----Chapter Twenty-Three----

*** There is a slight pg-13 rated scene in this chapter. I don't think it warrens a warning, but just in case... ***

"He was drunk and Seulgi only helped him to his dorm. She actually went back to the party afterward," Jisoo announces the next morning at breakfast the moment Chaeyoung appears in the kitchen.

"It's none of my business," Chaeyoung mumbles, but breathing suddenly becomes easier.

The oldest rolls her eyes at her, disappointed. "Of course it is. Seriously, go talk to him. Taehyung says he's been moping around."

Her heart breaks a little at Jisoo's words. 

She hasn't slept a wink. The image of him leaving with Seulgi stayed with her all night. So yes she feels relieved after hearing Jisoo's words, even after telling herself that she would let him go.

I don't want to let him go.

She wonders if he saw her at the party, if she hurt him by ignoring him. Did he drink too much because of her?

Her head drops on the table with a bang. How frustrating, it's like she can't decide what she wants.

But her heart does know what it wants.

She doesn't want to let him go. She can't let this end. Regrets would eat her alive forever if she somehow doesn't fix this.

"Happiness is always a challenge and requires effort, but you're making the whole situation more complicated than it has to be. And that's all I'll say on the subject," Jisoo concludes, her attention shifting back to the open book on the table.

With Jisoo's words ringing in her head, Chaeyoung raises her head slowly from the table and starts eating, mulling over the wisdom of Kim Jisoo and all of the feelings toward Jimin her heart is pumping throughout her body.

Happiness.

Jimin has brought a hefty dose of happiness in her life.

Is she really going to let him slip away?

No.

Her resolve only grows as she stuffs her breakfast into . When there's nothing left in her plate, she quickly excuses herself and grabs her phone as soon as she's inside her room, choosing to ignore the smug smile on Jisoo's face.

Her heartbeat rises as she stares at his name in her contact list, nervous, but she stops herself from overthinking and swiftly sends him a text before she loses what little courage she has left.

Are you busy today? Can we meet?

All her muscles are tense while she waits. Maybe he'll ignore her. Maybe he already blocked her number after realizing how crazy she is.

But a text arrives, and the world stops moving. Chaeyoung stares at her phone, the blinking light obnoxiously taunting her, and a wave of nausea catches in , squeezing. What if he's telling her that-

"Oh my god, enough! Let's...just read." For a moment she thinks her fingers won't obey her, their weight heavy on her hand, but in the end, they slowly comply with her brain's command to click on her notification.

Come over?

She falls on her bed, her legs temporarily out of service. The huge weight she's been dragging around all those days is finally lifted. A long relieved sigh escapes , taking with it some of the darkness that clouded her heart.

I'll be there in an hour.

She slaps her cheeks a few time to make sure she hasn't hallucinated the conversation. But it's still there, on her phone. And time is moving forward.

"Move it, idiot!"

She gets ready lighting fast, throwing on some random clothes, taking only the time to sniff the black shirt discarded on the chair of her desk. Satisfied by the lack of unpleasant odor, she puts it on along with the first pair of jeans she spots in her wardrobe, her appearance the last thing on her mind, before rushing out of the room.

"Yah, where are you going? We're supposed to watch dramas today!" Lisa yells at her from the living room when she sees her heading for the door.

"I'm going to Jimin's."

Lisa's discontent flies away at her words, replaced with a satisfied grin. "Finally. Be careful on the way!"

Chaeyoung only nods before heading down, her heart fluttering with impatience.

She takes a taxi to his dorm, her head full of apologetic words she wants to say. She just hopes she won't be too late.

After all, there's still the image of him with Seulgi's arm around his waist that's been on repeat in her head.

Maybe she's a bit jealous. Even if they're only friends. Even if their relationship ended, they still had a solid one. And maybe she doesn't want to see him with another girl.

If she isn't too late like everybody tells her, maybe she'll never have to see him with another girl again.

It takes an eternity for the taxi to reach her destination, or so it seems. Her voice shakes when she thanks the driver for the ride and her legs are jelly as she walks the short distance to his door.

Finally.

He opens the door himself this time, and she's still a bundle of nerves as she steps inside. Her whole body is tingling with energy simply by being in his presence again.

It feels like forever ago.

She observes him discreetly while she takes off her shoes, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, his slumped posture, and pale face. It appears he even lost some weight.

Contrary to the last time she came, none of the other boys are in sight. In fact, the whole place is eerily quiet. So quiet the only sound she hears is the turbulent thunderstorm inside in her chest.

"Where is everyone?" she asks to break the ice, unable to stand the silence any longer as they head to his room.

"Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok are at the studio. Seokjin is visiting his family and Taehyung is out with friends. There's only Jungkook who's playing a game tournament in his room."

She nods and a long awkward silence follows.

He sits on his bed, all of his attention focused on her.

That doesn't help her anxiety at all, so she paces around. She's staring at the floor, but she can feel the burn of his eyes on her.

She loses track of time, forgetting about the eyes watching her. She's finally here, finally, but there's still so much she needs to express. Her emotions have gone from one extreme to the other in a short time, and now her soul is restless, desperate for peace. Too many feelings are swirling inside her, there's no space left for her to think.

Everything is bottled up in a tiny box, desperate to get out.

Like in that room.

Her head snaps up, and no, there's no need for the claustrophobic feeling rising unexpectedly inside her. The rays of the sun are hitting the far side of the bed from the window at the end of the more than spacious room, lighting it up comfortingly. 

Why now all of the sudden?

Her eyes find Jimin next, who's frowning in confusion, and her heartbeat calms down at his sight.

It's fine. Everything is a mess, she let her thoughts and emotions run havoc inside her, but she can do this.

Jimin is waiting. He's watching her because he's waiting for her to speak. She asked this meeting, yet she's wasting time now that she's here.

Using the breathing exercises her therapist showed her, she concentrates on inhaling and