The Escort

Jimin & Idiot Seem To Be Used In The Same Sentence A Lot

Y/N said nothing. The silence stretched on. Jimin had never realized how loud silence could be until this moment.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered, something, anything, to break this agonizing silence. Y/N didn't say anything, just kept looking at him, her face carefully blank. He had no idea what she was thinking. But he'd just posited she probably had found someone, so he doubted she was happy. "I didn't....that wasn't supposed to come out. I'm sure whoever you've found makes you happy." He facepalmed. "God, I'm such an idiot."

Y/N had frozen when she comprehended the words. It was like her brain was on a short-circuit. It felt like her brain was reshifting, realigning. She had always assumed Jimin was just good at his job. She had always shoved down any thought that anything he said or did could mean more. And now here he was basically admitting that at least some of it had meant more after all.

It had frustrated her. His face was what she could see, he was the standard other men were compared to. The few times Nicole had managed to coax her out again, Y/N thought there was something wrong with her. Why was she this hung up on a man she paid to have sex with her? Why did his face pop into her head when she kissed another man? When she finally went all the way, why did the experience leave her feeling so dissatisfied? Why had she found herself replaying little things he said and did, with an ache in her heart, these past eight months? It had been a less jarring realization for her than Jimin.

She realized she had probably liked him more than she should've. She'd at least subconsciously suspected enough to draw boundaries, to not allow herself to rehire him after the party fiasco. She'd admitted it to herself, thanked her lucky stars she realized it after he was out of her life so she didn't do something to humiliate herself. How embarrassing would he have found it to know the woman that paid him was falling for him? Despite how nice he was, she had assumed he'd have found it creepy and unprofessional.

She'd accepted this narrative. She'd been living her life for the past eight months based on this narrative. Grateful she got to her emotions before something could happen. And now she was discovering her assumptions had been a lie. She had been seeing what was there. Her feelings had been reciprocated tenfold, by a man who had the most intimate access to her and yet was the farthest from her possible. How did you tell the woman who paid you to sleep with her that you actually want something more? Where does fantasy end and reality begin?

Jimin wasn't sure what to do, he wanted the ground to open and swallow him whole. Suffocation in dirt seemed so preferable to what was occurring right now. But then....once again....Y/N rocked his world.

"I liked you too." Her voice was quiet and he was sure he had heard wrong at first. He didn't dare look at her.

"What?" It was almost a prayer, a faint hope he didn't dare light aflame, disbelief. He heard a sigh and finally looked up, but Y/N was looking out the window behind her and not at him.

"Another reason I never restarted our contract, because I knew I was developing feelings that weren't appropriate for the type of relationship we were engaged in. I could've restarted it, I didn't even fully realize everything I was feeling until later. But feeling betrayed and then knowing that there was at least something that shouldn't be there....it felt like I would be playing with fire and it wouldn't have been fair to put you in that kind of position." She turned around and looked at him. "I'm sure Jin has told you how I feel about fairness." Jimin felt tears come to his eyes and he blinked trying to make them go away, but he had to duck his head and cover his eyes.

"Jimin...wha...." He felt overwhelmed emotionally. Of course. Of course her first thought would still have been about the position he would be in if she felt more than he did. She was part of his livelihood and he would be in that awkward position of trying to satisfy a client but not being able to truly give them what they wanted, all while risking an income stream.

"Of course. Of course you did. Of course that's what you thought." He whispered as he felt tears start to slide down his cheeks and his voice crack.

"Are you okay....?" Even now she was worried for him, worried she'd said something wrong when he was in here apologizing for his sins. He sniffed and locked his jaw, trying to control his tears, wiping them off his face and tossing his head back to regain control.

"You always...." His voice broke again and he took a deep breath. "You always treat me with respect. Even when I don't do the same to you...." He covered his mouth as he felt more tears slip out and a sob escape. It was overwhelming, to have someone care about you this much, to have someone treat you like this, it was healing.

"Jimin...." She came around the desk and crouched in front of him, holding her hands out but not touching him. She didn't know what to do. Was it okay to touch him? "I'll...." She cleared her throat. "I'll go get Jin..." He'd know what to do....

She stood up and made for the door, but Jimin's hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"No...." He stood up, coming around the chair, keeping a hold of her wrist and sliding his other hand behind her head, eyes intensely searching hers. "Are you with someone?" His voice was hoarse with trying, and failing, to keep his tears back. He was afraid, the flame of hope was burning brighter and he was trying to squelch it.

"No." Her eyes dropped to his lips and then back up to his. He leaned in, his breath against hers.

"Then....will you be with me? Is it too late for me to ask you that?" He whispered. He was afraid but he needed to know. Y/N licked her lips, looking back down to his mouth, and to his eyes again. She responded by gently pressing her lips to his. And Jimin felt relief flood him, surging forward, his arms pulling her tight against him. He sobbed into her mouth and broke the kiss, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and resting his head on hers.

Yes. Yes, she'd be his. He may have faults, but he learned from his mistakes. She'd be with the man whose face she saw every time she kissed another.

"You have no idea how much you've done for me, Y/N, no idea...." And Jimin finally surrendered and broke down.