That One Summer 《 Vmin 》

Chapter 17

"Are you ok?" He says as he squats to gets to my level, with a little grin on his smugged face, sounding falsely worried.

He knew.

"When did you figure it out," I say sounding defeated.

"Figure out what," he says, and we both know he knows what I'm talking about.

I sigh as I get up from me knees. "That I was hurt all over my body."

"It was just a hunch," he says with a shrug, also getting up and his gaze softening on me. "Also, you should come up with a better lie."

I pause and think about what he said.

"That I didn't really fall down the stairs," I say as I look to the ground and put my hand on my wrist. "You knew."

"I know you Tae," he says, sounding a little heartbroken. "You don't have to tell me how this time, but if it happens again please tell me."

I can't make eye contact with him, starting to feel guilty that I purposely lied and didn't tell him about the rest of the bruises on my body.

Since none of the muscles in my neck was going to lift my face so we would have eye contact, he softly puts a finger under my chin and lifts my head so we make direct contact. "Ok Taehyung?"

All of it takes me by surprise, the chin lift, the worry in his eyes, even him suddenly calling me by my name.

My face starts to feel warm and its too much for my heart to handle so I awkwardly turn away and do a little nod with a mmh sound.

He stays in the position for a little, with his arm extended to me, reaching his fingers out.

He then stiffly pulls his hand slowly away and kind of clintches it back to his side, his head tilted down with his bangs covering his eyes.

"Jiminie?"I say as I try to see his face, trying to see the expression he's making right now.

"hmm," he says as he looks up, with the expression of just waking up and not knowing what was going on. I think he was deep in thought.

Is he ok? I should ask right? That's what friends do.

"Hey, Jimi-"

"ok," he says as he starts to turn. "Lets go"

"Go?" I question more to myself but I say it out loud. "Go where?"

"To my house," he says like it's so obvious.

My face still shows confusion about what he meant; he can tell I'm confused and he sighs at my slowness.

"So I can treat your wounds."

He sees my the realization on my face as I nod my head. "You don't have to do that though. I'm fine"

"Well I'm going to do it anyway," he says as he crosses his arm. "Plus weren't you coming to my place anyway. Might as well clean it while we're there."

"True," I say as he does have a point. "So does this mean you were coming to my place if I met you in the middle of the woods.

"Well, yeah, I knew you were hurt so I wanted to check on you."

When he said that, why did my heart start beating rapidly?

"Anyway," he says as he nods his head in the direction of his house. "Come on."

I move my leg to walk, but as I step my knees buckle under me and I start to fall.

"Ah," I make a little yelp sound as I fall. I quint my eyes expecting the impact of the grassy ground, but it never happened.

Instead I feel a small hand around my waist and my weight slumping on Jiminie's shoulder, with the addition of a little throb from my bruised on my side.

My first thought is that Jiminie has really good reflexes. Once he gets me stable, he quickly pulls his hand away and clinches it.

"Sorry," he says softly and apologetic.

Oh, I think I'm staring.

"No it's fine. Thank you," I say because I don't knew why he's apologizing though.

He start to walk with putting a little distance between us.

How come he's not being clingy? He actually seems more distant like we're strangers.

He unlocks the door and opens it to a dark space, turning on the light as we walk in.

I expected his mom to come running towards us squealing Tae kitty like she always does, but all that hugs me is a blanket of cold breeze from their ac.

"Where's your mom?" I question as I excuse myself further into his house.

"Oh, she and my dad went somewhere for some kind of business party. They were dressed up all fancy and everything."

"Wait, does that mean its just you and me in the house?"

"Well, yeah basically," he says as he eats a cookie. "So?"

"It-It's nothing." I say

I mean it really is nothing, right? It's no big deal we'll just hang out. Yeah, that's it.

"Oh, do you want one?" He offers but I shake my head no as I'm still thinking.

"Ok," he says as he chucks the last piece in his mouth and dusts his hands clean of the cookie crumbs. "Take your shirt off."

"Ah yeah sur-," I start to raise up my shirt without thinking but stops when I realize. "wait what?"