Liar//MYG✔️

Chapter 19//Not Today

   Jinae waited impatiently for Yoongi to come out of Dr. Kim's office. She guessed that the doctor was probably talking to Yoongi about the things she had said in the session; she wasn't recalling how things were supposed to be confidential, because at the moment she really didn't care. It didn't matter if people knew how she was feeling.
She was just so tired.
Too tired to hide anything anymore.


   Jinae tapped her foot on the wooden floors as she waited, growing nervous.

   Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Yoongi came out of the office.

   He smiled at her and quickly walked over.

   "Are you ready to go Jinae?" He asked calmly, and she nodded in reply. "Why don't we go and get some more coffee?"

   "Yeah, that sounds fine." Jinae bit her lip. "What did you and the doctor discuss Yoongi?"

   "She just told me some ways I could help you." Yoongi didn't evade her question, trying to stick to his new policy of being honest, but he also didn't tip her off on his plans. "Spending time with you is one, and so I'm buying you more coffee." Jinae frowned slightly at his words.

   "Aren't you busy though? I don't want to take you away from your work. I really am fine. You can go."

   "Jinae, stop lying." Jinae froze at his words, standing still on the busy sidewalk the two of them had been walking side by side on. People passed by them, unaware of the silent conflict transpiring between the young couple they were passing.

   "What?" Jinae's voice was edged with ice. Yoongi stopped too and turned to face her. He was beginning to feel nervous, not accustomed to being so honest and confrontational with Jinae.

   "I- I know you're not fine Jinae, and I'm going to make more time for you no matter what."  Jinae stood still, her expression confused. "I know that when we fought I said I was leaving, but I'm not.  I know that I haven't always been here for you, and I know that I haven't been the type of friend I should have been. But I'm going to change."

   "Why?" Jinae asked plaintively, curiously. 

   Yoongi thought about saying, "Because I love you," but he didn't. He knew it was too soon for that. Instead, he said, "Because you need support and help right now, and you aren't reaching out. So I will." Jinae looked at Yoongi with a blank expression for a moment longer before she began walking again. Yoongi matched her pace and the pair walked in silence.

   Soon they were pushing through the door of the Java Shop and walking into the warm, coffee-scented building.

   The place wasn't very busy, but there was still a line that the pair had to wait in. Eventually, they got their coffee and Yoongi chose a corner table for them to sit at in front of the window. He knew that Jinae liked to watch the busy streets, and he did too.

   They sat and let their hot drinks cool slightly, still silent. Neither knew what to say to the other. Jinae didn't feel like small talk, but Yoongi wanted to talk. He just didn't know how to start out.

   Finally, he decided to just say what was on his mind.

   "You should take some time off from work." Yoongi took a sip of his coffee and scalded his tongue with the drink. However, he didn't have time to react because he soon became too concerned for Jinae to do so.

"That's ridiculous, Yoongi. Do you know how busy I am during this time of year? We have a holiday recital to prepare for. I have gifts to buy. I have a concert of my own and parties to attend. I can't just shut myself off from the world, Yoongi." Jinae's voice was at a controlled volume, but she was speaking so quickly and frantically it seemed like she would run out of breath soon. Her eyes were widened and the crease in her forehead deepened with her stress. Yoongi hadn't meant to cause her to get so worked up, and he quickly tried to calm her down.

   "Jinae, calm down. It was just a suggestion. I know you're busy." He paused and studied Jinae's face, she still looked tense, and he continued on his attempt to soothe her. "I'm just worried that you're wearing yourself down too much."

   Jinae was about to counter that she was fine, but she remembered the scene from earlier. An answer like that wasn't going to cut it for Yoongi anymore. "I am tired, but I still have to work. I can't just cancel on my students, that's not fair to them. Besides, getting prepared for the recital isn't too stressful. I just have to practice with them now. I'll make it through." Jinae smiled slightly, but to Yoongi it just made her appear even more tired, so he persisted.

   "Would you take a break after the concert?"

   "Yoongi, why are you so set on me taking a break?"

   "Because everyone needs a vacation every once in a while, and you never take one." He sighed, anticipating her answer. Jinae shook her head, affirming his suspicions.

   "I'm too busy to go away right now Yoongi. I- There's just too much going on right now." Yoongi decided to drop the subject for now, but he wasn't giving up altogether.
 
   "How have you been sleeping lately?"

   "Why are you being so confrontational all of a sudden?" Jinae was taken off guard by Yoongi's uncharacteristic confrontation, and she was growing slightly annoyed by all of the questions. She couldn't meet his eyes and she fiddled with the coffee cup in her hands.

   "I'm just trying to help." Yoongi's sincerity caused Jinae's annoyance to dissipate. "I'm worried about you Jinae." She studied his facial expression and his tone, searching for any dishonesty. His dark brown eyes reminded her of a puppy, especially now when they looked so soft and vulnerable. He spoke slowly and haltingly like he was carefully weighing each word. Jinae's eyebrows knit together. He was acting uncharacteristically, but she didn't think he was lying.

   "Okay." She sighed and looked down at her coffee. She traced the grain of the wood table with her finger as she slowly brought herself to answer. "I haven't been sleeping much." Yoongi nodded at her encouragingly, and she felt a lump form in her throat. She could feel salt tears stinging her eyes, but she still wanted to talk to Yoongi. "Can we talk about this somewhere else? I'm sorry, it's just- I don't want to cause a scene." Yoongi nodded and he stood. Jinae stood as well and glanced outside. She wasn't surprised to see snowflakes falling slowly.  The day had been cold and overcast since she'd woken up that morning.

   Yoongi noticed the snowflakes at the same time she did. He glanced at Jinae and frowned. She hadn't dressed nearly as warmly as she should have.

   "It's snowing. Here, take my scarf, and my hat." Before Jinae could refuse, Yoongi had put both woolen articles on her, wrapping her up with the scarf so well that she couldn't speak without her words being muffled. He smiled a satisfied smile and began to lead her out the door as she tried to pull the scarf off. Without stopping, Yoongi just pulled her hand into his own and shook his head. "Keep that on or you'll get a cold, Jinae."

   As they walked, Yoongi smiled to himself. He thought Jinae looked extremely cute and small wrapped up so warmly.  He couldn't prevent the heartbeats that he skipped over when he thought about her now. 

A/N:  sorry that I kinda fell off the face of the earth when it came to this story. It's been a rough couple of weeks for me with school, college prep, and some personal issues. But I'm back! I'll try to update more regularly now that TSAR is basically completed.
Please eat well and take care of yourselves. 

Featured Song:  Not Today by Imagine Dragons

(Edited June 2019)

*Novi*