Never In My Dreams

45- Bandages

"A broken heart can be like a puzzle. Even if you put it together, that one piece that you need, can be missing."
-Anonymous

[Tzuyu's POV]

     'Do you want to sleep with him then?!' I cringed as I replayed his words inside me head. I then suddenly remembered what Jennie had said: 'You like him, don't you?' I groaned as it felt like I had been smacked on the top of my head. This was truly making my head pound.

"Ughh!" I wanted to curse and scream at the top of my lungs. How come I face a new problem on the daily? Why does life always have to bite me in the ass? "Does God really hate me that bad?" I asked while throwing my head back in the pillows.

"Well, I hope not," says Nayeon.

Without looking up, I could feel the mattress sink in. "Can I ask you something?" I ask, working the little confidence that I had.

"Mm-hmm!"

"It's about Jennie."

Nayeon faced me and propped herself up on her elbow. "What about her?"

I heaved a sigh and bit down on my lip. "Did you know that she and Taehyung are engaged?" I could see the corners of her mouth curve into a smile when I said this.

"Why? Are you upset?" she smirked. When she seen the seriousness in my face, her smile quickly vanished.

"I- I just am shocked. Seriously?!" I don't think I was too upset over his engagement, but I was a bit hurt that I found out from her. I thought we have became close as friends.

Nayeon raised her brow and looked at me in a questionable manner. "Did something happen? You look more miserable than usual."

I pressed my tongue on the sides of my mouth as I debated on telling her. The more she intently she stared at me, the more I began to crack.

"I ran into her today. That's all!"

Nayeon cocked her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you sure 'that's all'?!"

I pouted and folded my arms, forcing myself to hold back the amount of screaming I wanted to do. "It's frustrating really! How come everyone assumes that I like him?" Was it not obvious that he was only my friend. For a split second there was a small wave of sadness as I thought about that word: friend.

Nayeon pursed her lips and nodded her head, taking everything in. "Perhaps she's jealous that he may like you better." When seeing the shock upon my face, she added, "But of course, you like Mingyu more, right?"

Upon hearing his name, I felt dread all over my body for some reason. When I didn't answer right away, Nayeon gasped. "Don't tell me something bad happened?"

I nodded my head. "He thinks the same as her!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "Does everyone think that?" I scoffed.

"Well...not everyone," she said while flashing me an awkward smile. "Its okay to be friends with him. Don't let them guilt you. Besides, it's their fault for feeling insecure."

I lifted both of my eyebrows and looked at her with a bit of surprise.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just thought you would side with Jennie since she is your friend," I said while empathizing the 'friend' part.

Nayeon rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, but it doesn't excuse her from being rude. I know how she acts at times."

I faced her again and frowned my lips. "I understand, but if you mind me asking. Why are you her friend?" I watched her reaction and to my surprise, she was neutral.

She shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head in thought. "Our parents went to high school together. Our friendship was practically forced since she didn't really have any friends. She can be a bit hostile at times, but there's a lot under the surface." Nayeon's face softened up as she sighed. "I do feel sympathy for her though," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

Nayeon gave me a small smile before she perked up. "Nothing. Also, if it makes you feel any better, we're grilling meat tonight!"
—

Later that evening, I went to bed with a full stomach. My heart had been set on grilled meat for a while now which made me feel a bit content with my day. The moment I decided to close my eyes was when I heard my phone chime. There was a notification from Taehyung that shown on my screen.

I rubbed my eyes and read the text. He wanted to meet with me and that he was outside right now. I glanced at my clock and it read 9:15 p.m.

My heart did a little flutter when everything started to process. He was here- outside and waiting for me. Just as I was about to hop out of bed, realized how wrong it looked. Meeting up with someone else's fiancé late at night did sound wrong. Just ask anybody? I bit my lip in hesitation wondering if I should pretend to sleep in order to meet with him. He would go away!

Just then, another notification from him popped up. It had showed that I had seen his messages, which would look even worse if I deliberately ignored them.

I decided that it was best if I meet with him, but only to make things clear. It was the best thing to do and maybe it would even help me sleep better tonight.

I grabbed a jacket and left out the room trying to sneak out without grabbing the attention of Dahyun, Nayeon, and Sana who were enjoying a movie.

Just as I was about to open the door, I could hear Sana calling my name. "Oh! Where are you about to go?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I was preparing to lie again. This was a bad habit that I wanted to stop. "I-uh- I will get fresh air," I said, trying my best to sound convincing.

"Getting fresh air with Mingyu, maybe?" said Dahyun, wiggling her eyebrows and giggling at my reaction. She earned a small wack on the arm from Nayeon.

"I'll be right back!" I said, feigning ignorance. I didn't want to answer her question in fear that Nayeon might tell the girls exactly what I planned on doing.

Once I reached the outside, I could see a nice black SUV parked on the side of the road with a man in a hoodie leaning on it. I was about to text him, but then I heard his voice get closer. It was the same deep voice that sent shivers down my spine.

"Tzuyu!" He said. His expression seemed off when I turned to look at him. Although he smiled at me, I could see that there was something up.

I tried my best to sound as joyful as possible, but it was hard to do. There was a tension between us, which made it awkward. I'll be sure to rip it off like a band-aid.

"Let's go inside my car first. It's a bit chilly out here," he said while gesturing towards his car. He went on the side of the passenger seat to open the door before hopping on the drivers side.

"It's been a while," he said, shifting his body towards me. I nodded in agreement, still feeling a bit awkward.

"How's everything?" He asked.

"Good," I said, trying to sound convincing. "What about you?" I asked.

Taehyung laughed, which made me confused. Was my question funny? I don't think so.

He flashed me his smile as he let an airy laugh. "Why are we so awkward all of a sudden?" He nodded his head in deep thought and then turned serious. "I missed you." The tone of his voice cracked as he said the last word. For some reason, I could feel the heat rush up to my cheeks when he said that. I nervously turned away from him. I needed to tell him now.

"Listen, I apologize for calling you out here late, but I need to get something off my chest."

I faced him again and forced a small smile. "Me too," I said.

I bit my lip and told myself that this was the perfect time to explain to him everything. C'mon tell him.

I heaved a sigh and looked him in his eyes. "Let's not meet again."

Sorry for the long hiatus. I hope this chapter makes up for it:)