Layla || P.JM ✔

17. Flower Crown

"You should have seen how Jimin stared at Layla!" Jinny half shouted half laughed.

"I was not staring!" He growled.

"Yes, you were! You definitely were!"

"I have to agree with her." Tae snickered.

Layla chuckled, her cheeks turning pink as she listened to the argument between Jimin, Jinny, and Tae. She took the flower crown off her head and examined it. It was delicate, yet elegant, giving out the soft green of leaves and the pale yellow that reminded Layla of fresh parchment.

Sometimes, she wasn't sure if she should be grateful that Ace is here for her or be ashamed of his actions and the things he says.

She turned to look at him; he was sitting across the table, chatting with Namjoon and Yoongi. As far as she can see, those three were getting along together.

Ace patted his belly. "You know...I still want to eat something."

"What! You ate three full meals and you're still hungry?" Hoseok exclaimed.

"These meals don't fill my stomach. I don't understand why you people have your meals this light."

"Because we try to take care of our physical health, hyung," Jungkook answered.

Ace snorted. "Phisycal health? No offence, but who gives a damn about physical health when we're in the twenty-first century? You guys live in the stone age."

Layla internally groaned at the way of his speaking. In Korea, one doesn't simply say what he wants to how he wants to.

Layla noticed from the corner of her eyes that Jimin kept staring at her. When she turned to face him eye to eye, he broke eye contact. Though, when he noticed that she's staring at him, she turned her face to stare at the ground.

Ace looked at his phone. "Sorry, guys. We should be leaving. It was great meeting you."

"We spent such a short time! Will we be seeing you again?" Namjoon said.

Ace shrugged casually. "Maybe. From time to time."

"Yah! We're going together somewhere tomorrow," Seokjin exclaimed excitedly. "It's a place where we usually meet. Taehyung knows the way and can lead you there. We meet there afternoon?"

"Yeah! Cool." There was excitement gleaming in Ace's eyes.

Layla stood and picked up her shopping bag from the floor. Jinny stood up and gave her a quick hug.

"Jin. I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning when I open the apartment's door." Layla chuckled.

"Yeah, but that's morning. That's still HOURS later."

Jinny finally let go, and Jimin picked something from the ground.

"You dropped this." He shows Layla her flower crown. She didn't take it from him. They both just stood there, feeling comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

Ace cleared his throat. "We should be going."

Jimin gently put the crown on her head. Hesitantly, he gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Aww," people cooed.

"Jimin hyung, that's cute-"

"THANK YOU!" Ace cut off the Jungkook. "We should be leaving. Now!"

Ace pulled Layla roughly by the arm and dragged her away. She let Ace be her guide as her mind went blank. She was grinning like an idiot, still feeling Jimin's soft lips tingling on the top of her head.

She didn't feel herself entering the car. Thoughts, feelings, and questions all hit her at the same time. Her heart was overinflated like a ballon that could burst at any second. She kept thinking of Jimin. Why did he do this? Does he like me? Is that why he kept staring at me? Is it because we became closer during our times practicing the duet? Why does he like me?

Why am I feeling like this?

What am I even feeling?

She felt comforted as 2002 by Anne Marie burst from the car's speakers. Every lyric made her smile widen. She didn't know if it was because she felt the lyrics or if she wanted to feel them. In real life.

A push on her shoulder was what brought her back to reality.

"Hello? Your head got stuck in the clouds? We're home," Ace said, annoyed.

Layla looked out of the window to see that they reached the building.

▪♡♡♡▪

Ace was chatting Tae as Tae drove his car. Layla was trying so hard to quiet Jinny because she knew Ace would kill her if he heard Jinny.

"Would you stop it?" Layla hissed.

"Why? Because what I say is true?" Jinny teased. "You and Jimin clearly like each other. Do I say it in English? Love. Crush-"

"Just shut up!"

"You should've seen your face yesterday. Or how he kept gaping at you. Look, I'm just stating facts. Nothing more."

"Yeah. Facts that will end with me dead if my brother hears this."

"Ha! So you admit that they are facts!"

"What! No-"

"Please, sweetie. You already admitted it." Jinny turned to look at Ace, who was sitting in the front. "So how old are you?"

"Twenty. Nearing twenty-one," Ace said, his voice sounding melodious. 

Jinny frowned. "You're in college?"

"Yep. Architecture; that's what I'm majoring in."

There was a pause before Jinny asked something that caused Layla to choke on air and Tae to almost crash on the sidewalk.

"Are you single?"

Ace looked surprised at her question. Everybody looked at her weirdly.

"What? I'm just asking!" Jinny defended herself.

"You can't ask people these types of questions!" Tae growled angrily.

"For real." Layla aided him.

Ace cleared his throat. "Well, I'm not exactly single and not exactly taken."

Layla perked up at the answer. "Care to explain?"

"It's... You don't have to know." Ace's cheeks turned red.

"I wonder who is it," Layla murmured loudly.

"First of all, she's not an "it". She's a girl - the most amazing, sweetest girl I've met in my life." Ace became quiet when he realized what he's been saying.

"How old is she? Do Mom and Dad know?"

"First of all, she's 20 years old. Ten months younger than me. And second, if Mom and Dad knew, I honestly don't know what they'll do to me. As far as I can guess, they'll either congratulate me or strangle me."

Layla nodded as she noticed a basketball court nearby.

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