grace hadn't expected to be held up. she had texted jimin and told him that she would be at the hotel at four but it was now five and her phone had died. she had met a lot of wonderful people one of them asked her to go with them to a small play and she had tried to go but the person was very insistent and she couldn't say no. she did have a lot of though. she took so many photos and bought a few things.
now she was on her way back to the hotel. she sat on the bus the clock reading 5:25. she sat back in her seat and watched as the cars came and went. it wasn't too long before she arrived at the hotel. she walked in and went up the elevator. as soon as the doors opened she was embraced in a bone crushing hug. the scent, it was familiar.
"where were you? i was worried. i thought something had happened. you weren't answering. i called the hospital and the police station to ask if you were there. do you know how worried i was?"
jimin.
"sorry." grace replies hugging him back.
"yeah you better be. you said you would be here nearly two hours ago. what happened grace?"
"i got held up. i'm sorry jimin. i wanted to call you but my phone died."
"it's fine. as long as you're okay."
"mhm... not a scratch on my body." she says. he smiles and pulls back.
"i'm assuming you're tired." jimin said as they walked out of the elevator.
"yes but i still want to go to the beach." she says.
"you do?"
"yes. i've been looking forward to it all day. we could invite the guys as well." she says. jimin looks down and mumbles a "yeah". grace takes one of his hands and he looks up. "or it could just be us." she says with a smile.
he nods as they walk into the room. "i'll just call the guys and tell them you're here safely." she nods and sits on the bed. it feels great to sit down.
as she waits grace looks at the photos she had taken. it was truly beautiful there. the scenery an the people. she loved it.
"alright they said that you are going to get a talk later. you ready to go?" he asks.
grace stands up and follows him out of the door. as they make their way down to the lobby they talk about their days.
"and now i'm here." jimin finishes off.
"when did you eat?" grace asks.
"what?"
"you didn't mention when you ate or what you ate." grace states.
"oh. i just had what they gave us at the interviews." jimin said scratching his neck.
"i don't believe you." grace says.
"why not? i wouldn't lie to you."
"but you just did. jimin... you can't skip meals. it's not healthy." grace says stopping once they are outside.
"i wasn't hungry."
"as active as you are jimin, you can't skip a single meal."
"i feel fine."
"you only had breakfast and that's not enough it's already dinner time. come on let's go get some food to eat." she says tugging on the sleeve of his sweater. he smiles at the action but takes her by the hand.
"but we will miss the sunset by the beach." he says.
"that's okay. the sun will go down tomorrow and the day after that but you need to eat jimin." she says.
"but i'm not hungry."
she stops and turns to him. they are standing on the sidewalk facing each other. grace places her hands on his neck as she stares into his eyes. she was surprised at her actions but stayed in that position. she pulled his face closer and smiled a weak smile.
"we are going to eat. i don't want to have to see you in a bad state jimin. please." she says. he nods with a sad smile.
he doesn't want to worry her or make her upset. he knew that he needed to eat but the pressure of being fit enough was pushing him to do what he did. he was glad that grace cared about him enough to make him eat even when he didn't want to. he had wanted her to just ignore it but grace wasn't like that. she cares a lot. she puts people's well being first.
"grace?" jimin asks as he walks behind grace who looks around the street in confusion.
"yeah." grace replies looking back at him.
suddenly he forgot what he was going to say. he could only focus on the way her hair moved with the light winds. the way her face was lit up by the green traffic light. and her beautiful face. her lips were pulled into a sweet smile. her eyes, kind and bright. she looked perfect from there. like an angel. his angel.
"jimin?" she asks as she walks towards him. "are you alright?" she asks.
"yes. we can get to the restaurant faster if we go this way." he says motioning to a small street.
•••
the sun had only just started to set when they reached the beach. it was mostly empty unlike in the afternoons it was quiet and serene. grace took in the view as jimin watched her with so much adoration.
"wow. it is... breathtaking. beautiful." she says turning to jimin. he nods and then puts down the small blanket he had bought earlier at a shop near the beach. he pulls grace down with him once he has settled down on the blanket.
they sit and watch as the sun sets. grace can't get enough of the view. she turns and sees that jimin is watching as the waves crash on some rocks. he doesn't realize that she watches him. the sun light is hitting him just right. it illuminates his features beautifully. she admires his glowing skin, perfect plump lips that shine when he licks them. his eyes that she loves so much. the way his hair moves along with the breeze.
as she watches him run a hand through his hair she gets this sudden urge. an urge to reach out and take his face in her hands. she wants to feel his soft skin and feel his breath against her skin. tangle her hands in his silky hair. she wants to explore his every detail. admire him from a closer look. memorize every single crease and curve on his body. she wants to desperately reach out to him and hold him in her arms.
doing something like that would be insane. she could never have the courage. he is fragile and she wouldn't want to do anything to possibly hurt him. she wasn't good at dating or having someone depend on her or count on her to make the best decisions. she didn't know what it felt like to love and be loved. what if she overwhelmed him? she knew that her emotions were strong. she didn't get bored of things easily.
she was lost in her thoughts. what is she wasn't good enough for him? he only deserves the best. this sweet boy doesn't deserve to ever cry or feel pain. he is an angel that needs to be protected by this harsh world. she would have to do that but from far away. she couldn't be the one to taint his pure soul. she had a dark life and he didn't need any darkness in his life.
"grace..."
"hmmm." she replied still staring at his angelic face.
he pursed his lips and then bit them. he blinked his eyes slowly, he was hesitant. he opened his mouth to say something before closing it and then opening it again. "what... what if someone did something. something bad, horrible. would you still like that person?" he asks looking down at his hands.
"i'm sure there is an explanation and if the person did it with good intentions then maybe i would."
"so you would still like that person?"
"it depends on what they did and how they are handling it now. why?"
"i don't know..." he whispers as he plays with the sand.
"did... did you do something bad?" she asks. he nods rubbing his hands on his pants. grace pursed her lips and took his shaky hand in hers. his hand was just a little larger than hers. he looked at their hands and then up at her. "if you did something bad jimin... i'm sure i would still like you."
"i just don't want you to look at me differently or judge me. i don't want you to leave me." he says the words getting quieter as he speaks.
"i could never leave you. jimin you're stuck with me for a long time." he chuckles and smiles at her.
"i'm happy to hear that." he says before looking down again.
"whatever it was that you did... i'm sure that i would not let it define you." she says. "i don't think that you could say anything to make me dislike you or stop talking to you."
"thank you grace. but i just feel like you will be disappointed with me."
"jimin i like to think that i am a very understanding person so if that is true then i will understand. you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. you don't need to feel like you need to share something with me because i did with you. it's okay." grace says touching his shoulder.
"it's not that, grace. i want to tell you. i want you to know even though i'm sure you've heard about it already. my life isn't private anymore."
"you don't have to say anything jimin. i know, and i want you to know that i understand. i understand that you are put under pressure to look a certain way by the fans and the media. i understand that you want to look your best and be what people call good looking and i understand that you are very self conscious.
"but i also understand that you can't just change your eating habits or make yourself do something different. i know that in your head you are not perfect and you feel like you could look better or lose more weight, change yourself but i want you to know that i... i don't see you as someone who needs to change a single thing. i don't see a guy who needs to lose weight or grow a few inches or a guy with small hands who needs to change himself for everyone but himself.
"i see a beautiful soul. a guy who always wants everyone to be happy, who cares truly about others and has the purest heart. jimin you... you are beautiful already and if people can't see that then fuck them." he was surprised at her cursing but was overjoyed at the fact that she, in fact did understand.
he smiles a smile that matches the one on his heart and looks at her fragile face. her eyes that shine and are deep enough to get lost in for years. she smiles back and he can't help but feel a weight lift off of his shoulders, an unexplainable feeling in his body that makes his fingertips tingle. his body grows warm and he can feel his mind shift in his head. the words she spoke, he can physically feel them affect him.
he reaches out and cups her cheek. her eyes widen slightly but she relaxes and gazes into his eyes.
"grace..." he says. she feels his breath as he inches closer. he licks his lips before biting down on his bottom lip. grace finds herself looking down at them wondering what they would feel like against her own. his forehead is now pressed against hers and their breathing combines. she can see his iris, brown and gentle. they are dangerously close. she purses her lips when he moves his hand up to hold her face better.
what's happening? grace doesn't know if to close the space in between
them or stop what could happen. before she has time to do anything he whispers something.
"i-i... i really l-like you."
jimin doesn't know if it was the right time or the right thing to say but he felt as though he would go mad if he didn't tell her soon. he watched as her eyes widened and her eyes left his. he had no idea what was going on in her mind but he wished he knew. he looked for a reaction but grace looked like a deer in headlights. he hoped she didn't reject him or stop talking to him. he hoped that what she had said earlier applied to this as well. he did want to be stuck with her for a long time.
"jimin-ah you can't say those things." she says pulling away from him.
"why not?" he asks searching her face. her lips are pursed and her eyes look sad.
"you can't."
"that's how i feel. i don't need you to say it back but i do need you to know."
she stays silent for a few seconds that feel like minutes.
"we should go back. it's getting late." she says. her voice is monotone and he can't really tell how she feels. he only nods and they leave.
***
so... that happened...
double update today because i want this story to move quicker and i want you all to read what is coming. i'm excited for future chapters!