Piano Boy

5

• Yoongi •

The bar is crowded when my hands start cramping up, and I glance at my watch. 9:03; I've been playing for almost four hours.

I stand from the piano bench, letting out a breath as I stretch slightly, making my way through the Friday night crowds of people, the loud atmosphere a sharp contrast with the bar's normal, quiet evenings.

I struggle to reach the bar, my pulse quickening every time someone runs into me drunkenly, and it's not until I reach the bar and have taken an open seat that a small breath of relief escapes my lips and I rest my head on my palm. I hate Friday nights here, with the more boisterous people and the smoke and the struggle to reach the bar for my break.

The blonde bartender turns, his eyes meeting mine, and it's a minute before his face lights up in a smile, reaching for a glass, filling the cup with ice before pouring tequila over it and walking over, sliding the glass across the bar to me. "You taking your break?"

His eyes are friendly, less guarded than before, and I nod, closing my fingers around the glass. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Jimin grins at me, leaning on the bar so we're almost at eye level as he speaks. "The people tonight are so different from yesterday, it's weird."

I nod, taking a sip of the liquor, relishing the slight burn. "They're louder."

"Yeah." Jimin smiles at me, and I look away, my eyes wandering over the crowd of people, flinching slightly at a sudden rise in the volume. I look back toward the blonde man, and he tilts his head at me, and I know he's noticed how uncomfortable I am. "So...you never told me earlier the secret to your fashion sense."

I blink, meeting his eyes, and he gives me a small grin, shrugging. "Unless it really is a secret. In which case I understand you not divulging it."

I can't help smiling a little at the way he's distracting me from all the people even though he doesn't know me. "No secret, just clothing," I shrug and he grins.

"Man, I wish I had that." He laugh a bit, shrugging. "You probably pick up a lot of people with your fashion sense, I could use some of that."

I catch the glance he's giving me, unsure what it means, and I just shake my head, taking a drink. "It doesn't do anything, trust me."

Jimin frowns, almost playfully, his eyes dancing in the dim lights. "How are you not being picked up left and right? You're cute, and with that fashion sense, I'd think you'd be in pretty high demand," he grins at me, and my brain is still processing what he just said, blinking at him.

You're cute.

He doesn't mean it like I think he does; despite what Hoseok says, I'm positive that this new, blond, flirty bartender is straight. My cheeks still heat, though, and I look away from him, standing. "I'm not tipping you. Stop flirting."

Jimin blinks at me. "Was I flirting?"

I stare at him for a minute, not sure if he's serious, then shake my head, turning around.

"Wait, Yoongi."

I glance over my shoulder and Jimin shoots me a grin. "Can you play more by The Script for me?"

I nod, and he gives me a grin before I turn away, my shoulders tensing as I slip through the crowd again, hurrying to the piano, sitting at the keys as I let out a slow breath.

I shake out my hands, brushing the flirty bartender out of my head as I begin to play again, the soft piano barely able to be heard above the crowd, and my fingers trace the keys, picking out a soft melody, as familiar as the back of my hand, telling myself that I'm only playing it because I want to, not because a flirty, blonde bartender asked me to.

It's hours before the bar closes, and as the last drunken customer stumbles, giggling, out the door, I glance up, letting my fingers leave the keys, shaking my hands out. It's quiet now, the clatter of dishes in the kitchen the only sound, and I glance toward the bar to find Jimin stacking glasses, wiping down the smooth, shiny oak.

"Good night, Yoongi," Hoseok startles me, appearing out of nowhere to shoot me a grin. "Go home, 'kay? Get some sleep."

"I have an early morning shift at the cafe tomorrow." I stand, closing the piano. "Bye."

"Jimin, you can go too," Hoseok calls across the room, flashing a grin, and Jimin shoots him a thumbs up, his teeth a bright flash of reflected light as he grins back. Hoseok turns to me again. "Get home safe."

"Always do." I give him a nod, and he disappears into the kitchen again as I begin making my way to the door, remnants of the evening's smoke swirling into my nostrils, the sweet smell of tobacco and weed making me wrinkle my nose, pushing open the door.

"Wait!"

I pause, turning, and Jimin is hurrying toward me, flashing a grin. "Thanks! I'm leaving too, might as well walk together as far as we can."

I blink, but don't comment, turning to begin walking down the street again, Jimin hurrying to fall into step aside me. "Today was kind of crazy, are Fridays always like that? I could barely even hear the piano."

I nod. "Fridays suck."

Jimin grins as if I've said something funny, his step bouncy. "I agree with you, after tonight!" He laughs. "How long have you worked at Blue Sky?"

"Couple years." I shrug, and Jimin nods.

"That's so cool! It's an amazing place, I already love working there!"

I give a slight shrug, my voice quieter. "It's an escape."

"An escape?"

Nodding silently, I slip my hands into my pockets, my pace slowing slightly. "From the chaos of reality."

"What is your real job?"

I blink, slightly taken aback, and Jimin grins. "No, like - you don't seem like a guy who just does this, you have a way better, more complex job going on, I know it. You don't seem like a man who only plays piano in the evenings."

"I work at a couple places." I shrug, not wanting to go into detail, and he drops it, talking instead about some ridiculous drink a customer asked for custom-made.

Finally I stop by my apartment building, and Jimin stops talking, glancing up at the building. "Oh, you live here?"

"Yeah." I look at the building, almost seeing it through his eyes, the shabby, bland brick, the broken windows, and I turn my eyes to Jimin, almost daring him to say anything about it, but he shoots me a grin.

"I like this area! I've always wanted to live around here. The apartments aren't crazy expensive, I need that." He grins and I blink, caught off guard by his positivity, and I turn away, toward the building.

"Bye."

"I'll see you! When do you work next?"

"Tomorrow."

Jimin flashes that grin again. "Great! See you then."

I nod, turning, making my way inside, and I walk up the flights of stairs slowly, my mind on the small blonde man.

He's not what I expected him to be. Flirty, yes, but there's something softer past that, something more real than his flirty persona.

Then again, he did call me cute.

I shake my head, my cheeks heating at the memory.

Hoseok was right; Jimin seems like a pretty decent guy after all, once you get past the flirting.

But he's straight.

~

Thanks for reading.