SCENERY / Taejin

12. Trapped

Later that evening, Jiminie and Kook were sitting in the living room with a bucket of chicken and soda drinks, preparing to watch this newly released movie. The hyungs had gone to dinner with our producers.

I've been avoiding them all day. But I knew I had to confront them sooner and later.

I walked up to them and sat down on the sofa. They shot a glance at me and looked at each other. Then, turned their eyes to the TV completely ignoring me.
Jerks.

"You guys.."
No reaction.
"You jerks! I'm sorry!"

Jiminie sided his head a little and shot back, "Hey! Who's the jerk here??"
"That's right! You're the one ignoring us since yesterday!" Kook joined in.

"Well you guys are avoiding me now! So, Let's just stop it."

They looked at me intently. I knew they were far from mad. The look in their eyes read 'concerned'.

"So..what's the real deal?" Jiminie paused the TV and turned around to talk properly.

I slumped back into the sofa. Grabbing a cushion and dumping my face into it, " I like Jin-hyung...like as in...the kind where you wanna date him and stuffs," I mumbled almost inaudibly.

Silence.
I lifted my face up and met my friends, eyes fixed at me. How was I gonna explain it to these two blokes?

"Ya, Jungkook.. do you have a crush on anyone among us?" I knew he did.

Kook puffed up his chest and replied proudly, " Namjoon-hyung is my ultimate boy crush."

Jiminie stared at him dumbfounded and slapped the younger's arms. He then turned to me again,
"So it's a crush?"

I shook my head. I wasn't finished trying to explain. I turned to Kook again.
"Namjoon-hyung..do you feel like kissing him?"

His eyes went gigantic. "What?..no..No. it's not like that!"

"See?... but I want to."

"You want to KISS Namjoon-hyung??," His shrilling voice hurted my ears.

"No! You dumb! I meant Jin-hyung. I'm trying to explain how I like him."

The three of us just sat silent for a few moments to give time to the other to process.

Finally Jiminie spoke up, " Good! I like it. I like that you know exactly what you want, Tae-ah. Although I was a bit shocked..I'll always support your feelings."

Kook still looked confused but he nooded in agreement too.

"So... Did hyung agree?"

"Agree to what?"

"You didn't ask him to be....er... your boyfriend?"

"....no..."

"Why not??"

"Everything happened too fast."

"You got that right," Jiminie was pouting. He's older than me but he made the cutest faces ever.

"But is he gonna be interested though? I thought Jin-hyung was like.... You know how some people don't feel attracted to anything or anyone?" Kook racked his brain trying to find the word.

"Do you mean 'asexual' ?, Jiminie helped him out.

"Umm. That's the word."

"No, it can't be. It's just the 7 of us and how can we have a gay, a bi and an asexual in ONE group altogether?," I was against the notion that Jin-hyung won't ever feel anything back for me.

"Huh? Who's Bi among us?", Kook asked with his eyes and mouth wide open again.

"No one," if they haven't told him yet, I sure was not going to be the one to.

Jimin opened his mouth to speak again but the door opened and our hyungs rushed in.

"What are you watchingg?," Hobi hyung jumped on the sofa, putting his arms around my shoulder. His face was all red and he smiled from ear to ear. He smelt of alcohol too. He was drunk. And so were the others. They were all beaming and red-faced. Jin-hyung looked like he'd forgotten about everything that happened too.

"Oh! I've been wanting to watch this movie too," Kook's ultimate boy crush scooted down on the floor beside him.

Suga-hyung was calmer than the rest. He tried to sit down near Hobi-hyung but the latter had his legs up spread all over the remaining space of the sofa. So he went across the other side and settled down beside me trapping me in between them.

Hobi slurred out to Jin-hyung who was still standing wobbly.
"S-sit down hyung.. you're blocking the TVv.. hic.."

Hyung smiled and replied something incomprehensible and plopped himself down on the floor beside Jimin.. and right infront of me.. between my legs. I didn't even have the time to move them.

The movie resumed once again and the drunk party started to quiet down, their attention on the screen.

About half an hour in, the movie was running slow and everyone around me started to fall asleep. But I couldn't. I was not watching the movie or anything. My mind was restless on something else.

The person infront had his back turned to me but the low light of the TV illuminated a portion of his tilted face and was visible for me to see. A string of saliva was also dropping from his drunk lips slightly open..
Jin-hyung was fast asleep..his head rested on my left thigh; his hands grabbing around my ankles.

My heart was beating so fast and loud, I was sure my whole body could feel the vibration.. even my thighs.. especially my thighs... But Hyung remained fast asleep.

Unlike me. Sleep was not coming to me easily that night.