Bridging Destinies

Chapter 15: One Exploration of Another

When Namjoon returned to the dorm he was quiet and thoughtful. He grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen and plopped onto the couch next to Yoongi. Jimin and Jungkook were playing a video game and Yoongi gave him a brief greeting while he looked through his phone. As he scrolled through an app, he asked, "How was your ride?"

Namjoon shook his head, "I don't know." Yoongi looked up at him with a vague 'what the fuck' expression and looked back at his phone. Namjoon took a drink from the bottle, as if biding his time, then set it between his legs. He began to speak again, slowly, "Remember the woman from the accident?" He asked.

Yoongi looked back at Namjoon, "Yes. There was something off about her." He said.

Namjoon nodded again and wrapped his hands around the bottle, moving it from side to side, in a half circle as he twirled it, "Her name is Felina." He announced.

Jimin looked up in surprise at Namjoon's statement and yelled, "Pause the game! Pause the game!" He turned fully towards the older man, "Joon-ah, what happened? Did you see her again?" He asked.

Namjoon moved his head up and down, affirmatively, "I did. She was at the park. She's..." He hesitated and spoke again, "She's so strange and mysterious, but I like her." He blushed, realizing what he said, as Jimin's eyes went wide and Jungkook laughed, "I mean. I don't like her, like her. Though she is seriously beautiful." He looked up at the ceiling, his hands stilling around the water bottle, "And her eyes..." He trailed off.

Jimin giggled and elbowed Jungkook, "I think he does like her, like her." Jungkook also laughed and elbowed Jimin back.

Namjoon did not respond to their teasing and looked at Jimin, "I don't think she's an alien, but she's definitely different. I've never met anyone like her. She's graceful and she moves fast. And man, she can climb trees." He exclaimed, then realized he was starting to babble a bit as he spoke of her and closed his mouth just before he vocalized any other thoughts that wanted to come pouring out of his mouth.

Jungkook laughed, "Why was she climbing trees?" He asked and Jimin elbowed him again thinking it sounded like a double entendre, rather than the statement as it was intended.

"I mean." He leveled his gaze at his younger bandmates, "We literally climbed a tree. I guess she heard some girls looking for me, and she climbed into a tree and helped me up into it."

"Nothing weird about that." Yoongi stated in a deadpan voice.

Jungkook laughed at Yoongi's dry comment, "Yeah. That's kinda weird, hyung."

Jimin laughed with Jungkook and asked, "Did you get a picture of her?  I'd like to compare notes from when we saw her last time." He finished with a statement.

Namjoon shook his head and pulled out his phone, "No. But I got her number, right before we left the park." He flashed a grin, seeming proud of himself. He looked at Jimin, who watched him with bated breath, and back down at his phone, then sent a quick text, 'It was nice to meet you, Felina. The guys are very curious about you. Are you going to be a mystery to all of us, or will I, or we, get to see you sometime soon?' He hoped for a quick response, but as he peered at his phone, it sat in his hands without a sound. He began to set his phone down, quickly giving up on the response he hoped for, when it vibrated in his hand. He looked down at his texts and smiled.

'Perhaps.' Was her response, followed by another response, a winking face and a short, 'What do you have in mind?'

Jimin stood up on his knees and leaned over looking at Namjoon's texts, "Invite her over!" He said, barely holding in his excitement.

Namjoon looked at him, levelly, "I can't just invite her over. I barely know her."

Jimin shrugged, "She helped us. I don't think she's a sasaeng. And she saved you from sasaeng's right? So invite her over."

He wiggled his eyebrows at Namjoon, who laughed at his expression, then typed a new text out, 'Jimin wants you to come over.' He explained. He hit send and looked at his phone.

A new message popped up onto his phone, 'And what about you? Do you want me to come over?'

Jimin laughed and Jungkook sat down next to Namjoon, also peering at his phone, "I think she's flirting with you, hyung." He commented and Jimin giggled.

Namjoon responded as he rolled his eyes at Jungkook, 'Yes. I would like you to come over. We are free tonight and tomorrow. Do you have time?'

~~~

I was sitting at the table in the airbnb with my phone on the counter in the kitchen. I often forgot that I had it, and only used it when necessary. I always used burner phones and disposed of them when I left a country, so remembering to use it was foreign to me, at times. I was familiar with the concept of texting, but rarely did. When the text came in, I heard it ping in the kitchen and got up to go check it. I looked at the message and smiled, "Ah. Joonie." I said to myself and picked up my phone, bringing it back with me as I sat back down at the table. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him again so soon, but with his texts, I realized that I did want to, after all.

'What do you have in mind?' I asked him and with his reply, I laughed and responded coyly, 'And what about you? Do you want me to come over?'

I smiled at his next riposte, as I read his words. 'Of course he wants me to come over,' I thought to myself. Then I positioned my fingers over the keys and began to speak out loud, "I have," I said, as I began to type, "Centuries of time." I hit send and waited for his response, feeling it before it came a few seconds later.

'Jimin says you should come over tonight. He's insistent. And I would like it, too. We can cook you dinner.' He offered.

I smiled as I looked at his text. I took a swallow from the water sitting next to me and responded, 'Dinner isn't necessary, but if you are already cooking, I will eat it, graciously. Though if it does not agree with me, I hope that you will forgive me.'

His response was fast, which didn't surprise me, 'Do you have a special diet?' He asked in his text.

'Mmm.' Was my response, knowing that the mystery would frustrate, but also intrigue him.

The face he sent me made me laugh. The squinting eyes and the tongue poking out, as if spraying a raspberry of saliva all over, was novel. He followed the funny face with another text, 'So tonight? At 8?' He asked.

I watched my phone, giving it several moments before replying, not sure I wanted to take this next step, but also knowing the path was set, and I needed to explore it. As I waited, three dots danced on my phone and I realized he was typing again. As he did so, I texted quickly, 'Yes. 8 tonight will work for me.'

I hit send as his text immediately followed mine, 'It could be another time. It doesn't have to be tonight.' A quick text followed that one, 'Or 8 tonight works too! See you then?' He asked in his text.

I smiled, nodding to the phone, as if he could see me, 'Yes. See you then.' I then answered, my fingers tapping the appropriate letters of the keyboard.