Not My Bias - An Im Jaebeom (JB) Fanfic

Departure - Chapter 17

Jaebeom turned to me and asked, "Are you okay doing that much online training time with me between now and our US comeback in December?"

His question had layers to it that my mom and brother didn't understand, but I did. He was asking if I would be willing to have that much contact with him or if I wanted to pull back from that as well. I felt my chest tighten.

"If that's what you want, then I'm able to do it," I heard myself reply. I wanted to know that he wanted to continue our friendship and not feel obligated.

"Absolutely!" he responded, smiling at me with that sideways grin of his. "Who else would I trust but my best friend to help me with this important task," and with that he assured me that the wall I had built was one he could live with.

⊱ ♫ ────── ⋆Jaebeom⋆ ────── ♫ ⊰

Walking around the rest of the day at the park was a challenge. I didn't know where to put my hands. More than ever I found myself wanting to reach out and touch Sharay, from something simple like tapping her to call her attention to something to brushing away a loose strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes. I was glad she had given the Cirque du Solae tickets away. Had I found myself alone with her in a quiet darkened setting, I think my resolve to comply with her 'hands-off' policy would have dissipated.

During dinner, I received the call I had feared would come from JYP. The whole incident with that lady at the awards party was not dying down and the longer we went without me making a formal appearance and comment on the matter, the worse the rumors swirled. I was going to have to return to Korea, leaving on Thursday. There was a press conference set for Friday evening. Now all I had to do was confer with TJ about doing my training remotely and find out if Sharay was still willing to be my primary vocabulary, literary, and communications coach. I was concerned she would pull back on that too.

After speaking with TJ, Sharay and Daniel returned from the hotel lobby. The look on Sharay's face let me know that she had already surmised what was going down. All she needed were the details of when I was leaving and that I wouldn't be back, at least not until the comeback fan meetings in December.

As TJ laid out the plan for the remote training schedule, I kept an eye on Sharay to see what her response was. Though she was usually very easy to read, I couldn't tell if she would be willing to work with me that frequently or not, if at all even, so I had to specifically ask.

While her response was not exactly enthusiastic, I decided to take it in a positive light. I was still going to pursue my friendship with her, even if I had to drag her to the relationship kicking and screaming. I was not going to settle for being friend-zoned either.

The following day we returned to Ft. Myers. After the drive, I set about packing and got in four hours of auditory training with TJ at the office. Sharay had opted to stay at the house. While I was disappointed by that, I understood her reasoning since the training was purely involving TJ.

That night, when everyone had gone to bed, I knocked on Sharay's door.

"Come in," she called, probably out of habit more than because she meant to invite me in.

"Hey," I said awkwardly. "Would it be more comfortable for you if I took a taxi to the airport?"

"No. Not at all. It's the least I can do. You have a really tough job ahead of you with the travel and the press conference. Sorry. I haven't made it any easier." Her voice trailed off.

"What do you mean? You've been great. I couldn't have learned as much, as quickly as I have, without you. But, you're right. I'm not looking forward to the press conference. At least I'll have plenty of time on the flight to formulate my thoughts and figure out the best way to diffuse things without having to admit I was in Atlanta instead of at her apartment."