Jimin awoke on his bed, cold sweat trickling down the side of his neck. The hands of the clock was eerily pointing to the awkward roman numeral on the face of the clock. The girl has been haunting his dreams for days on straight. Ever since she disappeared, he's been having sleepless nights because he was the one to blame.
He shook the strange dream out of his head and started the morning early. It has been years when Suga left and Soo Jin disappeared. They stopped hearing from Suga three months after he left, even Namjoon, who was supposed to be the closest to him, couldn't locate where he was. Jimin wanted to know where he has gone to so he could say an apology because only now did he realize what he was repeatedly trying to force Suga into; a love that is unwanted. However, a small part of him felt grateful that he left because now he could take Mara all for himself.
The floor was cold as his feet touched the ground. He shuffled into the kitchen of his penthouse. Jimin has been living alone ever since his parents handed him all the responsibilities of the family business, saying that they trust him enough. He poured himself a cold glass of water to soothe his aching dry throat.
Jimin swiveled his head, staring right into a picture of her and him on their first year together. He walked up to it, holding the frame up to his face. He missed her so much. He never would've expected that he'll last this long without seeing Mara but today is the end of that suffering. She's finally coming home.
-
| mara's point of view
The whole gang was there to welcome me back. Their grins are so contagious. I couldn't hide my happiness when I saw the loud bunch. To be honest, I'm so relieved to find that nothing really changed with them. True. They'd be strutting around in their corporate suits and neckties, looking like Christian Grey, but around me they're still the bunch of amazingly horny teenagers I knew.
"Hey kiddo! Welcome home!" Hoseok was the first to pull me into his arms, followed my Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jin. Damn they all smell corporate good.
"Let me breathe please." I squeaked in the middle of the heartwarming hug.
"Hey horny shits. Get off her." Jimin shooed them away from me. Our eyes met and I couldn't help but smile. I missed him.
"Watch your language, shortie." Jin replied, "Or do you wanna fight me?"
"Chill, grandma." Jimin told him jokingly before he made his way to me and finally locked me in his embrace. "Welcome back."
"I'm so happy to be back." I said through a sigh, inhaling his familiar scent. We pulled away from each other soon he was pushed back when Taehyung started creating a big commotion.
"I'm super hungry! Let's go eat something!" Taehyung whined. He and I never stopped communicating even when I was studying abroad so I didn't even have a chance to miss him.
"How are you, Tae?" I nudged his arm.
"Don't you get friendly with me, woman. I'm still mad about you hiding the fact that you're coming back home. I'm really hurt." Taehyung said, making my grin stretch wider.
"Aw. I'm sorry." I puffed my cheeks out and tilted my head slightly. "I wanted to surprise you."
"Okay. You're forgiven." He crumbled in from of me real quick. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me close and hugged me. "From now on, promise me you'll tell me everything."
I nodded my head in his chest, "I promise." Taehyung flashed me a smile as we returned to the group.
Hoseok's yapping could be heard from a mile away. They were fighting about which five star restaurant they should take me to. These dorks.
I formed my finger into a circle, placing it inside my mouth and blew a whistle with it, "Attention!" I raised my hand, "I'm starving so for fuck's sake just pick a place."
They were silent for awhile, staring among themselves and then Hoseok started again and they were in chaos again, "I told you I know the sous chef there. He's exceptional!"
"No, I totally recommend this place. They have amazing pasta." Said Jin. "Trust me. I know good food when I taste one."
"Everybody listen!" I raised my voice, and all the heads turned to me, "I'm not picky. Hell, I could even eat street food right now and still be happy so please agree on something."
"Fuck it! I'm so hungry! Let's just eat ramyun!" Taehyung finally said it. Everyone thought about it for a second.
"Jimin's place?" Namjoon suggested, "Call?"
"Why my place?" Jimin reacted, "No, you're just going to eat then leave my place a mess."
"Call." Hoseok replied without a single fuss, "I'll buy the chicken."
"I'll buy the soda." Jin added.
"I'll bring myself." Taehyung grinned. "Ya'll need me."
"Didn't you hear me? I said no." Jimin said and he was ignored.
I chuckled before I comforted him, holding his hand in mine, "It's okay. I'll help you with the aftermath."
And so we ate and talked during dinner. They filled me up with everything that happened while I was gone. Apparently, like Jimin, Jin, Namjoon and Hoseok all inherited the family business. Taehyung became an aspiring photographer. Jungkook was studying abroad and had no plans yet of coming back home. I heard he was doing well so I was glad he found something he liked doing, something that kept his mind off some things.
"So what are your plans?" Jin started, opening a new can of soda.
"I already got a job." I answered with a huge smile. "I was accepted last month. That's partly the reason why I made the sudden decision to come home."
Jimin frowned, "Why not just work for me?"
"I don't want to." I replied and he frowned some more. "I want to earn my own money through my own efforts."
"Yeah she's right, Jimin. Don't be a dickhead." Namjoon backed me up, sending me a wink. "Not all girls want your money. Some of them want mine."
"You know what?" Hoseok joined in, "You're all dickheads."
"By the way, Mara, where are you staying?" Taehyung asked with a spicy fried chicken in his mouth.
"Taehyung how many times do I have to tell you. Don't speak when you're mouth is full. And you eat like kid, come here." I grabbed some tissues and wiped the sauce off his cheek.
"Wow. You're so good at getting me extremely jealous." Jimin commented sarcastically, eyes fixed on the both of us but I ignored him. He's being a rude ass again. "You know Taehyung can wipe the fucking sauce off from his face, Mara. He has hands that are perfectly functional when he's fingering some girl so let him use it."
I turned to him, my jaw fell slack in disbelief at his rudeness. "I'm not deliberately making you jealous. I swear you are so childish sometimes, Jimin."
"I am not." He fired back. "You've been so close to Taehyung ever since you got back. Others would've mistook you for a couple."
Namjoon, Jin, Hoseok and Taehyung watched the two of us bickering at one another, their eyes going back and forth to me and Jimin.
"I am your boyfriend and yet you touch him like I'm not fucking watching." Jimin's voice was raised a little. I know this fight was nonsense in the first place but I don't know why I kept on arguing back.
"Uh, maybe it's best that we just go?" Jin's voice was low and careful as he spoke so as to not further aggravate the matter.
"Great idea." Hoseok agreed, grabbing the empty chicken boxes and throwing them in a trash bag, "We'll clean this up and go so you two can talk."
Namjoon grabbed Taehyung's collar, "You're coming with us."
"What? Why?" He complained, "I wanna talk with Mara."
"Shut it. And take that chicken off your mouth." Namjoon said, spotting Hoseok with the trash bag, he waved him over, "Hoseok, take the chicken."
"No. Not the chicken please not the chicken." Taehyung whined endlessly as he was being dragged outside.
Soon we were left alone in Jimin's place. The quietness taking over as we stood still in our places, just staring at each other. I love him but he makes me so angry.
"I just missed you, okay but it seems like you don't miss me at all." Jimin spoke after awhile, looking straight into my eyes, "You've been gone for so long and seeing you having fun and being so careless with them got me so worked up."
I sighed deeply, "I'm sorry." Jimin closed the space between us and pulled me in an embrace, "I missed you too."
"Stay with me." Jimin said as he broke the hug.
"I told you. I don't want to be spoonfed. I want to do things on my own-"
"I know." He smiled warmly, "but until you find a place, stay here with me."
I nodded and gave him a smile. It's strange to feel so much warmth from the person I hated so much before. I thought I despised him. When I met him that day, he looked like someone who isn't capable of loving but the whole time, I was terribly wrong. Jimin may look like he doesn't care at all, he may be ill tempered, he may do things the way he want to sometimes but he always consider those persons important to him.
"This is your room. This used to be my office but I had the helpers clean up and decorate it for you." Jimin opened the plain looking door and stepped inside ahead of me, "I don't know if you'll like it."
"This is perfect." A smile came upon my face as the soft carpet tickled the soles of my feet. I walked slowly around the room, letting my fingers slide on the surface of the table. I sat on the bed, bouncing on it a little and then giggling afterwards.
"Thank you." I smiled up at Jimin who was making his way to me, "This looks way better than my old messy bedroom."
Jimin sat beside me, watching my face carefully before leaning closer until our noses were touching. I thought I stopped breathing when he met my eyes.
"Do you want me to sleep with you?" Jimin's breath smelled like the bubblegum flavor I liked when I was a kid. "It's your first night here. I don't want you to have bad dreams."