☁︎
Namjoon
Although it took a bit of time, Anna and I soon got back to our normal schedule. Every other day we would go to her house for tutoring, though we usually just ended up talking instead of actually working.
She would ask me about whether I was working on any new songs. To which I would usually respond no. Usually. And I would come up with more questions on her apparent "psychic abilities." I wanted to see her actually do it, but there really wasn't a way to do so unless someone else knew. And she was adamant about keeping it a secret.
Though we would spend time around each other as often as possible at school, Anna still sat with her normal table at lunch. Seokjin ended up sitting there too because of the insistence of Anna's friends. He liked to send me evil smirks from his nice spot, but I grew to ignore them, instead focusing on the pointedly annoyed looks Anna would send me whenever her table's conversation grew too disinteresting. Our shared glances were what made lunch bearable for me.
And as much as it bothered me, I knew Anna wasn't ready to move from her "popular" lunch table yet. She would complain about them every so often during our tutoring sessions, and I would invite her to sit with me. But she would just quiet down and shake her head. Despite her confession before about her hatred for those who only used her, she wasn't ready to trade that lifestyle for something less stable.
Our lives grew steady again, but there was still something different from before. I remembered her careful words from the rooftop. "You come up here often, don't you?" And I think she knew. Then there was the strange feeling I'd get whenever she set her piercing eyes on mine.
My face would heat up and my stomach would do flip flops.
But I pushed away the feelings, scared of what they meant. Anna was my friend. Maybe even my best friend.
☁︎
I was pushing a hand through my overgrowing hair, deep in thought, when Hoseok tapped my shoulder.
"It's lunch time, Class President. Why are you still sitting here?" He asked.
"Oh, sorry. Just distracted," I muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Well, it's time for the daily ritual." He stood straight, as if preparing for a hard battle. "Do you wanna grab lunch with my friends and me?"
"Okay," I replied, beginning to gather my books.
"Awesome— Wait what?!" Hoseok exclaimed, almost shouting, and I jumped from the sudden noise. "You wanna come?!"
"Uh, yes. Sure," I repeated, my words sounding more like a question than a statement.
I realized I hadn't been much in the past. Or at all. In fact I'd never said yes no matter how many times Hoseok invited me. But today I felt like it would be fine. I felt okay with it for some reason. I couldn't even remember why I'd denied him in the past.
"Well, great!" He cheered again. "Let's go, then!"
☁︎
I wasn't surprised to see that the friends Hoseok was always going out with included Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook. We went to a ramen shop a few blocks from the school. And the boys seemed genuinely happy to see that I'd come with Hoseok. A warm feeling trickled into my stomach as we sat and ordered our food.
"Namjoon Hyung, why didn't you and Anna come back to Ignis the other day? I was waiting for you guys," Jimin said as we settled in.
I froze for a moment, quite surprised at his sudden use of that affectionate term. Namjoon Hyung? No one had ever referred to me as such. I'd never known anyone who could. Blinking and still recovering, I looked over at Jimin. He watched me expectantly.
"We, uh, sort of got caught up and forgot...I guess," I replied carefully.
"With what?" Jimin asked. "I really wanted you guys to come. My girlfriend performed. I know you guys didn't a good first impression of her; sorry about that. She's very protective about a lot of things. And she doesn't really make friends easily."
"You could say that again!" Taehyung exclaimed from beside Jimin. "She's so protective of Jimin, it's insane. And Jimin, I think you know exactly why they didn't show up."
He sent me a smug look, making my eyebrows furrow in confusion. Hoseok let out a snort.
"I agree," he sniggered with Taehyung.
My face began to heat up as I finally caught their meaning.
"Now, hold on a minute," I attempted to explain. "You guys don't know what you're smirking about. We were just hanging out— talking!"
"We all know there was more than talking, Class President," Hoseok continued to tease me.
Jimin let out a gasp.
"Woah, I knew it! I knew she liked you!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at me.
I held up my hands defensively.
"That's not true! We're just friends, really!" I insisted, wishing the food would just get here already.
I really didn't want to address this topic anymore. If they knew how I was beginning to feel, I'd never be comfortable around Anna again.
"Hyung, it's obvious you guys like each other. I think you'd both be happier if you just confessed already," Jungkook finally spoke up from his corner.
I'd almost forgotten he was present.
"Jungkook is right, you know," Hoseok agreed, growing a bit calmer.
I looked over at Jungkook, seeing how serious he was. I wondered if this was a touchy subject for him as well, and I suddenly felt even worse, wondering if he liked Anna too.
Too.
Crap.
☁︎