Falling for You (BTS Jimin Fanfiction)

Part 23

Jimin's POV:

I can feel my heart pounding as the chopstick slows, the tip stopping in front of me.

You have got to be kidding me.

Hyun-Ae bites her lip slightly and leaves, smiling but not making eye contact with any of us. The others don't seem to notice. Maybe it's just me.

"Now this is interestingly awkward," Yoongi-hyung smirks.

Kyung-Shin flicks him in the arm. 

"Ya, dongsaeng. That's aggravating the spot Hyun-Ae hit. Your girlfriend has a mean slap, you know," says Yoongi.

"I know!" Kyung-Shin chuckles, rubbing his cheek.

"So what do we do?" V asks, glancing at me. We make brief eye contact and I look away, unable to stand the pity in his eyes. There's nothing to pity me about. I don't like her that way. And even if I did, she doesn't like me either. Hyun-Ae likes Kyung-Shin. Kyung-Shin likes Hyun-Ae. And that's that.

"What do you mean?" I ask, trying to sound nonchalant. "You vote. And then she comes back into the room. And then-"

"I know that, smartass," Taehyung responds, scrunching his face at me. "I meant, what decision are we going to come to? It's not right to kiss someone else's girlfriend, but it's also not right for you to slap her. So what do we do?"

We all turn towards Kyung-Shin, letting him make the call. He ignores the others, but he makes eye contact with me. His piercing gaze makes me want to squirm a little.

"You can kiss her," he says finally, still holding my gaze.

The others' eyes seem to pop out of their heads.  But they remain silent, watching.

"What?" I ask, not sure if I heard correctly. I clutch the stuffed koala in my hands tightly to keep them from fidgeting. Kyung-Shin notices the movement and glances at the small prize before meeting my gaze again.

"I've known my girlfriend long enough to have faith that she wouldn't betray my heart. I trust Kang Hyun-Ae. And she used to always be nursing some bruise or another from taekwondo, so I'd rather you not slap her, since she took hits often enough." He takes a deep breath, frowning at me slightly before tilting the corners of his mouth up into an attempt at a smile. "Make it quick."

I hold his gaze for a moment longer. He's not the type to get jealous would he? As conflicted as I feel about Hyun-Ae right now, I don't want to ruin their relationship. And I also don't want him to kill me. Or Yoongi-hyung to kill me for that matter. Or Hyun-Ae herself. But he did say that it was okay... If I'm being honest with myself, this might be the only time I will ever be able to express whatever hidden feelings I have for her...

"Okay so just to make it official," Suga cuts in tentatively, "All in favor of a kiss?"

Another unanimous, although hesitant, vote. I take a deep breath and stand up.

Hobi-hyung volunteers to bring her back in, since it's too much work for Suga, even though he is sitting closest to the door.

She's smiling, although her hands seem to be fidgeting a little. "Go ahead," she whispers kindly. "I won't flinch." She closes her eyes and turns her head so that her cheek is facing towards me. Is she expecting a slap?

Before I can lose my courage, I lean in, leaving barely a ghost of a kiss on her cheek. For a moment, I can almost imagine that there is no one else in the room, that time has slowed and it's just me and her and my lips lightly brushing her soft skin. She gasps, such a quiet intake of breath, but it's enough to bring me back to my senses. The moment passes and I step back. Quick, like Kyung-Shin requested.

But if the others weren't here, would it be quick? Would I be able to just leave it as a whisper of a kiss? Would Hyun-Ae? I stop that train of thought before it can wreck me. No. No, I wouldn't even kiss her if it weren't for this game because she has a boyfriend and they're happy with each other, and I will respect that.

Even so, my heart is thundering so loudly, I'm afraid the others can hear it if the room is too quiet for too long. My lips part to say something, anything, but the words get stolen from my mouth the moment she looks up at me, into my eyes. Hers are lovely. Everything about her is just so completely breathtak- Oh my God. When did I start to fall so hard for this girl? 

I resist the urge to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I clear my throat instead, firmly reminding myself that the others are watching. "Sorry," I whisper. Why, I'm not entirely sure. Not for reasons I can say out loud. But something strange about her gaze says she understands.

"Me too."