoulder at her. "The water's not that cold," he smiled softly. "Are you coming in?"

Aera's brain had entered a state of short-circuit. "I don't know how to swim," she let out hesitantly, bouncing from one foot to the other as the cool ocean breeze pierced through her thin top.

"I won't let you drown," Jimin assured her and as always, she knew she could trust him. That night, she wanted to trust him more than anything. Obviously having noticed her bashful faltering, he turned around to face the ocean. "It's okay, I won't look. You can take your clothes off." he said.

Timidly, Aera pulled her shirt over her head, throwing it on the ground and her jeans quickly followed. Left in nothing but her bikini and her bra, she tiptoed to go into the ocean, hissing slightly when her bare feet touched the cool water. It didn't take long for her to adjust to the temperature as she started moving toward the spot where Jimin was standing at.

He turned around just when she had approached him to the point where her whole body was covered by the water up to her neck. It was then when he peered at her finally, his eyes fixated on her face instead of dropping at her bare body under the water.

"Do you come here often?" Aera let out an awkward laugh, the waves from the ocean gently flowing around their bodies.

"Only when I need to clear my head," Jimin replied, looking up at the night sky. "But it's my first time coming here this time of the night."

"It feels good," Aera admitted, finally letting some of her embarrassment dissipate and taking a moment to enjoy the beautiful view.

"It's very liberating," Jimin said softly, his gaze casting over her wet hair cascading over her bare shoulders. "I thought you needed this. To feel like someone else just for tonight."

"Just for tonight," Aera repeated mindlessly, peering at him to meet his gentle eyes.

Without breaking the eye contact, Jimin's hand migrated to tuck one of her strands behind her ear, causing the breath to hitch in her throat. It suddenly became immensely silent as both their bodies swayed with the motion of the ocean. The muscles in Jimin's arm visibly stiffened as he withdrew it back to his body stiffly, something similar to regret flashing in his dark ebony orbs.

Without giving it too much thought, Aera inched closer, so close that she could hear the irregular breaths leave his mouth. His eyes widened but he didn't lean back and instead shortened the distance between their bodies even more.

Both of them stood frozen, engulfed in the silence. Aera's thoughts frantically crashed around her brain as her impulses slowly overtook her. Suddenly there was nothing else in the world that mattered more that this moment, this moment with Jimin right there. Something very similar to a spark ignited deep into her chest, sending her mind into a frenzy.

Jimin's hand traveled up to her face where it hovered, still not pressing against the skin as if he was hesitating.

"Jimin," Aera breathed out. "You're allowed to touch me."

His plump lips slightly parted as a gasp escaped him. "I-" he exhaled, his fingertips slightly grazing her cheek.

"I'm someone else tonight. Remember?" she aspirated, leaning in closer.

"Just for tonight?" it sounded as if he was repeating his words from a couple of minutes ago, but the sentence came out more like a question. The more he inched closer, the more she could feel his minty scent. He took her chin in between his thumb and forefinger, deep mahogany hues peering into her own. She was almost certain he could hear the violent thudding in her chest.

"Just for tonight." Aera whispered, groaning quietly upon feeling his nose brush against hers. Swiftly, Jimin tilted her face to the side and brought her face closer to his own. His warm lips brushed lightly against hers. A certain longing flickered in his earthy orbs that caused a warm sensation form in the pit of her stomach.

Slowly, her eyelids fell over her eyes as she indulged into the feeling, before he brought their lips together.

Just for tonight.

Author's note:

Hey, guys! Just checking in to see what you all think of the story so far. Are you enjoying it?

I'm curious to know if you have any theories as to what is happening.

Who do you think the man from the hotel foyer is?

As always, thanks for reading 💜