WITHOUT YOU ||Vmin ff

CHAPTER 17

The next day I picked him up right on schedule and was pleased to see that his hair was style just like last night. He was wearing the sweater I'd given him, just like he promised.

   Both my mom and dad were a little surprised when I'd asked if it would be all right if jimin came by for dinner. It wasn't a big deal. Whenever my dad was around, my mom would have Helen, our cook, make enough food fall a small army.

I guess i didn't mention that earlier, about the cook, I mean. In our house we had a maid and a cook, not only because our family could afford them, but also because my mom wasn't the greatest homemaker in the world. She was all right at making sandwiches for my lunch now and then, but there'd been times when the mustard would stain her nails, and it would take her at least three or four days to get over it. Without Helen i would have grown up eating turned mashed potatoes and crunchy steak. My father, luckily, had realised this as soon as they married, and both the cook and the maid had been with us since before I was born.

    I suppose and though jimin had been there once before, he was still kind of awed when he walked inside. My mother and father were both dressed very nicely, as was i, and my mother kissed jimin hello on the cheek. My mother, i couldn't help but think as i watched her do it, had scored before I did.

We had a nice dinner, fairly formal with four courses, though it wasn't stuffy or anything like that. my parents and jimin carried on the most marvelous conversation--- think miss Lee here--- and though I was a little bit jealous. I tried to inject my own brand of humor, it didn't really go over too well. Jimin, however, would laugh i smiled a little and took that as a good sign.

After dinner i invited jimin to walk around the garden, even though it was winter and nothing was in bloom. After putting on our coats, we stepped outside into the chilled winter air. I could see our breaths coming out in little puffs.

"Your parents are wonderful people," he said to me.

"They're nice," i responded, "in their own way my mom especially sweet." I said this not only  because it was the same thing that kids said about jimin. I hope he would get the hint.

He stopped to look at rosebushes. They looked like gnarled sticks, and i didn't see what his interest was in them.

" Does you father like me?" I asked. I wanted to know if mr. Park would allow me to see him again.
It took a moment for him to answer.

" My father," he said slowly, " worries about me."

" Don't all parents?" I asked.
He looked at his feet, then off to the side again before turning back to me.

" I think that with him, it different from most but my father does like you, and he knows that it makes me happy to see you. That's why he let me come over to your House for dinner tonight."

" I'm glad he did," i said meaning it.

" So am I. "

We looked at each other uder the light of a waxing crescent moon, and i almost kissed him right then, buthe Turned away a moment too soon and said something that sort of threw me.

" My father worries about you, too, Taehyung. "
The way he said it it was soft and sad at the same time let me know that it wasn't simply because he thought I was  irresponsible.

"Why?" I asked.
"For the same reason that I do," he said he didn't elaborate any further, and I knew right then that he was holding something back, something that he couldn't tell me, something that made him sad as well.

Being in love with a boy like park jimin was without a doubt the strangest thing I'd ever been through.
I hadn't done any of the things that I normally did with girls, yet some how I'd fallen in love.

The problem was, i still didn't know how he felt about me.

When I'd finally taken him home after Christmas dinner, I'd asked if it would be okay if I came by  from time to time, and he'd said it would be fine. That's exactly how he'd said it, too."that would be fine." I didn't take the lack of enthusiasm personally.

The following day i walked to his house, and the first thing i noticed was that jimin's dad car wasn't in the driveway not to ask him if i could come in.

"Hello, Taehyung," he said as always did, as if it were a surprise to see me.

"Hey, jimin," I said casually.
He motioned to the couch. "My father's not home, but we can......"
 
Don't even ask me how it happened, because I still can't explain it. One second I was standing there in front of his, and in the next second i wasn't. Instead of moving towards  the couch, I took a step closer to him and found myself reaching for his hand. I took it in mine and looked right at him, moving just a little closer. He didn't exactly step back, but his eyes widened just a little, and for a tiny, flickering moment i thought I'd done the wrong thing a s debated going any further. I paused and smiled, sort of tilting my head to the side, and the next thing I saw was that he's close his eyes and tilting his head, too, and that our faces were moving closer together.

It wasn't that long, and it certainly wasn't the kind of kiss you see in movies these days, but it was wonderful in its own way, and all I can remember about the moment is that when our lips first touched. I knew the memory would last forever.

"You're the first boy I've ever kissed," he said to me.