"Right this way," Jin states as I follow him down the long, dark hallway leading towards a room where music is playing and people are talking loudly.
I fiddle with the T-Shirt in my hands as I keep my eyes glued to the broad-shouldered man before me, unable to really tear my gaze away due to my nervousness.
Is this okay? Will they be annoyed that a fan is coming to see them after they just performed? They don't know me and I don't know them. No, this could be a huge mistake and I would hate myself for making them uncomfortable.
"Uh, Jin? I'm not so sure this is a good idea," I meekly state just as he stops in front of the black-painted door with the words dressing room written across it.
"Nonsense. They won't mind, trust me. Welcome to the lifestyle of rock and roll, sweetheart," he smirks as he opens the door and I'm immediately met with an intense smell of marijuana and a crowd of people.
My eyes land on Jungkook sitting on the arm of the royal blue velvet sofa through the smoky haze as he messes with an acoustic guitar, sleeves pushed up to have his tattoos on full display. Soon after, I avert my attention to Taehyung sitting down on the cushion, still shirtless, and with some random girl on his lap kissing all over his neck until he notices us stepping inside.
"Ah! It's the pretty girl from the front row. How'd you know to bring her back here, Jin?" Taehyung grins, effortlessly removing the girl off of his lap as he stands up to walk up to us. Jungkook stops strumming his instrument, putting all of his curious attention on me.
"Hoseok, Yoongi, and I actually met her last night. She was the waitress at the diner we went to. Didn't realize she was a fan at the time." Jin shrugs as he steps aside to give me a better view of the lead vocalist towering over me. "I gotta get back to work but if you need anything, I'll be on the stage," Jin says to both of us before leaving me in the crowded room.
Reaching around to grab a shirt from the clothes rack behind me, Taehyung slips it over his head and messily runs his fingers through his hair. Smirking at me, he slowly looks at me from head to toe, "I know it's a bit crowded in here but you're welcome to hang out."
"It's- it's cool," I try my best to seem relaxed with all of the sets of eyes on me even though I'm totally freaking out internally.
"Do you smoke?" He inquires.
"Huh?" The question catches me off guard as I immediately draw my eyes to the cloud of smoke hovering in the air.
"Weed. Do you smoke weed, baby girl?" He asks with that same amused tilt of his head while bending his knees to get me to lock eyes with him.
"Uh... I have in the past," I answer honestly, unable to lie to the man in front of me when I'm staring so intently into his deep chocolate orbs. Good thing he's not my employer.
"Cool." He chuckles and grabs my hand to lead me over to where a blunt is in rotation, "I don't smoke anymore but I'm sure Jungkook wouldn't mind lighting another one up with you."
"Not at all." JK grins as he stands up to put the acoustic guitar down in its rightful spot, "Lyla, right?"
"That's right." My eyes widen at the fact he remembered my name, "Nice to meet you." I bashfully smile and take a seat on the cushion in between where Taehyung is sitting again and where Jungkook sits back down on the armrest.
"A polite one. Nice change of pace." Taehyung chuckles as he turns to face me.
"Don't let him fool you. He's no angel. He just popped some oxys before you came in here." Jungkook outs him and I look over to Taehyung a bit surprised. I didn't really expect them to be pure or anything like that but I wasn't expecting all of this either. The personas they provide to the media on the rare occasion they make an appearance is usually much more chill than all of this chaos currently surrounding me.
Beers, booze, boobs, and blunts all conjugated in this small room on top of the flirtatious giggling, loud music, and cursing invading my ears. The term sex, drugs, and rock and roll definitely wasn't a lie.
"In my defense, they're prescribed," Taehyung whispers not so quietly.
"Right." JK shakes his head with a smile as he finishes licking the blunt after rolling it, "Wanna take the first hit?" He offers it to me.
"No, that's okay. Go ahead," I hold up my hand and smile up at him, feeling a knot in my stomach when he licks his bottom lip slowly.
"You can't be such a good girl all of the time. Come on, ladies first. You said you've smoked before, right?" JK holds the blunt a little closer to me and I glance over to Tae who's watching every little move I make.
It was true, I did smoke weed to ease my nerves in the past. Having picked up the habit instead of allowing the doctor to prescribe me anxiety medication after my mother's death, I used to smoke every day but over the last year, it has dwindled to only on a random occasion.
Fuck it. I take the blunt from in between Jungkook's fingers and grab the lighter from the table in front of us, setting the tip aflame and inhaling the almost blueberry flavor of kush rolled up neatly inside. Taehyung and Jungkook both nod in approval as they watch me take a second puff without coughing and pass it over to Jungkook who does the same.
"Damn, you bastards started another one without me?" Jimin walks in with his arm wrapped around a random girl with electric blue hair before he sends her off to the other side of the room to join the other waiting females, giving her ass an encouraging pat. That's when I realize I'm the only chick sitting with the guys and the other girls are glaring at me as if I just stole their men.
"Just started it. Don't get your panties in a bunch." JK talks through the deep inhale he's still holding in before exhaling slowly and making little rings form in the air.
"Fuck you." Jimin smiles as he takes the blunt from his bandmate, "Chick from the front row, right?" He asks me as he redirects his attention, squatting down in front of me and taking a long drag making the red flame glow brighter and brighter.
"Lyla," I correct him, unable to keep myself from glancing down at his perfectly shaped plump lips still glistening from him licking them.
"Lyla," he repeats, locking it into his memory before placing his hand on my knee. A surge flows through my body when he digs his fingertips in ever so stealthily. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Very much." Responding honestly, I take back hold of the blunt Jimin's now offering me.
Taehyung leans in a bit closer, putting his arm on the back of the couch behind my head, "Would you like to watch us perform again?"
"Yeah, of course." My words come out strangled as I hold in the smoke while I pass it back over to JK. I notice the girls in the corner are discussing something amongst themselves and glancing over at me after every few words with scowls on their faces, "Are any of them your girlfriends?" Blowing out the smoke, I flit my eyes to the skimpily dressed girls, "I don't want to cause any trouble or anything."
Laughing as if I told the funniest freaking joke known to man, the guys all look at me as if I'm the most precious thing on this planet and I can't help but smile back at them; even if I'm not really understanding the punch line.
"No, baby. They're definitely not that important to us." Jungkook shakes his head at the thought while raising his eyebrows, the metal of his brow piercing moving as well.
Looking back, Jimin observes the girls in question for a moment and then puts his attention back to me as he follows the jealous girl's line of vision, "Are they making you uncomfortable?"
"I think I'm making them uncomfortable," I give a tight-lipped grin that makes my lone dimple on my left cheek peep out.
Looking at both of his bandmates they nod to some unspoken question that I'm not too sure of and Jimin immediately stands up and turns to face the women, "Hey!!" He shouts to get their attention before calmly speaking. "Get out." Nodding his head towards the door, he waits for one of them to move.
My eyes widen as I stare at the side profile of the man standing in front of me. Immediately, I look over to the group of girls whom if I thought they disliked me before, I know they absolutely despised me now. Making no efforts to exit, they just look at the other two members as if one of them would protest.
"Was he unclear? Go!" Taehyung firmly says with a wave of his large hand and Jungkook gets up to open the door for them.
Slowly, each one of them makes their way out of the dressing room. Some of them with their heads hanging low and others with angry expressions. The last one in line that had walked in with Jimin stops in front of him and sweetly presses her palm to his chest.
"Call me?" She asks just above a whisper as she looks up to him with her blue hair falling effortlessly over her shoulders.
Smiling sweetly down at her, Jimin slowly tucks some loose strands behind her ear, "No."
I immediately look away, feeling completely embarrassed for her as she scoffs and marches out of the room as Jungkook shuts the door behind her and walks back over to my direction. Winking at me, he grabs his acoustic guitar again and starts to strum a song that didn't sound familiar to my ears.
"You guys didn't have to make them leave. If they're not that special, then I'm definitely not. I just met you guys tonight." I guiltily bite down on my lower lip.
Taehyung gently touches my chin and uses his thumb to pull my lip away from my teeth, "They're nothing but trouble anyway and we were already discussing how we were bored with their mess. You just pushed us to do what we were already going to."
"Were they... groupies?" I question as I watch him stare into my eyes and back at my lips.
"Something like that." Jungkook answers for him and I turn to look at the guitarist instead, "As I said, they weren't that special. Some will be back around, I'm sure. Others won't. It makes no difference to us."
"So you just fuck girls and dispose of them?" My brow furrows at the thought.
"They know what this is. We're not dating them and we make it very clear where we stand with them. Our lives are on the road. Settling down would be idiotic." Jimin explains, "Doesn't mean we don't need to get laid on occasion or just have some female companionship from time to time."
Realizing, once again, through my clouded mind that I'm the only female in here now, I look back to Taehyung who hasn't stopped watching me even once... his stare is really intense. "Am I, um, the female companion right now then?"
"Do you want to be?" Taehyung raises his eyebrow.
"You call the shots. We wouldn't ask anything of you or make you do anything you don't want to do. We may not be knights in shining fucking armor but we're not complete assholes." Jungkook adds.
"Speak for yourself." Jimin chuckles until I look at him with a worried expression, "Shit, no, sorry. Totally kidding. Promise." He raises his hands in the air before taking a seat on the edge of the coffee table.
"What does female companionship even mean?" I giggle at the thought. I'm not even sure why I'm laughing, honestly. Probably because I'm high off my ass right now.
"Just what it sounds like, Lyla." Taehyung starts.
"A friend, a listening ear, someone to joke around with, smoke with if you want or whatever else, be there for us and we'd be there for you when we could." Jungkook finishes.
"So no sex?" I quirk my brow amusingly.
"Not unless you wanted it, sweetie. No offense but it's not like we couldn't just go get it if we really needed it. I mean, chick with the purple hair just sucked me off a few minutes ago and I just met her before the show." Jimin smirks when I raise my brows.
"Her hair was blue, you dipshit," Jungkook scoffs.
"Whatever." Jimin rolls his eyes and places his hand back on my knee.
"Does this scare you at all?" Taehyung asks sweetly, a nice change of pace from the bickering between the other two.
Thinking about it for a second, I fiddle with my fingers and nibble on my bottom lip once again, "I mean, I guess I can understand what you mean. It would be hard to have a serious relationship with this type of lifestyle."
Nodding his head in agreement, Jungkook looks at me for a moment with questions lingering in his head, "Tell us a little about yourself."
"Well um, I'm twenty-three, from a small town just about an hour south of here. I work at a diner as a waitress, as Jin mentioned earlier. I live with my best friend and that's really about it." I shrug, feeling suddenly very uninteresting; even more than usual.
"Family?" Taehyung probes.
"No family. Dad dipped on me and my mom passed away. No siblings."
"No boyfriend either?" Jimin tilts his head for clarification.
"I haven't had one of those in a very long time. God, I sound so pathetic," I giggle and they all smile fondly back at me.
"You sound perfect." Taehyung corrects me as he twirls some of my hair in between his fingers.
"So how about it, sweetie?" Jungkook pipes up.
Furrowing my brow, I shake my head, "What do you mean?"
"Want to be our female companion on the road? Lots of cool places to see and things to do. We'd look out for you, no need for you to worry about that," he further explains to me.
"Why me?" My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. Did I get so high that I'm hallucinating right now or did my favorite band actually ask me to join them on the road?
"For one, you're extremely sexy." Jimin chuckles with a flirtatious wink.
"But you're also very calming to be around, not a crazy over-hyper fan acting like we're gods or something, trying to get something from us right away. This is the calmest I've felt all week." Jungkook mentions next.
"And you're who we would like to keep around us. At least for a while, test it out. It's really that simple, baby. Since we're not in one place for too long, we have to make quick decisions. We decided on you." Taehyung concludes as he grabs my hand and brings it up to his cheek, gently rubbing my fingertips across his smooth skin.
The other men, who I guess are roadies or some kind of crew, exit when Tae gives them the signal. I assume they all have duties to get to before they head off to the next show in another city. The room goes quiet while they wait for my decision, minus the sound of Led Zeppelin's What Is And What Should Never Be playing in the background.
My life has felt like it's been at a standstill for quite some time. I had slipped into the void of comfortable and predictable. When was I going to begin living my life? When was I going to experience things beyond my small town? Wasn't life more than what I've experienced? Wasn't this the time in my life that I was supposed to make choices, have bad decisions, see different things... make memories?
But then again, was this something that I should even get involved in? Tonight I've only experienced a gang of groupies whom I'm certain absolutely hate me right now and some simple marijuana, I know that I'm only seeing the very tip of the iceberg. Am I even wanting to get myself tangled in something like this?
"When do you guys head out again?" I inquire looking over to Jungkook for an answer.
"Tomorrow night," he replies quietly and gently with a soft smile.
Nodding, I take a deep breath in and let it out, "Could I think it over and let you know before then?"
"Of course, baby." Taehyung tucks some hair behind my ear, "We understand it's a big decision on the spot."
"Where are you staying?" Jungkook inquires as he pulls out his cell phone from his jeans pocket.
"The Days Inn just a few blocks from here."
Typing it into his phone, he turns it around for me to look at and I immediately notice the shattered screen across the top right corner before I respond, "That's the one."
Handing me his phone after going to his contacts app, I input my phone number with my name and a little heart emoji next to it like I always do on anyone else's phone. The little smirk he gives after reviewing my entry makes my stomach twist in a knot. I'm not even sure why, it's been made very clear that I'm not anyone special to them. I'm just another one on the list. At least they're decent enough to be upfront and honest and that's really why I'm even considering this.
"Come on, I'll give you a lift back to your motel." Jungkook grins as he stands up, earning a nod of approval from Jimin and a smile from Taehyung.
Walking behind Jungkook to the door, I stop before I exit and glance back at Tae and Jimin who are already eyeing me intently. Jungkook grabs the keys from Jin who walks past me to join the two men in their dressing room.
"We hope to see you again, Lyla." Jimin smiles with a little wave.
"See you soon, baby girl." Tae raises his eyebrow at me as he leans his head back and rolls his neck.
I smile to myself as I pull the door closed behind me, pausing to look back at them one more time, "Bye, guys."