Parallel Lives (pjm ff) | unedited |

- 19 -

NEW FROM OLD

Author pov :

Taehyung waved jimin over to lunch at the cafeteria when he'd just grabbed his lunch. Jimin looked in the direction he was pointing at and could make out a table surrounded by his friend group, chattering away gaily. He  reached for the only chair vacant beside a blonde guy talking away amicably with a girl next to him. She seemed pretty immersed in the conversation but jimin noticed her side eye his appearance into the group.

"So guys this is ji- just a sec," Taehyung raised his voice getting everyone's attention, but frowned at his phone as it started ringing. He excused himself and went away accepting the call.

"So, I guess you'll have to introduce yourself." Another girl on the far end opposite to jimin started, looking away in the direction Taehyung had gone.

"Or we'll just call you Mr. Handsome. What say?" Jimin had been eyeing Taehyung's deep frown as he talked over the phone but snapped back to the conversation at the second girl's comment. She was the one talking to the blonde guy before but now her eyes were on him as she licked her lip tauntingly.

Jimin smiled at the coy praise, a new found confidence building in him,"Woah hold right there beautiful, you can call me jimin." The blonde guy doubled over.

"Hey! It's Sammy for you. And this is Sungwoo and Lia unnie." She frowned almost seemingly exasperated but introduced the others and went back to chewing on her lunch. "So how do you know Taehyung?" The blonde guy Sungwoo questioned as I shifted comfortably now that we were introduced and the unfamiliar air had lessened.

"We kinda met at a bar last weekend. Lia's my senior?"

"Technically all of ours, she's my elder sister." Sungwoo explained as i nodded in understanding.

"Hey, sorry so this is Park Jimin. Hope you guys get along." Taehyung joined in at that moment tucking in his phone and starting on his lunch all over again. He sat beside Sammy, Sungwoo separating us in between.

"That we will, if Sam doesn't try getting into his pants tonight." I almost choked on my bread, eyes fleeting toward Lia sunbae nim's direction as she smirked between the two of us. I tried to suppress my gag reflex from the choking while Sam or Sammy tch-ed feigning nonchalance. "Why is Samantha getting into jimin's pants?"

"What's tonight?" Taehyung questioned while Sungwoo frowned trying to remember a missed piece of information. "Oh don't get worked up Taehyung, unnie is spitting nonsense."

"Don't tell me you forgot today is study night. And it will all make sense once you actually eat him out Sammy." Lia sunbae nim clarified clearly enjoying my stunned expression and Samantha's growing irritation. Taehyung shook his head concentrating on his food. "Can we stop talking about my dick on our very first meet." I busied myself with the food to wave off Lia's words and the abrupt silence as we all continued with our food. I couldn't quite put my finger on the uneasy awkwardness in the atmosphere but it was also mixed with a comfortable understanding and i could only hope this friendship lasted without anyone jumping the other.

After that lunch we met often at breaks and sometimes at the library. It was mostly either Taehyung or Lia sunbae hooked into their texts books while I sought help for my own assignments. It would soon turn into a group study that we took to the nearby cafe paired with a steaming cup of caffeine like now, at the usual cafe where we sat huddled in a table with the many papers and books spread out.

"Taehyung, ask Jimin to join one of our night in." Lia broke the comfortable silence, making three heads turn towards her.

"Hm?" I hummed frowning at the sudden attention diverted toward me. Sungwoon was looking at all of us while his hand weirdly continued scribbling some notes in his book. I always wondered how he did it, every few seconds I found his eyes wandering away but hands working seriously.