The Absence Of Euphoria

How Could You

 Utterly bewildered, Tae stammers, "How could I...?" 

Jimin says, "Take advantage of Jiah like that? I know what happened." 

Tae approaches Jimin, and Jimin jerks away from him. Jimin says, "What are you going to tell Kooki?" 

He looks out the window before answering, and Tae says, "The real question is, what am I going to tell myself." He sighs and looks back at Jimin.

"Jimin, we were two broken hearts seeking refuge from the pain in a bottle and each other, and we ended up in each other's arms last night."

 Jimin sat at the kitchen counter. "Tae, you don't understand, do you?" 

The look of confusion crosses Tae's face. "What don't I understand?" he asks as he sits across from Jimin.

Jimin stands and places his hand on Tae's shoulder. "You did to Jiah what Shari did to Jungkook."

 Surprised, he says, "What, how the hell!?" he jumps to his feet.

Jimin continues, "When Kooki was at his lowest in grief and drunk, she took advantage of him as if to comfort him, but she wanted more than to comfort him." 

Tae is getting angry. "I did not take advantage of Jiah! We both did drink, but things just happened. We both..." 

Suddenly, they turn and face you when they hear you gasp. 

 "Oh my god," you stumble back and grab the entryway to the kitchen. "Oh my god," you cover your mouth as you stare at Jimin and Tae. They both start towards you, but Jimin pushes Tae aside, telling him, "No." 

Jimin reaches you, and you tell him, "Jimin, we, Tae, and I ugh...it doesn't matter, I already lost Kooki. Tae did not take advantage of me. No one took advantage of the other. It just happened. It was a mistake that will never happen again." 

With a look full of sorrow and love for his best friend, Tae says, "Jiah, I will step up when the time comes." indicating the birth of your and Jungkook's child.

Jimin puts his arm around Tae, adding, "You know we both will."

A distressful thought crosses your mind and has you reeling.

You push past Jimin, grabbing Tae by the shoulders. "She used us. She used us both! Oh shit! She used you to get to him!! Oh, Tae, I'm so sorry." 

You are suddenly pacing the kitchen, speaking out loud to no one in particular, "That explains so much, so freaking much." 

Both of them watch you pace, unsure what to say or if they should interrupt you. Tae's phone has been blowing up the whole time in the kitchen. He finally pulls it out of his pocket and notices a lot of missed calls and texts from Yoongi and Namjoon. 

Jimin sees he has his phone out. He says to Tae, "Go ahead. Read them."

Jimin takes you by the hand and leads you out to the deck. He had received messages from Yoongi and wondered if he should be the one to tell you. Lost in your thoughts, you mindlessly go with him. He walks you down to the beach and sits on the sun-warmed sand, still holding onto your hand. He gently pulls you down to sit beside him. 

He pulls you close, placing an arm around your shoulders as you keep mumbling, "She used us, she used us. Our sweet Si, she had his Daddy Bunny the whole time, the whole . . . oh Si, I'm so sorry . . ." You bury your face on Jimin's shoulder.

Jimin hugs you and says, "I'm so sorry, Jiah, but I just found out everything. For months, I thought she was up to no good, but I had no proof, just feelings and speculations. That is until Yoongi called me this morning."