#Promise

Us

The scorching heat at midday was too much for any one of us to handle. As if sharing the same brain cells, almost all of the boys agreed to take a break from outdoor activities and decided to get some nap. I couldn't agree more with them. After a hearty lunch, that just sounds like an excellent idea.
Yoongi immediately went back to his room right after finishing up lunch. JK and RM took each of the couch and were already dozing off after a few minutes. RM's ankle looked a lot better after he had diligently kept some ice pack over it. Jin, Jhope and Tae found out about a nearby shopping center and are going to check it out. They saw me sitting by myself at the front porch as they were leaving.
" You know, I will make sure Jimin hears it from me when we get back. He is being totally childish! He's just unbelievable!" Jin said.
"You want to come with us? We're going shopping for souvenirs" Jhope invited.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea. Do you want me to die? Your fans might see me with you. It will be the end of me!" I joked.
" Maybe I should just stay and keep you company." Tae said.
" No, no, no. You go ahead. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. I'll see you later. " I assured them.
Tae was still reluctant to leave and I had to literally push him to go and follow Jin and Jhope.
I sat there for a few minutes more until I decided to give in to the inviting clear ocean water. I changed into my swimsuit and took a dip. It was just a perfect way to deal with the heat and to hopefully clear my mind as well. I enjoyed the refreshing water f or a few minutes, got back to the shore, put on my cover-ups and stretched out on one of the beach chairs.
"What am I still doing here? I am only here because of Jimin, but he obviously doesn't care. I could only be making it awkward for the other guys by being here." I thought to myself.
Perhaps I should just leave. I can't stay here anymore and make myself believe that all this is possible. Maybe their fans were right. Who do I think I am to even get near any of them? I knew that this is all too good to be true.
I sat up and decided that now would be the perfect time to leave. Now, when everyone is away. Nobody would probably even notice I was gone.
Having made up my mind that I should already leave, I stand up and turned around to go get changed, grab my bag, run away as far as I can and consider all that happened here as all part of a vivid dream. But unlike all other dreams, this one just doesn't seem to let me wake up to my reality. In this dream, there is always that someone who keeps reminding me that this isn't a dream but a wonderful reality. Jimin was standing there right before me.
He took a step closer to me, leaving almost no space between us. My heart started racing, and there was that familiar flutters from my gut, that only Jimin's presence can cause.
"So, do I finally get my turn to spend some time with you?" he asked with a straight face, making it hard for me to figure out if he was mad or just being sarcastic.,
" Excuse me?" I asked in confusion and more of annoyance. I just can't believe what I was hearing from him.
"Please listen to me. I am sincerely sorry if I made you feel like I was ignoring you. I didn't want to, believe me." He said as the expression on his face softened.
"Then why were you doing just that, Jimin? You have absolutely ignored me this whole time! Do you know how embarrassing that was for me in front of your friends?" I couldn't hide how hurt I was. "I came here because I was made to believe that you wanted to see me. You even said it yourself! Am I just being delusional?"
"It is true that I wanted to see you so badly. You know that! I hated this whole idea of coming here. You have no idea how I wanted to pick a fight with all of them last night, but what can I do? I have to follow what my manager tells me to do."
I couldn't think of a response to what he just said so I remained silent. I wanted to hear the rest of what he has to say because my foolish heart just wanted to hear him out.
"I didn't even know you were going to be here today." he continued. "I got so excited when RM went to my room and forced me out of my bed and told me that you were here. I literally was running out of my room to see you but when I came out here, I see you having an emotional moment with Tae. Do you know how jealous I got when I saw you hug Tae after you two listened to that song together and how he wiped away your tears right after?"
"Hold on, are you actually saying that you are jealous of Tae? You can't really be serious about that, can you?" I asked in disbelief.
"Not just with Tae! With all of them! Ah! They are all so annoying!" he blurted out like a toddler having a tantrum, just like how Jin had described him.
"Why does Yoongi have to ask you for help with coffee? Can't he read directions? Can't he figure it out himself? RM should have been more careful so you didn't have to take care of his ankle! You are not here to work. You are not his nurse! I also noticed that he was intentionally talking to you for way too long! He was also smiling way too much that his dimples got me so annoyed! Then both Jin and Jhope had come separately to scold me and tell me that if I don't straighten up, they will be snatching you away from me! Even JK! had to ask for some stupid ice cream so he could get attention!" he ranted on and on.
I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing at what I just heard. I found every single one of his complaints so hilarious that I totally forgot how annoyed I was. He whined like a little boy who thinks that he was treated unfairly. He sounded exactly like a jealous little brother.
"What is so funny? So this is all funny to you?" he asked so surprised, obviously not expecting my reaction.
" Do you even hear yourself? These are your friends, your brothers, that you are getting upset with. The same people who asked your manager to beg me to come here today because it will be the only way to make you happy."
" They.....really did that?" he sounded so surprised and embarrassed at the same time. His tone of voice changed after hearing what I said.
I nodded. I saw in his expression that he realized how wrong it was for him to feel upset with them.
"I forgive them then. Except for Tae." he said. I don't know why, but somehow I felt that he had different reasons to be jealous of Tae.
"Come on, let's not waste this beautiful day by being so grumpy."
"I am not being grumpy!" he protested.
                    I started walking barefoot by the shore and he soon followed and walked beside me.
We walked side by side under the sun without saying anything, without any plans of stopping anytime soon, without any plans of going back, only with the intention of going forward to wherever it may take us for as long as we have each other. Words were left unsaid but our hearts understood. I was just hoping from the deepest of my heart that we would be able to hold on to each other even if we are oceans apart.
I felt him gently reach for my hand and my heart fluttered as I hold onto his. The way that his fingers locked against mine gave me a feeling of comfort and warmth. I felt a sense of security with the unspoken promise that we will have each other no matter how far apart we would be.
                           We stopped and sat down on the sand. "You know starting tomorrow, this view will be the saddest for me." I said as we both looked over the horizon. I suddenly felt so overwhelmed and afraid of how far and endless it seemed to be. "Somewhere beyond that is where you are gonna be, so out of my reach."
                           He put his arms around me and I leaned my head on his shoulders. "We will make this work, Kate. I know we can do this." he said.
                          "I want to believe that we can." I replied.
                          "I just want you to trust me. If fate has led us to one another, I know fate will also find a way to keep us together."
                           We spent that afternoon together and made special memories that we both will treasure.
                           We headed back to the beach house after we both agreed that we were exhausted. An afternoon of snorkeling, jet skiing, kayaking, sandcastle building and a lot of walking and talking has left us both tired but extremely happy.
                           The sun was almost down when we got there. Everybody was gathered around the grilling area, some of them holding up a bottle of beer, some of them dancing to the music playing on a blue tooth speaker. It was a heartwarming sight to see. Brothers having a good time and enjoying each other's company.
                          They all looked our way when we got there. Everyone looked pleased to see us together but didn't say a word. No teasing, no scolding. It was like an unspoken rule not to embarrass each other when situations like this come up. Jimin grabbed a bottle of ice-cold beer and tried to get their attention when he spoke up.
                         " I'm sorry for acting like a jerk today "
He said.
                         They all hushed and listened to him.
                         "I'm really sorry for being so childish and unreasonable and selfish. Thank You for understanding how I feel and most importantly, Thank You for making it possible for Kate to be here today."
                        "Don't mention it. You know we always got each other's back." RM replied.
                        Each of them came up to him and gave him either a tap on the shoulder, a playful punch on his arm or a rough stroke on his head. It was a silent way of telling him that they understood and that he was forgiven.
                         This brotherhood is so beautiful that watching them have this kind of moment makes me tear up a little. I tried to keep my tears from completely falling down my cheeks but it was too late. Before I knew it, I was in full-blown tears.
                          "But Kittie! Why are you crying?" JK asked so innocently when he saw me.
                           Everyone looked my way and gathered up around me, pushing Jimin behind. All of them trying to console me. I guess brothers will be brothers. They will always find a way to tease each other when given a good chance. They probably know Jimin to be one who easily gets jealous that's why they do this.
                          "I'm going to miss all of you! You are all leaving and I will be left here! Why did you have to make it hard for me?" I said while crying my eyes out. It was embarrassing but I don't care.
                           " But Kate, technology is so advanced now! We can still talk to you every day and see you through video call!" Jhope said.
                            "Check Twitter every day and follow our account so you always know what we are up to." Jin added.
                            "Or maybe Kittie can move to Korea so we can always see her. That would be awesome." JK blurted out, which left everyone speechless including me.
                             "Ah! This little boy doesn't even think about what he's saying."RM said. "Kate has her life here too. She has her family, her friends, her job. It's all here. Just like we have ours in Korea. A person does not just move to another country just because she misses her friends. It's not that simple." he explained sounding like a parent talking to his child.
                          "But why not? I can do it! If I will be so sad to be away from them, I will do anything to be with them if I know that it would be the only way to make me happy!" he argued.
                          "This silly child! You have to learn a lot more about life " Yoongi scolded the youngest.
                          "Don't worry JK! If I miss you too much, maybe I will go to visit you there, so you have to promise me that you won't forget about me when you go back home."
                           Dinner was wonderful. It was actually very amusing to watch those guys after a few bottles of beer. Jimin stayed with me but was unusually quiet. He was probably trying to hold it together so I wouldn't be having a harder time.
                          Their flight back home was around noon the next day so they were all instructed to go to bed early. Shortly after dinner, they disappeared into their rooms one by one to finish up packing.
I went inside my room too. It was very nice of the boys to agree to share rooms so that they can accommodate me. After I took a warm shower, I laid on the bed and found myself crying again. How can my life change so much in such a short time? I have left home a few years ago and have been living on my own since then. I supported myself through college until I graduated and recently found a job. I have been okay even if I was alone. After meeting Jimin, why am I terrified of going back to being alone again? I felt suffocated in that room. I can't breathe and I can't think right.
. The house felt empty. The lights were dimmed and a faint sound of music can be heard from one of the rooms. The sound of the waves from the ocean seemed relaxing. I stepped out and took a few deep breaths. The cool evening breeze blew against my skin and comforted me somehow.
I didn't notice Jimin coming from behind and affectionately put his arms around me. I broke down in tears once again as I felt his tight embrace. We cried together and comforted each other. He turned me to face him. He dried my tears and stroked my hair as he looked lovingly into my eyes. He slowly lowered his face closer to mine and he gently put his soft and full lips against mine. His hands were on my waist and I felt him pull my body closer to his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair as we passionately responded to each others' kiss.