Chapter Sixteen

Pela runs over in a night-wrap burrito-ing her hair. Her perfect thick brows are knit in worry, lips puckered over hot coffee she pours for you. Blow blow blow, she waves her fingers above the cup as she sits on the coffee table before the couches. "Here," she says. The cup is now in your hands. "Go on...take all the time you need," she says.

You let the warmth hit your nostrils. Breathing in and out, back straighter while under the blanket Pela trusted on your shoulders at sun rise today. The apartment brought to life, yet the insides of your fatigue form stays close to dead. No amount of tossing and turning results in any sleep last night.

"Thanks."

Pela nods. You can see the eagerness from the ways her knees tap yours, body leaning over for a want to know more. More more more. Want to know more of an event you yourself cannot clearly process. All of it happened so fast last night...

"I'm sorry I interrupted you with Hoseok last night," you say.

Pela waves her hands. "Oh, that was his name?" she jokes, uninterested in her night being disturbed, "We just danced and drank, it was no big deal." You nod when she rubs your knee and shows you how unaffected she remains. "Besides, seeing you close to tears and shaking was enough for me to stop everything and leave the club. What kind of friend would I be if I hadn't?" That makes you smile.

Her eagerness is back when Pela's smile falls. With a loud sigh, you arch the cup to your lips, taste the tip of the liquid that creates a tunnel past the foam. With a lick, you start.

You tell Pela what happened last night.

In the parking lot and next to Jin's van, you found your feet to stay glued to the rocky ground. A cliché you were. Movements were frozen, and no words left lips that were swollen from Taehyung's kisses. Taehyung's kisses. With a hesitant tilt of your head, lashes batted when spotting the boy. His back was straighter than any nearby street-pole, eyes faced forward. His lips were red from the heat of his blood, mouth opening and closing. Chest heaved for air.

You wanted to say his name. You wanted to ask what just happened. If it meant anything—if it was stupid. Whether on impulse, the minute you opened your mouth, reality washed in a second time. Taehyung's Oki's best friend. Your ex-boyfriend's best friend. Sharing what the two of you did, the only thing louder than your heartbeat was Oki's stumbling feet.

The drunk was by the hood of the van. You held your breath. You forgot the kiss. In this moment, nothing else but being quiet mattered.

Swallowed hard, Taehyung found his gaze fuzzy when he tried to clear it the same he did his throat. Forced smile, he didn't look your way.

From one end of the van, Taehyung's thigh hit the bumper and he cursed when palms met his shoulders. With a smile, Oki held Taehyung up and said, "I can't be tripping, where's the girl?"

Taehyung chuckled when Oki chuckled. It was strained and forced when he asked, "Girl?"

"Yeah!" Oki laughed and pulled away.

"Oki, here, just—"

"Is she here?" Oki snapped his neck to one side of the van. You weren't at that side.

With a grin, he moved past Taehyung's arms around him. He peeked over to opposite side. The spot Taehyung forced you to stand at. Brows furrowed, Oki's smile fell. His back straightened, and he looked to a stiffed Taehyung.

With a soft voice that cracked, Taehyung whispered, "I...I can explain..." No, he couldn't. He didn't understand any of what happened. His eyes were still blurry and his head was on a non-stop ride.

"This isn't funny," Oki said, confused as ever.

"I wasn't laughing," Taehyung reminded, walking forward while about to spew out confusion of his own. "It never will be, I—I don't know what got over me, please jus—"

"Where's the girl at?" Oki blurted, exposing where his curiosity lied. You weren't at either side of the van.

Taehyung shut up when hearing that. Walking forward, he met Oki's side. There was no one. None.

With a slow blink, Taehyung glanced at the car. He seemed to shiver, and you knew what he was thinking about. More so, what. Taehyung tasted and felt you in his mouth. The same as you did with his taste. In the small corner of bushes near, you watched the way Taehyung licked his lips. You followed and licked yours.

"No, dude I can't seriously be tripping out that bad," Oki laughed, but there was a seriousness under his tone when glancing over to Jin and Yoongi who look relieved. The rest of his friends that knew what happened remained tense, the others, the same as Oki's state of obliviousness. "I'm not the only one who saw someone right?" He laughed again as he rubbed his eyes.

"She probably got scared of you showing face...probably ran off," someone shouts. Mind far away, Taehyung couldn't pinpoint who said this. A voice that saved him momentarily.

From where you cursed and slapped away leaves, you couldn't see either. Giving up, you focused your attention on Taehyung again. Eyes drifting forward and backward to both the boys that were the closest to you. Your eyes lingered on Oki. He was close. Too close. One movement or twitch, he'd hear.

Taehyung glanced at his friends. Not Jin and Yoongi. He glanced at the others that were close to him and Oki. Like brothers, they sunk their heads down, looked over in disappointment. Some shook their heads while others eyed Taehyung with, "You've got to tell him soon," looks. Blinking and seeing hazy images of what happened next. Taehyung couldn't help what his stomach performed. Arching in a bend, hurling and heaving. Taehyung threw up.

Oki, disgusted, laughed and patted Taehyung's back. He moved his shoes, so they did not get dirtied from vomit. Yoongi ran to help take care of Taehyung. Jin shouted, "Not in front of my van!" only to run over and pet the hood of his car.

Taehyung threw up more. Good, far, and everlasting. There were a few faces in the crowd that heaved themselves, holding their lips shut and forcing vomit-sprees from not spilling.

"Just let it all out," Yoongi whispered, nose crinkled. "Y-Yah, near Jin's car. Just let it all—"

"I hate this," Jin sighed, leaning against the van and looking away from the brutality that dripped on the pavement below his boots.

You looked at the way Jin pet the hood of his van. Slow pets. Soft pets. Your cheeks flushed when recalling the way Taehyung handled you similar. Although rough in moments near the end, the way his long fingers gripped your thighs remained engrained and memorized.

A breath hitched. Eyes bounced up to see Jin's that were wide. It took a second to realize that he stared at you. Right at you. His eyes were wide, alerted, and petrified. With a sinking into the bush, the leaves rustled, and your eyes blinked shut hard.

When you opened them next, Jin waved his hand at his neck. He signalled an 'end' a 'deadman' sign, only to point at his shirt. When you didn't get it, he moved his hand to cup breasts he didn't have. Glancing down, you saw the orange you wore. The orange two-piece in the swarm of green. Fuck. I'm visible.

Pela gasps now. "Did Oki see you?"

You take one sip of your coffee and shake your head. Before Pela can intrude and ask more questions, you continue, "He didn't see me in the bush."

Jin, next to his van, popped his eyes to the side. Aggressively told you to leave and get out, you didn't hesitate to listen. With a few fights with leaves and branches, poking yourself became a speciality as blood drew. Orange and splashes of red. What an outfit!

Your body shuffled army-style, glued to the fence behind your back. The parking lot was huge. The cars were parked too close to the fence. Out of the green and now open for the chill of the night to eat at your new wounds, you hid low, bent. Looking far across, you saw the backs of many of Oki's friends, only to see some of Taehyung's vomit that was on the floor.

Your eyes met the club's line. A line that was still larger than ever. Eyes meeting the body guard's in front. His brows furrowed when you looked away too fast. Then he saw the red splashing on your shoulder blade, and he whispered to his partner on the inside of the club door.

He was a big man. A handsome man. A man that would've looked better far away from you trying to remain calm and casual. None worked. He was in front of you in no time, his feet blocking yours that were twice as big in comparison.

"Weren't you with Taehyung?" Taehyung and his boys truly were popular here. Having come with him, now you were as well. Who would've thought being popular would bite you in the ass?

"No," you said.

His brows furrowed. He looked at your messy hair and the dirt that collected by your temple. "Why're you lookin' like that?"

"I'm offended," you huffed in. Hair combed out with your hand, you stood straight, wiped the blood off your back and tried not to wince at the small cut that seemed to barrel out loads of warm liquid. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go in and get my fr—" Your breath hitched when the guard took hold of your arm. "Are you allowed to touch me this way?" you barked and he only ignored, pulling you away from the club.

"Where's Taehyung?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"You left with him. I ain't stupid lady."

"Lady? Who're you calling a 'lady'?"

"I can't let you in the club without him. Might as well go to the end of the line if you're so eager."

Your shoulders sulked. "N-No, please let me just grab my friend in there and I'll come right out."

"Go to the end of the line and I'll pretend I'm not worried. Last I wanna know is that you killed my boy out in the parking lot or somethin'." The guard pushed you back when you urged to squirm past him.

"Please? You can come in with me and—"

"End of the line."

"I—"

About to yell and bite the guard's hand. You stopped when hearing your name called from behind. With confused eyes, you looked over to spot Khalil. Eyes widened when viewing your back, you saw the shock and confusion from his eyes shift to awareness. He saw the orange on your skin, the red by your cut, the dirt on your temple, and your obvious fight to run inside. Khalil's figured it out. Khalil, one of Oki's more...how would you put this lightly...slower friends.

Oh how I wish he was slow now too! You looked at his jeans he was about to zip down to pee. By the bricks, his eyes widened and all holes within you vanished. Khalil wasn't slow this time.

"Y-You're the girl in the orange...FUCK! YOU'RE—"

Instead of fighting the guard, you pranced on Khalil. He shuffled back and tried to rip away from your dirty palm that worked to slap over his lips. He had a girl with him and she shrieked away, rushing over to the guard that gawked bewildered. The crowd in the line started to whisper, some started to chant for a fight. Others laughed when Khalil whisked around, limped, and shouted, "Oki!" like a sibling calling for an ass-whooping on another sibling in the wrong. You: the sibling in the wrong—waiting on a parent's slapping hand to come pounding down on all your limbs.

"Khalil please, please don't—"

"Bitch get off me! I don't know you like that!"

"I know of you, doesn't that count? P-Please don't—"

"I don't know of you! Let me go!"

You sighed to yourself. The reality of Oki never talking about you to his own friends was a fact you knew. Why it still stung? You didn't know.

Amid your thoughts, Khalil slipped away. The boy that barely knew of you made sure everyone in the parking lot would. The boy that didn't know of your intentions, plastered assumptions out like any loyal friend Oki was lucky to have. You: the unlucky one.

"I found the girl!" He screamed as he pulled you now. You struggled the same he did a minute ago. Begging and wishing to be someone else, the imaginary morphing you wished upon your face didn't come. Out in the open, forearm sore when Khalil tugged one last time, you gawked over at Jin who spotted you first out of the mob.

Jin slapped the hood of his van hard.

Yoongi, he patted Taehyung's back too hard. Taehyung jumped forward, grabbing his stomach and moaning when looking up. Out of it and having his world spin, it was clear to you that Taehyung wasn't here with you to fall alongside.

Some of Oki's friends you recognized. You'd never met them, nor had you been introduced to them, but they looked over. Many were surprised and shocked that you hadn't escaped and that made you confused. There was only a jumbling few that looked angry and alarmed, finding out a new fact they didn't know of. Eyes on the others that did know of you, before you could wonder why they rooted for your escape, a woman caught your eye.

A woman beside Oki's drunk side. His head was in her neck and smothered. Her hair an escape. You could've ran, you could've hid. But you froze. You saw the way the woman kissed the boy and he kissed her back. With tears in your eyes from what was to happen, you found more to sprout from anger. You didn't like this anger. Not for the reasons behind it.

Flinched. You ripped away from Khalil and screamed, "If he can move on with whoever he likes, I can do the same!"

You could tell Oki recognized the scream of your voice. His hands fell from the girl he was wrapped against. His head away from her hair. Eyes shot over, smile fallen. Oki's eyes met your watering ones. He saw the orange dress the same way his oblivious friends did. He put the puzzles pieces together with them all and there, reflected glassy eyes ripped into a sobering anger. You didn't like this anger. Not for the reasons behind it.

Oki glanced away from you and over to Taehyung. The puzzle finished.

Something clicked within him and you witnessed every millisecond of it. Fast, instant, and impulsive.

You sigh into your coffee, eyes squinting when reliving the sight of Oki's eyes last night. Pain, hurt and anger. You take a sip, then another and another. Pela blinks and whispers, "Oh no."

"Oki saw me...he figured it out with the rest of them."

Snuggling within the blanket and wishing for it to comfort you from the mess of memory, you dread the next question Pela asks. You know of it's coming but wish not to answer to it.

Fear snatches Pela's tongue when she asks, "What happened next?"

-

A/N: With assignments done, I will be updating fast the next few days. ❤️

Dedicated to a birthday girl that I cherish! kim_nxmjoon HAPPY BELATED! 💝