The Price of Love

Chapter 39: New Prince Charming

Bella

"What was Jimin doing here?" Cindy asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

I walked into the kitchen for a glass of orange juice then sat down at our small table. "He came over last night."

"Why?" she immediately asked. "Oh, my God, Bella, no! Did you sleep with him?"

"Sort of."

"How does one sort of sleep with someone?" she exclaimed.

I peered at her over my juice glass. "We did fall asleep...together. But we did not have sex, if that's what you want to know. He came over because I called him. I saw Jin...outside my window late last night."

"What?" she shrieked. "He was here? Last night?"

"Yes," I said. "He was just outside my window when it began to rain. I heard him crying. Taehyung pulled him away."

"Crying?" she repeated. "If I had known, I would've gone outside and clocked him!"

"I did get angry at first," I continued, "and that's why I called Jimin. To be honest, I had planned to sleep with him--I mean, have sex--but then when I calmed down, I realized that even if I had sex with Jimin, I'd only be thinking about Jin, and that's just too pathetic. So...we didn't do anything. Well, we watched movies until we fell asleep."

"What about Namjoon?" she asked.

"Uh, Namjoon?" I looked at her in confusion.

She stared at me for a few silent seconds. "Why didn't you call Namjoon instead of Jimin?"

"Why?" I didn't understand what she meant.

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You mean you really don't know how he feels?"

"About?"

"Jeez, Bell," Cindy said. "You really are lost in Jin-land, aren't you? Can't you tell when a guy likes you anymore?"

I shrugged. "Well, Jimin--"

"Jimin just wants to smash," she interrupted me. "If you just want something quick and easy, then Jimin's your dial-a-dick, I guess. But if you want someone with more substance, someone who genuinely cares about you, then you should call Namjoon."

I processed what she said then gasped. "You think he has feelings for me?"

She nodded. "More than likely. He's a real sweetheart, Bell. He's smart and caring and, of course, super cute. You couldn't do any better than him."

I shook my head. "But he's Jin's best friend...he's my friend. I can't think of him as anything other than a friend. Why did you tell me this? Now I'm going to feel awkward around him."

Cindy rolled her eyes again. "Seriously, Bell. You should consider giving him a chance. It's not like Prince Charming is a good option right now. I mean who wants a boyfriend with a wife and kid? Wake up! Forget about Seokjin. Look around for better options--like someone who's available. Namjoon would do anything for you. He's your best friend right now because that's how you've categorized him. But you don't need a best friend right now. You need a man who will cherish you, who will make you feel alive and special. What if it's him?"

"I-I can't think about that right now," I sputtered, feeling nervous and confused.

"He could be your new Prince Charming," she added, "if you give him a chance. You have to stop waiting for Seokjin."

I sighed and went back to my room. I sincerely hoped Namjoon hadn't developed feelings for me. His friendship was valuable to me. I didn't want to hurt him, and I would hate to ruin his friendship with Jin. No matter how bad things were between Jin and me, they'd been friends long before I came along. I could not imagine driving a wedge between them.

Not only that. No matter how much I cared for Namjoon, I still loved Jin.  In my heart, I desperately wanted to believe that he would make everything better and come back to me, but I was no longer sure it would happen.