"What took you so long?" Jin hyung says and I turn my head to see he is talking to Jimin. "I wanted to get pictures with everyone!"
"Oh, I just ran into someone," Jimin smiles. "But I'm here now. Let's start."
It's kind of funny how this group all came together. Jin, Jimin and Hoseok all know each other from college. Hoseok, Yoongi (who was invited but did not want to join), and I all know each other because we were a part of the underground hip hop and rap scene when we were teens. Taehyung and I met randomly at a bar and became friends. Jungkook was friends with Chae-rin first who she ended up bringing into the circle. Somehow, we all managed to meet and regardless of how long we've met, who brought us together, we all seem to really enjoy each other's company and genuinely all get along.
"Who did you run into?" Hoseok asks.
"No one important," Jimin shrugs.
That's the last thing he says before the photographer starts taking photos of us. I didn't realize that being friends with Jin hyung would result in us having these photos taken. For what reason would he need these professional photos for? Plus, we're missing Yoongi hyung.
"Hyung," Taehyung whispers to me, startling me from the abruptness.
"What?"
"Jimin ran into Chae-rin."
"And?"
"You know how his mouth is," Taehyung clarifies. "He might've mentioned yours and her relationship, you know since his twin sister is your ex."
"He wouldn't say anything hurtful to her," I reply. "Right?" Taehyung just gives me this look and fuck, he's right. "Okay, I'm going to go look for her."
I do return to the place I left her, but she's not there. I scan the venue and I don't see her, but I do see a pathway that goes somewhere else. I know her and I could imagine if Jimin confronted her, one of two things could have transpired. One, she exploded on him with her potty mouth. Given that Jimin had such a smug smile when he came, I don't think so. Two, she stood there and let him say whatever he said and just smiled through it even though she was wanting to explode.
There she is. The light blue pantsuit stands out against the colorful variation of green. She's just sitting there, staring at the pond. I wonder if she's trying to wind down or if she's just trying to enjoy her time since she has to go back to school and work tomorrow. I know she hates Sundays because it means that it's time to start the week again.
"There you are! I was looking for you everywhere!" She slightly turns her head and greets me with a soft smile. I take a seat next to her and ask her what happened, hoping she'll tell me first. And she does.
After half an hour of her telling me everything, I feel bad. Freaking Jimin... Why does he have to be like that? He doesn't even realize how lucky he was that Chae-rin didn't go off on him. I'm a little reluctant to return back to the party, but we kind of have to. Though, I am proud of Chae-rin for acting with such grace. It probably wasn't easy for her, but I appreciate that she didn't cause a scene. Look at her growing up. I even tease her about it.
Chae-rin wants a photo of herself, but I have a better idea. A couple photo to launch on social media declaring that we are, in fact, a couple. She seems skeptical at first, but I somehow convince her. The first few photos look too normal. It looks like every other photo we have with each other. So, I tell her to stay still. I turn to face her, my nose lightly brushing against her jaw. She smells good. She smells like water lilies and a hint of apple blossom.
As soon as we return to our little group, Jungkook and Chae-rin engage in a conversation while I scan the area for Jimin. I need to have a conversation with him about the little incident he had with Chae-rin. He can't be walking around saying things like that and who else knows what he's going to do.
As soon as I spot him, I take a step away from Chae-rin. However, her hand reaches for mine. "Where are you going?" She turns to look at me. "Stay here."
I lean in close to her so only she can hear, "I'm going to talk to Jimin."
"Right now? Just wait." She wraps her arms around my waist. "Let's just hang out and enjoy the rest of this brunch, hm?" Her big eyes, the puppy dog ones that I think she knows I can't resist, look up into mine.
"Okay," I nod.
"Aw, that picture hyung posted is cute," Taehyung says, holding his phone. "You guys look so adorable!"
"Let me see!" Hobi takes his phone. "Aw, you guys look like a couple."
"You're blushing," Jungkook laughs at Chae-rin. "You can blush?"
Chae-rin rolls her eyes. "It was unexpected, okay?"
Ae-ra never had this kind of openness with my friends. Perhaps it's because she came from the outside whereas Chae-rin and I have always been on the inside. It's also probably because I never really brought her around them. I mean, I did, but when my friends and I would have movie nights, karaoke, or just hangout days, Ae-ra always said that she didn't want to intrude. She wasn't rude about it. She was just shy.
"Can you go get me a bubbly with strawberries?" Chae-rin taps my shoulder. "Please?"
"Strawberries to snack on or in your drink?"
"In my drink," she grins.
I nod and make my way to the bar. One last glance back at her and she gives me a wink, causing me to laugh. I didn't think that me getting stuck under a gazebo with her during a downpour would result in us becoming friends. It's funny how things work like that. She has this fierce, tough, exterior, but she is just a big softy at heart. What is that saying? Black cat energy? I guess I'm her golden retriever counterpart.
"Hi," the familiar voice, sounding like honey says. I don't even have to turn around to know it's Ae-ra.
"Hey," I say, facing her.
"You, uh, you look nice, Joonie," she gives me the smallest smile. "And Chae-rin looks beautiful, too."
"Thanks," I reply. I try to ignore my heart fluttering at the nickname, or her small smile. She's just being cordial.
"I just wanted to come over and talk to you. I hope that it's not weird between us. I would very much like us to remain friendly," she says to me.
What does she mean by that?!
"Unless it's weird for Chae-rin," she continues. "You two look good together. I'm glad that you guys are dating."
I try my hardest not to clench my jaw, but what the hell is she doing? Is she doing this on purpose to hurt me? She's basically telling me she's glad I've moved on from her. That is not what I want to hear! "Yeah," I reply dryly. "Thanks. I'm glad that she and I are together too. I actually have to go. This is for her." I hold the glass of champagne up so Ae-ra can see. "It was nice seeing you, Ae-ra."
"It was nice talking to you, Joonie," she smiles.
I walk off and find everyone in the same spot under the white tent. Chae-rin is sitting with Hobi and they're talking about Yoongi hyung's next project as a producer while Taehyung and Jungkook are gobbling up the food. I take a seat next to Chae-rin and wrap my arm around her waist. She jumps slightly, turning to face me.
"Sorry, you startled me," she replies.
"Here's your drink," I hand her the glass.
She takes a quick sip and then leans in so naturally into me as she turns to talk to Hobi again. "My brother hates socializing when he has things due."
"Yeah, I know. Jin hyung really wanted him to come to this brunch but your brother said no. He told hyung that he'd make his appearance at the wedding." Hobi rolls his eyes. "Your brother...how are you two related?"
"I ask myself that same question," she laughs. "Joon, you're so quiet. Are you okay?" She looks up at me, raising her brow. "Are you tired?"
"No, I'm fine. I just like listening to you guys talk," I tell her and then I lean in to kiss her forehead. She ducks at first but I'm faster and still reach her.
"What was that for?"
"Just because," I shrug.
"Ew," Taehyung mumbles. "I'm eating here!"
We both turn our attention to our friend and she laughs. "Don't look at us then. We can't help it if you're staring."
"I wasn't staring! I was looking around and you guys just so happen to be caught in my line of vision!"
"You're lucky I kept it PG," I tease.
---
"My feet hurt," she complains, sitting on my sofa, her legs propped up on the pillow. "Next time I'm going to wear sneakers."
I sit next to her, lifting her legs up so they rest on my thighs. "Ae-ra told me that she's glad I've moved on from her and she's glad that it's with you," I mumble. "I don't know what to make of that... Does that mean she's over me?"
She sits up and sighs, "I'm sorry, Namjoon." She moves her legs off of me and crawls toward me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I don't know what that means. What do you think it means?"
"I think that she's...lying," I say. "But at the same time am I just that desperate that I'm ignoring the blatant clues?"
"Well, we still have a month left," she murmurs. "I think we need to find more events where she's going to see us. You need to be able to read her, Joon."
"I know," I groan.
"I'm sorry," she says, "I didn't mean to pressure you."
"You didn't," I reply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I just feel...I don't know what I feel. There's a lot of things going on, you know?"
She nods. "Well, let's have a movie day to get your mind off things." She hops off the couch and starts to make her way to my room.
"Where are you going?" I know she's going there, but why?
"I'm going to change," she grins. "I need to be in some lounge clothes."
Just like how I have clothes at her place, she has stuff here. Again, it's not like we have our own drawers. She sometimes forgets her things here and I just leave it in a drawer in my dresser for her. Rather than repeating the same mistake from last time, I wait until she returns before I got to change. When Chae-rin reappears in my living room, she's wearing her old college shirt and black shorts. Her hair is tied up into a loose bun and she looks very comfortable.
"You can't even tell that you went to a fancy gathering an hour ago," I comment, teasingly.
"Shut up," she says, plopping herself on my sofa, getting comfortable. "I'm going to pick a movie. What are you feeling? Scary? Romcom? Action?"
"Anything," I reply, walking to my room to change. She yells from the living room if we should order something to snack on, but then says she's going to do it anyway. I snicker as I change into some sweatpants and a T-shirt. Her clothes are tossed by the foot of my bed. She is so messy. I fold her clothes and place them back where she left them before I exit out to meet her in the living room.
"What did you end up settling on for food?" I sit beside her. "Let me guess. Fried chicken?"
"Actually, I was going to get pizza but chicken sounds better," she replies, swiping through her phone. "You want legs and thighs or a whole chicken?"
"Can we just do the drumettes and flats?"
"Okay, and tornado fries?" She is starting to sound really excited about the food.
"Sure," I nod.
Of course, knowing Chae-rin, she opts for a horror movie. It's not that I don't like them, but I would rather not watch horror movies. I live alone and I know she's going to end up ditching me after the movie ends. She gets comfortable under the blanket on my couch and presses play.
"Why a horror movie?" I say to her.
"You said to pick anything," she comments.
"But I was hoping you would pick something else," I say. "Actually, I have a better idea." I take the remote from her hand and pause the movie.
"And what is that?"
"Let's talk," I say. "We haven't really been consistent with this plan of ours. I feel like we haven't done much and I want us to talk about it."
"Talk about what? Being your fake girlfriend?"
"And us fucking."
She chokes on her own spit and sits up, coughing. I laugh at her and she glares. "You don't have to put it so bluntly like that!"
"Well, to be fair, we haven't even fucked yet," I shrug. "We've pleasured each other in other ways, but the act of-"
"Yeah, okay, I get it," she cuts me off. "What do you want to talk about?"
"So, what is it that you would like to experience? I don't think I'm an expert by no means, but I think we can do things together. We can definitely experiment together, if you want."
Her cheeks turn into a subtle red as she clears her throat. "I, uh, I don't know? I don't know what I like because I've not done much..."
"So, then-"
"Can't it just happen naturally? I mean, I liked the last two times because it just kind of happened. It wasn't planned or scheduled. That would be weird if we had scheduled times for us to...you know."
"You can say the word," I laugh. "It's sex. It's only weird if you make it weird, Chae-rin. Is it weird for you? Tell me now and we don't have to-"
"No, it's not weird. It's just a little embarrassing to say it because I've known you for a decade," she says.
"Okay," I nod. "So, when it happens naturally, you're okay with us trying...things?"
"As long as you don't go anywhere close to my butthole," she laughs. "I am not down for that."
I let out a loud laugh, tossing my head back. "Oh, Chae-rin, are you sure?"
She tosses a pillow at me. "I am positive, Joon." She rolls her eyes as I stick my tongue out at her. "I have a question, though."
"Shoot."
"Do you...uh, well, did you enjoy the last two times we, er, well I don't really know what that was, but you know what I mean," she says, looking confused herself.
"I did," I reply. "Chae-rin, I hope you know that I do enjoy your company and I also enjoy pleasuring you."
"Oh," she breathes shyly.
"Did you enjoy it, too?" I find it somewhat cute that she's acting like this. She is not normally one to be shy like this. It's funny.
"Yeah, I did," she mumbles. "God! This isn't me. I'm not shy like this when we talk!" She groans. "Okay, I just have to say it. We are going to be fuck buddies. We are fuck buddies."
I chuckle and nod. "We are," I agree. "But we are also best friends. You can stop this whenever you want."
"Well, we haven't even fucked so how would I know if I want to stop or not?"
"I'm just trying to go your pace. I just want to make sure-"
She moves so fast that I'm caught off guard when her lips are pressed against mine. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me into her and it takes me a second to grasp what is happening here. My hand instinctively pulls her hips towards me and she gasps when her core meets mine. I slip my tongue into her mouth and explore every little area inside.
Her fingers brush against my neck, pulling some of my hair and it sends shivers down my spine. I love when she does that. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I know she wants me. Without having to guide her, she swings her leg around me, so she's straddling me. I've come to realize she likes this position when we make-out. I push her onto my crotch and she grinds lightly. Fuck, it feels good.
She breaks our kiss and breathes out raggedly, "I'm sorry. I don't know what overcame me."
"Don't apologize," I tell her, moving my lips down her neck.
"S-so," she says in between gasps, "you want this?"
"As much as you," I tell her, pulling away. "Do you want this?"
There's a burning in her eyes. She gulps and then nods. "Yeah, I do." And her lips are on mine again. "I want all of it tonight," she murmurs against my lips.
Her hands slide under my shirt and her fingers lightly trace my abs. Everywhere her fingers trace leaves a burning on my skin. My hands snake down in between her thighs and I cup her pussy. She lets out a soft whimper at that and swallows nervously. Something about her always letting out these surprised gasps makes me go wild and my mouth can't stop from saying the things I do.
"You like when I touch you like this?" I whisper into her ear. "You want me to feel you up like last time?" She slowly nods against me. "I want to hear you."
"Yes," she whispers back.
"Good girl," I smirk. I slip my hand inside her shorts, pressing my fingers against her clothed heat. "You want this?" I press the pad of my thumb against her clit. "Yes or no?"
"Yes!" Her voice a little stronger than normal. She startles herself and laughs which causes me to chuckle too.
I bring my lips to her neck and nibble the area that's her sensitive spot. I found it the first night and ever since then, I've been itching to leave a mark there. My lips latch onto the area, kissing and sucking while she grinds against my finger.
"Namjoon," she moans into my ear, almost whining.
I pull my lips away from her neck to see my artwork and it looks lovely on her neck. Perfect. My fingers slip under her panties and I rub her in between her folds. She is so wet already. She whimpers when my fingers light brushes her entrance to her clit. Her legs instinctively shut and I have to use my other hand to pry it open.
"You are so wet for me," I murmur. "You're going to take me so well tonight." My mouth moves to her ear and I lightly tug it with my lips.
She moans when my fingers slip inside of her, her fingers tugging my hair, her head tilted back. "Fuck," she manages to slip out.
To think, we are still fully clothed. I'm hard under my pants right now, but I'm going slow so that I don't spook her. I want her to feel comfortable. After-all, this all about her. She has already helped me with my part.
And then, there's a loud knock at the door. She freezes and I do too.
"Who is that?" She looks at me.
"The food?" I raise my brow.
"Oh yeah," she breathes. "I forgot all about that."
I pull my finger out of her and she gasps when I lick it clean. "Delicious," I smirk. Her mouth gapes open as I lift her back to her spot, kiss her on the cheek and move to open the door.
It's fun teasing her like this.
---
Author's Note:
I think...I'm going to keep updating this. I see some readers??? Lol IDK, just gonna finish this for the hell of it. Anyway, look at our boy being all main character and shit. I just wanna know who takes all his boyfriend pictures because damn they got some skills!