Piano Boy

17

• Yoongi •

"So you didn't tell Jimin?"

I sigh, leaning forward, letting my forehead rest on the piano as I close my eyes. "No."

"Why not?" Hoseok leans against the piano, resting his chin in his hand as he looks at me. "You know he likes you. What is there to lose?"

I shake my head, looking away, not knowing how to put my thoughts into words, and Hoseok pats my shoulder. "You two will figure it out, Yoongles. I'm sure Jimin - "

The bell above the door jingles and Hoseok stops talking abruptly, and I turn slightly to see Jimin in the doorway. He flashes me a bright grin, shrugging his coat off, making his way to the bar. "How are you guys?"

"Good," Hoseok grins at me, straightening up. "You two have a good evening, I'm going to be in the kitchen." He disappears through the swinging door to the kitchen, shooting me a wink, and I glare at him until he's no longer visible.

"Here, I have your drink," Jimin appears next to the piano, grinning at me as he sets a napkin on the top of the upright, following it with the glass of liquor. "How was your day?" He reaches for a chair from a nearby table, leaning his chin on his hand as he looks at me expectantly, eyes bright with happiness.

I can't help a small smile pulling at my lips, and I reach for the glass, taking a sip to hide the grin threatening to escape. "All right."

"Me too. My sister gave me hell about not coming home last night, so I had to explain that I just stayed over with a friend," he laughs lightly, shrugging. "I had to stop her from calling our mother about some other explanation she came up with about why I would have stayed out all night."

I look away, barely processing the last part of his sentence; I didn't even know he had a sister, much less one that lived with him.

Jimin keeps talking, smiling a bit, somehow practically reading my thoughts. "Jamie's fourteen, fifteen in a couple weeks. She lived with me over the summer but got really settled here and didn't want to go back to Busan with our parents."

I take another sip of my drink, my eyes on the way Jimin smiles as he talks about his sister, and he catches my eye, grinning a bit. "I'm completely rambling, sorry. Maybe I'm still drunk."

I nod, setting down my glass, my fingers wandering to the keys, and Jimin smiles at me. "How do you just know stuff like that? The way you can hear a song, then perfectly replicate it on the piano."

"I can't do that," I reply quietly, my fingers leaving the keys. "It's - if I hear it a lot, I just...know it."

"Still, that's amazing." Jimin's eyes smile at me, and it's a long moment of eye contact until I look away, my stomach unsteady, and Jimin coughs slightly, standing. "You want to walk home together later?"

I nod, a small smile pulling at my lips, and he flashes me another bright grin before making his way to the bar, getting ready for the night's customers.

For the first time in several weeks, I stop playing after a couple of hours, glancing toward the bar, then standing to make my way to an empty seat. Jimin's back is to me as he laughs, sliding a drink to a customer, a young man who grins, his eyes on Jimin's. I watch the two of them, the way Jimin effortlessly flirts, almost as if he doesn't realize he's doing it, the way the other man's eyes trace Jimin's body, and I frown slightly, looking away, waiting for Jimin to notice I'm here.

It's a while before he turns, laughing at something the man says, and his eyes briefly flick to mine before he straightens, shooting me a smile. "Yoon! One second." He turns his back to me, speaking to the guy again as he makes my drink, then he walks over to me, sliding the drink across the bar, grinning at me. "Sorry, were you waiting long?"

I glance at the man now leaning on the bar, his fingers tapping his glass as he scans the bar, and I hate the feeling in the pit of my stomach as I look at him, as I think of him laughing with Jimin.

I remember after a moment that Jimin asked me a question, and I shake my head, looking away from the other man to Jimin's smile. "No."

Jimin nods. "Good, I don't want you to have to wait." He shoots me a bright grin, leaning on the polished wood between us. "How's this evening been for you?"

Not as good as yours, obviously, I shoot another glance at the man he was talking to earlier, cursing myself silently as I shake my head, trying to remove my thoughts from the obvious flirtation I witnessed. "All right."

Jimin smiles at me expectantly and I nod slightly, finishing my drink, standing, and Jimin's voice makes me pause. "You okay, Yoon?"

I meet his eyes, and they're soft, sweet, worried; I cast a glance at the man still sitting across the bar, and Jimin follows my gaze, giving a playful eye roll.

"He won't leave me alone. Driving me insane, but I'm sure he'll tip well."

My cheeks grow warm, at the thought that he realizes why I'm slightly upset, and I wonder what this means as I make my way back to the piano, sitting down, my head spinning slightly. Jimin realized that I was...annoyed at the other man. Jealous, I suppose, although jealousy isn't a feeling I'm very familiar with.

I press a hand to my forehead, letting out a slow breath, and I wonder what Jimin thinks of me, if he figured out I was jealous of the man flirting with him.

I turn to glance at the bar, almost inadvertently, and Jimin catches my eye, flashing me a grin, tilting his head toward the now empty seat at the bar as he gives me a thumbs up.

My face heats again and I look away, wondering, once more, what he thinks this means.

~

Life is really going at me right now, it's great 🙃

Thanks for reading.