Beautifully Flawed

12. Breaking Walls

Sometimes our walls exist just to see who has the strength to knock them down.
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Dating isn't an idea that Jimin had entertained for the longest time. To him, all he needed was his close friends, work and family and that was enough. His heartbreak felt cold - like concrete drying in his chest. It was unexpected - as most heartbreaks are - on top of the world one minute and cut down the next. That in itself made him build walls around his heart to protect himself from pain and he hadn't allowed anyone around his heart even with a ten foot pole.

That is why he got scared that Jungkook had come crushing into his world and was breaking down his walls without much effort. He gave him that warm fuzzy feeling in his heart and made his stomach turn in knots. While this wasn't even classified as a date, he felt nervous, sweaty and at a loss of what to do with himself. He couldn't tell you when it started to happen but Jungkook had grown on him and he found himself wanting to know what he was all about.

Jungkook on the other hand did not have much experience with dating. After a disappointing end with his high school girlfriend, he had surmised that love - like it is described in fairy tales - was just that, meant for the books and movies. To him, such kind of attraction only existed in the movies. He had wondered if truly love gave one butterflies or made on sweaty and awkward in the presence of their crush. He had never experienced this. Yet, going through it, he couldn't make sense of it. Was it just nerves or had he truly found his one of a kind love?

All the reasons not to do this came flooding in, as if his body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. He felt the soft panic that can grow and fill him. All these questions came running through his mind; what if Jimin decided not to show up? What they had nothing to talk about and it got awkward? He could either let the thoughts swirl into a vortex of stupidity and leave or breathe real slow, let the thoughts leak into the ether and be the real boss of him. Even as he braved himself, because he really wanted to do this, his stomach still knotted.

He wasn't alone with the frayed nerves.

Jimin took a deep breath before he opened the door to the cafe. Café Placé was a cozy high-end restaurant a little ways from their office. He had always loved the place because it suited his tastes. From the way the restaurant was staged to the food to the staff. It had those ceiling to floor windows that let in light. This allowed one to have a view of what was going on outside. The music selection here had always been the best. He had never been disappointed.

The lighting was what brought the whole place together. It was love at first visit for Jimin. No one at the office understood why he went all that way to have lunch so most of the times, he ended up dining alone. Over time it had become his cozy place - for when he was having a crazy day or wanted a little pick me up.

The staff here were friendly and they knew him well. Often times he came here to work when he needed to escape the high pressure environment at work. He had been going there long enough to have a table that was known as his. So when he called today to reserve a table, they placed him at his usual table. It was placed in such a way that when one was seated, they had a full view of the restaurant - they could see the comings and goings as well as have a view of the entire restaurant floor - but anyone coming in wouldn't notice them at first. It was also away from the distraction and noise.

"Hi Minha! It's good to see you again," he smiled as he walked in.

"Mr. Park, it has been a while. Have you been well?" Minha, his favourite server responded.