"Hey look. It's me!"
I looked up from where I'd been examining apples to add to our shopping cart. The super market was fairly busy as usual. Both humans as well as Outworlders meandered down the aisles.
"That's a banana," I said, staring at what Jimin was holding up.
"It's a big banana."
"You're wiggling your eyebrows again."
"I know."
"Put it down," I sighed, resuming bagging the apples.
"You don't want to eat it?"
"Park Jimin!"
"So is that a yes?"
I looked back up at him and held an apple high for him to see. "Do you want this apple served to you or thrown at you? Because the next words that come out of your mouth is going to determine that."
"You're no fun." Nevertheless Jimin set down the large, implying banana and ambled through the produce section we were in. I swore even his silver Marks were glimmering in amusement.
As I finished bagging the apples I suddenly realized how hot my cheeks were. Curse that cheeky silver alien.
Several days had passed since the day of the cockroaches, oil, and my parents. We'd decided to go grocery shopping this morning to buy more vegetable oil, after I'd used about half of it on the floor, and decided to restock the pantries and refrigerator while we were at it.
"Hey look. It's you!"
I exhaled heavily and turned around to where Jimin was now holding two well rounded melons in the air.
He smirked and glanced down at the rounded fruits in his palms. "I don't know about you but these look real tasty."
I arched a brow. "I think they're a little too good for you."
"Mm, you think?" He palmed them suggestively.
"Yes. I also think the banana is too small for those melons."
Jimin choked and almost dropped said melons.
The rest of the shopping spree passed pretty uneventfully, other than the fact that Jimin persuaded me to buy at least one melon. Then we were off down the street with our groceries.
The city was bustling with life at this time of day. The sidewalks were packed with pedestrians, both humans and Outworlders. The city we lived in was once called Busan I believe, large enough for a couple airports and even a single airstation for minor aircrafts.
However it was nowhere near as large as the North City that had been formerly called Seoul. The North City possessed the main airstation where massive aircrafts and even the occasional airship traveled and ported.
The sky here was usually filled with airplanes and the small cargo aircrafts. But today it was surprisingly quiet and it reminded me of the devastating aircraft tragedy. The culprit had yet to be found. However several Outworlders had been arrested under suspicion.
I definitely noticed a small shift in attitudes from humans since the attack. More suspicious side glances, some mutterings. Thankfully for the most part the unease was ignorable and I wanted to be optimistic in thinking that in a few more weeks things would calm down again.
And who could be blamed really? This was the first major attack and tragedy that had occurred since the New Order came to be.
"Jiyeon look out!" A hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back just as a skateboarder whizzed past inches away from me.
More people cried out in alarm and anger as the reckless skater whizzed down the pedestrian sidewalk.
"Didn't you hear everyone yelling?" Jimin demanded, hand still gripping my arm.
I realized I was pressed solidly against his chest , giving me a first class VIP experience of feeling the corded muscles against my own chest. A faint but lovely smell of jasmine and sharp spice clung to him. He glared down at me once before releasing me.
My heart thudded quicker than usual in my chest. Whether it was from being startled by the rude skater or something else....
Jimin reached down to pick up the bag he'd dropped in the process of grabbing me in time. "Well. The melons are safe at least."
"We only bought one melon, Jimin."
"Oh right." He winked. "My bad. I must have gotten a little mixed up."
I tried to scowl at him. Instead I found a traitorous grin prickling the corners of my mouth. Darn him.
There was just something about his aura. His presence. It was so open and light, drawing me in, never ceasing to amuse me.Yet there was also a darker side, mysterious and guarded with limitless mischief. That side intrigued me, pulling me in and taunting me to unlock the secrets behind that cheeky grin he always wore.
"Move it alien rat."
A gruff looking man shoved past Jimin, knocking him back into me. This time my hands flew out to catch and steady him. I whirled around, ready to lash back, but Jimin's arms quickly tightened around me, holding me against him once more.
"Don't." He murmured, his warm breaths hit my ear from our position. "Just leave it alone partner."
I succeeded in scowling at him this time. "You can't just let people push you around like that," I hissed.
He glanced pointedly down to where I still had my hands gripping his well formed biceps. "They can push me around all they want and I won't mind as long as you're there to catch me."
I closed my eyes in exasperation. "I'm trying to be serious here!"
"Alright, I'll try and be serious too," Jimin immediately replied. "But it's hard. So hard."
"You know what else is hard?"
Jimin's eyes brightened. "The banana? The melons?"
"The can of beans in my bag."
His brows furrowed. "I'm not familiar with that innuendo."
"Here let me help you with that." I slowly reached in to grab one of the large cans. "Though some advice, you better start running."
"Oh. Oh." Jimin's eyes widened in realization.
And then the prick morphed.
I scowled at the large banana now on the ground.
This alien was going to be the ruin of me.
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Cover by acupoftaewithakook81