ACATALEPSY I BTS AU

CHAPTER 20 - Under the Bed

Time passed, and you still hadn't come back, making Jimin worry more and more. To calm himself, he lay down on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. 

"Where are you? Did you eat?" he thought. It was the first time he'd ever worried so much about someone. 

Three hours later, and you were still not home. In the meantime, Jimin had fallen asleep, his face buried in your pillow, your scent acting as a sleeping pill. 

Suddenly, he heard the door creak open and nearly had a heart attack. 

*What do I do? If she finds me, I'm dead. Why didn't anyone warn me?*

He grabbed his phone and noticed 40 missed calls. 

"How did I not hear these?!fuuuck!" In a panic, he decided to hide under your bed. 

*I'll sneak out after she fall asleep... if I don't get caught first.*

This was the second time he'd risked so much. 

*Why don't I ever learn from my mistakes?*

You and your brother came home, absolutely drained from spending the whole day out. After changing into your pajamas and brushing your teeth, you both climbed into bed. Just as you were about to drift off, your home phone rang. It was Liz. 

"What does she want at this hour?" 

"Hey y/n, how are you?"

"Good, I guess. Why are you calling so late, though?"

"I wanted to ask if anything weird happened today." 

 "You mean, from my stalker?" you asked quite concerned.

Under the bed, Jimin stifled a laugh. *So, you think I'm a stalker, huh? Fair*

"I did get some really pretty flowers this morning." 

"Oh my gosh, what kind of flowers?" half screamed Liz excitedly.

 "Tulips. Why?" 

"You know flowers have special meanings, right? They're like secret messages." 

"Wait, what? No way... I didn't know that."

"Let me check what tulips mean." 

As you waited, anxiety prickled your skin. Your mind started spinning in strange, spiraling thoughts, wondering if every flower, every gift you'd ever received carried hidden meanings you'd been blind to. 

*Has he been sending me coded messages this whole time, and I never even noticed?* 

"It says tulips mean 'I love you and will love you forever.'"

The words hit like a cold slap. A chill raced down your spine. "Oh my god, are you serious?"

"Positive." 

"Liz... what do I do? He's in love, like really in love with me, but I don't even know who he is! What if he breaks into my house again? Yesterday, he gave me chocolates—what if they're laced with GHB or something?" 

"Wait, what did you do with them?" 

"I put them away so Adam wouldn't eat any." 

"Why didn't you just throw them out?" A pause. 

*Why didn't I throw them out?* The realization hit hard and sudden. *Why haven't I thrown away *any* of the plants or letters?*

The question gnawed at you, shaking something deep. *What's happening to me?* You felt a wave of nausea rise, not from fear of the stalker but from something more unsettling—*Why am I holding onto these things?*