Park and Kim

20

Jimin unlocked the front door and waited for her to walk inside before pulling it closed behind them. After dinner, he had jokingly invited her to come back to his house, she almost gave him a heart attack when she just nodded and said okay. He flipped on the lights in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, searching its contents for something to offer her. He pulled the glass pitcher out of the fridge, "Sorry, all we have is water right now, and it's cold. That's the only way Brandon will drink it. I can run out and get something else if you want."

Jae leaned against the counter across from him and shook her head, "Oh, no. Water is completely fine, thanks."

Jimin nodded and made his way towards her. He reached above her and opened the cupboard, grabbing two cups. He honestly hadn't even thought about how close they would be until he was standing right in front of her with his arm raised above her head, and their faces only inches apart. She didn't stiffen as he lowered his arm, handing her the cup.

He let his eyes linger on her face for half a moment before he began to pour her drink. She looked nervous as hell. "Jimin?" He looked back up and into her eyes when she whispered his name. "Could I stay here tonight?"

He almost dropped the pitcher. "Stay here?"

She nodded at him timidly. "Yeah."

"Like... over night?" He could feel his throat go dry and color flood his face at the mere thought of them being here together. Alone. He knew she couldn't possibly mean anything like that by the request, but he couldn't help the way his mind began to run in all different directions.

Jae seemed to pick up on his thoughts and shook her head vehemently, her cheeks turning a shade of bright red, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. That's not what I meant." She grabbed his arm helplessly, as though that would remedy the situation. "It's just that my dad is on a business trip and my mother left this morning to visit my aunt..." Her eyes became downcast and she slowly removed her hand from his arm, whispering, "I don't want to be there alone with him."

Jimin couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips. Sure, Sujung was a real asshole, and it made sense that she wouldn't want to be stuck alone with him in her house. She could have asked Hana, or that other girl that seemed to lurk around, Choon-ho or Cheen- hee or whatever, if she could stay with one of them. But she didn't, she had asked him. Despite Brandon and his mother being out of town, she had felt comfortable enough to be alone with him.

Without a word, he turned on his heel and began walking toward his room. "Do you want a pair of sweats or shorts?"

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Jae looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, and she couldn't seem to make her smile disappear. She covered her face with her cold hands. Aish... that boy. She just couldn't stop blushing, thinking about the expression that had overtaken his face when she asked if she could stay the night. Jae laughed quietly to herself as she imagined it for the fifth time since entering the bathroom. His eyes had narrowed, more so than normal, and his pupils had become so dark and big. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back a nervous giggle. God, why am I acting like this?

Jae jumped back when she heard a knock at the door, "Hey, can I come in? I have a toothbrush for you." She felt a giddy type of nervousness fill her to the brim as she slowly opened the door for him. Jimin was leaning against the hall wall and passed her a toothbrush package before sliding past her and turning on the sink faucet. "Lucky for you, my mom just saw a sale the other day for toothbrushes and bought that." He reached down and opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet, pulling out a tube of toothpaste.

"Well, hopefully I keep getting lucky." It was an innocent enough statement, but one that immediately went straight to Jimin's head and made heat rise to his cheeks. She didn't seem to think anything about what had just escaped her mouth, or what he might think if right after saying that she grabbed for his hand. He almost jumped back when she reached for the toothpaste he was holding. "You okay?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "You look really hot."

Once more, she didn't seem to think about what she was saying, and it was absolutely tormenting. Of course, he looked hot. He was. He felt like his body was on fire, and it didn't help when she suddenly reached up and touched his forehead with her free hand. Somehow this had all gone 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. She was standing mere inches from him, and he was looking at her lips, wondering what she would taste like if he kissed her right now. He let his eyes drop a little further; taking in her clothed body, clothed in his pants and his shirt.

It was all too much. He felt like a total bastard thinking this way about her when he knew she meant nothing by her words or actions. He reached for her hand and pulled it from his forehead. "I'm going to go get some air. I'll be back in a little bit." He brushed past her, leaving her to wonder just what had caused him to react in such a way.

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Jimin entered the apartment a good solid twenty minutes later, he found Jae curled up on the couch reading a book she had pulled off his mother's shelf. She lifted her eyes from her reading and a soft smile lit her face. "You look a lot better, I guess the air did you some good." He nodded slowly in agreement, not really making full eye contact.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'll sleep out here on the couch, you can take my room." She let her eyes fall to her hands where she was fidgeting with the ties of her sweatpants.

"Jimin?" She hesitated for a moment before continuing, still not looking up from her hands. "Would you think badly of me if I asked you to stay with me, like you did last time?"

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Jimin stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity, he could hear her breathing steadily beside him. She wasn't asleep yet, despite them silently lying in his bed for the past forty minutes. Was she as uncomfortable as him? There was no way he was going to get any sleep tonight, not when they were this close.

She sighed, and he could feel the movement of the bed as she turned her body to face him. "Are you still awake?"

"Mm." He turned his head in her direction before also shifting to face her. It was dark In the room except for the light from the moon that peeked through the open curtains of his window, but he could still make out her nervous features.

"I'm sorry for being so unfair to you, asking you if I could stay and then requesting..." She motioned between them with her hand. "..this." He didn't say anything at first, he wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. Did she want him to say it wasn't a problem? Or that it was? He wanted her here with him, of that he was sure.

"I want to go out with you." As soon as the words left his mouth he could feel his whole body tense up with anticipation and regret. What the hell was he thinking? Just spouting that out like it was nothing, was he crazy? Looking to be rejected?

Jimin wanted to disappear into the mattress. Or kill himself because of all the humiliation he felt. How was he going to face her after confessing that? Scenarios immediately started running through his mind. Maybe I can say I was sleep talking. Or that I went out and drank. Or temporary insanity. He racked his mind for an answer. Each second that ticked by felt like a tormenting moment in his own personal hell.

"Okay."

Jimin felt his throat go dry. "Okay?" Okay, what? Okay, yes? Okay, you're a creep?

"I think...I think that I would like that."