On the other side

[2]

Jimin

Jimin stood at the door of his balcony and chewed on his lips, was he really going to go for a drink with a total stranger? He's not a people person, nevermind that, he doesn't really talk to anyone but his cat!

It was nearly midnight and usually he would be ready to go and sit outside and talk to himself... but now he knew who his neighbour was. Had Taehyung been listening to him all this time? The boy's cheeks and ears flushed red as he thought about all the embarrassing things he had said on the balcony. Not to mention, who the hell even talks to the moon?

Jimin threw his head back and groaned loudly, he wanted to run himself into the wall. For how long has he been living in this apartment and he has never once met his neighbour until now.

"Oh Sejin... what do I do!" He mock sobbed and slumped down onto his sofa, the cat ran over to him eagerly and brushed herself up against his lap with a loud purr.

"Should I just say that I have too much work to do and I can't go for a drink? What does going for a drink even mean? I don't like coffee, or tea...I just like water!" Sejin looked up at him with beady eyes and meowed, pushing her head up to get a pet. Jimin sighed and pulled the calico onto his chest and burying his face into her fur.

Jimin had an inkling that he would be up all night thinking about the ordeal, he looked down at Sejin and frowned "What are you, some sort of friend-cupid?" looking back on things, the only time Jimin was able to make friends and connections was through Sejin and how she would always find a way to escape the flat even if she hated the outdoors.

Jimin picked up his phone and called Jungkook, a couple rings and the boy picked up.

"Oh, hey Jimin. Is everything okay? You don't usually call." Though Jungkook sounded baffled, he also sounded relieved.

"Um, so...i'm supposed to go meet someone tomorrow...but i really don't know how i feel about it" The former whined

A soft chuckle rang through the phone, "Hyung, it's completely acceptable to say no to someone." Jimin pursed his lips at the comment, the statement being completely true. The word 'no' just felt uncomfortable to say.

"Well, his dog chased Sejin and he said he felt bad so he wanted to make up for it and offered to buy me a drink tomorrow. But you know how I don't really drink anything fancy, would we just be drinking in front of each other?" He rambled on and Jungkook's laugh became more frequent.

"Hyung, going for a drink doesn't necessarily mean you have to 'drink'." Jimin remained silent "Going for a drink is more a less a euphemism for hanging out, you can eat, drink or just chat. Plus it doesn't even have to be in a public space, if they live near you they might invite you into their house!" The explanation calmed Jimin's nerves but the thought of going into Taehyung's flat made his heart thump loudly.

"But - so... I can just say no?"

"Of course! If anything, I encourage you to say what makes you comfortable, don't force yourself into something you're unsure about Hyung. I know you're not the most confident guy in the world, but baby steps do matter." Jimin felt like he could listen to Jungkook talk to him all night, simply just to distract him from the thoughts of tomorrow.

Baby steps do matter, Jimin thought to himself. It was how he got Jungkook as his amazing friend.

"Thank you Jungkook, I'll try sleep on it" Jimin smiled to himself softly

"No worries bud, if it happens I hope it goes well." He could feel Jungkook's genuine smile through the phone, thanked him one last time and hung up.

That night Jimin went to sleep and thought of nothing else but Taehyung's face.

He saw Angels.

He woke up well rested, more rested than most nights he would have. Before, he would dream of angels with faces he'd forget the moment he woke up, now it felt less unsettling to see Taehyung replace the faceless nightmares. But why Taehyung? Why not a random stranger he saw walking down the street?

He went to kitchen to grab Sejin's food before drinking himself. Now that he saw Taehyung's face in his dreams... he couldn't help but feel like that wasn't the first time they've met.