ᴀɴɢᴇʟ ☑

38. Contours of his shoulder

Jimin 

My body was painless and I could feel the numbness that only painkillers could provide. My ears were popping really hard. I squirmed and then my eyes opened. There was darkness around me with light blue lights on the ceiling and a slight and constant buzz. I had to shift to understand the tilt in gravity. I was in the air.

If it was a day prior, I would've panicked, but my body wasn't as capable of it anymore. Moreover, I was able to sniff the Freesia beside me.

Craning my neck, my hands tapped on my left side, trying to make out if Jungkook was asleep, I called him.

"Jimin," he answered immediately and sat up, the lights sensing motion and turning on, brightening the spacious aircraft. Seizing the grandiose, beige leather seats against the egg-white interior, the air rich and space shiny, the only plausible explanation I could give myself was I was in a chartered plane. "Baby, we are on a flight." He spoke softly as if it explained everything. 

"Where are we going?" My head was beginning to function a little, some uneasiness dissolving in my bloodstream suddenly. 

"Maui wasn't safe for you, sweetheart. I had to take you away."

I breathed in a long one. "Jungkook," I tried to speak as calmly as I could. "What did you do?"

"I've taken care of everything, baby. Your professor agreed to graduate you with online submission of your work. You don't ever have to go back. I have locked the manor and all your stuff will reach the new place when you are feeling fine. We don't have to talk about it now. You need rest."

I blinked several times, the words hovering above my head. "How could you do this without asking me first? How long was I gone?" I held my head, my arms still not feeling a thing. 

"Angel, please... You need to relax. If you wanna go back, I'll take you back, but the doctor said you have severe nerve damage and if you don't relax, it can spread from your arms to other body parts. We need to put your health on first priority."

"Jungkook," I stopped him, my throat constricting at the thought of uprooting my life once again. I was asking him something and he was telling me another. I didn't have any friends, or any good memories back in Maui except that I met Jungkook there, but it still weighed on my heart to just leave overnight. I still couldn't understand what was happening. "How did you do everything?" My head was spinning. There were so many questions that my inside looked like the first draft of a new story's plotline. I didn't know which end to grab first and in which direction to move. 

He looked down at his cast, sighing. 

"How did you afford this?" I sneered, looking around. "You're rich!"

"If that's what you wanna call it." He answered, his face somber, not an emotion to be read. 

"Are you kidding me?" I turned, unable to hold on to my nerves. "What- what else did you lie to me about?" I asked, my voice raising. 

"Nothing you should worry about, his brows suddenly dipped in concern and he held my palm. "I am begging you. Don't worry about anything for now. I can't lose you, Jimin. You need to take care of yourself and relax."

"And you need to fucking tell me what the fuck is happening and who the hell are you?!" 

He shook his head, his bottom lip between his teeth as he looked down. "You know who I am."

"I fucking don't!" My hands gestured in the air irritatingly. 

"You don't?" He contemplated slowly, looking aghast as if he would cry. But then a smile was on his lips when he gazed at me. "You never learned to listen to anyone. Did you?" His question was rhetorical. I was so enraged by his smile that I wanted to kick him off the plane. "Then you leave me no choice. You need sleep, baby. I am sorry."

I flinched when he gripped my wrist with his right palm — which was in a cast — so tight that I couldn't move. I saw something metal in my vision before there was a sting in my neck and my eyes turned heavy. "Jungkook." My brows were curved, my face showing the emotion of betrayal clearly.

My body began to slowly drop in his arms and I felt his lips on my forehead. "You really do need rest, baby. I am sorry for this." 

"I- I," I was mumbling. "There is no way. I can't deal with this." 

"We will deal with everything together," he held me gently, protectively, sniffing my hair, and then I was gone. 

I had no clue about the day, time, or place. 

There was subconsciousness that was asking me questions, but sleep was so addictive that I wanted everything else to stop bothering me and leave me alone. I wanted to kill every rational thought and sleep my life away. Sleep was sweet, painless, and non-judgemental. I wanted to sleep forever. In sleep, I loved Jungkook. I loved his fragrance and I wanted to continue to hug him. In my awakened state, I didn't like him all that much anymore. I looked at him suspiciously. I couldn't enjoy his fragrance. I wanted to remain asleep.

I didn't know for how long I was in deep slumber. 

My senses jolted me when the captain declared a weather warning in the microphone or when I felt turbulence, but the stimulus wasn't enough to pull me back to consciousness fully. Every time I came close to waking up, I forced myself to not open my eyes and got lost again. 

The flight stopped at one point and I felt Jungkook lifting me. I grabbed onto him. He said thanks to the captain and an air stewardess. He sounded too manly, too prim. His voice had a quality that made my lips stretch into a small smile. 

When warmth touched my skin, I was in a heaven sky. It was the sun, I could tell.

I've not felt it on my skin in three years. If I had the strength to deal with reality, I would've compelled my eyes open to relish in it, to cry a little bit, but the actuality was too harsh, too crass for my sensitive heart. I didn't want Jungkook to change when I woke up. I didn't want the pain to return, so I pushed myself under. 

The next time when I stirred was when I felt my back hitting the soft mattress. It smelled pleasant, something like lavender, sandalwood, and neroli. I let out a desperate breath to sniff it all in and heard his alluring laugh.

He took my shoes off and I heard them thud against the floor before a feather-like sheet engulfed me. I groped it in my hands immediately, sniffing its musky scent all the while keeping my eyes closed. There was the rustle of clothes, the unzipping of chains, and the bed dipped. I smelled Freesia in close vicinity. "Jungkook," I mumbled when he got under the same cover and pulled me closer to him. 

"Go to sleep." He whispered in my ear. 

I loved feeling my body against his hard one. I felt another sting and I hissed, my palm randomly slapping him. A tear escaped my eye and I felt his lips on it. "Why?" I whispered, my chin trembling before the sleep pulled me under. 

I continued to sleep for hours, unaware of my surroundings and completely swallowed by his arms. 

After hours when the medication began to wear off, my eyes opened just a little bit.

Jungkook's face was in front of me, his hair longer than I remembered and his mole under the bottom lip was contrasting against his skin. I was in a spacious room. The big white curtains were drawn to the edges, I could see outside from the big floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The room was filled with completely orange light. The sun was setting behind him.

The sight was so heartbreakingly beautiful that I all but smiled softly. I had many complaints from Jungkook, but at that moment, I only wanted to keep looking at him. His upper body was naked, and the contour of his shoulders and highlights on his cheekbones against nature's glow was almost like a fantasy coming true. 

My hand moved over his shoulder, sliding along the soft skin. He opened his eyes slowly, pulled me closer, and kissed my lips tenderly. I didn't stop him. I didn't speak. I hugged him back as he enveloped us in the blanket and kissed my lips one more time. "You have no idea how beautiful you look, Jimin. You'll be convinced why I call you angel if you could see you right now from my eyes."

I smiled, wanting to remember those words when I woke up, but I knew I would forget. The happiness was fleeting, and so were my feelings. I closed my eyes and our breaths were in sync as we slept again into the night.