Suga in My Coffee

A/N: Yooooooo, this chapter is SUPER long. I’m going to get really busy soon so I’m trying to push out updates while I still have time.

5. Sanding

Suga’s POV

“Niah-ssi, do you have a boyfriend?”

I blurted the words before I could even think to stop myself. I cursed myself for not asking Niah about her relationship status sooner and I cursed again for even asking her the question in the first place.

Listening to her talk on the phone with another guy and then seeing her in a hurry to go to him… It was too much. I felt immature the moment the words left my mouth and honestly, I didn’t want to hear her reply. If the answer was yes, I wasn’t sure how I’d take it, and if it was no… I knew I wasn’t prepared for that either.

Niah stared at me like a deer in headlights, her gaze bouncing between the look on my face and my grasp on her arms. I could feel the anxiety slowly rising while I waited for her answer -- suddenly Jay Park’s “Solo” was relatable as hell.

“No,” Niah’s voice was soft, but firm as she replied to me and I almost couldn’t hear her over my own pounding heartbeat. She looked me straight in the eyes and I could tell she was gauging my response. The relief that filled me from my head to my toes was weird and new. I started to ask her another question about the person on the phone, but I caught myself. I was being childish as it was; the last thing I wanted to do was make myself look even more immature.

Instead, I took her phone from her hand, and called myself from her cell. I knew Niah had given me her Kakao Talk ID because that would put less pressure on me, but if *he* could have her phone number, I could have it too. I handed her phone back as she continued to watch me in surprise, ending the call between our two phones.

“Suga-ssi?”

“Call me as soon as you get home. It doesn’t matter what time it is. I’ll answer.”

“B-But-”

I shook my head, placing my hands back on her shoulders, fixing her gaze with mine, “I can’t go with you and it’s late.”

“Well, of course you can’t go with me-” Niah started to say and just then her phone rang again. Niah looked down at the screen and sighed, nodding distractedly, “Ok. I promise I’ll call as soon as I get home.”

“If you don’t, you’ll be in big trouble,” I said, feeling the corners of my mouth lift in a smirk as I released her.

Niah smiled back, turning towards the door, “It was great to see you.” She murmured, and I nodded in reply, not trusting myself to say much else. The only thing I wanted to tell her was to stay with me, so I kept my mouth shut instead.

“See you.” She said softly, and in an instant, Niah was gone. I sighed heavily as I sat down in my computer chair, frowning at the keyboard in front of me. I had so many things I wanted to ask her, but it wasn’t right for me to ask. Her calling some guy oppa had nothing to do with me -- it really was none of my business.

I sighed again as I started at the screen in front of me. There was no way I was going to get any work done after that. I saved my work and then turned everything off, just as I got a text from Namjoon.

‘Are you coming back soon, hyung?’

I sent a reply back and quickly finished putting everything away. As I stepped out into the calm night air, I bounced on my feet restlessly. Sleep was the furthest thing from my mind, but a drink… that sounded great.

The dorm was surprisingly quiet when I finally walked in, which told me that at least two of the kids weren’t at home. Namjoon and Jin-hyung sat in the living room, both on their phones at the table. I sat the plastic bag down in front of them, getting their attention.

“How’s the song coming along?” Jin-hyung asked, digging into the bag without any reservations.

I just grabbed the can closest to me and popped it open, taking a long drink before I answered him, “I’m halfway through the first verse.”

“Hyung, that’s unusual for you,” Namjoon commented, taking out a bag of rice snacks. He looked at me curiously for a moment before opening the bag, “Are you having trouble with it?”

I took another long drink from my beer, my mind running over my conversation with Niah as I asked: “If a girl calls a guy oppa and he isn’t her boyfriend, that means they're just friends, right?”

“W-Whhaaaat?” Jin-hyung was mid-bite into a sweet bun, gawking at me in surprise.

Namjoon put his snack down, turning to face me fully, “Yoongi-hyung, what do you mean?”

“I heard a girl on the phone and she called someone ‘oppa’ but when I asked her if it was her boyfriend, she said no.”

“Why would you ask a girl if she had a boyfriend anyway? That’s not really your business,” Jin-hyung said, and I pouted at my hyung’s scolding.

“Why would she be on the phone with another guy in front of me?” I muttered, reaching into Namjoon’s bag of rice snacks and eating a few, feeling annoyed again.

“If she said that the person on the phone wasn’t her boyfriend, then he’s not her boyfriend,” Namjoon said, simply. “If he was, she would have said that, right? Do you think she would lie to you?”

I thought about that for a moment. Could Niah look me in the eyes and lie to me?

“She wouldn’t.”

“Then he’s probably a friend, or her actual brother.” Namjoon replied, nodding as if he knew the truth himself.

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to remember if Niah mentioned anything about an older brother to me, “But American girls don’t-”

“Is this about that ‘Coffee-noona’ TaeTae keeps talking about? From Mango Mocha?” Jin-hyung focused a laser-sharp gaze on me and I groaned, putting my head down on the table. I’d been caught.

“Hyung, I don’t know what to do,” I grumbled into the table. Jin-hyung laughed at me, while Namjoon patted my back sympathetically.

“Yoongi-hyung, what happened?”

I sat back up, reaching for my almost empty beer can. I downed it and proceeded to tell them everything that had happened since I met Niah. I knew that my secret would be safe with my brothers.

“Tonight, she came to the studio and-”

“Who came to the studio, Suga-hyung?”

Our maknae appeared with a towel around his neck, rubbing his damp hair gently as the three of us turned at his entrance. He sat down at the table directly across from me, his eyes bright and curious.

I released a breath, and cut my eyes at him, “How long have you been standing there, maknae?”

“Hyunggggggg,” Jungkook whined, and gave me a puppy dog face, “You can tell me! I’ll keep it a secret, I promise!”

“Niah-ssi came to the studio,” Jin-hyung stated nonchalantly, and I pouted again, feeling betrayed.

“Hyung!” I cried, which earned me a chorus of laughter from my group members.

“Yoongi-ah, our impenetrable maknae ignores pretty women, so there’s no harm in telling him,” Jin-hyung patted Kookie’s head cutely, and I shook my head, feeling no energy to argue. “Finish telling the story.”

“While we were hanging out, some guy called her. She said it was her sunbae, but she called him oppa on the phone.” Since I had finished my first can of beer, I reached into the bag and popped open the second one, while waiting for the others around me to process my words. Everyone looked really thoughtful for a bit, but Jungkook made us all jump when he slammed his hand on the table dramatically.

“Hyung, don’t let her sunbae steal her from you!” Jungkook said, his natural competitiveness coloring his words.

I rolled my eyes, “Is it really stealing when the person isn’t mine?”

“Well, do you want her to be?” Namjoon asked me in a serious tone.

The question sobered me up a bit and I held the can between both hands, reflecting on my response. Before I could answer him, my cell phone started buzzing on the table, causing everyone to turn and look at the device. It was a number I didn’t recognize, but I knew exactly who it was. I bolted out of my seat and snatched the phone off the table, heading towards my bedroom without a second glance towards the others.

I answered before I could even shut the door fully. A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.

“Niah-ssi.”

Niah’s POV

I could tell that Suga wasn’t asleep when he answered the phone, which made me worry more than it probably should have. I felt bad for calling him at nearly 1 in the morning, but I had promised to call him. He spoke lowly and softly, the vibrations of his voice tickling my ear. Talking on the phone shouldn’t make anyone this happy, but I was grinning from ear-to-ear in the darkness of my dorm room.

“I made it back to my dorm safely,” I replied, rolling to my side. Quinn and Kari were still out so I had the room all to myself.

“Did your sunbae get back okay too?”

“Ugh,” I grimaced as Suga brought back the memory of tonight’s events. Jae Young had been 30 minutes away from the Big Hit offices at a restaurant with the rest of the team. When I got there, he was by himself, head down on the table, muttering my name. I called a taxi to come pick us up and take us back to campus, “While we were waiting for a taxi to come, he threw up on my shoes. It’s a good thing I wore my old Jordans.”

“Wooooooooooooow,” Suga said in English, with a laugh. I giggled at the sound of his voice, feeling my earlier discomfort dissipate.

“Ugh, I want to kill him.” I replied dramatically and Suga laughed again. I loved the sound of it. “So tell me… Why aren’t you asleep yet? I’m sure you have another busy schedule tomorrow.”

“We only have three scheduled events tomorrow.”

“Oh? Really? Will you be at Big Hit again?” I crossed my fingers, hoping he would say yes.

“We’ll be back later in the evening.”

“I work an early shift tomorrow,” I began, biting on my bottom lip, “Maybe we could play a game in the evening?”

“I won’t be able to play tomorrow,” was his reply and I tried not to feel too disappointed, “But… maybe…”

I could feel my eyes drifting shut slowly, a drowsy feeling washing over me from the sound of his wonderful voice in the dark, “Hmmm?”

“Is there somewhere you want to go tomorrow?”

“...As long as you’re there, it doesn’t matter… where we go…” I replied sleepily, letting my eyes close fully. My bed just felt way too comfortable.

“Ah…” He sounded flustered, but I could hear the smile in his voice. “Then let’s go somewhere tomorrow.”

“Okay...” I tried to open my eyes again, but my body wouldn’t let me. I exhaled softly, putting my arm around my stuffed teddy bear.

“Niah-ssi?”

I could still hear Suga’s voice in my ear, but I gave up on trying to stay awake, “...Hmmm.”

“Good night,” was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep with my phone pressed against my ear.

Four and a half hours later, I woke up suddenly to the sound of my alarm clock blaring at 5 am. I quickly climbed down the ladder to turn off the alarm so as not to wake my roommates. Quinn groaned from the other side of the room and Kari threw a pillow at her, who used it to cover her head and block out the sound.

“Sorry guys,” I muttered sheepishly, shutting off the alarm clock. I rubbed my eyes blearily, reaching above Kari’s head for my cell phone on the edge of the bed. To my surprise, my phone screen was completely dead.

“Didn’t I put my phone on the charger last night?” As I hooked my phone up to the charging dock in the bathroom, I tried to remember if I had charged it at all last night. That’s when everything came rushing back to me, and I covered my mouth trying not to shout in a combination of astonishment and embarrassment.

I fell asleep on the phone with Min Yoongi!

“HOOLLLLLYYYYYYYY SHIII-”

“Niah, talk to yourself outside, please!” Quinn yelled and I burst out laughing, shaking my head incredulously. I started on my morning routine, getting ready for work with a smile on my face. Today was going to be a good day.

Later

The day seemed to be dragging as it got closer to the end of my shift. We were incredibly busy for a Sunday, but the place was dead after a three hour rush. I was in a wonderful mood regardless, deep-cleaning everything until there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found in the place. I crammed as much work as possible in my 8-hour shift, just to help the time pass by faster.

“Niah-ssi, you’ve worked really hard today! Thank you,” My boss gave me a smile of approval for all the work I did. I gave her a thumbs up, feeling excited when I realized that I only had 10 minutes left on my shift.

I went into the storeroom to count cups and lids, and in no time, I was free!

“See you later!” I bid farewell to my co-workers as I grabbed my backpack out of my locker and headed out of the cafe. I got a text from Suga telling me to meet him at the basketball court at 5.

‘I thought we weren’t playing basketball today?’ I sent back as I made my way across the street towards a shopping center.

‘We aren’t.’

I looked at the text message curiously and just shrugged, heading into the massive shopping center. There were clothing stores and other shops on every floor, which was perfect for me. I started up a video chat with Quinn and Kari, blowing kisses at my two best friends when their faces appeared on my screen.

“Where the hell were you last night?!” Kari yelled the moment she saw me, and I laughed, cracking a smile so wide it literally hurt my cheeks.

“Look at that grinning! So you did what I told you to do, huh?” Quinn asked, and I nodded as I stepped into a fitting room with 4 dresses in my hand.

“I went to see him last night.” I admitted, pulling off my work clothes and reaching for the first dress. Both Quinn and Kari took a look at the dress in the mirror and shook their heads.

“Next,” Kari said, waving the first dress away.

“Try the blue one,” Quinn told me, and I reached for a powder blue, knee length chiffon dress with off-the shoulder straps. “So what happened?”

“I just… went for it. We only got to see each other for a little while before Jae Young decided to go get tipsy.”

“More like drunk off his ; he came by our room today. I gave him some medicine for his hangover,” Kari said with a laugh. Her reddish-brown curls seemed to dance from a gentle breeze, and I wondered where she was sitting. “He also told me to apologize for puking on your shoes.”

“He what?! Nah-uh, girl, kill him.” Quinn said heatedly, causing both Karissa and I to break into a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, he was doing the most last night. I’m glad to know that he’s okay though.” I spun in the mirror liking the soft feel of the chiffon dress.

“Oooohh that’s super pretty! Get that one!” Kari cooed, moving her phone closer to her face for a better look.

“Karissa, move the phone from your face; I’m just seeing a screen full of freckles.”

“Kick rocks, Queenie.” Kari stuck her tongue out in a saucy reply.

“Oooh, you’d better be glad I have work to do today.” Quinn replied, glaring at Kari.

I laughed at their antics, “Ladies, you’re supposed to be helping me!”

“Riiighhhtt,” They both chorused, and I just laughed some more.

“Anyway, when I got back to the dorm, I called him and-”

“Wait, you called him? He gave you his number?! Damn it, why aren’t I this lucky?! I just want J-Hope to call me once,” Kari pouted cutely and I made kissy faces at her.

“My poor baby. Maybe I can slip your number to him the next time I make a delivery,” I put my other clothes back on and gathered the 4 dresses I had brought in the fitting room with me.

Quinn scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Please don’t give her any ideas. She’d fangirl so hard she’d have a heart attack.”

“Would you do that for me, NeeNee?!”

“No, she absolutely wouldn’t,” Quinn deadpanned.

“Ugh, why am I friends with you?” Kari retorted and I was laughing so hard that I knew the girls in the other fitting rooms probably thought I was crazy.

“Finish telling us your story.” Quinn replied, completely ignoring Kari. I went to stand in a short line at the register with the dress.

“Let me check out and then I’ll call you both back on three-way.”

Both girls nodded and hung up the video call. It didn’t take long for me to check out, so I found a bench and dialed them back right away.

“Do I have you both on the line?” I asked, watching a couple walk by in front of me. When both of my friends confirmed that they could hear me, I continued the conversation from earlier, “So last night, he asked me something really weird.”

“Weird? What’d Suga ask you?” Kari questioned curiously.

“He asked me if I had a boyfriend. What does that even mean? I know my Korean isn’t that great, but I’m sure he wasn’t asking TO BE my boyfriend; those phrases are decidedly different.”

“Hush, Niah, your Korean is wonderful. You’ve got a gorgeous translator as your roommate; your Korean is a lot better than most,” Quinn replied, and I chuckled at her self-confidence.

“Gee, Queenie, you’re not conceited at all,” Kari said sarcastically, and we all laughed.

“Regardless, Niah, maybe he was making sure you didn’t have a boyfriend because he likes you! It’d be hard to pursue a girl with a boyfriend at home.”

“Well, that’s what I figured, but what would give him the impression that I even have a boyfriend?”

“Come on, even I know the answer to that! ‘Jae Young-oppa?’ If I had a dollar for every time someone here at school asked me if you two were dating, I’d be rich enough to quit school today.” Kari cried exasperatedly.

“Oooohhh my gosh. I totally called Jae Young ‘oppa’ like 6 times.” I blanched as I thought about how that phone call had probably sounded to Suga.

“Especially when you’re an American girl saying it. It either makes you look really flirtatious or really ignorant of Korean customs. I told you both to be careful about that word,” Quinn warned, and I thought back to her hour long lecture on honorifics with Kari and I.

“We remember,” We chorused in utter boredom and Quinn giggled.

“Sorry, I’m not trying to nag either of you, but you really have to be careful or you’ll give people the wrong idea. Case in point.”

“You’re right.”

“I know I am, Niah. That’s why I’m the best unnie ever!”

“Here she goes,” Kari chortled, and I couldn’t stop laughing either.

“Anyway,” Quinn stressed, and we both sobered up, “If he’s concerned about your relationship status, then he’s into you. I mean, clearly he is, since he missed his Coffee Bae so much he came by to see you. But can he even date you? Is that something that you’ve discussed?”

“Can he… date me? I don’t think the group has a dating ban.”

“Ooohhhh,” Karissa said softly, and I wasn’t a fan of the way her voice sounded. It was a cross between sadness and sympathy, “I know what she means. NeeNee, he’s famous. You can’t ever forget that. It’s not something that will ever go away. On top of that; I hate to break it to you, but you’re Black.”

“Do you think that matters to him though?” I questioned, concern coloring my tone.

“I doubt it, but it’ll certainly matter to the rest of the world. And when I say world, I mean the. Entire. World. BTS is internationally famous and getting bigger and bigger by the day.”

“You’re right…” I said, feeling the gravity of her words pressing on me. It certainly put a damper on my mood and I looked at my new dress dejectedly.

“That doesn’t mean you have to cut him off, though. It’s just something to be mindful of. Try not to let it bother you too much, sweetheart.” Quinn tried to salvage the situation and that made me feel a little better, though not much.

I released a breath and got up from the bench, “Let’s talk some more after I get back tonight. I’ve got to find shoes to go with this dress. Love you both.”

“Bye, love you too! Have fun~” Kari said cheerfully, and I found myself smiling despite our somewhat depressing conversation.

“Love you, sweets! Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!” Quinn teased and I giggled, hanging up the phone. I pushed our serious talk to the back of my mind and headed off to a shoe store to find some cute but comfortable white shoes.

Suga’s POV

I was 10 minutes early to our meeting spot, but I was too nervous and excited to wait any longer. I was making great progress on the new song, and even the members commented on my happy mood while we ran around for our schedule.

I laughed to myself when I remembered how many times Taehyung asked me if I was sick.

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to decide between playing a game on my phone or sending a text to the members when Niah appeared from the other side of the court. She was wearing a powder blue dress that showcased her beautiful, toned legs and shoulders with white, lacy looking shoes. She wore her braids up and out of her face, plus a little extra make-up.

It was hard to breathe -- that’s how beautiful she was to me. Niah was beautiful in everything I saw her wear, but today…

She stopped in front of me, a light smile on her face. She even wore lipstick and a pair of gold earrings dangled from ear. So many words came to mind, but none of them would come out.

“I didn’t know what we were doing, so I hope I’m wearing the right thing.” Niah said, smoothing down the front of her dress.

I nodded, an uncontrollable smile covering my entire face, “You’re definitely wearing the right thing, Niah-ssi. You look really pretty.”

“Oh? I don’t look pretty every day?” She replied cheekily, and I reached for her hand as we laughed together.

“You’re especially pretty today.” I told her, leading her away from the park where the basketball courts were. Niah beamed at me in response. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I was going to have to stop staring at her if I wanted everything to go smoothly today.

“So where are we going?” She asked, letting me lead her away from the area near my company.

“I found this tiny theater… a lot of people avoid it because it’s old. One of my hyungs told me about it, and I’ve gone there before.” I waved my hand to get the attention of a taxi and we got in, with Niah glancing around curiously as I gave the driver the address.

“Will you be okay? What if,” Niah lowered her voice and leaned in closer towards me conspiratorially. The scent of her perfume and her hair surrounded me and I had to force myself to pay attention to what she was whispering, “What if someone notices who you are?”

“They won’t,” I replied, amused by her wariness. She gave me a look that said she clearly didn’t believe me, but shrugged anyway.

“If you say so,” She said, squeezing my hand gently. I looked down, just now realizing that we had been holding hands this entire time. It was really nice.

The ride to the movie theater was pretty uneventful, and when we got there, Niah made a happy sound of excitement, “It’s so cute and tiny.”

I nodded, leading Niah towards a side door, “A lot of celebrities sneak in here to go on dates, or just go to the movies.”

Niah stopped in the alleyway behind me, her brown eyes staring right at me, “And which one are we doing? ‘Going on a date’ or ‘Just going to the movies’?”

“Let’s decide after our date ends,” I told her, tugging on her hand with an amused smirk. Niah gave me a delighted look and let me lead her into the theater. We were greeted by the owner, who I’d met twice before. We were escorted to another door, which led directly into the already dark theater. There were a few couples scattered throughout, but no one sat at the very back of the small room, so we picked two seats there. The movie was still going through the previews.

“Is this movie completely in Korean?” Niah whispered in a hushed voice.

I covered her lips with my finger, shushing her effectively. She blinked at me in the darkness, surprise clear on her face. “Just watch.”

She nodded and instead gave my hand a light squeeze. She mouthed a “thank you” and turned to the big screen in front of us. The movie was in English with Korean subtitles, which I figured would be easier than the other way around. Unfortunately, about halfway through the movie, both of fell asleep, leaning against one another and the film ended up watching us. I woke first to my phone vibrating in my pocket, with Niah leaning cutely against my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her sleeping form and looked up in time to see the credits rolling.

I turned my gaze back to Niah’s sleeping face, but as I leaned in closer, her eyelids fluttered open just as the lights were in the theater. We stared at one another, Niah blinking up at me sleepily. My gaze slid to and I knew then that I was doomed. I eliminated the remaining space between us and as her scent assaulted my senses, I did the only thing I could think to do…

I kissed her.

End Chapter 5