WC: 4,922
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Today was going to be a busy one. For starters, Taehyung was having to dodge his mom's calls, she had been absolutely relentless since he had dropped the news on her at the dinner party. Granted, it had only been a little over a week but he refused to take anything he had said back. All he ever did was listen to his parents, now he was finally beginning to admit his feelings to himself.
He didn't want to break her anymore.
Not to mention, amidst everything going on, he also needed a reason as to why he wouldn't be attending the preparations for Jin's early birthday party. His eldest brother was taking his annual two-week long backpacking trip. This time, it was Europe.
Jin had done this every year since he turned eighteen, and since he would essentially be near m.i.a for fourteen whole days, he liked them all to celebrate early. Granted, this year was a bit earlier than most, it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet but now was the only time he could manage it. The hard part was getting out of the "preparations", that met interviewing dancers and Taehyung was NOT going to ruin his good graces with Lorelei after she specifically expressed this was not okay with her.
There was a dark part of him that reveled a bit too much in her jealousy, it was nice to be needed. The fact that she placed that much importance on him was a total turn on. Would she get even more jealous if things started to escalate even more between the two of them? That had to be the track they were headed down anyway, was it not?
God, the unhealthy parts of him, which was the most of him could not wait to see what she revealed. Would she stake her claim in front of other women? The thought threatened the small grip he had, he'd have to wrap it up unless he wanted to go take a shower. Maybe he could tease her a tiny bit, just a tiny small minuscule amount... after all, she had to know he was just as invested.
"Taehyung, seriously? You're not even listening to what I'm saying," Namjoon scoffed.
"I'm sorry," Taehyung apologized quickly, straightening himself out and placing a pillow over his lap. "I'm listening, what were you saying?"
Namjoon sent him an annoyed glance and rolled his eyes, "I was just saying that if you genuinely can't make it tonight then you need to at least order the alcohol. Jimin and I were going to do it but I'm swamped with work and classes as it is and I could use the helping hand. Besides, Jin hyung will get his feelings hurt if he finds out you aren't involved in some way."
"Hyung, I would just be missing interviewing private dancers, not skipping out on the party."
"And yet you never said no before," Namjoon quipped, a little too quickly for Taehyung's liking. "Regardless, none of us knew considering you've seemed... preoccupied lately.
Taehyung froze, he hadn't said much of anything regarding Lorelei. None of them would approve and he was trying to find a way to break it to them that a lot had changed. The very least he was trying to do was wait it out until he was a bit more sure of what would come out of it. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked carefully.
Namjoon sent him a weighted gaze, "Just that you're extra busy with your family... right?"
"Right." Taehyung sat there with a frown, this could not get complicated this early. If things got to that point, then he would have to do what he always did and listen to his brothers. After all, they were the only real family he had ever had. So why was it that lately he was having more trouble keeping himself in check? "Did something happen, hyung? You seem tense."
Sighing, Namjoon swigged his drink. "Just thinking."
"About what? What is it?" Everyone was always coming to Namjooon for advice, unloading their worries and concerns. This is the very least that Taehyung could do for Namjoon, he was the strongest person that Taehyung knew. "You know, every time you come to us, it's always been something super serious but... if it's still about Andrea then—"
"It's not," Namjoon cut him off too quickly. His tone was polite but clear as day, she wasn't going to be mentioned a second time. He sighed, resting his hands on his hips while he looked out of their living room window, this was starting to get scary. Namjoon did not act this way... ever.
"Hyung..."
"Shall we just move away? Take our trust funds and build our own careers abroad? That doesn't sound like too bad of a plan, right Taehyung?"
Under normal circumstances, Taehyung would have laughed. Namjoon had always been a funny guy— but he wasn't joking, at least not entirely. before he could ask him, Jungkook walked into the living room and threw himself on one of the couches. "You know, the worst thing about not taking drugs is the boredom."
Namjoon sent Jungkook an unamused look, "Is that right?"
"Yeah, I need something to do. I got it!" Jungkook exclaimed, shooting up to look at the two of them. "The gym! Is anyone up for the gym? Come on."
"Can't do the gym, I've got a class I need to shadow." Sighing, Namjoon threw his head back. "Now that you've decided no one needs to watch Lorelei, it seems I'm doing this extra work all for nothing."
Jungkook sent Taehyung the 'you're in deep shit' look. "Jungkook," Namjoon turned on him. "I know we can pass and graduate the easy way but that doesn't mean that we can just skip every single little academic duty. We should at least put a little work in. See you both later for dinner, don't forget it. Jin wants everyone there on time."
"What did I do?" Jungkook asked, throwing her hands in the air once Namjoon left. "That was totally because he's frustrated with you, hyung. That's not fair at all."
"Well I'm sure your unwavering determination in putting in no effort in anything academic related doesn't help," Taehyung said pointedly, he wasn't going to take the fall for the entire thing.
"But you obviously did more than I did," Jungkook argued. "I've been good!"
"Saying you miss doing hard drugs isn't considered great," Taehyung countered. "Don't assume we've relaxed on that, not even a bit."
Jungkook stood up, his posture defensive. "That's shit, hyung. We all have partaken in it, it's not right to act like it's just been me that's had a substance abuse problem the entire time. Hell, everyone in this family needs a morning scotch just to get through the day!"
"And yet, none of us have gotten arrested, jumped or actually caught with cocaine on us!"
Jungkook reeled back as he sucked in a breath, Taehyungs words actually affecting him. "That was uncalled for," He said when Taehyung tried to apologize. "Call me when you figure out what's up your ass. I'll go work out by myself, see you later."
"Shit," Taehyung whispered. He looked over his shoulder, "You can come out now, Jimin."
Jimin emerged from the dark hallway, looking apprehensive, his gaze flickering between Taehyung and the front door Jungkook had rushed out of. "That was... intense, to say the least."
Taehyung wanted to pull at his hair, he was so stressed out. There was nothing worse than fighting with them, nothing. "It just came out. I feel like shit, I'll talk to him later and apologize."
Jimin hopped up onto their kitchen island, "As you should, that was a shitty thing to say. Jungkook had a point, we all drown or snort our problems away. Still, saying he missed that in front of Namjoon hyung, I don't understand what that kid's thinking sometimes. He had to have known Namjoon would've hated hearing that."
Taehyung shrugged, accepting the apple slice Jimin had sliced in the blink of an eye. "I think he's feeling neglected," Jimin continued, keeping his eyes on the slices he was now peeling with a knife.
"Yoongi hyung won't like you using his main knife to peel an apple," He commented, still accepting the second slice from Jimin.
"I don't care really," Jimin commented. "Well— I do, but Yoongi hyung wouldn't stay too pissed. He'd actually be relieved we're eating the apples he bought. Jungkook had said he was going to make suyuk but I guess he's had a rough week."
He pondered this, refusing Jimin's attempt to give him a third apple slice. "Half and half," He commented, making sure Jimin didn't just feed him but also himself.
Jimin just nodded, accepting the other two slices, "Well, if we hadn't eaten these then they'd go bad. Besides, I can always buy Yoongi hyung a new knife."
Had Taehyung been so caught up with Lorelei that he had completely neglected to fully see the extent of turmoil Jungkook was going through? After all, progress wasn't linear, he was being too harsh. "You're right," Taehyung said finally, standing up and clasping Jimin on the thigh. "Get ready, we're gonna go meet that punk at the gym."
"You better properly apologize. I don't want to be stuck in the car with the two of you acting like girls. Just apologize, we go get drinks. We're good."
"I know," Taehyung said, waving him off to go get dressed. "See you in ten minutes, it you aren't ready I'm leaving you behind." He didn't stick around to see Jimi more than likely flipping him off. A workout would work in his favor, he was wound way too tight these days.
_______________
"Lor, wake up! It's our only day off for like the next two weeks!"
"Go away," Lorelei groaned as she rolled over on her stomach. "I'll put my head under this pillow and risk suffocation if you try to wake me up again."
"What if I told you I'm expecting my letter from my school letting me know if I got into their study abroad program? Like any minute now, actually."
She sprung up, ignoring the way her head started to spin. "Why didn't you say that before you blasted my lights on?!" Pressing her palms to her eyes, she seriously needed to rest, between working constantly and maintaining her GPA, that left no time for painting or rest. It was finally starting to take its toll physically.
But this was a moment that Andrea and Lorelei needed to be together for! And all of that seemed to melt away when Andrea squealed and brought her laptop onto the bed. Her acceptance letter was bound to come in any minute.
Andrea had been dead sure she had messed up a few designs and it would lead to a rejection. This school she was transferring to for the next few semesters was elite, they cared about status... just not half as much as the colleges here.
"Here is it," Andrea groaned once she refreshed her email. "Oh god, Lor... I'm gonna be sick. I can't look, I can't. Look for me," She cried into her hands.
Lorelei rushed to open the email, "Hello and good afternoon Ms. Richardson. After much consideration, we are delighted to announce you have been selected—" Lorelei cut herself off with a squeal. "It's an acceptance letter, Drea! You did it! I told you that you'd do it! I knew you would, I did not doubt you for a second!"
"I— I did it?!" Andrea tore her hands from her face, sniffling as she read the email in its entirety. Whipping her head towards Lorelei, she asked frantically, "I did it?!"
"I told you that you'd get in!" Lorelei cheered. "When does it say you leave?!"
"Three weeks," Andrea sniffled while she stared in disbelief at the acceptance letter in her email. "I can't believe my dad said yes, I got the yes before I actually got in. I— I did it..."
Lorelei couldn't take it anymore, she threw her arms around Andrea and nearly knocked them both over. "I'm going to miss you so much. How long will you be gone?"
"I should be back in April, after spring break. If all goes perfectly and if I apply to longer extended programs in the future, I'll likely get approved for those too."
"I was thinking the same, so you'll probably only stay a couple of weeks, right?"
Andrea snorted, cleaning the mascara from around her eyes. "If I'm lucky, I'm sure he cannot wait to ship me off so he can enjoy his honeymoon phase with his new trophy wife."
Lorelei sent her a tense smile, it was the best she could do right now. The truth was that her dad would probably try to send her off ASAP. "Let's celebrate tonight! Wherever you wanna go!"
"I thought you wanted to rest."
"Nah," Lorelei waved her off. "We can rest when we're dead. Besides, it's not every day your best friend on the planet gets accepted to study abroad at their dream school and country. This calls for celebration!"
She sent her a thoughtful look. "Well, I'm not too big into the whole rebound thing but... there is this cute guy. He invited me to this slam poetry thing tonight."
"A poet?" Lorelei asked, not even bothering to hide her smile. "Okay, not to bring him up or anything but that could not be more different than Namjoon."
Andrea sent her a weird look, "Actually, never tell Taehyung I told you this. Namjoon is kind of a poet, that man has a skill for expressing himself on paper. It's why I was so interested in him when we were teenagers. It was like bad boy was into poetry and had a soft side? I didn't stand a chance."
Lorelei didn't understand, "I mean I wouldn't, but I don't understand why being perceived as that would be a bad thing. You're complimenting him, not insulting him."
Snorting, she continued, "Come on, Lor. You haven't noticed how cagey they get over the most random things? I can guarantee if you even so much as mentioned it, Taehyung would shut it down so quickly. They all have these personas, god forbid anyone but their group sees the real them."
"Why?"
"My guess is their family," Andrea answered with a shrug. "We're just— I don't know, we're just raised that way. But then again, I didn't end up like how they did, so..."
The two of them sat in silence for a second, she didn't want to ruin the moment but there was something ebbing away at her brain. "What is it? I know that look on your face, Lor."
"It's nothing," Lorelei dismissed her. "What time is the slam poetry thing? And will I be able to go or will I cock block?"
"Haha, you're too funny. Of course, you will!" Andrea giggled in that famous teasing way of hers. "He's cute, like really cute."
"But does he have boyfriend potential?"
Andrea stuttered a bit, "I'm not sure. Getting into a relationship before I leave isn't the best idea."
"Very sensible, I like it."
"What can I say? You're rubbing off on me. Aren't you proud? Alright, let's go get changed. I wanna go out to eat before we head over. I don't know if you know this but the poetry stigma of the tortured artist that lives on coffee and cigarettes runs true with this crowd."
That made her laugh, god, she would miss Andrea so much. "Gotcha, help me pick out something cute then, I don't want to stand out too much."
One satin mini dress and several hours later and boy oh boy, was she bored out of her mind. No, this definitely wasn't her crowd, but it was for Andrea. Therefore it would be fun. At least that's what she tried to remind herself hours later as she looked around confusingly at the people snapping after yet another melancholy and rather dark performer, at least in her opinion.
Not only was she confused, but as the night led on, it became increasingly clear that nearly everyone at the table she was sitting at had hooked up with Taehyung at some point. Sitting around with a bunch of Taehyng's previous flings was not her idea of fun or what she signed up for tonight and yet this is the hand she was dealt. So what if Taehyung had a type, she reminded herself... that was normal? Was it not? Still, it didn't exactly make her feel special to know she fit into it.
Maybe she had judged and assumed too much about him but she had always assumed he had gone for the exact opposite of what she presumed herself to be. Average, academically focused, introverted... maybe even smart. No— no that was mean, that was her jealous talking and she knew it. Making a mental note, she apologized to all the girls sitting at the table, she needed to pull herself together so she moved to the dimly lit bar.
It had made her stomach sink when one of the girls muttered about missing his dick. She was tall and beautiful, her skin a beautiful bronze and her eyebrows thick and luscious, not to mention her hair was the kind of thick and healthy that girls spent hundreds of dollars on to try and imitate. How could she ever compete?
Feeling bitter and full of self-pity, she downed her drink. The martini was gross, bitter, and god, she hated olives but they were exactly the kind of pretentious drinks served at this kind of place. One turned into two, which turned into four and before she knew it, she hated olives a bit less but to be fair, it's not exactly like she could taste much.
Andrea kept looking over at her worryingly, trying to play it off cool, she shot her a thumbs-up sign. That was stupid. Never in her life was she that awkward.
Oh, this was a mistake and she knew it. But after the fifth drink, she wrapped her hands around the stem of the glass, moving a seat down towards the woman at the bar who had kept mentioning Taehyung, she must have also left the table at some point. "Hi," she smiled, trying to be friendly.
"Hi... Andrea's friend, right?"
"That's me. I hope you don't mind, I just recognized you from the table and I thought we could both sit together."
"The more the merrier," The girl chuckled. "I'm Lolli, by the way. It's pronounced 'low-li' like Lolita."
"Lolli," She tried, feeling intimidated. Even her name was gorgeous! "I'm Lorelei. It's nice to meet you. So, do you perform or do you just know someone who is?"
"I dabble a bit," Lolli chuckled, her smile gorgeous and gleaming, just like the rest of her. "I'm working on this piece currently, about my ex-boyfriend."
"Oh! An ex-boyfriend?" She took a second to clear her throat, which was way too high-pitched to be her normal voice. "That's pretty ballsy, does he know?"
"Sure does," She snorted. "I texted him to get the go-ahead, he's down for anything but it's still basic manners to get his approval and all. I even invited him to come see me when I perform it."
For some reason, that made her stomach drop. "Oh wow, it's cool that you guys are still civil, what did he say?"
"Civil is a nice way to put it," Lolli snorted, "I'd rather say civil than friends with benefits. Still, he's a hell of a guy. We talked about him at the table a bit, do you remember?"
For some reason, it felt like Lolli was marking her territory. "I think so," She lied. "What was his name again?"
"Taehyung," Lolli smiled. "Now that guy, I should hit him up again. He's always down for a good time. Horrible guy to date though. This man was not built for commitment and I was not going to put myself through that, no matter how mind-blowing the sex was. I mean the things that man could do with his tongue... sorry, I'm pretty open. This doesn't offend you, right?"
"No," Lorelei grinned, lying through her teeth. "We're all adults."
"I like you, do you think I should ask him to meet up tonight?"
"Uhhh..." She stuttered. "I think you should do whatever you want to do!"
Lolli nodded, downing the rest of her drink, quickly opened her phone, typed a message, and then sent it. "Done! Maybe he'll give me more material to write about. Watch my course for me, pretty please? I gotta run to the ladies."
"Of course!" Lorelei hurriedly agreed. When Lolli walked off, she wasn't sure what came over her but she whipped out her phone and called Taehyung fast. He answered by the second ring, "Well hello," He smugly answered.
"Don't answer Lolli's text," She replied quickly. Her eyes were filling with tears, "I mean, you can if you want. Will you? No, don't answer that, but you won't— you won't right? I know we aren't actively seeing each other but— but I'm not sleeping with anyone else and—"
"Lor, are you drunk?" He cut her off, sounding way too concerned. "Don't you remember our conversation in my car? I haven't been with anyone else." The relief made her feel nauseous, that's right, he had told her that. "Besides that, when did you meet, Lolli?"
"Don't say her name like that," She groaned.
"Like what? How am I supposed to— oh, you're jealous!" Taehyung chuckled.
"I went to a slam poetry thing with Andrea so she could hook up with this guy- never mind. Either way, I met her and all she did was talk about how she misses your cock and your tongue and— I want to go home."
"Need me to come pick you up, baby?" He asked, and god, warmth pooled between her legs. "Have you eaten today?"
"Not since earlier. Aren't you busy?"
"Nah, send me your location and I'm on my way. Let Andrea know I'll see you in a bit, okay? And please don't drink anything else, okay? I don't want you to be hungover in the morning, remember our plans?"
"Okay," She muttered, motioning to the bartender that she wanted to close her tab. Her stomach was hurting anyway. "Sending it now."
"And be nice to Lolli, she's a nice person."
"Don't defend her," She groaned.
"Don't act possessive, I'm not about to deal with a boner the whole way there. See you in a bit."
"Drive safe," She mumbled, disconnecting the call. While she was spaying her tab, Lolli came back. "Here's your purse," She forcibly smiled.
"Thank you," Lolli smiled, noting the check. "Leaving?"
"Yeah, I've had some real excitement and now I'm ready to hit the hay. It was nice meeting you."
She stumbled a bit, hoping and praying Lolli hadn't seen that. Andrea was already eyeing her when she slid into their booth. "Sorry to crash, I'm about to leave in a bit and I just need somewhere to sit for a second."
Andrea sent her a confused look, "You called yourself a ride?"
Lorelei looked over at her friend bashfully, "No, uh— actually he's coming to pick me up. I just got off the phone with him and he's on his way. So I don't know how long it'll be—" She looked between Andrea and the guy. "I hope it's alright I'm sitting here."
"Of course," The guy said, "it's nice to meet you by the way, I'm Eric."
"Nice to meet you," She smiled. "Can I drink some of your water?"
Andrea grimaced, "Geez, you're drunk. This is a Vodka soda, Lor."
"Do you need me to get you some water?" Eric asked, looking concerned but she just waved him off. Taehyung would be here soon, maybe she could bully him into taking her to a gas station to get something to drink.
Pretty quickly her phone lit up and Andrea took her arm, "One sec," She motioned to Eric. "I'm going to walk her out. Can you close our tab?" She asked, moving to grab her purse but Eric stopped her, claiming it was his treat.
"He's cute," Lorelei murmured when they were exiting the building. If Andrea wasn't leaving, she'd be rooting for the two of them. She needed someone good like that.
Taehyung was sitting in his car but quickly got out of he saw she had to actually be led out. "Okay, I didn't know you were this drunk. You really can't hold your alcohol, can you?"
"You might wanna make sure you don't hit any bumps on the way home," Andrea snorted. "Text me when you get home, alright, Lor?"
"Have fun, stop worrying!" She said, ushering Andrea back inside. "He was cute and he very obviously likes you. Not to mention he was a good sport and let my drunk ass sit there and cock block y'all."
Her stomach did an uncomfortable flip when she threw herself down on accident. Taehyung leaned over her, doing her seatbelt. "It's alright, Taehyung. I could've done that, I'm not that drunk, I promise."
He lifted her head, making a tsk sound when he looked at her. "Your eyes are half closed, don't lie to us both. Here, watch your feet."
She watched him saunter over to the driver's seat quickly, offering her a weird smile before driving off. "Are you upset I'm drunk?"
Taehyung grimaced, "No, nothing like that. I'm just not sure what to do if you get sick, to be completely honest." Chuckling, he felt her skin with the back of his hand, "You feel really warm too. In that little dress at this time of year and you're so warm you would think you had been sitting under the sun for the past hour."
"You should keep both hands on the wheel," She scolded.
"Yes ma'am," He complied, sending her a sly smile. "I was going to take you to get something to eat but looking at you now, I'm not so sure that's the best idea. what do you think? Can you handle some food?"
"My brain says yes and my stomach is telling me a big, fat no," She grimaced when they hit a speed bump. "Can you drive smoother, please?"
"I'm trying my best, maybe I should just take you straight home after all."
That annoyed her and she couldn't stop herself before she shot out, "Why? So you can go pick up, Lolli? She misses you so much, you know? I couldn't tell what she misses more, your tongue or your dick."
He ignored her and pulled into a parking lot. "Take off your seatbelt," He commanded.
"What? Why?"
"Just take it off."
The second she unbuckled it, Taehyung launched forward and pressed his lips to hers. She held onto his wrists as he held onto her face. Man... this guy could kiss. "What?" She asked when he pulled away. "What was that for?"
"You're just hot when you're jealous," He mumbled, his thumb distracting her as it swept back and forth across her face. "You feeling alright?"
"Yeah," She answered breathlessly, "Do that more often and I'll forgive you for every girl you fucked."
Taehyung grinned before leaning closer once more, his lips nearly touching hers but staying away, a vicious tease. Tossing him a frown, she grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, effectively pulling him to her lips. So what? She could be bold like Lolli too, he liked this, didn't he?
His phone started vibrating and she pulled away, at first thinking it could have been her phone but she grimaced when she saw Lolli's name pop up. "I'd ask what she wants but I already know."
Taehyung threw his head back as he laughed. "You're too cute when you get jealous, ah— it's such a relief to know it's not just me."
Lorelei shot him an interested look, "You've been jealous of someone I talked to before? Who? You never mentioned this?"
"Tell you what, you remember this conversation tomorrow and I'll tell you. For now, I think I'll take you home. You're too drunk and you probably need to attempt to sleep it off at this point."
She nodded, her eyelids feeling heavy. she rummaged around in her purse for a stick of gum and dread filled her when she noticed something too important to have missed, "Taehyung... I think I forgot my apartment key..."
"What?" He asked, springing forward to turn on the overhead lights in the car. "You don't see it in there?"
The light only illuminated what she had come to realize in the dark. She had either lost or forgotten her key and she couldn't remember which one at this point. "It's not here. God, Andrea probably took off with that guy, what do I do?"
Taehyung bit his lip, looking at his steering wheel nervously. "And there's no way you can reach her?"
"No, I doubt it. I— damn, what the fuck do I do?"
He stared at her a second before nodding, "Okay, I'm going to need you to go with me on this."
"Go with you on what?"
"We're going to try to sneak you into my apartment and we're going to pray my brothers aren't home when we do."
______________
A/N: i thought I'd give them both some time to not be together for the character development and all that. But you know... fluff and all that.