My Only Hope

Chapter 3

All too soon, I had to go back to work and he had to go back to practice. We walked down together through the dark, empty hallways of the concert hall. He grasped my hands tightly in his and swung our arms a little.

How did this happen to me? I wondered. I was just a normal, average, boring person one day, and the next I was making out with an international superstar!

I couldn't stop smiling. Neither could J-Hope. I loved his smile so much.

When we got backstage, we said our goodbyes. Neither of us seemed to want to let go though. I laughed. "Come on, Hope, you need to go before you get in trouble! And before I get in trouble too!"

He glanced around us and dropped a quick kiss to my lips before he bounded away, graceful and fast. Why didn't I see it before? The way he moved with such control and grace. Of course he was a dancer!

I walked back to the backstage room where the technical workers were hard at work preparing for tonight's concert. One of my coworkers called me over to help a group of them untangle and wrap up a big box of wires. I set to work, still smiling to myself.

I was so wrapped up in replaying the past hour in my mind that I didn't pay any attention to the conversations around me.

That is, until I heard J-Hope's name.

"...J-Hope is still my bias, though. Jin is so cute in real life, but I just DIE for J-Hope! I can't believe he's really here!!"

My eyes snapped up. I looked at my coworker, a fake red-head named Mary, who was lazily wrapping a cord around her arm. The other girl working on the cords with us, Lauren, rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. What's so great about him? Sure he's a good dancer, but he's not nearly as interesting as Jimin."

Mary got a glint in her eye that looked like she'd accepted a challenge. "Let me tell you all about why J-Hope is the best one."

With a little panicked twinge, I remembered my promise to J-Hope about not looking him up. But... I was so curious! I wanted to know everything about him! And it's not like I was looking him up! Maybe I would just listen to what she had to say. That couldn't hurt, right?

Well, it turns out that Mary had a LOT to say. By the end, I knew his blood type, his star sign, his exact height, all about his family, pretty much everything anyone could know about another person. I didn't even know this much about my family members!

We finished our tasks and I glanced at my phone to check the time. Oh my gosh! An hour had already gone by! I wondered if J-Hope was done with rehearsal yet. The concert was going to start soon!

I wandered back to the backstage area, searching for him.

"Not Suga!" I heard him call and I smiled like a lovesick idiot. He bounded up to me, in full concert gear. I caught my breath. He looked so hot with his two earrings on his left ear, the slight touch of eyeliner, the perfectly messy-styled hair, the baggy white jacket over the tight, black pants. This man was so sexy, I could barely breathe.

"I'm sure Suga loves when you call me that," I flirted.

He laughed. "No, he doesn't. But he loves me anyway!"

I slipped my hand in his, noticing the bulky silver and black rings on his hand. It was surprisingly attractive. "Are you nervous about the concert?"

J-Hope shook his head, but then nodded a little, laughing yet again. "You know, I do get a little nervous at first, but then I just really feel a connection to the music and the dance and the energy of the crowd, and my nervousness just falls away!"

"Sounds like you're a natural at this thing, then!"

"Probably because I've been doing this for so long now," he said with a blush.

"Or because you're an Aquarius!" I teased.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What did you say?"

My smile faded at the stricken look on his face. "It was just a joke, what's wrong?"

He pulled his hand out of mine. His eyes flashed angrily in the darkness. I took a step back and tried not to gasp. I had never seen him angry before.

"How did you know I'm an Aquarius?" He demanded.

I felt the blood drain from my face. I waved my hands franticly. "It's not what you think! I didn't—"

"You promised me!" He shouted. He looked so hurt, so betrayed. My heart shattered at the sight. "What else did you find, huh? My test scores? My blood type? My hometown?"

Guilt boiled in my gut and churned my insides. My cheeks burned red in shame.

He turned away from me sharply, like he couldn't stand to look at me. "I should have known you were too good to be true."

It was like he stabbed a knife in my heart. Tears streamed out of my eyes. "Hobi, please let me explain!"

"Forget it, Alexandra. I have to go. My true friends are waiting for me, and I won't let them down." He raced down the corridor and turned the corner out of sight.

I sank down to my knees and began to sob.