Reversed

☆35☆

Jimin stared down at her hand and he raised his hand timidly to hold it, feeling her grip it gently. When she said the word "friend" his heart sank a bit. In the end, he had friend-zoned himself. He smiled slightly and nodded. "Is it okay if I message you once in a while?"

Nari smiled and nodded. "I would enjoy that. It's not everyone who can say they get texts from famous idols." She laughed lightly and he loved it. His ears tingled with the sound of it. He felt himself smiling like an idiot.

He held her hand loosely, not really wanting to let go of it. However, time ticked on and Nari began to try and tug her hand away so he had to let go. "Sorry," he murmured.

Nari smiled a little and made her way towards the door. "Thanks for the adventure, Jimin. I look forward to getting to know you more." She quickly turned and left the room, feeling embarrassed at what she had just said.

Gee, Nari, could you be anymore awkward and forward? He just wanted to be your friend. Not like he was going to ask you out on a date.

She walked out the door into the dark night and headed towards the nearest bus stop that would carry her home.

* * *

Jimin stood in the middle of the now silent meeting room. His heart was going insane and so was his head. What had just happened? He had friend-zoned himself and then sent a girl out into the dark of night all alone. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he realized what an awful thing he had just done. He ran out of the room and saw her just walking out of the building's back door. He jogged quickly and slammed the door open, racing up to get beside her. "Nari, wait. I can't let you go home alone. Really. At least let me go with you."

Nari looked over at him and her face showed she was slightly confused. "You're saying you want to ride the busses home with me?"

"Um, basically, yes." Jimin smiled and nodded. His eyes had disappeared into small crescents and he could in no way wipe the grin off his face as he realized he might be close to his current wish, which was just to spend more time with her.

"Alright. I can't stop you." She smiled and began walking, Jimin close beside her.

They walked for a couple of blocks just making small talk about the fansign and their music show performance for the day. Soon, Jimin felt a cold chill rush wash over his body and even with his hands stuffed into his pockets he felt it.

Nari saw him shiver and she stopped, staring at him in amazement. "Jimin?"

"Hm?" He stopped walking and looked her in the face.

"Where's your coat?!" She watched as he suddenly realized why he was so cold. His hands bolted out of his pockets and started rubbing his arms vigorously. "Did you forget it?"

Jimin couldn't tell if he was blushing from embarrassment or the cold had made his cheeks pink, either way he was embarrassed. "I...I guess I did." He suddenly realized he didn't have his mask or hat either. This was gearing up to be a perfect storm of drama and problems.

Nari watched horror and uneasiness wash across his face. He began looking back and forth and she realized he had followed her without thinking of how he could be exposed. She smiled and tugged her scarf off her neck. She wasn't sure if he would know what she meant for him to do with it if she merely handed it to him, so she reached over his head and laid it on the back of his neck, gently wrapping it around the bottom half of his face.

Jimin's eyes widened in shock at the close proximity of his crush. His bias. His favorite pianist. His heart began pounding and he no longer felt the cold as warmth spread throughout his body at an alarming rate. He watched in stunned silence as she removed the matching beanie off of her head and just as gently reached up and tugged it down over his hair. It was a bit snug but he knew it would stretch out. He felt bad that his head might stretch out the hat her sister made especially for her.

Nari watched his expression change to one of concern. "It will go back to its original shape if I wash it so don't worry. Also, I'm sorry it's pink but I get the feeling you don't have a problem with pink given your hair," she said motioning towards his head.

Jimin dropped his head and laughed. "No, you're right. I'll wear it well," he said, standing tall and smiling proudly behind the sweet smelling scarf. He felt much less exposed this way but he couldn't help but feel bad that now her neck and head were exposed to the cold.

Her neck...

He gulped and quickly turned, indicating they should keep walking.

Nari giggled softly at the man now sporting a pink and white scarf and beanie walking ahead of her a few steps. She had probably been a bit too forward a few moments ago but her arms had practically acted out on their own. Her hands had grazed the skin of his face when she slid the scarf around it. It was soft and surprisingly warm. She felt her own face warm slightly.

What is wrong with me?! Is it because he is a world famous idol that I'm enamored with his attention? I can't possibly find him that attractive since I don't even know him. Maybe I should stop watching romantic dramas. Yeah. That's it.

The pair got onto the waiting bus and Jimin led her to the back of the bus, leaving her an empty seat next to the window, which she took. He scooted a respectful distance away from her, at least a good six inches. He could still smell her scent from where he sat.

They rode on in amicable silence for a while. Both suffering from a bad case of nervousness. Jimin finally decided to break the ice; being the man, he felt it was his responsibility anyway. "So what kind of tea did you give us?"

"Ah, tea? Right! The tea." She laughed nervously at having lost track of everything except the man very close to her. "The ones I gave the other members were good for skin care, energy, and mental clarity. Yours is my favorite tea."

"Oh yeah?" he said, again smiling widely behind the scarf.

Nari could see he was smiling because his eyes practically disappeared every time he did. His hands were folded in his lap, his fingers intertwined with themselves. She noticed his hands were only slightly bigger than hers but they were small. She thought about how adorable it was and got so engrossed in her thoughts she almost forgot what she had been wanting to say. She managed to nod and smile. "Y-yes. It's packed with caffeine so don't drink it too late at night." She warned him with a bit too much seriousness and it made him giggle.

"Did you make these up yourself?" he asked, adjusting the scarf so his lower face was totally covered.

"Oh no," she laughed, shaking her head. "Jun did it."

"Jun?" asked Jimin, suddenly feeling a dark cloud rising over his head at the mention of some other man's name.

"My coworker. You've met him briefly I think."

"Hm, I can't remember him. Anyway, he made our teas?" Jimin struggled to keep the bitter tone out of his voice. Truth was, he remembered barista boy. He also remembered him walking with Nari after the concert. He was none too impressed with Mr. Jun's ability to do anything other than breathe.

"Yeah, he did. See, Nana had only been able to prepare for two fansigns when it came to gifts and things. So, last night I realized I had nothing for you guys tonight. I asked him to make up a few mixes. I hope you enjoy it," she said softly.

Jimin felt himself smiling again and he nodded. "I'll try to enjoy it on a day I have a lot of schedules."

Soon they had arrived at her dormitory and she stood up to get off the bus. He scrambled to hand her her scarf and beanie back to her but she smiled and shook her head. "Keep them till we meet again. I can't send you home in this freezing weather without something on." She grinned and then turned slightly towards him and leaned in and whispered, "Not to mention the scandal! Thanks again for making sure I got home." She laughed at her own teasing and then walked away, leaving him sitting in the back of the bus.

Jimin felt a stupid smile spread across his face and it never left the rest of the night.