I'm so excited that Hobi is coming to visit. This may be the last time I get to see him before I'm forced to leave, but I don't dare mention it. I know he is working on a plan, but I'm not stupid; there is clearly nothing that can be done, and I've already started planning how I'm going to handle things.
I consider the option of traveling for a bit. I'd love to spend some time in Japan and then travel through Europe. I've dreamed of visiting all the cities that make up my romantic travel dreams, such as Rome, Venice, and of course, Paris, but I've never made the time because I was always too busy with my work. However, with things moving so quickly, I've come to the realization that I need to go back to America for the time being.
I take my time getting ready because I have been living in sweatpants for days on end, and I decide I'd like to feel like a fully functional woman again. When I go into my suitcase, I'm surprised to find a cosmetic bag with some of my jewelry in it. I must have scooped it up by accident when I was emptying one of my drawers, and I'm kind of excited to wear some.
I choose my favorite pair of jeans that flatters me in all the right places and a black fitted v-neck blouse that dips down just enough to show off my breasts without giving away the store. Hobi won't care if I'm showing off a little; he likes it when I look nice, and he looks at me like I'm a sister anyway.
I wear a long necklace that dips down into my cleavage and small hoop earrings in each ear, topping off my looks with a bracelet and a few rings on each hand. I put on a little makeup and some lip gloss, and I'm pleasantly surprised that my strawberry blond hair looks nice against the dark color of my shirt. I don't often feel pretty, but as I stand back to look in the mirror, I feel good about myself tonight, and honestly, with all that is weighing on my mind, I just need this win right now.
"There you are!" I declare, and I peer in the mirror, pleased that I look like a human being again.
"No! There you are!" I hear from the other room, and I skip out of the bathroom upon hearing Hobi's voice.
However, it's not just Hobi. It's everyone minus Yoongi. Filing into the cottage are Jin and Hana, Jae and JK, Joon, Tae, and Jimin with broad smiles and hands full of alcohol and food.
"Oh...Oh...my God!" I squeal, and Hobi breaks into his glorious laugh while clapping his hands.
"Surprise!" He yells, and I run over and give him a giant hug.
"Lily, you look so pretty! Your ass looks good in those jeans!" He laughs and smacks my backside.
"Awe, Hobi! Thank you!" I laugh. When Hobi gives you the seal of approval, it's a good day.
I run around giving everyone hugs and then convene with Hana and Jae in the kitchen for a little bit as we pour some wine.
"Ladies, I'm so happy to see you both! I've missed you so much!" I declare, and then I take a long sip of Pinot Grigio, taking a moment to bask in the fruity notes as they dance across my tastebuds.
Jae lowers her voice and leans towards Hana and I. "So you and Yoongi? How is that going?" She whispers, and my face flushes.
"I have no idea who you are talking about; I've never met a 'Yoongi" in my life!" I wink at her.
"Ooh, she's signed an NDA! Welcome to the club!" Jae chuckles.
"Technically, I don't think the three of us are even really allowed in a room together with these men!" I laugh and look over at Hana. "Especially in front of 'Miss Human Resources' over here!" I say, giving Hana a playful elbow.
"I'll never tell!" Hana laughs, raising her palms in the air. Then she pretends to look over her shoulder and leans back in towards us, whispering, "I'm in the NDA club as well!"
We break out in raucous laughter, and some of the guys give us side-eye glances from the living room with amusement.
"Well, since I've known her since she was nine years old, I can tell you that the way she just blushed when I mentioned his name means things are going really well!"
"Haha! Stop!" I cry, the smile growing across my face.
"Oh, she's totally in love with him. Jin and I could tell from your second week at the company!" Hana joins in.
"Hana! Et tu, Brute?" I declare dramatically.
"It's okay; we knew he was into you too. The man moped around with his eyes glued to you and was completely jealous whenever anybody else talked to you. Jin told me all about it! Yoongi wouldn't admit it, but Jin knows him too well not to notice."
"What? No! I would have noticed if he was being like that!" I yell out, and Jae shushes me as we all begin to giggle again.
"Hmm, what kind of trouble is happening over here?" JK asks as he pours himself a glass of whiskey and leans in, placing a peck on Jae's cheek, and it makes me happy to see them together. We are so lucky to have this night together where we can all hang out because otherwise, we have to spend our time hiding and being cautious.
"Oh, nothing. Just teasing, Lily."
"JK, will you take a picture of the three of us for me?" I say as I reach my phone out to him.
He obliges, and I text a copy to Yoongi.
"You just sent that to Yoongi, didn't you?" Jae asks, and I blush again.
"Jae, should I tell JK an embarrassing story about you from our youth?"
"Okay, okay, truce, truce!" She laughs as she grabs JK's hand and drags him playfully into the living room with Hana trailing behind them.
I pour more wine and feel a chin balance on my shoulder. I tilt my head a bit to find a smiling Tae on my shoulder.
"Tae Tae, how are my kids doing?"
"Pretty good, I'm an exceptional single father!" he grins and then breaks into a giggle.
I turn around, and he takes a step back. He recently had some of his hair permed, the curls are softening around his eyes and ears, and he looks outstanding.
"Tae, how do you just walk around all day being this handsome? How does it feel to know that the whole world thinks you are its king?" He scrunches his nose and smiles shyly but then breaks into a proud giggle.
"I wanted to thank you for that jazz track. The piano is so well done. You are really just giving it to me?"
"Consider it an early birthday present, Tae. The vision just hit, and I could clearly hear your voice in my mind when I was composing it. It's yours to do whatever you want with it. It was destined for you."
He pulls me in for a hug, and I'm thrilled he is happy with his present. When he steps back, I put my hand on his forearm, giving it a quick squeeze, and he tilts his head to look at me.
"Tae, I want you to know if you ever need somebody to help you with jazz track, even if it's just for fun, or perhaps something you want in your archive just for yourself, it doesn't matter where I am living in the world you can just send it to me. I'm never going to forget our friendship. Okay?"
"Lily," he says softly, and I observe his eyes gloss over for a moment while he thinks about my words. "Why does this sound like you are saying goodbye?"
"Tae, you're one of the deepest thinkers I know. I also know that you keep three-quarters of your thoughts inside your mind," I smile and brush a curl away from his eye, "but know I always could see those cogs working. You know why it sounds like a goodbye."
He looks at me thoughtfully with an air of sadness for a moment, but now that I've said what I wanted to him, I feel a bit of closure, and I'm glad to have had a private moment with him.
"Don't look sad, Tae Tae, let's go have some fun," and I tug him in the direction of the living room to join the others.
After everyone settles in, Hobi whips out a box of BTS Uno cards. "You do not have your own branded Uno cards?" I laugh in disbelief.
"Oh yes, we do, and I'm number one just like 'Mr. World Wide Handsome' should be!" Jin chimes in, and I giggle as I watch Hana roll her eyes but then flash the most magnificent and genuine smile his way. I have missed my favorite K-drama couple, and to see them in front of me, clearly in love, is a huge dose of serotonin that I desperately need.
Hana, Jin, JK, and Jae take seats on the couch while the rest of us pull up around the coffee table, making a circle. I'm wedged between Jimin and Namjoon, and I'm ready to play. The drinks are flowing freely, and everyone is in a jovial mood.
A few turns in, Jimin skips over me with an impish smile. "Oh, no, Park Jimin. You did not just skip over me!" I say, raising my eyebrow at him.
"Um, I believe I just did!" He challenges his telltale flirty grin spreading across his face.
"You mother fucker! Dead man walking over here!" I call out, pointing at him. "You're going down. I'm coming for you!"
Laughter erupts from the group, and Jae chimes in, "Ohhhh, you guys haven't played games with Lily before? She's the most competitive person I know!"
"Me? Never!" I cry, and then I look over at Joonie, who is grinning from ear to ear. I lean towards him, putting my hand over my mouth as if I'm telling him a secret, and exclaim loudly, "She's right! I'm going to fucking win this game!" And he shakes his head at me.
"Lily, the cursing!" Hobi jokes.
"LET THE CURSING BEGIN!" I yell, and we all start frantically throwing down cards.
Everyone is laughing and having a good time; skip cards are thrown down and reverse cards. Jin gets excited every time somebody uses his card, and it makes me crack up. "I'm number one!" He yells it over and over, but his tone is always different. Sometimes it is an exclamation, then he will yell it as a question. Sometimes he stands up and poses. Actor Jin is in the house, and his laugh is infectious.
JK is hilarious when he plays, he clearly doesn't like to lose, but he also will randomly imitate Jin, which always turns into them having a slap fight. Every single time I think JK is done with his teasing, he finds a new way to casually bait another member, and I end up holding my stomach practically rolling on the floor with laughter. I can see why Jae finds him charming.
Hobi gets excited sometimes; he randomly stands up and yells or laughs. At other times he throws down a wild card and breaks into a mini dance number. Even when he is just playing around like this, I can't get over just how talented he is.
I've been patiently waiting for my revenge on Jimin from him skipping me, and my time has arrived. "BOOM!" I yell boisterously. "Pick up four cards, Jiminie!" Then when it's my turn again, I turn and look him in the face, "Pssst, Jimin...." He looks at my face and finds me biting my lip.
"What?" He asks, his face grinning.
"Pick up four more cards, mother fucker!" I laugh, wiggling my brows at him.
Jimin growls at me playfully, but his gaze drifts down, and I follow his eyes to realize my shirt has slipped down a bit and the curve of my breasts are giving him a bit of a show. He licks his lips and glances away with guilt in his eyes, and I try to nonchalantly pull my shirt up before anyone notices. However, when I look up, Hobi is staring at both of us with a hard line across his mouth.
My eyes grow wide, worried that Hobi will think I was flashing Jimin on purpose, but Hobi just shakes his head the slightest bit while shifting his eyes between us, and I know he's telling us to be careful. I nod up and down slightly, just enough for him to know I'm reading his warning loud and clear, and then my phone buzzes. I look down, and it's a message from Yoongi. He must have gotten a moment to look at his phone and saw the picture I sent.
Message from Yoongi: You are fucking gorgeous. Be good. Miss you!
I am excited to read his text and silently marvel at the irony of the timing. Hobi picks up on what's occurring right away.
"Oh, I know that smile! You just got a text from Yoongi, I can tell!" He's laughing, but I also know he is sending a message to the group as a whole to make sure they are reminded who I am with now.
"Haha! I'm dying. I've never seen Hyung like this!" Joon laughs, "It's pretty amazing!"
I smile sheepishly, my face red; Yoongi's text message really does make my entire night.
We spend the remainder of the game talking a lot of shit to each other and being obnoxious. The laughter is genuine and comes easily. For a moment, I sit back, looking at all these wonderful people who have touched my life, and my heart aches just a little bit, knowing that it's all coming to an end.
After our game, we play some music and just enjoy each other's company. JK and Jin spend some time in the kitchen dishing out food, and Jimin and Joonie make fun of Hobi and me whenever one of us is caught feeding the other. "The baby birds are at it again!" Jimin laughs with a warm smile.
As the night grows late, Jin slides an arm around Hana, who looks like she is getting sleepy, and I elbow Tae to take a look at them.
"They are so cute," Tae whispers.
"They are my favorite K-drama. Make sure you stay tuned in to their episodes for me and keep me updated when I'm gone," I whisper back as I lean my head on Tae's shoulder.
He smiles gently at me and loops his arm through mine, so we are connected with our elbows as we watch Jin and Hana.
"Somebody is a little drunk," Joon announces with outstretched arms pulling me up off the floor and out of Tae's reach.
Joon knows that Tae is always respectful, but I suspect that I'm being a little too comfortable with everyone, which seems to happen whenever I've had a little too much to drink. I'm not hitting on anyone, my heart belongs to Yoongi, but I do seem to think I'm everyone's best friend currently.
"Come on, Honey. You need water; let's go get you some."
I take Joon's hands and let him lead me to the kitchen, and he guides me to a stool. "I'm just a little tipsy," I shrug, and he chuckles.
He grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator, but when he tries to open it, he discovers the cap is a little stuck, and he struggles for a moment.
"Joonie, your muscles are fucking huge; there is no way you can't open that," I slur.
I watch as his face reddens and his dimples appear. The cap finally budges, but he knocks the water over, splashing some onto the countertop. I clasp my hands around the bottle and upright it quickly while I giggle.
"See that shit? I was fast as hell! I told you I'm not that drunk," I laugh so hard at myself that I practically lose my balance, but I grab the edge of the counter before I tumble from my perch.
"God of Destruction!" I hear Jimin yell from the other room, and it's not lost on me that Jimin has been obviously observing us from the other room.
Hobi comes by, chuckling at me. He grabs a towel and wipes the counter as Joon smiles sheepishly. "I have the best of intentions!" He cries, his sense of humor about himself shines through, and I grin at him.
"I know you do, Joonie! You and Hobi are always my knights in shining armor."
"I am too!" I hear Jimin yell from the living room, and I look over my shoulder and flash him a grin.
Moments later, Hana and Jin stroll into the kitchen with their coats on. "It's time I get Hana home before she turns into a pumpkin," Jin announces sweetly, and I give them both hugs goodbye.
Jae and JK come by with their coats also. They all drove together, and Jin, having stayed sober, is driving everyone home, and it gives me comfort knowing my sweet friends will be in safe hands.
I give JK a quick hug, and he flashes me his bunny smile, "Promise me you will take care of our girl?" I whisper in his ear.
He looks down, scrunching his eyebrows with a mix of curiosity and confusion, but whispers back a promise that he will. "You have a golden voice, my friend," I add and squeeze his hands.
Then I give Jae a long hug while whispering in her ear. "Will you be around next week? I'm going to need help getting everything ready to go." She leans back and nods at me trying to stave off the tears threatening her eyes.
"Yes, yes, of course. Anything you need. You know I'll always be there for you." Jae promises, and I wipe a tear from her cheek. Waving goodbye from the door, I watch my friends drive away into the night, the moon smiling down on them as they vanish down the road.
Closing the slider, I turn around to find Hobi giving me a warm smile. I wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his chest for a moment, and he squeezes me tight.
"Thank you for my 'Going Away' party, Hobi. I appreciate it so much!"
He gives me a tight squeeze, avoiding words altogether as if not saying them makes our situation less painful.
"Come on, let's join the others," he manages as cheerfully as he can and then walks me to the couch.
Crashing down on the couch next to Jimin, I lean back into the cushions. "Welp, it looks like the rest of us have been drinking, so we are all stuck here for the night!" I smile. "I can sleep on the couch if you want to divide up the bedrooms amongst yourselves."
"Oooh no, you take a bedroom for yourself. None of us are going to tell Yoongi we made you sleep on the couch." Jimin smirks.
"It's really not a big deal. I doubt he will care. I hear that man chose to sleep in a camper while you guys all took bedrooms during a filming. This couch is comfortable as hell; I'm not picky." I say sleepily as I lean into the pillowy back of the couch.
"Nope, bed it is!" Joon announces and scoops me up, so I'm cradled in his arms, carrying me to a bedroom.
"Jooni," I say sleepily.
"Yes," he replies as he tries to make sure his clumsiness doesn't kick in while carrying me.
"I feel like you are carrying me over the threshold," I giggle.
"Lily, stop making me blush," he replies gently.
"You are going to make someone very happy someday," I reply with a yawn, my eyes starting to flutter shut.
I look up through my lashes to see him grinning from ear to ear, and then he lays me on a bed.
"Goodnight, Lil." He says quietly and slips out of the room as quickly as he can possibly manage.
I roll over, wondering how it is going for Yoongi and wishing he was lying next to me. Tonight was fun, even if the circumstances surrounding it were sad, but it wasn't the same without him.