Lifetime

Kiss Kiss

Of course Faye wanted every detail, scoffing when I told her we landed on maintaining our friendship. She threw her hands up dramatically, shoving a spoonful of ice cream from the carton into her mouth.

"It's not impossible. Hobi and I were just friends for our entire lives." I rationalized, shrugging and taking a scoop of my own. "I just need a little time to get used to the idea without letting my fantasies cloud everything."

Her spoon hung from her mouth as she thought, cocking a brow with her reply. "Would it help to get over him if you went out with someone else? I'm not above a little revenge dating. Plus, Jackson has been asking about you." She suggested.

"I don't want to lead him on." I laughed at her, shaking my head.

"I'll make sure he knows your intentions." She reached across the kitchen island, grabbing my hand. "Please, you know how much I love double dates, and at least we'll both get a free dinner or a good kiss or something."

Somehow, she always knew how to lift my spirits so I agreed. We went back and forth eating ice cream until we couldn't fight off the brain freeze, heading to bed with our sweet tooths satisfied and my mind still on Yoongi.

Though we agreed on being friends, I think Yoongi knew I needed a little time away from him. He didn't stop by my job to read or follow me around while I returned books to their shelves. He refrained from showing up at my apartment when he had the urge to see me and I stayed away from his. He didn't even "accidentally" bump into my cart at the grocery store during my weekly run as he usually did.

After a week of no contact nothing had changed. There was still this anticipation that I would find him around a corner as I walked through the city or that he'd be waiting at my door when I got home, but I pushed it all away, ready for a double date with Faye by the weekend. It was all too similar to the day I met Yoongi, Faye complaining as she put on a pair of hoop earrings, both of us standing in front of the bathroom mirror as we did our hair and makeup.

"I told Lee they'll still owe us a dinner date." She commented, agreeing to attend the final preseason game between the Bulls and Pacers despite her limited understanding of and dislike for sports.

We took the metro to the game and I held on to Jackson's arm as we stood, our balance kept by the hand he had wrapped around an available pole.

"I know Faye said you're not looking for anything serious, but I'm glad we're hanging out again." He leaned down to speak.

I gave him a genuine smile. "Me too, I hope we can be good friends." I replied, reiterating the type of relationship I wanted with him. I didn't need him to think otherwise, also unable to keep from recalling the way it bothered me on the multiple occasions that Yoongi called me a friend.

We stopped by the concession area after going through security, Jackson keeping close to me among the sea of fans while we listened to Faye ask Lee every question she had about basketball.

I felt him near before I ever heard him. "Faye?" Yoongi's voice called out from behind her. I instinctively turned around with her, meeting his eye as he stepped up behind her in line.

She was obvious in the way she turned back to look at me and then at Yoongi again, the four of our attention on him as he greeted Lee and then her, sending Jackson and I a wave with them between us.

"This is perfect." Faye leaned up to whisper in my ear once we turned back around in line, amusement in her voice as we stepped a little closer to the counter.

We ordered popcorn and slushies, relief washing over me when I found my seat next to the aisle, initially worried that in some horrible twist of fate my seat would be next to Yoongi's. We chatted while watching both teams run through drills but I couldn't focus, his presence living in me so that I was centered on the feeling that everyone could melt away if the night led to us getting closer.

Jackson was entranced with the game and I was entertained by Faye, sat between him and Lee, victim to their screams and cheering.

During a small break between the first and second quarters they started to show audience members on the kiss cam, my face flushing from pink to red when the screen showed the four of us. Faye and Lee immediately gave an applause worthy make out for everyone to see, the camera still set on Jackson and I in waiting. He raised his eyebrows as he turned to me, letting me respond to the slight way he leaned in. I couldn't reject him in front of an entire stadium full of people, pressing my mouth to his softly in a way that made the crowd awe.

After we watched the dancing portion of the halftime show, Faye recruited me to go to the bathroom with her, holding on to my hand as we weaved our way through the crowd. She was squeezing her thighs together by the time we made it through the line of women and I waited outside for her since I finished quickly.

"Seline." I could never mistake his voice, lifting my head from my phone screen to see Yoongi approaching. "You're here with that guy Jackson?" He asked despite already knowing the answer. I was sure Faye would be satisfied with the jealous tone of his voice but it only annoyed me.

"I am, is that a problem?" I responded with my own question, aware that we were in the middle of a public space, surrounded by people.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "I thought you had feelings for me."

I kept my voice low to avoid calling attention. "Yoongi, you told me we couldn't be more than friends and I haven't even heard from you all week, so I can't tell if you actually want to be friends again." I replied, stepping closer to him so we wouldn't be heard.

"You didn't have to kiss him." He looked distressed, letting me know the real reason he'd been set off.

An instinctual laugh moved past my lips. "You don't get to say anything to me about kissing people." I rolled my eyes, looking to the bathroom entrances for Faye.

He ignored my response, moving on to his lack of contact. "You don't know what this week has been like for me, Seline. Believe me all I wanted to do was see you but I couldn't."

"Why?" The question hardly left my mouth before he closed the space between our lips. I felt it all disappear again, the swarms of people who walked through to get back to their seats, the massive building around us, and every item and atom in the universe until only we were left. My hand reached up to hold on to his as he cupped my jaw, keeping me locked in with no plan of pulling away.

Kissing him felt everlasting regardless of how long it was. When we parted the world slowly returned to consciousness, Faye's voice sounding out from next to us.

"Come on kids, let's get back to our seats." She pushed past Yoongi to separate us, grabbing onto my hand and tugging me back toward the arena.

She looked pleased at seeing that Jackson scooted over to her seat while we were gone, letting me sit next to him with her on my other side. There was a smirk on her lips as she leaned over to whisper in my ear, just as the starting buzzer for the second half of the game echoed through the room.

"And here I was about to ask if Jackson was a good kisser."