Once a best friend! || ft. Park Jimin [PJM] { Completed }

Chapter 22 : Gala night.

Jinhyun P.O.V

In past years, Jimin called me at 6 o'clock the night before his gala. He'd tell me that he was outside my place and ready to drive me away so I could have a sneak peek of the party's theme before anyone else. The first few themes were relatively simple; Old Hollywood, A Night Under the Stars, and A Fairytale Escape. But as the years progressed, he came up with more complex themes that never failed to leave me impressed.

Since, It was one of the highlights of my year, I was holding out hope that he would set aside whatever was bothering him and still follow through. I eyed the clock on Friday night, watching as the minute hand ticked past one, then two.

My heart dropped once it made it to fifteen. I refreshed my phone's screen to see if maybe, just maybe, he was running late.

Nothing. No new messages or emails. No mysteriously missed calls.

He was still avoiding me.

Fuck him.

***

The following night

I stared at my reflection in the living room mirror. Since, Jimin never bothered to help me pick a dress, I settled on a one shouldered flower embroidery mauve gown that fitted at my waist and flowed to the floor. The thigh-high split on the right side of it revealed a pair of sparkling Cinderella styled stilettos.

"Wow." Areum stepped into the room wearing pajamas, a bowl of ice cream in hand. "I thought Jackson was picking you up at 8:30."
"9:30. His flight from hongkong is running late. Why aren't you dressed?" I said.
"Because it's raining. I don't want to get my gown wet."
"The gala is indoor, Areum."
"Is it? Well, hold on. Allow me to think of another excuse for why I don't want to spend my night around a bunch of rich people who think they're better than everyone." She smiled and tapped the spoon against her bottom lip. "Oh, nooo. I'm suddenly feeling sick."
"You're so full of shit. Thanks for the advance notice that you're not going." I laughed.

"You're more than welcome." She picked up my purse and brought it over to me. "Let me know how the sex is afterwards. I want to know every explicit detail, down to how long each kiss is."
"I'll tell you if there's sex."
"There better be. You've been dating him for what feels like forever at this point." She scoffed.
"I know." I made sure that condoms were still tucked into my purse. As if on cue, the doorbell sounded.

"Farewell, Cinderella." Areum plopped down on the couch, and I walked over to the door.

When I opened it, I couldn't help but smile at Jackson. He was dressed in an immaculate black tuxedo and holding two long stem red roses.

"Whoa." He looked me over for several seconds, struggling to say a word. Instead, he clasped my hand and held it up, motioning for me to twirl around. "You look absolutely stunning. I may have to watch my back tonight, since I think all attention will be on you and this dress." he said making me blushed.
"Thanks for the compliment. Are you seeing more than one woman or something?"
"What? What makes you ask that?" He furrowed his brow.
"There are two giant roses in your hand, but only one me."
"Oh, that. One is for your roommate. Isn't she coming with us?" He kissed my lips.
"No, she just caught the instant 'I don't feel like it' flu and she's a terrible person."

"I heard that!" Areum shouted from inside.

"You can have both then." He laughed and let up an umbrella. "Ready?"
"More than ever."

He pressed his hand against the small of my back, walking me down to his Ferrari. For some reason, the interior looked a bit different from yesterday. Gone were the customizations, and there was a strange bar code stamped onto the dashboard.

"The dealer gave me a loaner car since mine wasn't detailed as well as I wanted it to be. Hope you won't mind riding around in this one for a while." Jackson must've noticed my expression.
"Not at all." I buckled my seat belt, and he shut the door.

As he walked around to the driver's side, my phone sounded with a ringtone I hadn't heard in forever. A text message from Jimin.

Currently Being an Asshole: Call me before you leave my gala. We need to talk.

That was it.

No, "I'm sorry for being an ass and ignoring you." No, "I've been a bad best friend lately," not even a "Please forgive me."

I turned off my notifications and looked over at Jackson as he cranked the engine. I didn't want to think about Jimin for the rest of the night, and I wasn't calling him for shit.
"Tell me about your latest trip to Hongkong, Jackson...."