"Is your friend coming soon?" asks Taehyung before puffing on his Juul. He blows the mango-flavored smoke at Jimin who waves it away with a disgusted face.
"I hope so," I reply. Roxy told us to wait for her in the employee parking lot. We've been sitting here on the asphalt for about fifteen minutes at this point. Shift change was a few hours ago, so no one will be coming or going, and there won't be a chance of the members being seen. Not like anyone in this town would recognize them anyway. Better safe than sorry though.
"I'm getting antsy," states Yoongi, stretching out his arm and wiggling his fingers for Taehyung to place the Juul in his hand.
I check my phone once more. She isn't responding to any of my texts. I place it on the ground again and lean back to breathe in the cool summer air. It is so fresh here compared to Seoul. It's a little thing I never cherished before moving to a big city. The breeze feels wonderful after being on a plane for so many hours too.
A few minutes go by and I'm about to send another text when I hear "Audaire?" in a low voice.
I come out from behind the car and spot her. There she is. Roxy in all her glory. I walk towards her and when we're finally face-to-face, I take a good look at her. She's changed so much in a year. Seeing someone on FaceTime just doesn't compare to in-person. She seems to have lost weight. Probably from the stress of working a ton and going to medical school. Her hair has gotten really long as well. Something that hasn't changed is her sweet smile. That's exactly the same. It's the one she gives me when our eyes meet.
"Table for eight?"
"You're not mad?"
"I was a little upset because you didn't tell me, but seeing you here now makes me forget why I was pissed in the first place."
I sigh, relieved. "I really am sorry though."
"I forgive you," Roxy heartens. Her eyes dart behind me and she bites her lip to conceal a grin.
I look back at the boys who have come out of hiding and then face Roxy again. "Want me to introduce you?"
She nods, shyly. I take her hand in mine and lead her to where the members are standing. "Everyone, this is Roxy. Roxy, this is everyone."
"Nice to meet you, Roxy. I'm Namjoon," he says, going in for a handshake.
"Oh, I know," she blurts. "Uh, I mean, nice to meet you too, Namjoon."
This elicits a giggle from all of us and I finish introducing her to everyone, getting them acquainted.
"Well, I'll be damned, Wilson. You weren't lying. You seriously do work for them."
"You need to believe me from now on," I assert.
"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya."
"Just take us to our table," I laugh.
"Right this way." Roxy leads us through the employee entrance and to the private party room. Luckily, the restaurant isn't too packed since dinner rush has already passed.
We get a bottle of wine to split and the boys order the steak dinner. I go for the pasta. It was my favorite dish when I worked here. I had it after almost every shift. How did I not have a heart attack from the high cholesterol? The world may never know.
***
"Here's your check," Roxy announces, handing me the book.
I take it from her and open it up. "Um, Roxy?"
"Yes?"
"Why is your phone number written on the check?"
"That's for Jimin," she declares. "Not you."
Jimin points a finger gun at her and winks.
Roxy has always been bold like that. And Jimin is definitely not the shy type like he sometimes pretends to be. They'd make quite the pair if he wasn't already in a relationship with the members and me.
Jimin takes the checkbook from me and signs the bill, placing his card in it afterward. He then closes it and gives it to Roxy.
"I'll be right back with your card," she tells him before leaving the table.
The boys and I thank him for paying and I ask, "Did you leave a tip? I can just Venmo her if not."
"Yeah, I tipped a thousand."
"Did you say a thousand?! Like, as in three zeros after the one?"
"Mhmm," Jimin says casually. "She's in medical school and she's your best friend. The tip is fitting."
I press a chaste kiss to his cheek. Jimin's so selfless and caring. This man truly has a heart of gold.
When Roxy comes back, she tells Jimin that she can't accept that much money. Jimin refuses to take it back. They go back and forth like this for a while. Eventually, Jimin wins and Roxy vows that she'll repay him for his kind gesture.
"No, no, no," Jimin shakes his head. "There's no need. You're a good waitress. You deserve it."
"Thank you so much. This means a lot to me."
He smiles. "Don't mention it."
"We should probably get going," I say after we chit-chat some more. "My mom is texting me asking if we landed yet. See you at Anna's grad party tomorrow?"
"Wouldn't miss it."
I give Roxy a quick hug and she waves goodbye to the members.
We exit the restaurant the same way we entered and pile back into the cars. I then plug my address into the GPS.
"You ready to go home?" Yoongi asks me.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
***
Following a short ten-minute drive, we're now parked in my driveway. The sun has set and lightning bugs are dancing around the yard. And it looks like my stepdad finally painted the front porch. My mother has been nagging him for ages to do it.
I make my way up to the house with the members close behind me. I hesitate once I reach the door, my hand on the knob. I contemplate whether I should knock or just walk right in. I choose the latter to avoid getting my dogs riled up.
"Is that my Audaire?" I hear my mom wonder when I push open the front door. Ellie and Honey bark, surrounding us as soon as we step inside. So much for my stealthy plan. I pat their heads to greet them as well as calm them down. My mother then sprints towards me and engulfs me in a warm embrace. She sniffles.
"Mom, are you crying?"
"Well, duh. I haven't seen my baby in over a year," she replies, breaking from the hug and wiping a fallen tear. "I can't believe you're finally here!"
"Me neither. This feels... surreal."
"It does," she concurs. "Now, are you gonna introduce me to my future son-in-law?"
"Mom!"
"Kat! Don't embarrass her!" my stepdad scolds, getting up from the recliner.
"Oh, can it, Eric," she jokingly responds.
Jungkook chuckles softly, stepping up beside me. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"Oh my!" exclaims my mother. "You're even more handsome than the pictures."
"Thank you," he beams, giving her a hug.
"Mom, these are our friends Hobi, Taehyung, Namjoon, Jin, Jimin, and Yoongi."
She gives them all a welcoming hug as well and gestures to my stepdad. "This is my husband, Eric."
Eric flashes the members a friendly smile. "It's very nice to meet you, boys."
"Emersyn and Annalise are at her boyfriend's house. She should be back soon," says Kat. "I'm sure you kids wanna get settled in and relax a bit. We have a futon in the basement and there are also two beds in the bedroom down there. Is that okay?"
"It's perfect," Namjoon approves. "Thank you for letting all of us stay here."
She waves her hand in dismissal. "No need to thank me."
"Let's go get our bags, guys."
***
"Jimin, go faster!" Seokjin shouts.
"My suitcase is heavy and I don't want to fall down the stairs," Jimin grumbles.
Once we're (safely) on flat ground, Yoongi asks, "How should we do the sleeping arrangement?"
"Namjoon hyung and I get the crouton!" Jungkook proclaims, grabbing Namjoon's wrist and dragging him.
"It's futon, JK. Not the crunchy thing that goes on salads," Namjoon laughs.
Yoongi and Jimin take one of the beds, and Hoseok and Taehyung take the other. Seokjin opts for the floor.
"Hyung, are you sure you don't wanna sleep up here?" Hoseok inquires. "There's enough space."
"I'm fine. You guys may try to make a move on me because I'm irresistible."
I roll my eyes endearingly. "Y'all go on to bed. I'm going to wait up for my sister."
It may only be ten at night, but this jetlag is already kicking my ass. I don't think I can wait until morning to see Annalise though.
I give them a goodnight kiss and go up to my room.
My parents haven't changed a thing since I left. My books are still in alphabetical order on the shelf, my closet is full of clothes because I was too lazy to clean it out before I moved, and the pack of cigarettes I hid in my sock drawer is still there. I should specify that only the pack is there. No cigarettes. I guess my hiding spot wasn't so secretive after all. I bet Annalise got into it.
I pull the covers back on my bed and snuggle in. I'm scrolling on Twitter when a quiet knock occurs outside my door. "Come in."
It opens to Annalise standing in the doorway. A huge grin breaks across her face and she excitedly prances to my bed before hopping up on top of it.
"Did you miss me?!" she exclaims, making herself comfortable under the blankets.
"Of course," I respond. "Did you miss me?"
"Obviously."
"I didn't even hear you come home."
"Because I'm sneaky."
"Your sneakiness is what got you pregnant at fifteen."
Annalise playfully slaps my arm. "Bitch!"
"I'm kidding...kind of."
She slaps me again.
"Okay! I'm done! Damn," I cackle. "But sorta speaking of pregnancy, is Emersyn with Vincent?"
"Yeah, he's gonna bring her back over in the morning."
"Are you and him doing better? I know things were rocky when I left."
"We're a lot better. Mom made us go to couple's counseling because she was sick of hearing us argue all the time. It worked though. We can finally communicate. And we're moving into our own place before I start college."
"That's exciting! I'm so happy for you," I beam.
Annalise gives me a sincere smile. "Thanks. It's the best thing for Emersyn too. How are things in Korea, by the way?"
"Seoul is great. I love it. Oh, and I recently quit teaching and I'm doing private security now."
"Using your degree, I see."
"After how expensive it was, you bet your ass I'm using it," I laugh.
"Now if only you'd use your police officer qualification," jests Annalise.
"Yeah fuckin' right."
She snorts.
A comfortable silence washes over the two of us. I follow her gaze down to her fresh set of acrylic nails. The polish is blue and gold to match her school colors. We used to get our nails done together all the time before I moved away. It was a little bit of sister bonding.
After a few moments, Annalise says, "You need to introduce me to your new boyfriend tomorrow. I have to see it to believe it."
My face scrunches up in confusion. "What're you talking about?"
"I honestly thought you were a lesbian this whole time."
"Huh?! I had a boyfriend senior year."
"Ian doesn't count," she replies matter-of-factly.
"And why not?"
"You didn't even like him! You would refuse to kiss him!"
"I did kiss him."
Annalise raises her eyebrow.
"Once."
"See?" she guffaws. "You were bringing a girl home, like, every weekend. And I know that you weren't 'just friends' with them. Ian is the only guy I recall you being with."
"Alright that's fair," I exhale, defeated. "But Jungkook is different. He's different from every man I've met before. He's special to me."
In fact, all seven of the boys are different from every man I've met before; they're all special to me. I'll work up the courage to tell Annalise (and Roxy) the truth...eventually.
"I'll see for myself tomorrow," she tells me, getting out of my bed. "You're probably tired from your long flight. Get some sleep. Night, bitch!"
"And goodnight to you, my oh so loving sister."
POV changes to third person.
"How was your shower, Hyung?" Jungkook asks Namjoon.
"It was good up until the moment Ellie tried to jump in with me. Remind me to not let her follow me into the bathroom tomorrow."
Jungkook laughs and scoots over so that Namjoon can lie down. "Kat brought down some more blankets for us. She said it gets cold at night."
"That was sweet of her," says Namjoon, grabbing one of the extra blankets and settling in next to Jungkook on the futon. "Oh, Full House is on. I love this show."
"I need subtitles. They're talking too fast."
Namjoon chuckles lowly. "Want me to translate?"
Jungkook lifts his head so that his large, puppy dog eyes meet Namjoon's, and he nods.
"I was kidding."
He juts his bottom lip out.
"Your cuteness has no power over me."
"Damn. I'm losing my touch."
Namjoon shakes his head. "Nah. Your cuteness definitely has power over me. I'm just too exhausted to translate twenty-five minutes of dialogue."
"I don't blame you. I'll use context clues to figure out what they're saying."
"There ya go."
The two boys watch an entire episode of Full House, moving closer and closer together throughout the show, until Jungkook's head is resting on Namjoon's chest with his arm draped around his waist. The older man doesn't really know what to think about this. Sure, he's hugged his members before, but this is...disparate. He doesn't hate what he's feeling though.
Namjoon reaches up to place his hand on Jungkook's back and begins to draw shapes that neither one can define.
Jungkook lifts his head a couple of moments later to meet Namjoon's eyes for a second time tonight. The two stare at each other, not saying a word. Then, Jungkook leans in to capture Namjoon's lips in a soft, swift kiss.
Realizing what he and his leader have just done, he breathes, "Hyung, I-"
"Shh," Namjoon shushes him. "It's okay."
He leans back in to kiss Jungkook again. This time, it's deeper and more passionate. Namjoon brings his hand up to cup the younger boy's smooth cheek, deepening the kiss even more by pushing his tongue past Jungkook's lips.
Jungkook then swings his leg over to straddle Namjoon, the latter moaning into Jungkook's mouth when their semi-hard cocks make contact.
He breaks the kiss once more. "Wait, is their bedroom door closed?"
Namjoon nods. "Yeah. And they're out cold."
Jungkook smirks before crashing his lips on his older member's. The two remain like this for a bit until Jungkook begins rutting his hips forward, causing a small gasp to leave Namjoon. Suddenly, he squeezes Jungkook's thighs to halt his movement.
Jungkook groans and pulls back. "What is it?"
"I want to go further, but I-I...don't want to hurt you," Namjoon admits apprehensively.
"Hurt me? What do you mean?"
"Because...well, you know. If we have sex, I could hurt you."
"You won't."
"But what if I do? You're the youngest-"
"I'm not a baby anymore, Hyung," Jungkook counters. "I can handle this."
"I know, JK. I've watched you grow up into the man you are now."
"Then what's the problem?"
"It's-"
His expression goes solemn. "Are you not attracted to men? Are you not attracted to me?"
Namjoon sits up, bringing Jungkook with him, then cupping his face to stroke his thumb over Jungkook's cheekbone. "Kookie, let me finish, okay? This is very new to me. These feelings, I mean. Liking men in this way. Wanting to touch them." He inhales a deep breath. "I'm extremely attracted to you. Fuck, you're one of the most attractive people I've ever seen. It's just that I'd be angry with myself if I hurt you. You're the youngest, so you mean something...more to me. Maybe you should have your first time with one of the other members. One that knows what he's doing."
Jungkook nods.
"I'm sorry if I blue-balled you," Namjoon chuckles awkwardly.
"No, you didn't. Your speech killed the mood," he jokes, getting off Namjoon.
"I'm sorry, Kook."
"Don't be, Hyung. I get it."
"Let's try this again some other time, yeah?"
Jungkook gives him a sweet smile in agreement before returning to his original position of his head on Namjoon's chest. They watch Full House until their eyelids grow heavy and they fall into a deep sleep, never letting go of each other the entire night.
[A/N] Hi, friends! Thank you for being patient while I wrote this part. I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. If you did, make sure you give it an upvote! See you in the next part!
Oh, and happy one year with Map of the Soul: 7! The album is special to me because it was my very first comeback. I even have a tattoo based on WAB: the Eternal. :)
P.S. Here are the real-life Ellie and Honey:
[AN #2] Edited 5/21/21