In the dark

39

Hobi shut the door behind him and dropped his head. He needed to start to control his breathing and the impulse to turn back around and straight over to Peri to kiss her all over again. Behind him, he could hear her moving around the room. He hears the water faucet turning off and on and the closet door shutting. When he looked at the bottom of the door frame, he saw the light in the bedroom turn off, signaling she was going to sleep. 

He took a few steps before looking over his should once more. Hoping that she would be standing behind him as she had been all evening. Coming to the realization that she was not, Hobi walked back down the hallway and took a seat on the couch. 

"Did you have a good walk with Peri?" a voice called out from behind him.

Hobi turned around and saw Namjoon standing in the kitchen, making himself a beer. Joon popped the bottle cap, took a swig, and walked over to join Hobi on the couch. "It was. We went to the record shop and got some cotton candy."

"Did you talk about her thoughts on dating?" Namjoon asked.

"No, the topic didn't come up. I think I took her mind off of it. It's a big ask, I know, and she will have to think about it eventually. I just wanted to make sure she was ok."

"Yes, she does need to think about it, but I am not expecting her to come up with an answer right away," Joon responded just as Jimin and Tae joined the duo on the couch. 

"I don't know, hyung, she might have an answer soon than later," Jimin stated with a maniacal grin. "Did you really bite her?"

"No!" Hobi looked appalled- it was also his giveaway when he was lying. The more surprised he acted, the more his answer was far from the truth.

"Objection!" Jimin shouted as he raised his hand to the sky. Joon and Tae laughed at Jimin's declaration and joined in. "Objection!" they all shouted.

"How do you even know that?!" Hobi scoffed. He didn't outright admit the truth, but by his response, they had the answer.

"I heard her yelp!" Jimin challenged his brother.

"Yes, I just nibbled, and I kissed her afterward," Hobi said with a small smile.

"AH! You kissed her too! Did she like it? What was her reaction?" Tae asked with full attention. Hearing Hobi kiss Peri was not a surprise to him at all. Tae knew behind Hobi's bright smile was a man who had no problem going after what he wanted. If Hobi wanted to kiss Peri, he was going to.  

"I don't know. In the heat of the moment, I think she did, but- I think I might have confused her more. I told her to get some rest afterward and walked out of the room. Believe me, it was more of a self-control thing than anything. I saw her turn off the lights when I walked out. I don't know if I should have stayed and talked to her, but I was not thinking clearly until I saw those lights go out."

"You need to talk to her tomorrow. Explain why you left. I imagine she is more confused than ever now. I understand you're human, but you shouldn't have left her hanging like that," Namjoon spoke his wisdom. Hobi nodded his head. He would make a plan to talk to her about it. "I am going to turn in for the night. I'll see you in the morning," Namjoon stated as he got up and patted each one before walking to his room. 

Hobi sat on the couch for a few moments, thinking about what he would tell Peri. He wasn't sorry for kissing her, but maybe he could have been more patient and waited for her reply. He had to admit he got caught up in their rendezvous. The more time Hobi spent with Peri, the more of a pull he felt with her until that pull landed his lips on hers. Hobi knew he should have talked more about his feelings with Peri, maybe even gotten her viewpoint. Yet, sometimes actions speak louder than words, right?