Beastly Beauty ✓

18. The Arsonist

"Ah, again?!"

Holding a hand to my sore forehead, I looked up to see a head of red hair, dark irises, and a pale hand holding his chin. Yoongi winced as he rubbed the area, staring down at me heatedly. "That skull is a hazard," he muttered under his breath as he brushed past me.

A pair of deep chuckles sounded just in front of me. Namjoon and Taehyung came up to the door, neither of them bothering to hide their amusement at what they'd just witnessed. Before either was able to speak, my attention went to the person who came up behind them. His sepia eyes hesitantly met mine and the moment they did, his brows knit together in concern.

"I'll be back," I said before walking past Taehyung and Namjoon. I looked away from Seokjin while passing him, knowing that he saw all the pain and uncertainty harbored within me. Never had I managed to veil my feelings from him in the past, and it seemed that still held true.

With the hope that none of them would come after me, my feet carried me down the hallway and back into the main lobby where a few people were waiting. Deciding that I needed to be away even from strangers, I exited through the automatic doors. A cool breeze instantly caressed my face as I walked outside, the gentle wind whispering to me that everything would be alright. It was soothing, the way my hair blew out of my face and my lungs could finally take in a full, clean breath. While it couldn't wash away everything - especially my worry for Jimin - it was enough to ground me.

I rested my back against the side of the building, just wishing for time to skip to when I could see my best friend. I'd once believed that Jin was the person who kept me afloat, but it was clear in hindsight that it had always been Jimin. In the midst of all that water, he was the motivation that kept my aching muscles working; I might've drowned if not for him.

With my head tilted back, I let my eyes drift closed. After a few minutes went by, I heard the doors open and footsteps slowly approach. When they stopped in front of me, I peeked and found Hoseok standing there with his hands in his pockets.

He glanced over me carefully to determine what state I was in, then he wordlessly moved to my side and joined me in resting on the wall. His decision to say nothing and just stand beside me provided more comfort than anything else would've. Somehow he knew that in that moment, it was the best thing he could do for me.

I wanted to be upset at him. I was upset at him for keeping multiple secrets, but buried within me was the belief that he wished to tell me as much as I wished to know. As I turned my head to face him and he did the same, we both fell entranced in the hushed seconds that ticked along. The wind glided by, carrying a fews strands of his hair and draping them over his yellowish eyes.

Wildly foolish was what came to mind as soon as I caught my fingers longing to brush the strands away. Absurd was the label I gave to the slow-growing burn that only seemed to light deep in my chest when certain moments passed between us, when time stilled and I felt like I saw beyond all the barriers he worked so hard to build around him. In those rare flashes of vulnerability, the last thing I could see him being was something dark or twisted.

In that instant, I came to realize that the battle I continued to wage against myself was futile. I was destined to lose from the start. Every strike my mind made against my heart did nothing to sway it from its path. It was possible to temporarily stall it from moving forward, but it would only be a waste of time in the end.

The mound of unknowns was the sole thing that made me want to stall. If that would just clear away, I wouldn't stop myself from handing my trust over to him.

I opened my mouth to speak, never wavering from his gaze. "Hoseok..."

If you want him to be open with you, show him that you are willing to do the same.