it's just kissing | m.j ✓

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

Ever since the Christmas tree decorating incident, Namjoon had been extra careful about accidentally spending additional time around Jimin. As a result, the bar owner constantly finds himself staying cooped up in his office well past business hours, seemingly hiding from the rest of the world. As much as he trusts everyone who works at the bar, he doesn't trust them to keep Jimin away from him, so now he has no other choice but to protect himself somehow.

Sure his body is paying the price for it, but he's willing to sacrifice sleep and his physical well-being if it means avoiding any situation which may force the two to spend time alone with each other. Fortunately, Jimin hadn't picked up on this blatant evasion tactic and has been treating him the more or less the same, complete with toothy smiles and all.

Does he want to spend time with Jimin? Yes. Of course he does. He's well past the stage of trying to deny it. If Jimin would allow it, he'd do much more than just spend time decorating a x-mas tree with the other man. He'd pull the smaller man into his arms and hold him for hours on end. He'd hold Jimin's hand and take him all across town and show him what the city has to offer, just to see the man smile. He'd take Jimin to count stars again. He'd kiss every corner of Jimin's body and tell him how beautiful he is every single night without fail.

But from what his employees tell him, things are going quite well with Jimin and Mingyu and the couple's been spending a lot of time with each other so why would he actively place himself in the path of self-torture?

Namjoon presses his eyes with the palm of his hands, no longer able to keep his eyes fixated on the computer screen in front of him. It's been almost an hour since Hoseok had announced that they're done for the day, which means that the bar has to be completely empty by now. His sore muscles are yelling at him to just go to bed already, so Namjoon caves and finally peels himself off the chair.

"What the fuck are you doing," the bar owner mutters under his breath, a sudden sense of stupidity hitting him like a slap in the face as he mulls over his current state. Who would have thought that Kim Namjoon would come to this. He used to fear nothing. He didn't have to hide from anyone. But now this. Cooped up in his office when he has a perfectly fine apartment waiting for him. Hiding because of someone who's not even interested in him.

The absurdity of it all almost makes him laugh.

Namjoon slowly makes his way out the office, cracking his neck and massaging his own shoulders. He needs to find a way to distract himself other than by being on his laptop, because at the rate he's going, he won't be able to stay upright before the year's over. He can't wait till he gets home. He's willing to bypass taking a nice warm shower if it means he can just pass out on his bed.

Yet, because the world has suddenly decided to punish him for all the heartbreaks he has inadvertently caused, he hears the familiar sound of glass hitting each other as soon as he sets his foot on the 1st floor. And he sees Jimin standing behind the bar, holding a metal shaker in one hand and an empty martini glass in the other.

Namjoon holds his breath, wondering if he can just sneak back up the stairs without being noticed. However, the thought quickly dissipates when he witnesses Jimin pouring a ruby-colored liquid into the glass in front of him, the fluidity of the liquid almost hypnotizing as it continues to pour from the shaker.

Jimin sets the shaker down and pulls the drink towards his nose, slowly inhaling its scent. After a quick tilt of his head, Jimin takes a small sip and then sets the glass down as well, something akin to disappointment evident on his usually good-natured features. Something is bothering the man, and Namjoon finds that he can no longer bring himself to remain in hiding.