My Only Hope

Chapter 2

My uncle wasn't completely wrong about me living under a rock. I didn't know what BTS meant. But I knew that I should have known from the way they were all staring at me.

I felt so embarrassed. My cheeks burned. "Oh. Right. Duh." I said awkwardly.

But they weren't fooled. One of them, one of the taller ones and clearly the spokesperson of the group, smiled kindly and told me, "It's okay if you don't know who we are."

Hobi looked a little taken aback. He stepped back in surprise. "I thought... well, this is new for me."

Now I felt super stupid. "You never told me your name when we met!" I said indignantly. He turned his head to the side thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. Oops!"

The other guys laughed.

"Let's fix that!" Hobi jumped next to me and put an arm around my shoulder. I was blushing again. His arm was so warm, and I could feel the definition of his muscles from beneath the Fila long-sleeve shirt. How could he expect me to focus when he was so...close...? "This is RM" the spokesperson put two fingers to his forehead in a casual salute, "then Jin" he gestured to the tall one with the full lips, "that's Jimin and Suga" he gestured to the shortest one and the quiet one next to him, "and... Kookie, where are you?"

We spotted the last member on the ground peering into the hole in the stage. He popped up and dashed over like a puppy. "Hmm?" He looked wide-eyed at the others who were staring at him. "What did I miss?"

Hobi leaned down to whisper in my ear and I shivered, "That's Junkook. He's the youngest."

I turned a little to look into his eyes, which were very close to me now. I'd never been so close to him before. I felt a little like melting into his beautiful eyes, like pools of dark chocolate.

"And you're Hobi?"

He chuckled softly. "Actually," he said and pulled his arm away. I frowned a little at the loss of his touch. He pointed to himself "I'm your hope," then he pointed to me and winked "you're my hope" then he spread his arms out and grinned. "I'm J-Hope!"

I laughed. I couldn't help it! He was so cute. No one could make me laugh like he did.

But then my uncle just had to interrupt. He came over to shoo me off of the stage. "Alright alright alright it's time for you to get back to work and leave these superstars alone. They are fixing that platform for real this time! So let's get you guys back for a sound check while they work."

I leaned around my uncle while still backing up to catch J-Hope's eyes.

"I'll find you later!" He mouthed to me. I blushed and nodded. Then I sighed and got back to work.

A few hours later, I was just sitting down to eat my pitiful cheese and turkey sandwich when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was J-Hope! He took my hand and whispered "I want to show you something." Immediately I abandoned the sandwich and let him lead me by the hand. I would go anywhere in the world with him.

The next thing I knew, we were on the rooftop looking up at the stars. We sat on a cement wall, still holding hands.

"It's so beautiful out here!" I said excitedly.

"Yes, it is." But J-Hope wasn't looking at the sky. He was looking at me, like I was the only thing in the world.

"So," I said awkwardly. "You're a superstar."

He shrugged. "Not really," he sighed. "It's more like I am a performer with a lot of dedicated fans and a lot of demanding work."

I laughed. "I'm pretty sure that makes you a superstar."

He laughed. His laugh was my favorite sound ever, I decided. I wanted to make him laugh harder, so I kept teasing. "Actually, I think it makes you the shiniest star in the sky!" I said it in my sweetest voice and it worked! J-Hope started laughing so hard, he doubled over and fell onto the ground. I burst into giggles.

I reached a hand down when I could control myself again. "Are you okay?" I asked. He grabbed my hand but then pulled me onto the ground with him!

I held my breath. He was holding me in his arms, lying on the ground under the stars. My heart beat so fast I thought it would take flight. He brushed my hair out of my eyes and gazed into them.

"You're the most interesting and unique girl I have ever met, Lex. Your eyes are so beautiful, and your laugh is like angels singing. It's so rare for me to find someone like you, especially someone I can get to know without you already knowing everything about me. Promise me something, Lex."

I nodded. "Anything." I whispered breathlessly.

"Promise me you won't look me up?" He asked with a sheepish smile. "I want to be like a normal guy meeting a normal girl, no internet profiles or YouTube videos, just... just Hobi and Lex."

That was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. Fighting the touched tears in my eyes, I nodded. "Of course, Hobi. I promise."

He hugged me tighter against his chest and brought his lips down to my forehead. He whispered something I couldn't understand.

"What does that mean?"

He moved his lips down to my ears. His breath ticked and I shivered. "It means thank you," he said.

"Tell me something else."

His lips trailed further down my neck. I felt like a melted puddle of emotions. He murmured something.

"What does that one mean?"

His amazing lips pulled away and suddenly we were both face to face, noses almost touching, breathing heavily. "It means I want to kiss you."

My stomach flipped upside-down like a pancake.

"Oh," was all I could say. But that didn't matter, because then he did.

Wow, oh wow, this man could kiss. It was sweet and passionate and soft all at once. True, this was my first kiss, but I could tell that this was an unforgettable experience because he was an unforgettable kisser.

We stayed like that for what felt like days, just laughing and talking and kissing on the rooftop under the stars. It was the best night of my life.