Pandora's Hope

Best Friends

Then she came back pleading for another chance. He doesn't know why he took her back but he thought it was a good idea at first, until it wasn't. Nothing had changed. He was bored and only tolerating her. He did everything he could to show her love but she always found something to complain about. Never satisfied. Never grateful. Never bothered to appreciate him for anything he did for her. He left her for good a few months ago and he's been living free since.

Living free has its drawbacks though. Nights can be lonely when he finds himself with no one to help him with the stiffness that grows in his boxers late at night. At this point he's starting to get tired of his right hand. He misses the physical companionship that came with being in a relationship. The skinship he loves so much.

"Hobi," Nari says bringing him back to reality. "Go home."

"What?"

"You still have work in the morning and it's getting late. Go home so I won't have to listen to you bitch about struggling to wake up."

"Boyfriend picking you up?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you always try to kick me out early when he's picking you up. He still doesn't trust you? Even after all of these years?"

"Hobi, please," she sighs.

"He's that insecure that you can't have male friends? Or he's so controlling that you can't have any friends?"

"Not the time or place, Hobi."

"Fine," he says standing. "You have to live with him, not me."

"Fuck. Off. Hobi."

"See you tomorrow," he smiles and heads out the door.

They have that same conversation every week. Usually he stays until close, but occasionally she'll force him out early because she knows her boyfriend, Leo will be by soon to pick her up. He seems to hate the idea of her having friends, but especially guy friends. The closer the friend, the angrier he gets. She'll beg Hoseok to stay away when he's around just to keep the peace. So he does it to keep the peace, but he always makes sure to give her shit for it. She's better off alone than with that guy.

Speaking of alone, he finds himself laying in the bed another night with no one to hold. Shouldn't cuddle buddies be a thing? He thinks to himself. Someone who he can sleep with, maybe fuck, but at least just sleep with. No strings attached, just cuddling themselves to sleep. Wouldn't that be nice.

The next night he takes his regular seat at the bar. It's Friday so it's one of the busier nights. Usually when he has nothing better to do he'll stay there all night and help with any drunk assholes that may try to cause problems. He's not much of a body guard but he can still fight off a few douchebags if he needs to.

Since it's busy he just stays at the bar getting maybe a minute or two of conversation out of Nari every so often until things die down. In the meantime he usually strikes up conversations with other solo drinkers sitting there. Usually women, he can't help it, he gets lonely.

As he's sipping his whiskey he starts chatting with a cute girl who seems to be there alone. She's petite and adorable with dark brown hair that reaches just below her jaw. They quickly go from small talk to discussing their favorite songs.

Her name is Taebin and she's an accountant for a large hotel chain. Hoseok told her about his job as a business analyst and then they bonded over the daily corporate struggle. They bonded over hating the corporate world but not sure what else to do. Then they bonded over both being dancers when they were younger.

He finds himself talking to her nearly the entire night until she decides to finally head home, but not before exchanging numbers with him. She says she wanted to share some songs with him and in exchange he said he'd share some of his favorite shows with her since she said she was looking for something new to binge.