Lifetime

Silent

It'd been eight year since I last saw Jimin. The dark locks that once covered his eyes were parted into a perfect quaff of blonde. So much about him was the same, that endearing smile bringing me back to the first time I saw it on our walk to school the day after he moved in across the street. His once boyish face smoothed into sharp jawlines and narrower cheeks that still rounded with his smile to create a curve just below his squinted eyes. It'd been so many years, shock washing through me when it felt like someone set a firework in my body, waiting to go off at any moment.

I dropped Taehyung's hand as Jimin took a step to bridging the small space between us until we met in the middle, his arms slipping around my waist in a tight embrace.

"It's been so long. What are you doing here?" He chimed, the few friends he'd been walking with giving us space as they were taken with a woman who sold handmade bracelets on the sidewalk.

"We came out for fashion week." I turned, glancing at Taehyung over my shoulder. He stood two steps behind me, his expression flat.

Jimin stepped forward, holding out a hand for him to shake. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Jimin." He greeted him politely.

Taehyung grabbed onto his hand firmly, giving it a single shake and remaining silent.

"This is Taehyung." I shot him a look of disapproval, squeezing his hand when I slipped my fingers back between his. There was tension in the air so I turned back to Jimin, unable to leave the situation without checking in on him. "How have things been for you?"

"Good, the autumn dance season is starting. The opening show of La Cenerentola was last week. I wish I knew you were coming. I would have gotten you both tickets." He answered, a passionate sparkle in his eye when he asked about my life in return.

As I told him a little about my job at Vogue and we asked about each other's parents I could feel Taehyung's hand getting tighter around mine. I ignored the dull pain in my fingers from his grip. I'd never seen him respond to anyone without friendliness.

Jimin was being pulled to his friend group, eager to get on with the rest of their night. "I should get back, but it was great running into you." He leaned in for a quick goodbye hug, nodding toward Taehyung before rejoining his friends.

"What was that?" I scolded, snatching my hand from Taehyung's and stretching my fingers.

He didn't say a word, his mouth a harsh line as he looked at me before turning to pick up the walk back to the hotel.

I called after him, increasing my pace to keep up with the long strides he took. "Taehyung, talk to me. What's wrong?" I tried over and over again to get him to say something, pestering all the way back to the hotel and to our room.

I don't know why I expected him to talk once we were in the privacy of our room, thinking that he didn't want to express his agitation in public. He didn't. I stood by the door waiting for something, watching as he grabbed his night clothes, the bathroom door locking behind him as he got ready for bed.

He slept with his back to me, my eyes wide open next to him and without a moment of rest in sight. My mind raced as I listened to his breathing, wondering why he'd gone silent after we ran into Jimin and why he was so impenetrable.

I accepted that maybe he just needed the night to sort through his thoughts and emotions, that we'd talk in the morning. He woke early, his alarm ringing an hour before our set checkout time. I was already dressed for the long train ride back to Milan, my bag waiting by the door.

"Tae," I tried as soon as he sat up. He looked around the room but wouldn't quite meet my eye, closing himself off in the bathroom again to brush his teeth and dress.