Beautifully Flawed

44. Marry Me?

Jimin stood at the front door of their home. His nerves were frayed and his left hand shook involuntarily. He thirsted for a drink to take the edge off. He had been standing by the door for the past five minutes and tried to go in to the house a couple of times but his courage failed him. There would be no turning back the moment he walked through the doors. When did it become difficult to walk through the doors of their home? This place has always been his escape from the mad world - a place where he could find peace and quiet. Was it all lost?

He straightened his suit and dusted off imaginary lint. He still did not understand how Tae was able to convince him to come home in a suit that was supposed to be for a 'VIP' client. He chuckled lowly at how easy he fell for some of the bullshit his friends fed him - most of the time it was for his own good.

It went along the lines of "Jimin-ah, I would really love to photograph you in this suit. Would you please be my model for the night? Just for today, pretty please? I want to capture a sexy man getting ready for an elegant night out and shooting this in the comfort of home would be nice. Why don't you head home and I will be there with a photographer shortly. Mnnh? The setting of your house would be absolutely perfect."

"But Tae darling. I already have plans for the evening. Important ones I might add. I really need to..."

"No darling... just this once, please help me shine... mnnh... pretty please," Tae begged and batted his eye lashes. "I will repay you big time..."

Jimin looked unsure, but how could he say no to Tae. He was family. He was a dear friend and he would do anything to help him shine. "Okay... okay... but you owe me."

Even with the protests on how he had an important engagement at home, Jimin could not resist those puppy eyes. He reasoned that the talk with Jungkook could wait another day. Truth be told, he was not particularly looking forward to the talk. He was scared of what it spelled for their relationship. Just one more day, he could live in that bubble of happiness that he would like to believe still existed.

So there he stood. In front of a place they have called home for such a long time. He took one look around as his heart beat sky rocketed and his hands feel clammy and cold. He felt the cold sweats in the evening warmth that enveloped the suburbs.

He knew that the moment he walked through the doors of the place he knew as home, the façade he had on of being strong will crumble. He did not know how to remain strong in Jungkook's presence. The gorgeous man had always been his kryptonite. As much as he loved the fact that Jungkook could read him like an open book, he found it annoying on a day like this when all he wanted was not to be read. He just wanted his emotions to take a backseat.

Jimin closed his eyes so tightly he could see white spots. He brought his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and turned his back to the door as if to walk away but hesitated. Taking a deep breathe, he let his head fall back and stared far into the horizon at the setting sun as he let out a sigh.

The yellow ball of fire in the sky had changed to hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. It merged with the sky, like juice-mix dissolving in a glass of water. The clouds were cotton-candy, as though they were blushing at the warm touch of the sun. Silhouettes of birds flew home across a sky that was now magenta; and the sun was half into what Jimin assumed was hill. The halveness of it as it disappeared behind hills intensified his feeling of being incomplete. He wanted to cry.

Even if the sun would set shortly, the light would remain till the late evening hours holding onto whatever was left of the day. That was just the beauty of summer. Longer days. A little more time to be outdoors.