Fate's Little Bell

Chapter 33

 Shockingly, getting the trip approved was not nearly as hard as I'd expected. Hobi-hyung, Jimin, and I had been careful and privately discussed the idea with each of the members, making sure everyone was on the same page before we brought it to our managers and the Important People at BigHit. Convincing Namjoon and Yoongi about it was probably the hardest part, since they both insisted on doing their own research before agreeing to anything. But once they'd figured out that it was actually legal and could be done safely, they were one hundred percent on board.

The next step had been bringing it to our managers and arranging a meeting to get permission from the company. Normally, having friends visit wasn't such a hassle, but given the virus and the fact that the visitors would be coming from another country, it was a bit more complicated. However, after talking things over, the general consensus had agreed that Jane May and her friends could come visit, but if it was too much of a distraction from our normal schedule, then there'd be a limit on when we could see them. It was a little disappointing, but we were all too excited that they'd be able to come to worry about that.

So here I was, sitting in my car at the airport, staring out the window, waiting for the four girls to appear through the glass doors. They'd had to get tested again before leaving the airport and had spent the last 24 hours waiting for their test results. But they'd finally gotten them back and everything was clear, so here I was, waiting impatiently for them to finally show up. Namjoon had really wanted to be here too, but he didn't have his license and if he'd come with me, there wouldn't have been enough room in my car for everyone.

Finally, after what felt like hours of sitting here, tapping my fingers against the wheel, checking to make sure a cop wasn't coming over to tell me that this was a no standing zone, and then quickly glancing back at the barren ghost-town that was currently the airport lobby, I saw four girls in masks come into view. They were looking around, maybe out of curiosity, maybe out of nerves, and two of them kept jumping around excitedly while one of others laughed and the remaining one looked like she wished she didn't know any of them. As I watched them, my certainty that they were indeed the girls I was supposed to pick up grew.

When they walked through the doors and were about ten meters from my car, I pulled my mask up over my face and unrolled the passenger side window. Leaning across the console, I called, "Hey, ladies. Need a ride?"

For a second they just stood there, frozen, staring at me and I felt my heart race, thinking, Ah, shit, if it's not them I'm screwed.

But then the girl all the way to the left burst out laughing and I grinned with relief because I knew that laugh and I hadn't just offered a ride to strangers.

"Oh my God, I missed you," Jane May gushed, stopping a couple feet from the car. "And yes, a ride would be nice."

The girl next to her, a girl with rectangular glasses and dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, nudged her and said something softly.

"Seriously, Sofia? Why?" Jane May groaned, hiding her face behind her hands.

The one apparently called Sofia snickered before glancing up at me and quickly resuming her stoic silence.

Getting out of the car, I said, "Let me help you with your bags. The doors are unlocked, so make yourselves comfortable."

I opened the trunk and one by one loaded the various suitcases and backpacks, practically debating each girl until they reluctantly let me help. Finally, it was just me and Jane still left outside.

"I'm really glad you're here," I confessed, closing the trunk. "And your friends."

She smiled shyly from beneath her mask. "Yeah, me too." Glancing towards the car, she added, "And, um... are we allowed to hug? Is that... legal?"