Us & Them| OT7

13-There's Something About Janiya...

Janiya
4 months later

Hope World has been on nonstop rotation for me for two weeks straight. I didn't know the rappers had done solo mixtapes earlier in their career until we got back home, and I asked Amber to curate a playlist for me of BTS songs. Half of the songs I recognized and half of them were completely new to me. Amber said she played them often, but I couldn't ever remember hearing them. Three weeks before I couldn't stop listening to D-2 and Mono- which had me deep in my feelings.

On several text threads and video calls with Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok I gushed over their music which made them blush and threaten to hang up on me if I didn't stop but I couldn't help it. It made me regret not paying closer attention to them sooner. Amber said if I loved Mono then I was going to want to marry Namjoon when I listened to Indigo, I don't know if I was ready for that yet but I looked forward to it. Since I was still in my j-hope era she recommended I transition from sunshine Hobi to darker side, Jay and dive into Jack in the Box.

It's also been great getting to know everyone as individuals over the past four months. The major time difference made it difficult to talk as often as me and Amber would have liked but it was still more than we expected. Surprisingly, Iseol and Taehyung were the two we spoke with the most. I think she really missed having girl friends and latched on to us despite being thousands of miles away. Her relationships with the other members have gotten a lot better as well. They unanimously decided to forgive her after a sincere apology and her efforts in making things right. Taehyung was a huge flirt, always saying something outrageous that kept me and Amber laughing hysterically. Yoongi and Seokjin are getting closer with her and I find myself gravitating towards Hoseok, Jimin and Namjoon. Jungkook is the one I still get awkward with if I try to force a conversation or if we're not in a group chat/call. Still, I liked that he wanted to be my friend. He and Amber hit it off pretty well though.

That trip was memorable for so many reasons. I can't quite explain what it is but something happened to us, mainly me, in Korea. A change occurred within me. Anyone that knows me knows I hate changes, especially big, unsuspecting ones, and this is definitely a big one yet I don't dislike it. Still, I'm not completely on board with the idea of acting on it so I've been trying to put it out of my mind but it's always there, lying in wait. Honestly I don't know how much longer I can pretend to ignore it.

"Babe?"

"I'm outside!" I shouted from the backyard. I heard Amber bounce down the stairs then slide open the patio door. Her sweatshirt hangs loose on her small frame.

"Oh, it smells good out here. I have a surprise for you" she sang with a sneaky smile on her cute face.

"Whatever it is, don't. You know I don't make a big deal of my birthday like you."

"Trust me, you will love this surprise. I can guarantee it" I glanced over my shoulder to see her arms folded over her chest proudly.

"You sound mighty sure of yourself. Bambi, I really don't want anything big or crazy so please do not go overboard with whatever tricks you have up your sleeve" I tell her, taking the chicken off the grill. It was November but the weather was on a semi-warm streak.

She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, leaving kisses on my shoulder "It's not a party, honest. I have a very intimate weekend planned for you. Just a few chosen people"

"I can do intimate" I turned around and hugged her "Now I'm curious to know what you have planned."

"You'll just have to wait until then."

"Can I have a hint?" she brushed one of my fly-away curls behind my ear and caressed my face.

"It's something you have been wanting to explore recently" my face twisted in confusion as my mind began to wonder.