Lifetime

Fade Away

I could have watched and listened to him for an eternity. He was incredibly skilled, his low voice spitting meaningful lyrics into the mic while he played, switching up flows in a way that made the hair on my arms stand up.

I wasn't sure if anyone spoke to me during his performance. I may have even responded without any awareness, feeling completely out of my body as I observed his every trait.

The end of his short set and the yell to the stage that Faye let out pulled me back into reality. Faye clapped, holding her hands above her head. I was suddenly conscious of Jackson's hand nestled on my waist and the numb feeling in my fingertips from holding my cold drink too long.

Still, I was attuned to his every move as he stepped down from the stage, opening his guitar case to put it inside. He started to move through the crowd, conversing with a few people who grabbed his attention.

"Who is he?" I muttered, ignoring Jackson's head as it turned my way. I grabbed onto Faye's hand from where it rested on the table, interrupting her conversation with Lee. "How do you know him?" I asked, my tone sharp and needy.

"I told you about him. My old friend from school, Y—" She paused as someone stopped in front of Lee, pulling him into a hug. Faye turned around, her high-pitched voice ringing with his name. "Yoongi!"

I was so drawn to him that I wanted to yell at Jackson, to tell him to move out of my way as Yoongi settled into the empty space between him and Faye. Her bright smile showed as she gestured toward Jackson and I, nodding as she introduced us and leaning into his ear so she could be heard over the next performer.

"This is my new roommate I was telling you about, Seline, and her date, Jackson." She nodded, managing to balance talking to him while keeping her body language focused on Lee.

He held out a hand to Jackson and then to me, the feeling when he touched my hand so strong that everything started to fade away again, until he let go, raising his chin to a server who passed by and giving a signal to request another round of drinks for the table.

While Faye was the most confident person I knew, a social butterfly who exuded self-assurance, Yoongi carried his in the opposite manner, a reserved demeanor that silently demanded attention.

"When did you get back to Chicago?" Faye asked.

I had to blink a few times to keep my focus as Jackson turned to me, starting his own separate conversation. I wanted to slap my past self for accepting the date. If only I'd known that it would be him, I would have waited.

Part of my regard moved to Jackson as he started to tell me about a pre-season basketball game he was interested in taking me to for a solo date. In my peripheral view I watched Yoongi, chatting with Faye and Lee while occasionally turning his head so that we caught each other's eye.

"Seline, how does that sound?" I caught Jackson repeating his question to me, a small smile forming on Yoongi's mouth as he pulled his lips to the beer he held.

"Yeah, good." I was flooded and distracted by the feeling, nodding absentmindedly before setting my drink on the table. "I need to use the restroom." I darted from the table, weaving my way through the thinning crowd to the back corner of the building.

I left the lid down on the toilet, sitting and taking a few deep breaths. I thought through ways to end my date with Jackson so that I could talk to him, hitting a brick wall when I moved on to contemplating what I would even say.

I left the stall a minute past the amount of time that my absence would become suspicious, washing my hands and picking at the few loose strands of hair that framed my face.