The man next door

Look beyond the cover

"Jin...I can't come in today,I'll make it up"
"Jimin....what's up?"
"Just,you know....an off day,"
"Do you want me there or do you need to be alone,"
"Alone, I'm sorry to leave you short staffed."
"Jimin don't worry I'm more concerned about you, just remember, we all love you and want to help if we can."
"Thanks Jin.....I just......I've gotta go bye."
Jin put the phone down a worried look on his face, he hated the times Jimin was suddenly hit with depressive thoughts, he was the most loving caring person around but every now and then he would fall into a black hole , usually triggered by something.
He turned to the counter only then noticing Jimins neighbour standing there, how much did he hear?
Jungkook placed his order and sat at a table. He had noticed Jimin wasn't there straight away and then heard Jins side of the conversation , why would Jin be concerned about Jimin? His order came and he drank it quickly driving home as it started to rain heavily. Just leaving his car to go the door he got wet so went upstairs to put something dry on, first looking out of his window seeing the storm clouds and thinking maybe to paint something like that.
Suddenly he noticed a figure next door step into the garden, it was Jimin, why was he standing out in the rain?And no coat on?
The small boy walked to the end of his garden disappearing down the beach steps. Jungkook frowned, what was the boy up to? Damn, he thought , throwing a coat on and shoving another one underneath to keep dry. He dashed through his garden to his beach steps carefully going down and looking around, he saw the boy up ahead just walking along the waters edge as if it was a hot sunny day instead of a windy wet one, sea spray angrily churning up, he yelled,"JIMIN!" But the boy didn't stop.
He ran along , finally just behind him yelling at him,"ARE YOU STUPID WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"
Getting no reaction he grabbed the boys arm swinging him around only then seeing the blank look, tears rolling down his face.
"Jimin?" He said softly, he pulled the unresponsive boy to his chest patting his back to soothe him.
A small voice suddenly said," what's it like to have people that acknowledge you, parents who love you, people who would miss you because you did something great?"
Jungkook pulled back, seeing a lost haunted look in the boys eyes. He quickly pulled the other jacket out and put it on the soaked boy, the arms reaching way past the boys cute little hands. "Jimin come on you need to get in the warm. "He pulled the boy with him getting to the beach steps before deciding to take him to his home.
Inside it was warm but Jimin was shivering, jungkook rushed him to his bathroom turning the shower on and checking the heat , hanging a fluffy bathrobe on the door hook he turned to the shivering boy, "Jimin?Jimin I need you to take a hot shower ok?," jimin stared at the other finally nodding and starting to undress, jungkook went downstairs to make a hot drink, carrying it upstairs he walked into his room just as Jimin walked from the bathroom the robe wrapped tightly around him but dragging a bit in the floor because of his height.
He stared around as if in a daze," jimin get under the covers, it will warm you up," he knew something was wrong with the boy as so far there had been no sassy comeback, and he automatically did what Jungkook said.
The two stared at each other , jungkook offered the hot drink to the other who sipped it, then said," you didn't answer my question."
"Well, my parents are great, they always encourage me to be who I want, not to let anyone else decide my fate,Erm , yes I do get acknowledged by people who like art and I suppose if I was gone it would be a lasting memory of me, so that would be nice."
Jimin nodded ," today's my birthday.....,my real birthday, I always tell my friends it's next month as I don't want to celebrate the day my parents gave me up to the orphanage, not even a day old and they dumped me at the gates with a note saying , I wasn't planned they had tried to get rid of me early on in pregnancy but I had survived so now I was someone else's problem. They didn't even try to keep me. I spent my younger years in the orphanage, I felt safe there, I refused to live with anyone who tried to adopt me I didn't want to be dumped by another family, so I stayed where I was only leaving when I was too old, I became a Carer to try and help others but after Mr and Mrs Li died leaving me their house I couldn't do it again, I felt like I had lost grandparents I suppose but I also felt like a jinx bringing bad luck to people who know me, I'm never going to be someone great or special, I know I have friends that say they love me but they don't know the real me, I get depressed, I put on a show and I'm so damned tired I just want a full nights sleep."
Jungkook looked at the boy seeing the shield he hid behind falling, strain on his face shadows beneath his eyes.
"Lie down "he said,"close your eyes I will just chat to you,I'm sure my boring tales will send you to sleep"earning a tiny smile from the boy who did as jungkook suggested, loving the soft comfy bed and plump pillows, Jungkook sat upright on the other side of the bed," you know when I'm painting I sometimes get too involved, I spend days working myself into exhaustion, I look at my painting and sometimes just burn it, thinking I can't let anyone see this thing that I created, I did this a lot before realising what I was doing was detrimental to my health and well-being , all that lost sleep for something that I would get rid of ...., yet the only reason I got rid of them was because in my sleep deprived brain I thought they were no good, the reality was they could have been best sellers,as I proved to myself one time when instead of getting rid of it I put it up for sale, it was one of my highest paid artworks."
He looked down at the boy who was watching and listening to him," what I'm trying to say is, if you find yourself getting down....,like today it can be something as simple as lack of sleep that makes you stressed and in denial about yourself, I was at the coffee shop today when you rang and I could see how concerned your friend was about you so don't ever doubt someone cares about you, I saw how much joy you brought to your friends at your party, all of them and my friends wanted to be there with you, not like mine where people just thought they had to be seen, as for the old couple ....they treated you like a grandson from what I have heard to them you were family so don't doubt their love, as for not telling your friends your real birthday, why not? Celebrate the day you survived against all the odds, celebrate how meaningful you made the right peoples lives, Jimin from what I can see everyone loves you, so don't doubt it."
Jimin tearfully gazed at the other male," thank you Jungkook, I've never thought like that before, I hate getting like this but your right my birthday is a celebration of life and I will call my friends later to come celebrate with me, but can I just stay a few moments longer this bed is so comfy,"
"Yes Jimin get some sleep," Jungkook said finally grabbing some dry clothes to change into.
"To think I thought you were a right arsehole," the small boy muttered, in minutes he'd fallen asleep.
After jungkook changed he sat in his room with a sketch pad , drawing the sleeping boy, then sketching the boy on the stormy beach, his mind wandered, everything was not as it always seemed you should look beyond the cover.
He smiled suddenly leaving his room and phoning the coffee shop,getting through to Jin he explained what he wanted to do, grinning to himself when he heard the other agree.