a/n: guys, please vote a lot<3
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aria woke up to conveniently ignore jungkook's effort that he left her water amd medicine on the nightstand, and went straight to the bathroom, standing under the shower. the water is cold, running down her body as she rubs her arms, stomach chest and down her legs, hoping to forget how good jungkook felt on her. the last night plays in her head along with the beat of the pounding skull. it hurts so much that aria almost declares herself crazy questioning if the pain was real or just an imagination due to what jungkook did to her.
turns out it's real and she'll need a painkiller to subside it. once done with the shower, aria wraps herself in a towel and stands in front of the sink, staring at the reflection in the mirror. sighing at her miserable appearance, especially the puffy face and the redness in her eyes, she shakes her head, picking up her toothbrush and the toothpaste.
jungkook never leaves her mind, especially now that she knows that they're not together anymore. it's like he's going to push the door open and enter in her bathroom like he always has been doing with zero hesitation, and capture her in a back hug, kissing her neck and shoulders until she forgave him. aria closes her eyes, shaking her head in the hope to shake jungkook out of her thoughts too, at least for now, because later she has to face him anyway.
everything happened too fast. all in one day— within a few hours. the fear, the realisation, the confrontation and then finally the break up. she hoped for some time, at least one day to gather herself up before pretending that she's fine and actually start investing herself in this marriage with taehyung. it's unfair how so much happened last night and today she has to meet jungkook and his family like she's happy with everything.
when aria enters her room, selecting a good outfit for the day, which will be pleasing to her soon-to-be mother-in-law, her phone rings on the table, making her groan in annoyance. putting on her clothes, she peeks at the name, frowning on why her brother would want to talk to her rught now. "what is it?" she receives the call with a grump tone of voice.
"good morning to you too, brat."
"what do you want, jimin?" she hisses.
"open the door."
"what?" aria frowns, quickly fixing her dress, while leaving the towel on her head, holding the wet hair. she takes the door, sighing deeply at the sight of her elder brother, who's waving at her and showing her the plastic bags of delicious smelling food that he brought with himself. "how are you here so early?"
"that's not how you greet me." jimin rolls his eyes and walks past her to the kitchen, setting down the bags and takes out the dishes and chopsticks from the drawers. "come, i got us breakfast."
aria leans on the counter, watching him get everything out and serve the food for them. there are croissants, sandwiches and fruit salad. as if that's not enough, he even picks up a pan, placing it on the stove and collects the ingredients he needs from different cabinets. "what are you doing?" aria asks, eating a piece of kiwi from one of the two transparent boxes.
"making some out of the world pasta?" jimin states as if it was obvious.
"and why are you being so nice?" she arches up a brow, feeding herself another kiwi but this time from the second box.
"because i've to pamper you and make sure you cry the day you'll leave with your husband." he says, looking at her directly for the first time and leans over the counter with a smile, "also i was bored alone at home since yoona went to see her family."
"right, your wife isn't home so you came here so that i would cook for you and you could boss me around." aria nods her head, squinting at her brother who scrunches his face.
"you're getting smarter, ari." he says sarcastically, shaking his head and carries on with his work, putting on the pasta to boil for some time while he operates the coffee machine, preparing two cups. "i met jungkook last night."
the name makes aria look up at jimin, gulping consciously about what's about to come. "and?" she waits for him to tell her more, or ask if there was anything that he wanted to know.
"he looked stressed about something." jimin says, turning around as he sits with aria, placing her coffee in front of her and sips his own. "it was pretty late, i was returning home from work when i saw him."
"why are you telling me that?"
"because he's going to be your brother-in-law?" jimin shrugs his shoulders, "he looked bad. said he didn't feel like going home, so i asked him if he wanted to talk. and since i was alone at home, i brought him with me."
"what?" aria frowns at him, "like why? all because he looked a little sad, you took him home?"
"what's wrong in that? he's the son of the family you're gonna be a part of, and he's also my friend's brother. why can't i help him?"
the sister rolls her eyes, massaging her temples, "fine, help him or do whatever you want. it's not like i care about those people."
jimin stands up to turn off the stove for the pasta has been cooked and strains it down on the sink, not saying anything to his sister for he knows too, that she's not interested in getting married to taehyung. it was all their father's idea who believed that aria's old enough to be married now, since she has completed her degree and working isn't something they fancy very much.
jimin has seen every bit of it. despite being siblings the difference in his life and aria's life has always been prominent, and it made him feel guilty for his sister, constantly under fear that she might start hating him for her parents' behaviour. being a girl in a socially and economically rich family, brought her tons of rules and regulations. from not being allowed to play in the field like her own brother, to never having permission of going out with her only friend back in high school. she's been given personal physical care sessions which is one of the biggest reasons she has always been a captivator of beaty and grace. jimin has seen just how proud the parents are on aria's appearance.
it's like they were always preparing her to be a perfect female that has features pleasing to the eyes, voice sweet like honey, and actions as delicate as that of a butterfly. aria was raised to be pretty as for that's the only thing that concerns her as a girl, according to the parents. even for jimin they chose the prettiest girl out there, obedient and quiet who would listen to her husband and be willing to go out of her way for him.
jimin just needed a wife. with all the filters that his parents had put, it always felt like it was impossible for any girl to pass all the checkpoints. but eventually he met the right girl, han yoona. jimin admitted that she was gorgeous, still finds himself getting lost in her beauty. she's soft-spoken, a little shy until she mixes up with you, and really caring. it didn't take jimin long to fall for her and declare her as the love of his life. it's been a little over a year to jimin's marriage, and now it's his sister's turn.
when he came to know that his best friend's family is actually interested in his sister, it made him a bit awkward, but then seeing his parents' equally enthusiastic response and how fast they agreed to give their daughter's hand for marriage with their elder son, jimin eventually came to settle in with the fact that at least he knows taehyung is a nice man and will keep his sister happy. taehyung's patient and calm, so even if aria ever loses temper sometimes, he can be the mature one and sort it out.
aria's attitude and temper cannot be blamed on her, and jimin is the first one who'd say it's their parents' fault. they treated her a like a princess, gave her everything she asked for except for a life of her own. that's how she grew up to be stubborn and learnt that materialistic things can replace anything if they're expensive enough. ever since she stepped into the adolescent phase of her life, she had started becoming more reserved, yet a bit stubborn. she would get mad if things weren't her way, if the food didn't taste the way she liked, or if the parents or the staff failed to fulfill her wish as soon as it was told.
jimin knew it was because she had no one but gifts and presents around her to keep her company. she would talk to him in the beginning, during her preteen years and earlier, but as time went by, it was only jimin trying keep the ties. yet he never blamed anything on her. he would even get mad at the staff if they didn't do something the way his sister wanted, or if the parents scolded aria for being a brat.
of course aria was aware of jimin's constant efforts, but she didn't feel obliged enough to acknowledge it to his face. even right now, it would feel nice to have his comforting aura around and maybe a warm hug from him, since he is the master of giving amazing hugs. but aria doesn't move an inch from her place, just watching her brother cooking for them, precisely for her.
"how's yoona?" she asks at last, getting a subtle smile from jimin as he nods gradually.
"she's good." he says briefly, "how's it going with tae?"
"do we really have to talk about that?"
jimin takes a deep breath, lifting up his gaze from the pan, fixing it on his sister, "he's a nice guy, ari. he'll take care of you."
"i can take care of myself too." aria mutters.
"of course you can," the brother hums, "but—"
"don't." aria rolls her eyes at him, "you don't have act like mom and dad to me okay?"
"i'm not trying to be like them. i get it you're upset about this whole thing, but then there's nothing we can do about it unless you decide that you don't wanna give in." he says calmly, getting a subtle frown from the sister, and jimin sigh softly, nodding his head. he sets the stove to a lower flame and sits next to aria, "i married the girl that mom and dad selected for me, which turned out okay because y'know how it is for us— for guys right? i know that taehyung is a nice guy and he'll keep you happy, but i won't deny the fact that your marriage is going to be way different than mine. for taehyung it might be nearly the same, but for you it's going to be the biggest change in your life. so, i want you to think it through, alright? taehyung's not a bad guy, so you don't have to worry about him, but you should think about yourself once. divorces are messy where we come from."
aria lowers her head gradually, letting her brother's words sink in, "i don't wanna get married..." she whispers out, nibbling on her lower lip nervously. "i tried telling mom, but she didn't listen and just told dad that i wasn't okay with their decision. he was mad... really mad."
jimin leans closer, hugging aria to his chest and strokes her side, "did he hit you?" he asks softly.
she gulps down a sob and rubs her eyes, nodding her head, but doesn't speak about it anymore. instead she looks up at jimin's face and asks, "will you help me if i— if i try to go against mom and dad?" she blinks a couple times, trying to contain her tears, which jimin notices and leans down to kiss her forehead.
"yes," he promises, "you don't know this, ari. yoona wasn't happy with our marriage either. but her parents and the constant pressure that her younger sister might suffer because of her poor decision, convinced her for this. i feel sorry for her sometimes, and the only way i can ever make it up— or at least try to make it up for her, is by loving her like her family failed to do. i don't want you to go through something like that. yeah, tae's nice, but you're still my sister and i can't just hand you over to him or any man to fix you with his love right?"
aria hums softly, glancing back at the stove and pulls away, "the pasta," she reminds jimin, getting a hiss from him as he quickly stands up and stirs the content of the pan adding some last ingredients and more cheese before covering it with the glass lid. "i've to go the kim's today." she says, looking at jimin, "taehyung said that his mother has some jewellery and other stuff that she needs to finalize for the wedding, and she needs me to help her choose."
"that's good. how are you going?"
"taehyung will pick me up..." she says, checking the time and hums, "around eleven i guess?"
jimin turns off the stove, picking up the pan and places it on the island top where aria's already sitting. he quickly serves her a portion and gestures her to start eating, also tell him how it tastes. "mm 's good," aria hums, giving a thumbs up as she quickly blows on the cheesy, creamy pasta before taking a bite. "perfect."
"i'm so good at this." jimin groans as well, not even sitting down for he impatiently digs in right from the hot pan.
"the one and only thing." aria grins, making fun of him. jimin huffs, saying that he won't ever cook for her again and wouldn't even visit her until she's the one who calls him and apologizes first. aria sticks out her tongue at him, laughing when jimin imitates her.
the breakfast went well surprisingly for aria, when she had thought she wouldn't even eat and just sit like a depressed, heartbroken girl. but her brother became the saviour today. she wonders what he and jungkook talked about through the night, but at least she knows now that jungkook was safe after leaving from here. her reaction last night was genuine and she still hates what jungkook did to her, although everything aside, she can't bring herself to hate jungkook for she knows that he must be hurting too.
with several thoughts running round her mind, she makes it to eleven o'clock, ready in her living room while jimin is still here, talking to her about random things or just quietly texting his wife. "so, you're gonna stay here?" aria asks, checking her phone one last time. there's a message from taehyung that says he's coming in fifteen minutes, another message is from her telecom company informing her about some new scheme they have. she bites her lip, opening jungkook's chat, reading their last few texts before turning off the screen. she shakes her head, focusing on her brother, who said something that she missed. "are you staying, jimin?"
"i just i said i am." he looks at her.
"uh yeah, sorry." she nods, looking away and fixes her hair, "anyway, fine then. you know everything's in the kitchen if you're hungry, and you can also do whatever you want, just don't touch my stuff. especially my make up."
"why would i do that?" jimin makes a weird face, "i'm already overflowing with looks and glory. you're the one who needs make up."
"no, but i thought what if you eat them. you clearly need beauty on the inside, jerk."
"you don't even make sense. just go." he hisses, "god, how can anyone be so annoying?"
"you—" aria's phone interrupts her, making jimin smirk. she mocks at him, clutching her purse in her hand and walks to the front door, answering her fiancé's call. "i'm coming. just give me two minutes." she says, standing inside the elevator and puts the phone inside the bag.
when she gets out, she's met with taehyung standing right in front of the building, wearing a well fitted suit— indicating that he probably came from work or is going to work— along with a smile that aria has always seen him flaunting at the sight of her. she smiles back, waving at him, although hesitates a little when he leans forward for a brief hug.
"hey, beautiful." his eyes take a quick run down her body, admiring the dress that suits her the best, making him lose sanity little by little, wondering if she was actually getting prettier every moment he saw her again, or it was just his imagination. "i'm so sorry i couldn't make it sooner. we could've had breakfast together."
"it's alright." aria shakes her head, getting in the car and waits for taehyung to get on the driver's seat while she secures her seatbelt. the doors all close and she looks at taehyung again, "actually it's good that you didn't come earlier. jimin is here, so we wouldn't have any privacy."
"oh, it doesn't matter." taehyung chuckles. "jimin's been my friend for longer than i can think of. so, he's not a problem."
"but he's my brother."
"we just had to eat food, aria." taehyung laughs, making her look down as she nods subtly. "you're so cute."
aria smiles a little at that, glancing out of the window as they get closer to their destination. her heartbeat increases with the distance decreasing, and there comes a point where she just wants to go back rather than facing jungkook right now, especially when they can't even ignore each other. she will have to greet him with a smile and act like they're meeting for the first time all over again since college, where they actually bumped into each other without knowing how they were going to be lovers with the right love in the wrong time.
taehyung pulls over in front of the mansion. it's almost as big as aria's parents' where jimin lives with his wife and the parents, obviously. aria moved out for college and hasn't went back ever since. the exteriors are beautiful, luxury showing it's elegance at every place, which reminds her of her own home where she grew up with her brother. she glances at taehyung, forcing up a smile to return his, as his hand rests on her back, leading her inside the foyer where his parents are standing with the biggest smiles on their faces, and aria slowly realises what jungkook meant last night.
it's going to be so hard here.
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