archetype | kth.

twenty seven.

Nichole tried her best to forget that talk in her room with Taehyung. She just wanted to forget everything about him so when Jungkook asked her out on a date, she accepted. She was tired of being the one who loved more and sacrificed more.

Mina smiled in support but Nichole could tell that Mina wasn't fully supportive of her decision even though Mina was the one telling Nichole to move on.

"Stop giving me that look." Nichole snapped one day. "You were the one who kept telling me to move on. Now that I am, you look like you're not supportive of it."

"Nichole," Mina said with a sad smile, "the look on your face? That's not how you should look when you're about to go and move on."

"You want me to look ecstatic?" Nichole asked. "How am I supposed to look?"

"I know had been telling you to move on from him-" Mina placed a hand on Nichole as a supportive gesture. "- I'll support you through any decision you make. I just want the best for you, Nichole."

"Yeah, I know." Nichole hugged her friend. "Sorry for snapping as if you haven't been there for me. I'm just so confused right about now. Every part of me wants to believe that he isn't into Selena anymore but I just can't. It hurts so much."

Mina stroked the back of Nichole's head softly. "It'll get better. If not, I'll go punch people to make you feel better."

Nichole giggled, "I love you, Mina."

"I love you too, Nicki."

-

"I've been looking for you." Taehyung tried to keep his tone even so it didn't reveal the obvious panic in him.

"Well, it looks like you've succeeded."

Taehyung couldn't read the look in Nichole's usual expressive eyes and it scared him more than anything. "Nic, let's talk."

"I can't, I have a date."

And that sentence made Taehyung's blood run cold. He panicked, the words he practiced over and over in his head to say had vanished. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. It felt like Nichole was slipping through his hands like sand. Memories of his conversation with Jin came into his head and he tried to regain all the confidence he had lost.

"With who?"

"Jungkook." Nichole buttoned up her blouse, keeping two buttons open. "We're apparently going to some restaurant, the one I told you about. The one with the crazy French names." Nichole laughed, but there wasn't a hint of humor in it. "Who knew that Jungkook of all people, would take me?"

Taehyung tried not to imagine Nichole being all cute and happy on the date, his cheeks flushed red. When he thought of Jungkook actually taking care of Nichole instead of him, his face contorted with jealousy. It had hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Nic, just hear me out, please." Taehyung was now pleading.

"I've done that already, Taehyung." Nichole looked at him coldly. "All it did was leave me nowhere."

Taehyung stood there watching Nichole turn to the mirror to fasten a choker. "I love you, Nichole." Nichole froze in her tracks, her hands stopped moving around the back of her neck. Taehyung stepped in and fastened the clasp for her. A shiver ran through Nichole when Taehyung's cold fingers brushed against the back of her neck. Taehyung felt a burst of hope that Nichole believed him but it didn't last long when she stepped away from his touch.

It took a moment for Nichole to register what Taehyung said, "Do you want me to lie to your face and tell you that everything's okay right now?" Nichole was running a hand through her gravity-defying curls.