Yoongi's POV
I spot her in line at the cafe, and before I can think about what I'm doing, I slide in line behind her. Everyone is spending time with Lily except me, and Jimin's words about her contract being close to ending soon have been haunting my mind.
Should I have pushed her away?
Lily's strawberry locks cascade down the back, a stark and lovely contrast against her black coat. I'm close enough to breathe in the scent of her shampoo. I miss sitting close to her and sharing music on our phones. Sometimes when I'm locked away in my studio, I find my mind drifting off while I replay us sitting next to each other at physical therapy.
She's been all but ignoring me since we last spoke, and it's been weighing on my mind. She orders a hot chocolate, "Make it two," I say impulsively. I don't even want hot chocolate or really anything, but I want to try and start smoothing things over with her. Ironically, she is entirely oblivious to her charms.
Why does this woman insist on affecting me this way?
I start walking with her towards our studios when Jimin comes out of nowhere like a tornado of destruction disrupting my limited time with her, and I have to keep myself from cringing.
"Lily, have you been thinking about me ever since I spent the night at your place?"
My body stiffens as his words roll over me. Did he spend the night at her place too?
Fucking, Jimin! He can have anyone on the planet. Why did he have to pick the first woman in ages that I actually have started to have real feelings for? Sigh, I'm not losing a lifelong friendship over any woman. Yoongi, you dumbass, you lost out on this one! Let it go!
I glance over at Lily, she looks a bit shocked, but then she seems to settle down and begins to flirt back. My heart stutters for a moment, catching me off guard.
"Jimin, you are unreal! Get the fuck out of here, you silver-tongued lothario! I will see you both later at our working session," she says with a grin.
I observe that she looks happy for the first time in a long while, and I really can't be mad at that.
"So, are you and Lily dating now?" I ask casually after she is out of earshot.
Jimin looks me in the eye and cocks an eyebrow, "Why, Hyung, are you jealous?"
"No, no, I just thought things must be pretty serious if you spent the night at her place."
I'm trying to sound calm, but I can feel the heightened anxiety building in the pit of my stomach.
"No, she turned me down."
"Wha, what?"
"Yeah, I put the moves on our Lily, but she turned me down," Jimin says, glancing over at me. "You know she hasn't even as much as kissed anybody in three years? Who can do that? She must be looking for something pretty special," he glances over at me catching my eye.
I try to act like his words have no effect on me, but a sense of relief is already lifting up through my body. I feel my lungs filling back up with air as if I had just held my breath underwater for far too long.
"But you still spent the night with her?"
"Well, technically, I spent the night with Hobi because we ended up sharing her bed, and she slept on the floor."
"Jesus, Jimin, how could you let her sleep on the floor? Why the hell didn't you two fools sleep on the floor and put her in her bed?"
I can't help but shake my head; thinking of her sleeping on a cold floor makes my blood boil.
"Damn, Hyung!" He says with sass. "We all drank a couple of bottles of champagne, and I fell asleep before her, and Hobi fell asleep before all of us! I didn't do it on purpose. We found her on the floor with a pillow and blanket when we woke up in the morning," he declares defensively.
She slept on the floor. She didn't sleep on the floor when I was there...
"How does that make you feel?"
I'm not too fond of Jimin trying to help me get in touch with my feelings. He doesn't do it often, but I can tell by the tone of his voice he is up to something.
"Shut up," I say gently, and he smirks at me.
----------------
We are practicing for the acapella part of Lily's marketing idea. Really, her plan makes sense, and I admire that she can be so in the moment when we are working on the music but is intelligent enough to see the bigger picture.
I'm watching her stalk around the room helping everyone, and she's mesmerizing. She understands sound and technique, and it's intoxicating. The urge to shake some sense into her and make her sign a contract to sing is always on my mind.
She's throwing away her talent!
I can feel the irritation grow inside me when she refers to Jimin as Jiminie. Even if she did sleep on the floor, it bothers me that she's getting closer to him.
I glance away, I can't bear watching her smirk at him, and when I do, Jin catches my eye slightly, nodding at me. Jin can come off silly on camera, but in real life, he is introspective and notices things. He knows me well, and I can see his concern for my well-being.
I focus back on her form as she walks around the room, lost in my own world, thinking about running my hands through her silky hair and feeling her weight on my body again. When I realize she is speaking to me.
"Sing the line again, Yoongi," she says while closing her eyes.
I sing, but it comes out quiet; she's caught me off guard. She's so close to me, and I inhale her scent. It reminds me of spring flowers and delights my senses.
"Again," she repeats, her voice sweet and serious. Even her speaking voice is like velvet.
I obey her command, and she moves closer to me. She sings the line again, and I'm painfully frustrated with how smooth her voice sounds. She points, and I obey again, as if cast under her spell. She commands me again to repeat her, and I feel like the entire room must be able to feel that it's taking all of my willpower not to take and press my lips into hers.
I watch in awe as she lays her hand flat on my abdomen, and I involuntarily suck in when she touches me. I'm almost trembling while admiring her plump lips, and I am utterly frozen under her touch when I notice she seems to swallow hard as well. I wonder if she feels the heat between us as well.
I need you.
"From here, Yoongi. When you sing the line, draw your voice from here and not your throat."
I have to shake myself out of my thoughts while she sings again. I feel like she's torturing me with the intimacy, but I repeat the line with all the passion I have in me because I can't take much more of her touching me.
"That was so good!" She praises and seems genuinely pleased with my performance. I'm not free with my emotions, but I'm completely under her command when she praises me and I feel a wide smile escape my lips. I've never experienced this before, and I can feel my heart pounding with this new discovery.
I awaken from my trance as she walks away. Jimin and I lock eyes, he smirks at me, and I know he knows.
When we finish our session for the day, I linger behind to try and catch her alone, but she pays me no attention and leaves with Hobi.
Damn, I missed my chance.
Approaching the door, I freeze in place because I can hear her and Hobi just outside whispering like two kids on a playground sharing secrets.
I lean in closer to the threshold of the door to get a better listen. I've missed the beginning of their conversation, but I come in just in time to hear her explaining her setlist and the way she will be dressed.
Holy hell.
When I hear her footsteps disappear down the hallway, I round the corner and see Hobi standing there, his face looking pale.
"Hyung, I didn't know you were still here," he says, a bit dazed.
"We are going."
He wakes up out of his thoughts and looks at me, "What?"
"We are going to go watch her perform."
"Hyung, we can't. She asked us not to."
"You're telling me you want to miss out on your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Lily on stage, no doubt, commanding an entire audience?"
Hobi leans in and whispers, "Yoongi, I saw her dance the other night...her hips are more lethal than Jimin's."
I note that Hobi's words come out low, his eyes glazing over, almost lustful, and I'm surprised by his reaction.
"We are definitely going. She'll never know we were there," I say with resolve, my pulse quickening.
"Hyung, I've never seen you like this," he replies with a look of awe.
"That's because we've never met a force like Lily."