"How is it over there?" Seren asked, holding the phone tightly against her ear. "Is your roommate nice? Is the campus big?" She went on to ask thousands of questions, unable to choose what she wanted to ask him first.
Jimin chuckled, his voice light as always. "You're asking way too many questions."
"Well, I'm just very curious," she defended, taking the ends of her hair in her fingers. "So, tell me! If you don't answer each of my questions, this call will never end."
"The campus is really nice, it's huge. I think I might have to run a marathon just to get to all my classes." He joked, making Seren snicker. "My roomie is pretty cool, yeah. We haven't talked much, but he really isn't in the room often."
"Well, at least he isn't disruptive or nosey, right?" Seren pointed, playing with her lip ring.
He hummed in agreement. "I was thinking the same. I was a bit worried about finally meeting my roommate, but I ended up worrying for nothing."
Seren sat above her couch, curling up in the corner. "I'm just glad you get to go out and explore your options. Are you also happy with leaving for college?"
She was aware that Jimin always wanted to live on campus for college, but was he happy with his decision now that he was there and living out his wishes?
"I would say so. I've only been here for three days, but so far, I like it." He explained, setting her premature worries aside.
She nodded, chewing her lower lip. "That's good, I'm happy you enjoy it there. Has mom called? Or dad?"
He sighed, indicative of his annoyance. "Yup, nonstop. Mom keeps calling to tell me if I don't wanna be here, I don't have to."
Her lips fractured into a smile.
She was worried, Seren supposed, unsure of how a worried mother usually acted. It was behavior that she never experienced with Hana.
"I guess she just cares enough," Seren muttered, looking over into her kitchen, gently smiling when she saw Hoseok pour tea into a mug.
"We both know mom just wants to keep me coddled." Jimin reminded, clearing his throat.
"She's just controlling." Seren shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Just ignore her, dude. Enjoy your time at university, go to parties, stay up late, and drink coffee at two in the morning to finish essays that are due the same morning."
"It sounds like you maybe watch too many movies." Jimin advised.
She chortled, scoffing. "Do whatever the hell it is college kids do. If you need help paying for any text books or buying snacks for your dorm, I'm here to help."
"No, you shouldn't be helping me, that's not your responsibility." Jimin immediately disapproved, his voice rigid with demand. "You have things to worry about there. You just put in your two week, please worry about paying your own bills and buying your own food."
"Jimin, I can still help. I'm not completely broke, I'm perfectly on my feet." Seren grimaced, a sense of shame burgeoning in her gut. "This new job I'm gonna work at may not give me the chance to make a lot of money through tips, but the pay is gonna be more than what I received from my old boss."
"How much more?" Jimin proceeded to ask.
"Three dollars and fifteen cents more." Seren answered, confidence rippling through her voice for once.
"Three dollars?" Jimin asked, baffled, not knowing whether it was a big difference to be ecstatic over.
"Hey, three dollars more is a big difference." Seren declared, staring past the random commercials playing on the flat screen.
"If you say so." Jimin responded flatly. "I just want you to take care of yourself first, you hardly have food in your fridge."
That was the second person to tell her that her fridge was practically always empty.
"Don't worry, I went on a shopping spree and filled my fridge up to the brim." She glanced over at Hoseok – who just smiled at that.
Jimin hummed after a moment. "Did somebody do that for you?"
"What makes you think that?" Seren asked, her eyebrows clipped.
"I don't know, it just doesn't sound like something you'd do." He explained, "Did someone do it for you?"
She glanced over at Hoseok again, who was wiping down the counter with a wet wipe.
"Yeah, Hoseok did." He glanced up at her when he heard his name.
Seren grinned at him, showing off her perfectly straight teeth.
The corner of his lip pulled, smirking at her, his eyes trailing down to the counter he was cleaning.
"Great to know he cares as much as I do." Jimin said. "He's nice, I guess."
Seren giggled, lifting her back from the cushions. "You still feel that way about it?" She asked, hoping Jimin would understand who she was referring to.
"Eh, he's okay." Jimin comprehended the reference. "He's just too nice and too polite. Those people got something to hide."
Seren could just roll her eyes, which is exactly what she did. She knew Hoseok, well enough to know that he wasn't hiding something from her. Even if he was, it was probably something like color-coding his boxer briefs, it seemed like something he'd definitely try keeping a secret.
"So, what? Should I leave?" Seren asked, hoping Hoseok wouldn't catch on to their conversation.
"No, I'm not saying you should leave him." Jimin sighed, the topic taking them absolutely nowhere. "Do you get a bad feeling when you're with him? You're good at that."
She turned over, seeing Hoseok toss a few dirty wipes in the trash can behind him.
All that she felt when they shared a glance was an overwhelming amount of butterflies swarming her body. Her heart felt warm, as though it were wrapped in a soft blanket.
Other than the sensations of fluster and admiration, she felt nothing else. Nothing that was bad, or off about him.
They slept in the same bed, and she felt safe for once in his arms.
That was enough to tell her he was genial.
"No, I don't." Seren confirmed, staring down at her floor.
He laughed. "Then, I guess people like him genuinely exist."
"They do." She assured, rubbing away the chills on the side of her arm. "You're one of those people, and so is Namjoon."
"I guess you got me there. Namjoon is also too good to be true." Jimin admitted. "Then you and Hoseok are good?"
"We're great." Seren confirmed.
"Did you tell him about... you know, your situation?" Jimin referred to her stalker, hesitation coloring his tone.
Her heart thrummed at the thought. "Yeah, I did. He actually stayed with me for three days, and that's when he refilled my empty fridge."
Hoseok came around, handing her the tepid mug.
"Thank you." She told him, a blithe grin on her lips.
"Is he there now?" Jimin asked.
"Yeah, we just went out to eat." Seren took a sip of the hot tea.
"Oh, well I'll let you go," Jimin said, rustling coming from his end. "I'm gonna make myself some buldak noodles."
"Don't be eating that every night, Jimin." Seren ordered, her eyes squinting. "I know its nice to have once and a while, but you need real food."
"I know, but my roommate offered me a bag, I can't say no, right?" Jimin reasoned, his bed creaking.
"Alright," she gave in, her shoulders wilting in submission. "Go make friends with your roomie, and goodnight."
"Goodnight, I'll text you tomorrow." Jimin said one last time before clicking the red button, ending their seemingly succinct call.
She sighed, putting her phone down and taking her attention to the tea in her hand.
"Is Jimin doing well?" Hoseok questioned, scooting closer to her figure.
"Yeah, he said he likes it so far." She took another sip, allowing the warm water to soak in her mouth, leaving a trail in her throat. "I miss him already, and it's only been three days... can you believe that?"
His chest rumbled, massaging her leg. "It's fine, and completely understandable. You used to see him daily, now you have to go weeks, maybe months without seeing him. It'll feel weird."
"Yeah, I figured I'd get used to it, but I'd never stop missing him." Seren mumbled, keeping her lips against the rim of her cup.
He reached over to her corner, wrapping his arms above her. Hoseok planted enchanting kisses along her clothed shoulder, trailing them up to the side of her bare neck.
She squirmed, giggling when his lips reached sensitive areas of her neck.
"Hoseok, stop." Seren requested – though her voice lacked emphasis – rolling her shoulder.
Hoseok ignored her, grabbing her mug and placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"Hey, I wasn't done with that." She tried hiding her smile. It was practically useless when she enjoyed his efforts for her attention.
He gently pulled her legs onto the couch, planting his body carefully above hers, their lips finding each other magnetically. She wrapped her arms over his nape, running her fingers through his long brunette hair.
They pulled away from their gentle kiss, and a smile remained on her lips.
"It's like we can't hang out without it leading up to this." She muttered to him, her eyes attached to his soft ones.
"To what? To me kissing you?" He asked, dipping low to kiss her neck.
"Yes." She rubbed his back, shutting her eyes.
"But I enjoy it. I miss you, we don't see each other often." He argued against her skin, pecking her.
"So stay the night. I still have clothes that you left from two weeks ago." Seren offered, not wanting him to go so soon.
"Did I really leave clothes?" He questioned, raising from the crook of her neck.
"Yeah. You left socks, a pair of briefs, and shorts." She confirmed, recalling the time she saw them in her drawer, deciding to leave them.
"That explains why I was missing a pair of boxers." His eyes squinted in thought.
She laughed, causing him to join, his chest rising up and down against her.
"Okay, I'll stay." He decided, running his fingers through her hair. "But, I might have to use your shower again tonight."
"Go ahead, but you might have to use my soap this time, since you didn't leave yours." Seren advised, combing her fingers through his hair.
"Next time I'll just leave my entire bathroom essentials." He settled, pressing his lips above her forehead.
"I wouldn't mind," Seren murmured, favoring his small kisses. "But, don't go just yet. Let's stay here for a little longer."
He smiled, exhaling through his nose.
Hoseok continued to plant slow kisses down her neck and shoulder, she kept her nose above his head of hair, falling deeper in love with his innate scent.
She could spend hours there, receiving the love that he was giving her, and she would never grow tired.
☾